David Hingtgen

Ah yes, the F-15-prototype-colors YF-19's. Those were neat. But even better was the mold they were on! If you don't know, that white/blue YF-19 is transformable! Best fighter-mode transforming YF-19 mold ever, by far, and what I pretty much begged for Yamato to copy... (note the long wings) One single, small, removable part allows a transforming YF-19 to look like THAT in fighter mode. Sure it's not "perfect" anymore (but again, only if you want the gear down--gear up requires no part swap) but it looks so good. Also it uses what looks like a variation of the SHE's leg transformation (how the calf opens up)

Staring at the intake kibble pics side-by-side, I realized that it's actually a combination of a trick of the light/shadow, a different view angle, and the piece not rotated as much. It's actually the same, it just really looks different due to shadows etc. My mistake.

Take a lot of work to turn the YF-19 into a VF-19Kai. Like new wingroots, legs, feet, ankles, head, canopy, shield, v.stabs, shoulders. And remove the ventral fins. Frankly, there's not much the same between them, besides the nose and arms. If you really compare, you'll see that almost every section is different between the YF-19/VF-19A, and the later VF-19F/S, and with Basara's being a mix of the two---it's generally like a VF-19S, but has the original YF-19 wings and canards for example. It'd be rather pointless to remold, as remolding would only get you one or two colors, as any remold couldn't be used for the other variants either. The v.stab change might even require transformation changes. (at the very least, a completely changed mount and hinge) The YF-19 is best known by far, with the VF-19A close behind, so it's likely the only version we'll see. Just make Max and Milia color YF-19's. They'd sell. (I'd buy 'em)

Quick question: the first pic of the "new" Starscream mold had a totally different type of intake kibble. Different transformation or did they actually revise the mold between then and now? Because I liked the old way a lot better. Intake kibble's bad enough, but why'd they change it? They already had the conformal tanks at that point and they surely couldn't have changed it much without affecting the wing transformation. I'd lean towards different transformation, but it's consistently been the new way ever since. Look here, the first pic of the new mold I think---it's like the intake kibble is rotated 90 degrees down and twisted 90 degrees out, so you're actually looking at the "back" of the conformal tank, and its leading edge is pointing up.

BIRDS can't hold position well enough for that. But give planes another 200 years... Hmmn, not much online about Skyhook, best reference is books of the period. But some stuff and a pic here: http://www.vectorsite.net/avav8_3.html Scroll down to section 3.5 It's actually quite Macross-esque (heck, maybe a Kawamori inspiration)---you grab a Harrier in midair, then bring it down to the deck. Or, lift it off the deck when it's too heavy to takeoff normally, then let it go and fly off---just like DYRL Strike valk launches!

LOL--I totally forgot about the Takara/Tomy merger when I wrote that. I guess it's ok now to copy each other. Can't wait for Deathsaurer Prime...

Probes don't count when measuring plane length. (unless specified).

Sigh, last F-14 carrier takeoff and landing: http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=37552 On a positive note, one of the coolest "vapor shockwave" pics ever--a unique pattern I've never seen before: http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=37558 And a just plain huge vaporwave: http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=37555

Whoa, Grimlock's tail is so copied from the Genosaurer it's not even funny. (I really hate it when I see clearly recognizable elements from other mecha in my TF's---it's bad enough that so many are so Gundam-esque in the comics now, but some are flat out Heavy Arms Kai---there's a difference between homage/inspiration, and line-by-line copying of design features). Being "Zoid-esque" could be very good. (Zoids rock, and are not traditional mecha) But to have the back half IDENTICAL to a SPECIFIC Zoid? Bad.

I read an article (that I thought I'd saved, but it's not in my modeling folder) about using some confetti for this purpose. They're little colored clear bits you'd find at a party supply store or something. They're perfect, as they are VERY iridescent, plastic, come in many colors, and it's like one buck for a bag of them. Will try to find the exact article. Specifically, I think they're ~1/4in squares of colored clear plastic that has a very iridescent/rainbow effect. This stuff, or something similar: (there's green ones in it) ::edit:: somehow my URL disappeared, here's where I was pointing to: http://www.crafta.com/opel-ab.html

Fastest way to remove an ERJ's tail? Boeing's patented "winglet slice". As for docking fighters--well there was the famous Harrier "skyhook" and even THAT was "white knuckle" for the pilots, and the Harrier could HOVER and COME TO A STOP IN MIDAIR to dock with it...

Not in a million years. In addition to NO plane could ever hold position well enough, you'd need new pylons, launchers, and IMHO new WEAPONS to be compatible. There's a lot of connections for a missile, and many locks/safeties on them. Even a Mk 82 dumb bomb isn't "plug and play". Not to mention the infinite variations---you could probably only ever re-load a plane having one of the three most common loads, due to clearance/weight/balance issues. And you'd need cartridge replacement for bomb racks after every launch.

Early releases (boxed) of Tracks have a much more glossy, metallic finish than the newer plastic bubble ones. Worth finding (and paying for) the boxed version IMHO.

Yup. EVERY JASDF squadron painted up a plane for the anniversary, but these were the most colorful (though not the most intricate by any means). Red and blue were for the 304 and 306 squadrons.

I vote for the 0A. The stealth colors just seem "fake" to me, regardless of canon. The 0A to me has contrast/patterns similar to the Heater-Ferris scheme that you seen fan versions of ALL the time on every plane/valk/mecha on the planet.

"never produced" means just that. What happened to it? Well, old resin prototypes tend to break, or it's sitting in some Takara exec's closet.

I've been busy and somehow missed all this. After fiddling with the pic for a awhile, I vote for a wingtip extension. Messing with the chord or root would certainly mess up how it needs to rotate for transformation, but there's no reason a half-inch added to the tips couldn't be done. Anyways---I think the canopy is too humped. I actually think the entire forward fuselage/nose is too tall, vertically. Not the gut/belly, but the nosecone, canopy, canard mounting area, etc. I think they're tried to "round out" the canopy in profile too much, make it more F-16-ish, when it should be more F-15-ish. Basically, it should be straighter, almost concave in parts--whereas Yamato has it convex all the way around. Especially the front half.

Got my "Milia red" F-15 today. VERY nice, I'll have to say it's better than Dragon's. Witty's F-15 mold has a working airbrake (flush when closed), working canopy (flush when closed), moving stabs and rudders, fixed gear. Wing armament and drop tanks are fixed, but AIM-7's are easily put on and off. Got it here: http://www.flyingmule.com/products/WT-WTW72005-08 And the "Max blue" one is coming soon: http://www.flyingmule.com/products/WT-WTW72005-09

Doubt it. It's a screw to hold the nose together. If it was a connection point, it should be on both sides. PS--looking closely I noticed my guess was correct about the tail. It has a small "Decepticon-ized" badge, instead of a USAF TAC/ACC badge. Most people here probably don't know what that means, but think of it like that Decepticon police badge we've all seen from the movie. It's just like that, only for the USAF. It's very small, above the SS tailcode. There's also one under the gun muzzle(s). (Though that should be a squadron badge on the left and the wing badge on the right) Still have no clue as to "22 QT" for the tail numbering. The overall tail markings say "Squadron Commander" to me. 22nd anniversary? (1984-2006).

The nozzles strike me as too long and tapering too slowly. Should be more conical, they're too tubular. Could all be an effect of being vectoring nozzles. Oh, and the pic of all the features/gimmicks--the lower left one. As far as I can tell, they're showing off a screw.

I'll be the first to admit it looks *better* in the new pics but that still doesn't mean I like it. It went from D- to D+. Also I note it has gun muzzles on BOTH sides. Hmmmn.

I personally hate the MP SS scheme. Basically--how will they do Thundercracker and Skywarp? Different fist colors? Because that's about all there is now to color, with their new "realistic" F-14 (not a typo) color scheme... (Nothing makes a plane-buff dislike something more than using something that is distinctly from another plane). Nothing says "authentic" like using another plane's color...

JBO--the conformal tanks are the sole reason for the rounded forearms. And as for intake kibble, it's highlighted in red on both molds. If it was simply moved on the new mold, it'd be smaller--but it's two or three times bigger now, because of the added bulk of the conformal tank being added (since the front of the conformal tank goes right underneath the root extension).

We never saw the first mold posed "dramatically" on a stand like the newest colored pic of the new mold. We have no idea of its articulation capabilities. Since the hip/thigh/knee joints look similar, I doubt there's much difference between the two molds. The new one just has big extra parts on the hip armor.

At least it doesn't have hip kibble that'd hit a wall he's standing 15 feet in front of... Nor intake kibble... And no TF looks good from behind, kind of like how none look good from beneath in vehicle mode. We're lucky to get TF's that look good from the side. First mold looks better at every angle in all modes, with the exception of fighter mode from below, which the second one is a BIT better. Second one has a kibbly robot mode from every angle. That pic shows the original location of the intake kibble well---at the "bottom" of the wings. It's quite hidden there, and blends in well since it's not kibble at that point since it's inherently a part of the wing. (As it was on the G1 toy) Personally, I'll take "big legs" (which people seemed to love on MP Prime) over "kibbles and bits all over the robot mode everywhere sticking out in every direction all in an effort to make sleeker legs with girly feet that completely changes the overall look of the character". Basically--kibble only exists when it's separated from its "parent" piece. Not separated=not kibble. Separating out the tailboom and wing root extension creates kibble that previously didn't exist.