David Hingtgen

Permanently, or for airshows? Phalanx, there will be VERY few Raptors out there. 183 at last count I think. There's not enough F-16's for every state to have them, much less F-15's, even less so F-22's. Generally, F-22's are only showing up at all at airshows where they will be stationed, and/or the biggest/most famous airbases there are. Andrews will never have F-22's stationed there--no point with Langley so close, in addition to Andrews having only the 89th Wing I think---they're for MATS/Airlift, not fighters. The only confirmed F-22 bases are Langley and Elmendorf I think---the list changes with the tides, phase of the moon, planetary alignment, and what General Jumper had for breakfast... There will be so few F-22's even front-line MiG-killing F-15C bases like Eglin won't get even a single squadron, much less enough to re-equip the wing. I personally expect Kadena and Lakenheath to eventually get one squadron each, with their other squadrons remaining F-15C's. PS---it's Oceana NAS, not AFB. I doubt a Naval base would ever station Air Force planes.

Airshows? I like going here to find out who's where: http://www.schultzairshows.com/ Click on Demo Schedules, then the specific team/plane you want to know about. Also, http://www.stevesairshow.com/demos06.html USAF schedule, including fly-overs: http://www.acc.af.mil/library/factsheets/f...eet.asp?id=3679 http://www.acc.af.mil/library/factsheets/f...eet.asp?id=3813 http://www.airshows.org/list_events.php has EVERY airshow, just takes a while to sort "Thunderbirds and the Strike Eagle demo team" from "3 Cessnas and a pancake breakfast"

It's called a roof fairing, not a spoiler. (As I posted on the 2005 boards). Sometimes called an aero fairing.

I'm thinking about it. I THINK my Vice-Mod powers would allow me to reset it back to zero---the buttons and options show up.

Sorry Graham, we've already had a whole (locked) thread here on MW about that, which was then discussed in this very thread back when it happened. Even the F-14 tail in Ireland is almost old news by 'net standards now. The latest F-22 news is the almost-demo at the Langley air show last weekend. Practically hovered in a vertical postion. (I figured any plane with enough thrust and control could do it, but the F-22's the first plane that actually did AFAIK) Plus a cobra, but that surprised nobody.

But a big part of the controversy on ARC is how can it look that good? F-14's look like sh*t after 6 months at sea even with constant washing and touchups---how can that tail look better than most line-birds after YEARS in salt water? ::edit:: It was 162594? That's one of my fave Tomcats--one of the last (and best-looking) VF-111 CAG planes. I didn't know it had ended up as one of VF-101's crashes. Fitting though, it seems to have been lost due to a TF30 engine crapping out on it... "If it was a A-model, it was probably the engine's fault" Here it is in '92, wearing the greatest squadron markings EVER:

Well I was encouraged and so tried again, and was successful. Used a screwdriver at what actually seemed to be the "least likely to work" location and it popped apart pretty easily. Now I just have to decide if I'm going to paint the feet metallic...

And of course, ASCII/Hori pads beat them all, since they are explicitly designed for 2D fighters... (And quite nicely, too)

Are there pins/tabs somewhere? Or is it just one big internal lip? I only need to split the rear part, the majority of the gunpod is fine.

I think the edges of the pieces would be heavily gouged and look horrible if I tried that, even if I did it without breaking it. More likely, I'd break more xacto blades than I already have trying to get it apart.

I can't take it apart--even prying with a screwdriver only succeeded in gouging it. If it was assembled properly, that could be an option. But it's mis-assembled, very strongly.

Mine has a similar problem--the back end is assembled so poorly there's a large gap and it's misaligned so it's very difficult to extend/collapse---but it's so tightly (glued?) together I can't adjust it at all.

Edit: Check this out from the PS3 press release: "For use in living rooms, maximum heat and noise reduction has been achieved with a noise level equivalent to that of the current slim-line PlayStation 2." So what's MS's excuse for their leaf-blower? ::goes and looks at my pile of DC VMU's:: Hey, some of the later RPG's pretty needed a VMU all to themselves... PS---I truly hate vibrating controllers, to the point that I often thought about ripping them out---but worried it might somehow mess the controller up if it wanted some sort of feedback/signal from them. I'm glad it's gone. Also, the vibration motors are the heaviest thing in a controller. Compare a DS to a DS2. The older one is HEAVY, purely because of the motors. The DS2 brought in smaller, lighter motors but it's still heavy for its size--not what you want for long sessions. Get rid of a DS2's motors and I bet it'll weigh exactly what the "surprisingly light" PS3 (DS3?) controller does. JB0---while it can be disabled, it often defaults to on--and most people who hate vibration (like me) tend to TRULY ABHOR IT, and the one time it does it the first time the game starts up will annoy us for the whole day. And as mentioned above---even if turned off, it still makes the controller weigh twice what it would otherwise. Also it's a b*tch to find out how to disable it on the 360. Took me 20 minutes, I'm serious. It's NOT in the manual. BTW--the 360 manual is the most incomplete, worthless manual of any product I've ever bought. A pamphlet saying "fiddle around with it until you find out how it works" would actually be better. I'm still surprised that the wireless (with batteries) and wired 360 controllers seem to weigh about the same, going by how heavy the packages are in the store.

Sorry, MiG-23/27 has always been rather "ignored" by me.

Well THAT was unexpected. SquareEnix announces FF 13 for PS3. Yes, 13, not 12. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6149412.html (scroll down to 2PM) I'm interested--more by that that 12 certainly.

I'm waiting. Might wait even longer for a non-white Lite.

Maybe, when it's all done, and if I think it looks decent. But as the radar is apparently grey, I'm going to leave it as-is. Still debating seat and HUD. (Yamato molded fake details where the HUD should go, making it hard to do, especially with no HUD generator for the HUD to use)

Quick question: Is there a list somewhere of everyone who's used Megatron in gun mode? Surely some fan's come up with one, but I couldn't find it. I ask because I know both Starscream and Skywarp have done it several times, and it'd be an obvious accessory for MP Starscream--but as I plan to get MP Thundercracker, I'd like to know if he's ever done it. (As they'll likely include the same accessories for all 3 regardless---except maybe the crown, that'd be really pointless for anyone but SS)

My letter to Namco regarding "aircraft control scheme modeling" would be very long indeed. Then we could get into physical differences they didn't account for... (like the wrong seats in their F-14D)

Thank you VERY much. Hmmn, the "red/orange" spot so prominent in DYRL is there too---might have to mod the seat. Definitely going to add a HUD, though I don't have any spares in 1/48. Might just buy a cheap F-14 kit for parts... (Might use the seat, too! ) Darn, red head-lasers looks pretty canon. Might paint them metallic grey for sheer "looks-better-ness" anyways though.

Thanks!

No excuse, 30 secs of watching "The Final Countdown" will clearly show the stabs providing primary roll control... Also, Namco even got the INTAKE RAMPS right on the F-14. Watch closely--they'll start moving down as you go faster. A tiny little detail they did in favor of the far more important BIG MOVING STABS.

Of course, if they COULD design it, it'd be the greatest, most complex transforming toy of all time.

That doesn't really count IMHO. Look at any comic or animated show. 99% of the time, natural blonde and natural redhaired people will have BLACK eyebrows because it's either too difficult to do such a narrow line, or because the artist is just lazy. That's always an annoyance of mine, anytime a redhead in comics has black eyebrows. Max is no different. They're drawn black because of laziness, basically. And you'll find just as many examples of black eyebrows on Milia for the same reason. Look at the clip you posted of DYRL--they're black, and I think we all agree she has naturally green hair and should have green eyebrows (like they are SOMETIMES drawn, usually by Mikimoto I think--he cares)

And making it a one-of-a-kind jet doesn't exactly go with the "very hidden, very in-disguise" theme the movie's supposed to have. (That's a YF-22, not a F-22)