David Hingtgen

True, but the default/standard/demo colors from Lambo are the lime and pumpkin. They are the majority of colors sent to dealers, etc. THAT is strange.

Basically: The key difference between the J and the E was that the J had all the changes made to the E(FN). The E(FN) is the French Crusader. It has double-hinged leading edge flaps, larger stabs, and blown flaps to reduce its approach speed. This was needed for France's smaller carriers. (And the F-8 was never an easy plane to land on a carrier). However, all those changes added weight, and the blown flaps sucked power and response time straight from the engine when it was most needed. So it actually handled worse, even if it did come in slower. The US Navy later made some adjustments and added more powerful engines, but it pretty much cancelled out all the approach improvements---so like often happens, they spent a lot of time and money just to get the J back to how it was like before it was converted! The F-8H was the upgraded D. The D is THE fastest and best-performing of the original Crusaders, period. No others come close. Now, the later H's got even more powerful engines than most J's and didn't have the weight or drag of E/J. I think the H might even be able to outrun the D (same airframe plus more power=faster), but I've never read anything about its performance. Basically: The H is the upgraded version of the best-performing Crusader (the D), while the J is the heavier, less responsive version of the E. The J may be more technologically advanced and "survivable", but not better or "more fun" for a pilot. Think about the standard F-15E---sure it's a far more advanced, multirole, more useful plane compared to the F-15C, but for sheer agility and speed the F-15C will beat it, even if the E is stripped down. I think most pilots would rather fly around in a C than an E. A note he had at the end said that the last F-8 squadron utterly refused to take freshly-converted J's, and wanted the older H's retired from a previous squadron.

I'd just plain vote for the F-8. Why? Its model designator is F, not A. Plus it has an afterburner. And most important of all, it looks way cooler. F vs A explanation: while many an "F" plane has become a great attacker (or only really is an attacker) I have yet to hear of an "A" plane doing well in air combat. PS---I was just posting with an F-8 pilot in another forum and he said the F-8H was hands-down the best version, especially compared to the J. Quote: "J for junk, H for hotrod".

That powder-blue Gallardo is in Road and Track. I swear everyone at Lambo went color blind over the past few years. Metallic lime green. Pearl burnt orange. Now pastel blue. What happened to basic sports car colors? Diablos had so many neat shades of blue---both metallic and non. And titanium, and anthracite grey, and other cool colors. But the current ones seem only to be available in colors that don't look good on the cars. There's like one shade of blue that's decent, but it's almost the same as GM Superior Blue.

Isn't there a joke about the percentage of new Lambos owned by rappers? I don't actually recall seeing anybody else own one... I'll admit I've always wondered what a chrome sports car would look like. I like the overall look, but it's just TOO shiny. I think "super-smooth" (as in fine-grained) silver would look nice. Just so long as it's not actually reflective like a mirror. Most silver paint is just so grainy, like glitter. This is an issue for models, as normal silver paint on a model can often look like you literally coated it in glitter. It's all about how finely ground the metal flakes are.

VFA-154's new CAG scheme: Much better. It's BLACK and red now, instead of grey and red. EDIT. Arrrgh, I really really really truly verily hate Invision's embedded auto-replace feature. It's screwing up the link. Same reason we keep getting F-14D® in our posts--it auto-replaces our typing into the registered trademark sign, and it's doing the same thing to the URL I'm linking to. Here's link that this forum doesn't change half the letters in the URL of: http://www.myaviation.net/search/photo_sea...php?id=00550791 Then just click on "165910" in the description to get all the other pics of it.

I'd pin this if I could, but being powerless and all... Anyways---I have actually found Testor's metalizers in the bottles to be capable of some neat effects when brushed. Burnt iron especially---I'm not the only one who found that brushing it over something will give a nice subtle effect. Just stir it like crazy and take advantage of how sheer it is. Very good for streaks/stains in an afterburner/exhaust--especially all those ones with ceramic white nozzle interiors. Though valks have such unusual nozzles compared to most planes. Alclad however, is ONLY airbrushable. (Is that a word?) And I've GOT to get a YF-19 kit someday. I just barely missed out at BigBadToyStore--might order straight from HLJ.

A big part of not producing unique designs is expense. The cost of designing planes is going up far faster than any nation's economy. In WW2 almost every nation could design and build their own new planes in a year. Nowadays, France can barely afford a new plane a decade, it takes the UK plus 2 or 3 other nations to fund a new Euro-plane (Tornado and Typhoon), and the US isn't doing much better. It's always been considered amazing how Sweden can design such top-quality planes on a tiny (for aircraft design) budget/economy. Maybe SAAB employees are just really motivated... It's a lot cheaper for Japan to buy other nation's planes, like lots of nations do. The best stuff IS for sale, generally.

I'm in the category of "pick up a few series semi-often for nostalgia, whenever they seem decent again" (like UXM) but generally wait for the TPB for anything good/famous/popular. Waste of time and money to hunt down and buy the first 3 issues, then find out the final 5 suck as you go on. I bought the entire No Man's Land arc a year after it was finished and liked it quite a bit. Not all of it, but a lot easier than buying dozens of comics and trying to figure out what happens when. Also saves the trouble of hunting down specific issues--I want to read JUSTICE, but only found issue 2. Passed on it because I didn't want to miss the beginning. Then they got in issue 1 and 3! But were sold out of issue 2. Now, you guessed it, they got in more copies of issue 2, but sold out of 1 and 3 again. I'm just going to wait and get the trade. Unless of course, it all falls apart at the end and people are disgusted. (Though I doubt that for this series)

That's what the constitution says, but the F-2 and F-15J are equal to, and in some ways superior, to the US versions. They retain full long-range strike capability and long-range missiles, mid-air refueling, and all sorts of other features that wouldn't be needed for self defense, THAT ARE OFTEN DELETED FOR OTHER NATIONS. Basically, many export versions of US planes are stripped down, especially in regards to anything that helps with long-range strikes (mid-air refueling, extra fuel tanks, long-range radar, etc). But not for Japan. It's a big joke for aviation enthusiasts about the "Self Defense" part of Japan's Air Force/airplanes. It's as utterly capable of sending planes far away and striking as the USAF. And they're looking at building small carriers, possibly even ones capable of taking JSF's. Carriers are for power projection, not self-defense. PS--for Graham: I don't know what the official number is, but the F-2 does cost MUCH more than a regular F-16. Because the only thing more expensive than designing a new plane, is trying to re-design an existing one. Also, they wanted to use Japanese electronics--and they really don't mesh well with proprietary US avionics. The F-16 is designed for very specific electronics, and to try to redesign the entire avionics suite costs as much as the plane itself. They did it, but it delayed the program by years and made the plane cost several times more than it should have.

The F-2 doesn't just resemble an F-16, it IS an F-16, with a few changes for the Japanese market. (Wings 25% larger all around, enhanced anti-ship capability, and 1 extra fuselage bay ahead of the fin) It's built under license from Lockheed-Martin, and the engines come straight from the US. Little different from the F-15J---built in Japan, but under license from MDC with engines from the US. The F-16E/F is also basically a custom modification of the design for the UAE, only it's still built in the US. Japan hasn't done an original design since the NAMC Y-11 I think. (A 1960's turboprop airliner)

Gemini just posted pics of their 1/72 Warbirds. http://www.geminijets.com/aces/ PS---with my forum settings this is page 79 of the thread.

Arrgh! MW went down for like 10 mins the MOMENT I clicked to reply, had a nice long reply typed out. Short version of what I said: Plastic kits are (illegally) copied all the time. Airliners to ships to fighter jets. Very easy to spot. Decals get copied too, errors and all. Dragon can legally copy Hasegawa AFAIK, though they seemed to have copied the horrible Italeria Super Hornet instead of Hasegawa's. They copied the Hasegawa Super Hornet WEAPONS though. (the only real errors in the Hase kit and that's the parts they copied) But most everything else is unauthorized copying. Even plastic kits are often copies of other kits too! Not directly when there's a scale change usually, just "it's very obvious they had this kit sitting right next to them and were very "inspired" by it". And Hasegawa is THE source for copying anything. Strangely, that should imply high accuracy, but it seems copiers have the amazing ability to emphasize errors and minimize accuracies. The Dragon F-15 I have is this one: http://www.flyingmule.com/products/DM-50148 It is the most accurate of Dragon's, taking into account everything I can. However, the Witty F-15 is just as nice. For every thing the Dragon has slightly better, the Witty has something else better than Dragon. They are quite equal overall. Biggest difference really is that the Witty has fixed gear and weapons, but has working rudders, airbrake and canopy. Paint colors are better than Dragon, paint quality could be a bit lower. Accuracy issues are of similar size/nature/number/magnitude. There's about 4 little things wrong on the Witty that Dragon did right, and about 4 little things wrong on the Dragon that Witty did right. http://www.flyingmule.com/products/WT-WTW72005-1 See which you want, and feel free to ask anything---I'll happily discuss the most minor of details, from tailhook fairings to stub-pylon adapters. Corgi: I have the 45 Sq. (Honington) Tornado, "Gunfighter" P-51, "Annette" F-4C, and the 899 Sq Anniversary Shar. Will pick up an F-4J when they do a scheme I like. (Well, I like the VF-74 one but they screwed the markings up a lot IMHO, despite researching the real thing at their local museum in the UK--amazing). PS--anything Corgi calls an F-4B or F-4N isn't a B or N at all. But their F-4C, D, and J are quite nice.

Most everyone would point you to this: http://www.swannysmodels.com/TheCompleteFuture.html And actually he says go for heavier coats. Makes sense, since for canopies you literally dunk it and let the excess pour off, and that makes it glass-smooth.

I vacuum the vents on my consoles every year or so. Use the mini-blinds/brush adapter.

Remove the fins and wings from an F-15. You have a box. Super Hornet's not much different. And the F-4 is just plain weird. XB-70 is a box with a tube on top. The F-16 was the first really 'blended' plane. (Well, you could argue SR-71 if you ignore the nacelles)

All that and no comments? Anyways, stuff I forgot: They're AIM-120B's, not C's. Have had C's on the brain lately. Rudders are movable, and surprisingly not floppy despite the working hinges--they will almost click into place when centered. Stabs are movable like most jets. Wheels roll.

Did I miss the DOA game that had everyone using katanas? It can be forgiven for the kunoichis, but not TINA THE WRESTLER. Side note: I always wanted at least ONE move where Kasumi used her wakizashi, since it's right there on her costume. Similar request for Ryu to have the dragon sword, and kunais for Ayane. PS---still angry you can't have Ayane's Ninja Gaiden outfit in any of the games. Best outfit ever, and you only ever get to see it in a few cutscenes...

Wow, I'd pay to see that. Not 840 bucks, but like 40. Also--who wants to bet there'll be fewer Flankers in the world after that day? Anyways... Got my Witty 1/72 diecast Super Hornet today. VFA-102 50th Anniversary scheme. (the one with the red tails and spine) Want pics? Go here: http://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/showthread.php?t=49130 or http://www.flyingmule.com/Merchant2/mercha...e=WT-WTW72008-2 (this is also where I bought it--FlyingMule is highly recommended and they always take many photos of the ACTUAL release, never samples or pre-production models) Quick general summary: It's the Hasegawa kit, in metal. Very similar to Dragon's planes in fit/finish. There's no little pieces to add like a Corgi or Dragon, it's 100% built when you get it. Most people will open the box, think it's perfect, and be very happy. But then there's me, nit-picker extraordinaire. Detailed summary: First thing that's really different is the stand. It's BIG, and black-painted metal. Really nice. Even taller than most Corgi stands. Has a pivot and swivel, so you can pose the plane at various angles. Not a whole lot of movement, maybe 25 degrees in yaw and roll. (pitch is fixed). The stand is designed so that it plugs into the afterburners from behind, the plane is unsupported from below. It works well, and it is a very stable and sturdy design. Fit/finish: Just a notch below Dragon quality-wise. They are constructed much like Dragon---few seams, no screws, just a few plastic parts like pylons and nozzles. However, quite a few of the pylons/flap hinges/missiles were not glued on straight. Some slightly, some quite obivous. Looking at it head-on made it obvious one AMRAAM was quite tilted as were both CVER's. Paint seems to chip easier than Dragon. Upper surface grey seems dark, more like 35237 than 36320. Undersides slightly dark, but close to 36375. (A lot closer than Dragon's gull-ghost-grey belly color) Red certainly a LOT closer to Insignia red than anything any other company's ever done. Too many models come in neon scarlet red, when the real thing should match an authentic US flag--almost a blood red. It's it's a US warplane with red, it'll be that shade and only that shade. Accuracy (the plane itself): It's the Hasegawa kit, rivet for rivet. Interestingly, one of the few errors on the Hase kit has been corrected--the asymmetrical positioning of the auxiliary ECS ducts. (Yes, I know that off the top of my head) The aux ECS ducts are totally new, both slightly forward of Hase's and larger. For those who know/care, the model has HIPEG style launchers on the wingtips. That's correct for almost every squadron, unlike Dragon's. Now, Witty has a thing for working canopy struts. They all use the same basic design--it's really off for their F-15, but for the Super Hornet it's not far off from the real thing. There's a sliding piston and a movable hinge, and it works quite well. I of course broke my canopy and hinge in trying to get the canopy off. It's VERY, VERY hard to fix, so don't try pulling the canopy off. Weapons: here we get to my only real issues with the model, both quality and accuracy-wise. First, everything is already glued in place. Gear, weapons, pylons, drop tanks. It is absolutlely 100% done when you buy it. Some of you will love that--no fiddling with poor-fitting weapons and gear on a Dragon or Corgi... However, that means everything is only as well attached as the factory worker felt like. I'm one of those people that finds a level shelf, gets and ruler, and squints at the model with one eye to make sure everything's lined up and even. And most of the stuff on the wings isn't. Specifically: All the pylons are canted. Now, all Super Hornet pylons should be angled, but only the outer ones are canted. In other words, like every other plane on Earth, the pylons should hang down from the wing vertically when viewed head-on. Except the outer ones, which are canted out like the tailfins. However, Witty seems to have made it so all the pylons cant outwards. They are all too consistent for them to have been merely glued that way, it seems to be a mold issue. Now, the drop tanks were all glued quite squarely onto the pylons, but since the pylons are angled, they look a bit off. Related to that, the CVER's (dual bomb racks) on the middle pylons are DEFINITELY molded at an angle. (I ripped them off a reglued them, checking the attachment points carefully). I'm not sure if that's to counteract the angled pylon (it makes sense if you assume Witty thought all pylons should be angled, and molded everything else at the opposing angle so the weapons would end up straight). Either way, it doesn't work and the CVER's are anything but level from head-on. And the CVER-to-pylon joint is a whole lot stronger than the pylon-to-wing joint. Outer pylons: Being a copy of the Hase kit, it has the same error. AMRAAM's on a HARM launcher. Normally not a big problem to fix (switch launchers or switch missiles) but Witty molded the HARM launcher to the pylon. And sort of "mixed" the actual point they meet so you really have a "pylonlauncher" and you really can't remove the HARM launcher, and even if you did grind it down, you wouldn't quite have the bottom of the pylon to put anything else on. The only solution is to find HARM's and put them on. Or just not care and leave the AMRAAM's on the HARM launchers. However, the AMRAAM's were the most "off" of all glued things--one was like half it's own width off the pylon, and angled like 30 degrees. I have currently removed mine, and I might just remove the pylons entirely--it is very common to see a Super Hornet with the outer pylons removed. (I'd prefer no pylons than a pylon with the wrong launcher and missile--but that's me being anal) Finally, all the missiles are white. AIM-120C's and AIM-9X's haven't ever been white, and every older missile was changed to grey many years ago. You'll find a FEW last AIM-7's and AIM-54's with white still, but 99% of the missiles out there are grey, and the -120C and -9X are too new to have ever been grey. Also, stripe-wise, they have impossible combinations. Blue front red rear, and yellow front, blue rear. The entire paragraph above also applies to the Hasegawa kit---Witty copied the missiles/weapons EXACTLY, from mold to placement to painting. (Hase also made the HARM/AMRAAM mistake, but Witty simplified the mold and combined all the parts for the outer pylons, which makes it very hard to fix--for the Hase you can simply use the correct parts, rather than follow the instructions) Crew: Pilot and WSO, they could be removed but there's no reason to. They fit better than Dragon's, but don't look quite as good. (Mainly the helment shape) Cockpit: No instruments at all. Just blank black plastic. Like you see on a lot of Corgi's. Not too much of a problem with pilots sitting there though, they hide the panels a lot. Detail I have to point out: They actually printed "do not paint" in itty-bitty letters on each and every antenna. Error I have to point out: if you get a magnifying glass and read the aft warning labels, they read "Danger, Ayvesting Hook" and "Iewafe of Blast". Of course, Hasegawa's decals usually have similar Engrish upon close inspection. As do most Bandai Gundams. Overall---generally about the same as Dragon's Hornet, which I still consider among the best 1/72 diecast. A few things better, a few things worse. For the average collector, they'd probably consider it among the best you can by. Anxiously awaiting their F-14, for the F-14 doesn't have many pylons or weapons to screw up. (You can't possibly try to switch Phoenix pallets and Sidewinder rails around)

LM002's pretty famous--has the Countach engine in it. (Not all that impressive nowadays, but back then it was) Its main marketing feature was 100+mph on open sand IIRC. I still rate Mid to late 80's Countaches as the best-looking car EVER. 1987-88 QV's are the very best, subtle changes to the deck and grills. It took FOREVER for the Diablo to grow on me. Like 99's the best--new headlights, then they changed them immediately after. I hate all Lambo's after the Diablo.

::edit:: Nevermind, I was wrong. Darn Graham sneaking in a post while I type... FYI, for those wondering, the lowest numbers are 7 and 8, Max Jenius and SuperOstrich.

You mean besides the pic of it and MS's own little hints via a Halo-style fake/viral website? http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_ent...pic_id=24365883 Still a potential "Bogus" to use a Gamespot term (blech, but their site loads fast) but I wouldn't be surprised if there actually is a portable XB.

Also, Future has the advantage of being utterly totally clear (unlike most "clear" coats). Seriously, its more clear than my tap water.

I'd love to have a copy of that DVD, but the auction links are now long expired and it seems that just about every seller mentioned is "no longer registered" with Ebay. Is there a specific cover to look for? There's a zillion "all 5 eps" out there now, ranging from 1 to 3 discs, and I'm certain there's multiple 1-disc versions out there. Any help/links appreciated.

Ooooooh. I so want the OVA series. (Seeing as how I've seen neither it nor the manga--my only Area 88 is the SNES game and recent series)