David Hingtgen

I couldn't get the pics to load. Also, XB-44 and FB-22 often get mixed/confused. Won't really know until they actually build it. I notice they say F-16C Block 60, wonder if they made a last-minute change in the code to have it be the F-16E? The name change was just in the last few months. (I won't count this as an "error" of any sort if the final game says C Block 60, since they probably had it all done before Lockheed changed the designation)

JP official site updated. Don't plan to check it again until I've won. I'm getting the sense that the special weapon for planes is pre-determined, as it's mentioned for every variant what it is. F-16 Block 60 says "XMAA". Which sucks (I think Block 60's are ugly) because 90% of Block 30's and later could use AMRAAM's as built and all others were retrofitted---F-16's do not normally have the ability to carry Sparrows, only the ADF's and a few foreign ones. AMRAAM is the standard F-16 weapon, even more so than the Sidewinder now. Block 30 F-16's rock at air-to-air, all later ones are too heavy, even with the later engines. And earlier ones have much weaker engines. Block 50 is always my "2nd place" A2A, though it might actually be better than the 30. Will have to calculate out the "combat weight" ratios etc. More mass+ more drag=not as good a knife-fighter. F-15 list up: C, E, and S/MTD. I think maybe they finally figured out that their favorite "ACTIVE" they put in every game was actually the S/MTD. F-15C has Sparrows, S/MTD has AMRAAM's. Didn't recognize "XFFS" for the E. FAE's? F-22 lists FB-22 as well. F-35 says F-35C.

Basic rule for all Vietnam missiles: They all suck and have horrific fail rates. Won't launch, launch but won't fire, fire but won't track, track but don't blow up, track for 2 miles then veer off at the mid-point, fire but DON'T launch (really bad), etc. Some are worse than others. But even the "best" can fail 5 times in a row if you're unlucky. You can have an F-4C with 4 AIM-9's and 4 AIM-7's and have NONE of them work. And no gun.

He's held responsible for the actions of his pilots. Probably wasn't HIM, but one of his subordinates. Maybe a pilot, maybe a RIO. And yes, it's probably one of the things you listed.

For the last one, F-16A. (Though a late Block 30 is probably the ultimate a2a Falcon---or maybe a stripped down Block 50) While the subject came up: VF-103 Commanding Officer Relieved http://news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=15566 Yes, people know what happened. No, nobody's talking.

Or if anyone wants an F-14's airfoil for a nice comparison/base: (This is not EXACTLY the F-14's, but close) Surprisingly un-symmetrical as fighters go. Wonder if it has to do with being swing-wing---the A-6 (next-closest wing to the F-14,) has a VERY symmetrical foil and it's not even a fast fighter.

If they wanted a trainer, they should have just had the T-38 branch off of the F-5 "evolution tree".

OK, could be wrong on the Gripen, but I know the Shornet, Rafale, and Eurofighter have all had their orders modified to be mostly 2-seaters.

They can add all the "A"'s to the F-22's name they want to make congressmen who don't know any better happy, it's as purely a fighter as the F-15C. Its bombing ability is little better than the F-15C, it's only because the JDAM is so easy to incorporate and so good that it'll have any use at all as an attack aircraft. FB-22 would likely be 2-seater, as would the FB-23.

All modern planes are going to 2-seat models. US Navy has always preferred 2-seat interceptors, the F-8 was the last single-seater. Most Super Hornets are to be 2-seaters. Most Gripens, Eurofighters, and Rafales are to be 2-seaters. For all 4 planes above, all were originally ordered as mainly single-seaters, but have switched to mostly 2-seaters. Basically: all-weather precision-guided munitions in a heavily-defended environment is too much to ask of a single pilot, when being guided by AWACS etc with constantly changing threats and targets. Multi-role planes should be 2-seaters, to be effective. And for air combat---a 2nd set of eyes is always good. There are frankly few front-line F-18E's. VFA-115, VFA-14, soon to be VFA-211, and VFA-106 in a few years (I think maybe 34 and 146 as well). Everything else is F-18F's.

Yup, awesome F-5 tree. Though if we got F-5A then F-5E it'd be even better. Anyways: Saw a review that said FOUR Hornets. Time to speculate! E and G are confirmed, and I think the "standard" is a C. Anyone got a good pic of the standard Hornet? Need nose/canopy area to tell exactly what model it is. So what's the fourth? YF-17 perhaps? A/B/D/F are all pointless, if we already have C/E/G. You COULD argue early C vs late D, but that still would only add like "JDAM's in bad weather" capability. AC2: Music is overall good, but the only REALLY good song is one of my all-time fave songs ever. Might be the "4th mission" song, but I KNOW it is the one where you have to take down a bunch of planes in a very dark, rainy, mountainous stage. Midnight Assassin I think is the mission name. Also played in a stage where you have to take out a buch of ground radars with your gun.

Gripen is unrelated to any other SAAB. No more similar than the A-6 and F-14----same manufacturer only. F-14B vs D: I doubt they'd model a radar difference, there'd be a BUNCH for the F-16. Flight modeling: biggest gripe is turns. No effect on speed, and you can do a 85 degree bank and 9G's at 200kts... Pull hard in AFDS, and you'll bleed off speed/energy quickly. AFDS still won't stall you for going too slow for that angle/G's, but at least it'll make you bleed speed. You cannot do a 9G 360, and not have it burn off a LOT of airspeed in real life.

I don't recall JDAM's in AC4. Though of course, I never used the higher-end planes to bomb. Nothing else to do at the moment, will go look. ::this space reserved for editing:: Whoops, F-22 has JDAM's. Fooled by the color. (JDAM's have a very distinctive look due to the jacket--being a solid color messes that up in AC4) Laser-guided bombs are not "drop and forget". If accurate, they should be much like the Sparrow--gotta keep the marker in the circle. (Unless you've got an F-111, which can pretty self-designate at any angle) F-117 in AC4 has Paveways, but I didn't try them out while I was checking weapons. JDAM's generally are programmed with their targets before the plane takes off. In the future they'll probably be linked to either the plane's radar or AWACS or something to allow re-targeting, but at the moment you can't say, find a tank and drop a JDAM on it right then and there. PS--I figured there'd be a Bombcat or at least a weapons upgrade, since otherwise there's no point in having the B and the D as separate planes. (Heck, there's not much real-life difference nowadays, comparing a LANTIRN F-14B Upgrade and a D) If they really love us, they'll let us load HARM's and AMRAAM's on them. F-14: can and has carried most anything, certified for very few...

Remember, AC4's "official" song only plays if you let the ending credits go. I hadn't actually WON the game for so long I forgot it had one... Same for Castlevania SOTN. Heck, most Final Fantasy games are like that now. Usually the entire rest of the soundtrack is quite different. The AC5 demo had very AC4-esque music, (could be placeholder music), and that's what I expect. I expect the talked-about AC2-esque music to be in Arcade mode.

I doubt there's going to be anything much to talk about in the next few days until it comes out, but I would like to say this: Yes, Japan gets it a few days before the US, and there'll probably be stuff posted at many message boards. So please don't post here any plot spoiler-ish stuff you may find out, we'll all find out soon enough anyways.

Only if it comes with impaled Bishop figure.

I was never fond of the F-100, and even the superior-in-every-way-possible F-8 didn't have an easy time with MiG-21's. I vote MiG-21. Also, the AIM-9B sucks. AIM-9D is MUCH better, but is Navy-only.

That's only "Shelf #1". Shelves 2, 3, 4, and 5 are all very similar, and contain the other 70% of the collection. The only "Soviet" jet I have is a CSA Tu-154. I'd like an Il-62 in LOT colors or something. There's not many available. An-124 just came out, might get one of those.

http://www.videogamedepot.com just got a shipment of them in yesterday. (I don't work there, I just shop there and like their store a lot) Specifically: http://www.videogamedepot.com/shop/product...d=01D0016976011

Always reference Penny Arcade: http://www.penny-arcade.com/news.php3?date=2004-09-31 And the Shadow Hearts covenant comment afterwards is also my #1 gripe with RPG's lately...

Herpa primarily does 1/500, I collect 1/400. They do some 1/400, and the recent stuff has been quite nice, but most of their 1/400 isn't that great. The only Herpa in the collection is the Lufthansa at the very left edge of the pic. (down low, behind the stand, not the 747 up higher) My collection is mostly Dragon, then probably Gemini, SMA, Jet-X, Aeroclassics. Just got 5 new Gemini's today in fact. If you're wondering why I don't have massive numbers of Armor F-14's etc: Airliners tend to be identical. One 767-200 mold will be accurate for every 767-200 ever. But military planes vary a LOT. Armor's F-14A is like Block 95, and I will not accept that for a Block 75, 110, etc. I want near-perfect accuracy for military planes, thus I generally build kits (SLOWLY) myself.

Gotta go to Russia to see the S-37 fly...

Super Metroid SF3 3rd Strike (all-time best 2D fighter ever) Xenogears Final Fantasy 7, 10

Never liked Aloha, and turboprops are severely under-represented (no ATR's, etc), but I have a few Hawaiian: Current colors 717, old colors L-1011, old colors MD-80. Might pick up a DC-8-62 in the future. Actually, the 717 is in that pic. About 2/3 "back", front row. Look for the KLM MD-11---there's a United 727 behind that (grey scheme)--the 717 is right behind that one, just below the Yellowbird DC-9. You can just make out the tail. Well, and the nose, since it projects ahead of the UAL 727's nose, but it's plain white and not distinctive.

Not a current (nor clear, but it's hard to focus on 6-inch planes from a distance of 1 through 8 feet) photo of "Shelf #1" but it'll do for a start: