David Hingtgen

Built the MAXL two-pack. Fighter's better than battroid--battroid isn't feminine enough compared to the line-art etc. Man, nothing like going to a hobby store and buying Hot Magenta Pink paint...

Yes. Blame the Navy for having such a stupid designation. The differences between F-14A and A+ were more than what normally happens between plane variants, and I can't think of any reason to call it that. It'd be like calling the Super Hornets "F/A-18C+". It's a BIG change.

Umm, whom are you replying to? For I did not say one word about quality or details, simply how the molds themselves are made and how much that mold-making process costs. There's a huge difference between me saying "resin isn't superior" and "resin sucks".

Well, it simply depends on what you think represents the movable/retracting hydraulics better. A metal bar through the middle of the nose, or nothing at all. I still vote for 1/60 as most accurate transformation.

D is the rarest of all Tomcats, A is the most common. As for "Super"---the rule is the engines. If it has GE engines, than it's a Super Tomcat. That means A+/B, and the D. (Way too many people think D=Super. Nope, B and later is Super) Anyways---some F-14D's ARE built from old A's! Not many, but they exist. Most D's were built as D's, but a few are converted from A's. And you can also make B's from A's. (which they did until the D came around, then they made A's into D's) Production numbers (excluding Iran's): 637 F-14A's. 38 F-14B's. 37 F-14D's. Super Tomcats are RARE as you can see. To get the "real" numbers, there were 48 A's converted to B's, and 18 A's converted to D's. But A still outnumbers B and D combined. With VF-154 (the last user of the A model) effectively gone (came home, will switch to Super Hornet before next major deployment), the current fleet is as follows: 4 Squadrons of B's, 2 of D's. Assume 12 planes per squadron. Strange that they call it the F-14A+ Kai. It REALLY, REALLY should be F-14B Kai. You don't just ignore name changes. You don't see people saying TF-15A or TF-18A. It's F-15B and F/A-18B now. And NOBODY uses the old designations. (Yup, there didn't use to be an F-15B or 18B, they had different names)

My answer: Nobody uses resin because it's better in any way, it's used because it's easy to make. Sure, Bandai can spend $100,000 to make a steel die for an injection-molded plastic MG Gundam. But no single person can, nor many smaller companies. So if they're going to make something more obscure, with low production runs, then they'll use resin, since resin doesn't require expensive laser-cut acid-etched copper-lined steel molds (which is AFAIK the best you can get, used by all the top makers). Resin can use simple poured/cast rubber/latex molds. I mean, I just bought some resin parts to convert the USS Missouri to the USS Iowa. I'm probably one of a only few dozen, (maybe a few hundred, but I doubt it) to do so. Yes, injection molded plastic would be much better, but then it wouldn't exist, since it would be prohibitively expensive for the manufacturer to design and offer such a "obscure" item. But being some simple resin cast parts (as opposed to injected into a die), it does exist, and doesn't cost too much. In summary: resin is the only way to get a lot of obscure/rare things, because injection-molded plastic simply costs too much. Yes, Hasegawa can sell all the VF-1S's in the world, and pay off the cost of the mold. But there's simply not ever going to be enough VB-6's or VF-3000's etc sold to justify the cost of making a die for it. But with resin, you just sculpt one master, and make rubber molds from that. Cheap and easy.

I know the M0 F-14 has AMRAAM's--I was just explaining why the kit (and every kit) doesn't have them. If Hasegawa didn't even make the right type of F-14, they certainly would not include the correct missiles as extra parts! Revell F-14D is the same as the Monogram F-14D. They are little more than 20-year-old F-14A's with new nozzles, and new cockpits. All the little things are wrong---nose door, fairings, wing gloves, etc. Which Tamiya kit? The 1/32 F-14A Black Knights that just came out? It's an A, every kit of an A is correct for SOME type of A. (Most A kits are 1970's A, not 1980-2000+ A) Though the new Tamiya A is a late, current A. Generally, every Italeri and Revell/Monogram kit of an F-14A+/B/D in any scale has something wrong with it. (Always fuselage fairings, often ECM bumps) Hasegawa and Fujimi are your only real choices for an accurate A+/B/D. (A+ *is* a B, it's just that a lot of kits still say A+ instead of B--and the Italeri 1/48 A+ is really, really, 100% totally wrong for an A+ --but shave off the ECM bumps and you get a wonderful kit of an early 70's A, or leave them and use the alternate chin pod for a mid-80's F-14A--can't do late 80's or later, for it has the early gun vents) Finally, I do believe that ANY Hasegawa F-14D could do Shin's (except for the cockpit) since he doesn't have LANTIRN or TARPS, which are the main problems for trying to do a standard "F-14D on a carrier in service" model.

The OLD Monogram F-14D, or the re-release? I know they both still have the wrong fuselage fairings/nibs. (Nose gear door may or may not be correct, very few reviewers even know to look for it) But I do think that it is as you said--the previous release had the wrong cockpit (which is right for Shin). But everyone was disappointed that it (the newer release) still had the fuselage fairings of an F-14A. (And if those are wrong, you can be 100% sure that part of the engines are wrong too---most companies only replace the NOZZLE, while leaving the aft stages those of the PW--there's a lot of "F-14D" models with PW parts in their GE engines) Frankly, it's much easier to take a B and make a D's chin-pod (just add a tube), than take an inaccurate D (with it's chin pod) and try to modify the fuselage into a correct D. Finally---F-14's don't have AMRAAM's. That's why no kit includes them. They were supposed to be the first plane in the USA to get them, but since Cheney killed the F-14, they cancelled the program, so even Super Tomcats still carry Sparrows. (Super Tomcats have carried AMRAAMS and fired them, but only for tests---no in-service Tomcat can equip them)

I would guess that the UNAF is for *Earth* air defenses, while the UNSAF is for atmospheric fighters on other colonized planets. And of course, UNS for "space".

Might as well: name your fave MM (or RM) bad guys! For me, Snake Man and Shadow Man were the two coolest. (Both from MM3). Yes, Metal Man has the all-time most useful weapon, but he himself wasn't cool. Heat Man gets a mention because of his stage, and how cool it felt to FULLY power up his weapon before releasing it. Also, people you hate: Air Man, Needle Man, Crash Man, Dust Man, Skull Man.

Ack, wait for me! (Or just email me if it's important). Anyways.... 1. Shin flies an F-14D with an F-14A's cockpit. So you've got to kitbash no matter what you buy. 2. 99.9% of F-14D kits have the wrong rear fuselage. 3. Only the newest, latest Hasegawa F-14D's have the correct fuselage. No other manufacturer, and even early Hase F-14D's are wrong. 4. Yes, the engines are the main difference between the A and the B/D, but there's more than that. 5. Namely, the rear fuselage nib fairings. And they're an utter b*tch to try to correct. I've only seen one person ever do it, in Fine Scale Modeler. If you're good with sculpting and putty, go ahead and try. 6. Don't forget the ECM antennas on the rear stabs, the nose gear door, the chin pod, the wing glove vanes, and the nose pitot. 7. Your best bet by far is to actually buy an F-14B. F-14B's and D's are VERY similar, but the B has the same cockpit as the A. So you effectively have an "Almost D with a A's cockpit"--which is what Shin flies. Just shave off the ECM bumps under the glove, and get the dual chin-pod, and you've got Shin's plane. (Assuming you start with an ACCURATE F-14B). 8. F-14B kits have the same problems as F-14D kits--wrong rear fuselage nib fairings. And they're much more likely to have the wrong gun ports too, since WAY too many manufacturers think you can take an A and change the engines to get a B. Nope, B and D are far more similar than A and B. 9. Think I'll mention it again--it's not just the engines, the rear fuselage is different too. You can't just put brand-new GE engines that are 4 feet shorter than the original 30-year-old PW's and expect it fit, do you? Nope, you need to change a few parts around to blend the new engines into the old engine bays. 10. I'll review the various kits out there if you want, just tell me what scale you want, and what you want to model, and I'll tell you what to get. PS--I know off-hand that the Hasegawa VF-101 '97 OCeana NAS kit is one of the few accurate F-14B's out there.

1. Absolutely not. 2. Probably not. 3. Ever seen the official actual line-art/drawings for how the VF-1 transforms? The legs detach, then reattach. Actually, removing the legs is accurate to the anime, etc. Non-removable is simply how many people prefer it, regardless of the fact that it's not how the "real" VF-1 transforms.

Ahh. MM3 was the best IMHO. Its music STILL rocks. And it was LONG too, you got your money's worth from that game. $45 was a lot of money back then (that's what, like $70 now?), especially when you're 12...

I haven't seen them in months. Videogamedepot used to have tons--you could buy them by the case for $60.

Yup, most every JP model-maker has "on" and "off" seasons for models. They mold a few thousand, then it takes months/years for them to distribute out. After a while, they're hard to find, and when demand is high enough to justify another run, they'll do it. Right now, a lot of Hasegawa's 1/72 planes are "out". But there'll be more in the future. Dragon has just recently started pumping out warships again--especially submarines. Stuff you couldn't even find on ebay is now on local shelves. (And I snagged several). Tamiya's ships are "off" but there's still plenty left to go around. Their planes are "on" though, you can order from anywhere. Bandai is especially notorious for this--they go on/off several times a year it seems. (Especially for MG/PG kits)

American Psycho rocked purely due to Bale. I'm surprised it took this many replies for it to come up.

It's always good to build an "easy" model after (or during! ) a hard one. I'm doing it now. (Might do two or three by the time my main project's done)

What really caught my eye is the Hornet back there! Also, is that an F-100's nose in the lower-left corner?

A few more pics here: http://sailormoon.channel.or.jp/jisha/kaiken.html

Just a quick FYI: the yellow on the upper part of the chest is 100% correct. They are bullet-lights. Trust me, it's absolutely essential to the look of any standard 70's to present semi. It's up there with "big tall stacks" for things that make a truck look like a truck. It's just that they've never been made accurately. (Really technically, they should be transparent amber). And hey--if they lit up it'd be awesome. Newer trucks use LED's for them, and they're in such high demand you often can't get them and have to settle for standard bulbs. A semi without a line of amber lights across the top just isn't a semi.

Think I'll vote for Mars (legs). Anyways--yup, looks like above-average cosplay (with bad wigs) rather than an actual movie. Dye the hair! Or more intensely-colored wigs. Mercury sucks, and Sailor Moon (was going to abbr as SM but thought that'd be mis-interpreted here) isn't blonde. More like "sun-bleached brunette".

Small LED's can run on a watch battery and nothing more. They'll burn out quicker without a resistor, but they'll work fine for a while anyways. (As in, 500 hours instead of 10,000 hours----and NOBODY's going to keep the matrix lit up for days on end). It's like any light-up LED pen, keychain, etc. The matrix could easily be self-contained, or just make it actually have metal parts, and if Prime's hand is metal, it can make contact to light up. (Most small LED applications are like that--simple contact is on-off). Place Matrix in his hand, it lights up. That simple. (Hopefully, if Hasbro's smart). Open letter to Hasbro/Takara: Please make more TF's like these. 2 or 3 per year, at $75 a pop, is way better than like 20 $5-10 toys. This Prime is WAY better than entire waves of most lines, and I'd much rather have a few awesome TF's than a bunch of little cheap ones.

More stuff on the "basics". I can decal with the best of them, but filling seams is the bane of my existence. (And I'm not fond of painting or gluing either, in that order) Washes/panelling/detailing are all secondary to simply building the kit itself nicely out of the box.

Little update: finished priming the hull, and a few other misc bits (mainly 20mm locations). Will spend the next day or two cutting out and priming all the little bits. (52 20mm guns, 19 40mm guns, about a hundred life rafts, dozens of gun directors, etc). After that, finish the light grey application (mostly touchups, plus the hull and little bits), then do the navy blue camo pattern after it's dried a few days. Let that dry for a few days. Then the boot topping (aka the black paint at the waterline) then the brown/red hull bottom. And then the hard part, many many hours of masking and miles of tape to paint all the decks blue. And hope that the tape doesn't pull the paint off the resin parts. While waiting for stuff to dry, I have other kits to build. (Nothing like a submarine for instant sense of accomplishment---top half, bottom half, and a lot of black paint)

Just a quick FYI: The Baroness isn't technically a cosplayer. She's an actress hired by Hasbro, not a fan in a homemade costume. Equivalent of a "booth babe" at E3 or something.