ChristopherB

Carl, I appreciate the clarification. I know how much you want an original of the kit, and how much pride you take in your collection, and I appreciate your help with this project. I'm sure that most of us will be more than happy to have a nicely done re-cast. The only problem is that both Gene and Melissa have also offered to pay the price for the kit, so as long as everyone understands from the beginning, only (1) person will get the original, and the rest of us will get re-casts, then all should be fine. Once the kit is found by a MW Member, please post the information promptly so we know one has been located, and if it is an auction, to prevent counter bidding which will only drive the price up. After the kit is located, whoever is willing to pay for it can make the arrangements and get it to the recaster. The key here is communication, and to use as many resources as we can. I'll contact Rob and find out what his fees are to start searching for this kit. If anyone has any resources in Japan/etc. please enlist their help. Gene, Thank you for your offer for help as well. It's nice to know we have a few big spenders here at MW to help bankroll the project. If you ever want to adopt me or put me in your will, just let me know my friend. Hopefully we will hear from Melissa with her comments. It all comes down to whether one person pays for the kit, or we all pool our money, but regardless everyone can start looking. Sincerely, Christopher

Carl, Congratulations on the job! I also appreciate you offering to help out with the project. Sincerely, Christopher

wwwmwww, Carl, I hope you are doing well, and I said to you quite a few months back, my best wishes to you and your family. We must have been typing our response to Melissa at the same time, but mine of course took longer, because it is so long. I remember when you told me about TI when it first happened, and it is good to have you back. Are you still going to be living in Sugarland, TX? Resin kits aren't cheap as you know. I have someone working on serveral thousand dollars worth of resin kits for me, and pictures of the first completed projected should be posted soon, but that is another thread at another time. I don't think finding someone to cast the kit will be too hard, and as I always say, "First things first." Talking about casting it is moot if we don't find one. Sincerely, Christopher

Hello Melissa, I've had the same idea for a while, but have been too lazy/busy to post a thread, so I appreciate you taking the initiative. I even had the title for our group of like minded fans already planned, let me know what you think. If you remember, both you and I posted to the original thread started by Shawn that we would take someone elses spot if they decided to back out, but of course none of the orders were ever fulfilled for MW Members, and so it was all moot. Here is my corny title: "The VB-6 Koenig Monster Acquisition Consortium" "Consortium" describes an agreement amongst a fellowship of like-minded individuals to pursue a common goal for the benefit of all. All work towards achieving the goal, which will improve the chances of success especially since we are dealing with a limited commodity, and competition is not the way to proceed. Sort of like, "The Fellowship of the Ring." First of all, we know the kit exists in a very limited quantity based upon sightings on Yahoo Japan, but the price is the issue here, plus we need someone familiar with the auction site, the Japanese language, and someone who can of course bid. This is how I thought it would work, let me know what you think. Not trying to steal your thunder, but just help make this work, or at least give it our best shot. First of all, obtaining the item will be based upon (2) things: 1.) Locating the kit either directly from the source, a secondary source, or auction site. 2.) Having enough capital to outbid any competitors. We do not want to be outbid, and perhaps rather than one person shoulder the entire expense thereby limiting the maximum bid amount, if all interested parties pool our funds we can go a lot higher but end up paying the same or less if we were to bid separately. Here is how I would proceed if we go this route: 1.) Contract with MW Member "MonkeyNugget" and/or perhaps "Noel" and/or someone else to become our liason, Yahoo Auction searcher/bidder. I know MonkeyNugget offers the service, he knows the language, is a extremely nice/honest person, and can be counted on. We will of course have to compense him for his services in the form of a percentage of the sale price or a flat fee agreed to in advance. The person must be committed and able to dedicate the time to the search. Using multiple people will increase our chances, but also increase the fees. 2.) Start a list of interested parties, 100% dedicated to not backing out, who are able and willing at moments notice to Paypal the funds needed to pay their part of the kit. We could agree on a maximum contribution amount in advance from each person so that confirmed parties know what they are committing too in advance. A designated and trusted part would receive the payments, and then forward the combined payment to the seller. For example, (10) interested people at $100 each equals $1,000.00 to bid with. That is still far less than the $300.00 original price. Each person would then pay the re-caster the applicable amount for their kit, which would still potentially less than the price from the original thread. The more people, the lower the price. Of course this all leads to one matter. Who gets the original kit, because all others would get a recast? This is of course presuming we get an original as opposed to someones well done recast. Here are some of the options: 1.) Use it as payment/partial payment/incentive to the re-caster. 2.) Let the person that agrees to commit the most money receive the kit after it goes to the recaster, but we must all be considered as equals in the project. 3.) Hold a drawing of some sort, and the winner gets the original, which might be the fairest way to do it. I know all of this is moot if we don't actually find the kit, but I've put a lot of thought into this over quite a few months, and I think my plan will work. It involves teamwork, and we will all achieve the ultimate goal which is owning a copy of this kit. I'm sure we could even find someone to build it for those of us modeling challenged. I know of some good resin casters as well. Sorry for the long thread, but working in the legal/professional field has made me verbose and loquacious. Sincerely, Christopher (Edited to try and prevent sentence length)

Hello, I agree that the VF-0 front landing gear as pictured could definitely have more detail added, but I will wait until the final product is released to judge, but it never hurts to make constructive comments. As usual Hasegawa continues to impress me, because the SV-51 looks great! I'm not sure if it has been mentioned, but Yamato changed the canopy frames on the Max and Millia to black as opposed to blue and red. Sincerely, Christopher

Gene, I bought quite a few items from Ming in the past, and he is definitely a good seller. He even helped me track down an item I needed. Sincerely, Christopher

Graham, This has definitely been a long time coming, and I appreciate your initiative. As the unofficial "Custom King," I just want to say "Thank you!" Of course, I may have to cede my title to Gene, since I sold him a few of my customs last year, but I still have plenty, with more in the works. As I've been saying for years, I'll take a (1) custom over (5) standard mass production valkyries any day of the week. Sincerely, Christopher

Thanks for the update! Definitely interesting. Your review of the VF-11B was great. Perfect length, objective, and informative. The pictures weren't half bad either. Sincerely, Christopher

Devin, Awesome job! It's really cool to see one of your customs, and it's nice to see something different as well. Min is a lucky person indeed. I've got custom envy. Sincerely, Christopher

CF18, I'm in awe of your historical knowledge. Judging by your highly informative post, and my detailed post prior to the obligatory edit I did, it is obvious who knows what. By the way, there is a plural of the word "life," next time try and check your grammar before you post. You should be proud of yourself for taking your own advice by not continuing to post non-transformers related comments. Great job! Nerv, Think of it as a temporary mutual symbiotic relationship. Check out some books on WWII and then PM if you have anymore of your self explanatory/rhetorical questions. Anyway, this thread as I said is getting derailed. I was wrong for responding to another MW member to substantiate my opinion, when I could have sent a PM. In my effort to be a good MW member, if you want to constructively discuss WWII or another war please feel free to PM me, but please know the subject matter. Sincerely, Christopher (Edited to shorten, so that further space is not wasted by me.)

Hello, It makes you think that if they can accomplish so much with the cars in vehicle mode, as compared to the originals we had as children, imagine how cool the jets would be. No matter how much we complain though, it probably won't do any good. (1) version of each of the releases I'm interested in will suffice. I'm glad that Ford is on board, and I hope that means we will see a Mustang or something similar as opposed to a Mazda. Sincerely, Christopher (Previous post edited to maintain the integrity of the thread. Just doing my part to keep it real, and do the right thing. )

Hello, I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for a Ford Mustang as well, but I also won't get my hopes up. I think it is great that they are using American cars, such as the Corvette and Viper. Personally, we kicked Japan's ass in WWII, and companies like Mitsubishi used to make the "Zero" propeller driven plane that killed a lot of Americans starting with Pearl Harbor, and a lot of Asian people in China and so forth. Imports with cheesy oversized spoilers, and big tailpipes welded on to tiny exhaust pipes are an unfortunate part of life, and I refuse to buy a toy of one. I was looking forward to seeing jets as well, but now that does not look like a possibility. Sincerely, Christopher

Jung, Great job on the Cannon Fodder! I've been wanting to post a comment since you first started the thread, but work has been super busy. I'm not sure if you made this one for yourself, or as a commission, but either way, I am truly envious of the owner. Your skills and ability continue to grow, and I appreciate you posting the pictures. Now, all I need is a custom 1/48 CF of my own. Sincerely, Christopher

Mike, Great job on the Enigma custom! I am definitely impressed. I can tell that you put a lot of work into it, and I know from experience as a long time customer of yours, that the camera never does true justice to your skills. Keep up the great work, and I look forward to talking to you when time permits. Sincerely, Christopher

Great job so far! I'll be looking forward to seeing the finished product. You've inspired me to get mine out of storage, but I think I'll wait to see how your kit turns out before I start. Spent some time in the Navy, and overseas in the Persian Gulf, and you definitely selected an awesome ship to model. Sincerely, Christopher

Hello, Wow! They look great! I doubt that I will be able to resist getting them, but I owe, I owe... Sincerely, Christopher

Hello, I think that it would be cool to have a complete set of clear armor. The intent is to show off the interior detail, and as such the Strike Cannon may be lacking in that category. However, last I heard, Rhoby was still working on the Joke Machine recast project, so perhaps he prefers to finish one project before beginning another. I have not taken the time to contact him yet, because I am not sure how long it will be until my name comes up on the JM order list. If anyone has any information, or received a JM from him recently, please post the latest news. Sincerely, Christopher

Max Jenius and Mechamaniac, Both of you hit the nail right on the head. I especially like the part about "under-sexed" males, and that was my sentiment as well. I remember calling her on the content of her posts early in the ballgame, but it didn't do any good. Sincerely, Christopher

Hello Mike, Wonderful job on your custom! You consistently produce high quality works. I'm sure that the pictures don't do it proper justice. Sincerely, Christopher

Kurt, Great job on your custom! Very clean looking, and I can't wait to see it with the armor on. Sincerely. Christopher

Definitely cool! Yet another item to add to the list of things I want. Unfortunately, just because I "want" it, doesn't mean I'll be able to "buy" it. I'm really glad that Yamato came along, because I was getting tired of searching Ebay for decent Jetfires. Sincerely, Christopher

JsARCLIGHT, Right on dude! My wife is a San Diego native, and I did my military tour there, otherwise I probably would have never gone. I have to admit, San Diego is beautiful, and has a lot of cool things to do. The smog isn't nearly as bad there yet, but it won't be getting any better. Previously, technological advancements were decreasing pollution even though the number of vehicles on the roads were increasing; however, those advances are no longer able to keep pace with the shear amount of people. The number one problem in the world is over population. Anyway, I'll do my part to salvage the thread to help maintain "appearances," but it might be too far gone. It can be pretty hard to save your collection from an earthquake. The entire building/house could collapse, a busted gas main could start a fire, and the list goes on. When God says it is our time to go, it is our time to go, and when Kawamori calls his valkyrie angels back to him, well I guess there is not much we can do but shed a tear as we surf Ebay looking for replacements. Sincerely, Christopher

Hello, Cool, looks good! Did you ever finish the 1/72 DYRL launch arm project that you were working on for Blackaces? Maybe I missed the thread about it. I remember he obtained an original and then he gave it to someone to be casted and copies sold. Sincerely, Christopher

Commander McBride, Not sure exactly where you live in CA, but I know we met a couple times. First at Anime Expo. MW meeting, and at MW Con. 3. Maybe you are being sarcastic, but those fires were not in the "middle of no where." Riots: You got this one right, at least I think. All we need is for people to pretend to riot based upon some social injustice, when the reality of it is that they just want to loot stores and beat up innocent people. Fires: I lived in Upland, which is a very nice community in San Bernadino and beautiful homes were being destroyed pretty close to where we live. It was an aweful experience. Not to mention San Diego, which was hit pretty hard. Both areas are highly populated, and right off major freeways. Tell the hundreds of homeless families that the fires were in the middle of no where. Gangs: My son got beat up at school by a gang of black kids, and the only motivation was the fact the fact that my son is white. The school is in what appears to a nice area near the San Diego Zoo, Veteran's War Memorial and Balboa Park. Police officers patrol the school because of gangs. The number of gang related killings in LA is really high this year. Smog: So thick that you can't see the mountains on some days. When you are above it and look down, you realize that you actually live in, and breathe that crap. A big brown haze of pollution that hangs over the cities. Yeah, Southern California has it's good points, but things will only get worse as more people/illegal immigrants move there. Anyway, I moved to Maryland to get away from all of that, and my wife and kids left the day before the earthquake hit, so that was good news. Sincerely, Christopher

Hello, Yeah, it's fun to tease one another about the different branches. I was a "Squid," or "Surface Puke," as compared to a "Bubble Head." You join the Marine Corp to fight, and I have the most respect for the USMC. My step-father retired from the Marine Corp. He spent time as a Drill Instructor and then Forward Air Observer during Vietnam. The Huey he was in got shot down, he was shot up pretty bad, left for dead and stripped of his uniform by the Viet Cong. Needless to say, whenever I screwed up, I was disciplined "Marine Corp" style. My real father served in the US Army during Korea but stayed stateside. Did top secret work intercepting and decoding transmissions from Russia, and they were doing the same to us. Afterwords he went to work for N.A.S.A. for (30) years and got to meet most of the astronauts. My brother served as a medic with the Marine Corp stationed at Camp Pendleton and Twenty Nine Palms. My grandfather on my dad's side served overseas in WWII with the US Navy. Uncle on my mom's side served in Alaska during the Vietnam War with the US Army. So basically, we have been a pretty patriotic family. Every branch except for Air Force. Sincerely, Christopher