ghostryder

Yes, it was a dark dark time, but at least Matchbox Minmay could beat up Zartan and Destro. I once traded a wheeljack, a broken thundercracker, and some other fugly TF triple changer just to get a bootleg VF-1J (better than a Joons, but can't remember the maker). That valkyrie was a revelation , ruining me for all other transforming planes.

Hikaru stole the show at the end as the "Skull-001 by default"... I'd vote Max if I didn't have to hit slow motion to catch all the awsomeness of that Max vs. Milia scene.

Graham, you're killing us with every morsel of info withheld ... dang you to heck

lookey here

Just some more random and pointless thoughts as I eagerly await the release - It would have been cool (but not necessary) if the dorsal fuel blisters were removable, as seen when Shin jettisoned everything in the final episode. EDIT: I just looked at the big scans in the toy section - I think they CAN be removed Also, as the VF-0 was an experimental test-bed, I wonder if it was cleared to use RMS-1 missiles (or whatever they were called in M0). Compared to the VF-1, there's a nice recess between the legs where 2 or 4 missiles could be mounted, like the Phoenix missiles were mounted on the F-14. A 2/4-missile mouting pallete that mounts between the arms in lieu of the gunpod would have been sweet. I think this could be bashed together with the double missile racks from the VF-1 Fastpack set.

The problem is (along with all the toy issues you mentioned), the VF-0A is SOOOO much easier to make, and it's Shin's valk in the finale. Then Yamato can milk us for ghost boosters, which are just cheap plasitc add-ons. Honestly, I wished they made the 0A first, as the color scheme makes the fighter mode more sleek and cohesive compared to the standard Roy colors. I guess Yamato didn't want to gamble with anything other than the 0S for the first toy of a new series.

Ah yes, the make-shift gerwalk love-shack

What I never understood was how a gerwalk hovered and propelled forward with the backpack thrusters, without doing a nosedive. I pretty much agree with those that said that "flying" in gerwalk mode would be futile, and that the only real useful thing about the mode is VTOL without full transformation. Neverless, it does look cool (for the VF-1 and VF-0 only), and it allowed Hikaru to rescue Minmay when he didn't know how to effectively operate a Battroid. That's good enough for me.

The VF-1 is the only mecha that looks good in gerwalk mode. Another benefit of gerwalk mode is that it makes the Toynami MPC look good. I used to put G1 Optimus Prime and Megatron in gerwalk mode for fun

Nothing military or realistic to say the least, but Thundercracker (bottom left) holds a warm place in my heart:

TFs were my first love before Macross, and Thundercracker was my first Decepticon. MP-04 Thundercracker ... that would make my year.

Alright, fess up. Who got the last Milia 1J from Neova's store

If crooked skulls will drive you up the wall, stick with the Milia 1J. ALL of the new release VF-1S schemes have the potential for crooked skulls - both my Roy and Hikaru had them. Or, if your handy with paint, you can paint over the tailfin and use a Takatoy sticker skull (that's what I did).

Cheapest place to get a new Milia that I've found (outside of fleabay auctions) - this is about the same price as a Roy w/ fastpacks. Neova's Store

Total Valk Count: 1/48 - 2 1/60 - 1 1/55 - 1 Believe me, the 1/48 is totally worth it, you will have no regrets. Like others have said, the only thing the 1/60 has over the 1/48 is slightly more anime-accurate proportions, but the level of detail and CAD-based manufacturing of the 1/48 puts it at another level. If you were to get just 1, get your favorite (Milia Super 1J). My next choice would be the Hikaru 1S, since they did not make a 1/60 version, and it is the quintessential Valk.

Here's a video stream of a Concorde takeoff - It may be that pumping the fuel back makes it so tail-heavy that only the slightest nose-up on the stick will be enough to point the plane up, at which point, the jets give enough upward thrust component to get the bird in the air. This is all speculation on my part, but I thought the footage was cool. concorde takeoff edit: Here's another site that talks about the significance of the Concorde's wing shape in generating vortex lift at high AOAs (like during takeoff). This may be what compensates for the loss of lift if the elevons need to pitch up momentarily to nose-up during take-off. vortex lift

I just hope they find a way to make the bottom of the F-15 streamline on MP-03. The only problem I see are the "tits", which I think can be hidden in fighter mode if they flip upwards and become part of the intake. The rest of the transformation will likely improve upon the Robot Masters design, taking advantage of the larger scale to make make everything fit together better. It would be nice if the main gear deployed closer to the knees vs the feet.

I think that only pitching the elevons up changes the momentum/impuse of the air upwards once it has passed over the wing, imparting an equal but downward impuse to the rear of the plane and pushing the tail down. It's not like you're inverting the airfoil-- I think the leading edge flaps have to also work in concert to do that. So, maybe there's not much loss of overall lift by only pitching the elevons up?? As for the Concorde, I'm not sure if what I've said applies since you lost me on the takeoff sequence..

Looks even better in battroid mode - freakin' sweet!

NEVERMIND, saw Neova's new thread.

I haven't had any problems with smudging using a 0.3mm pencil, and I play with my valks. You can lessen the chance of smudging by using a harder lead (ie 2H vs HB), and keeping a sharp point. The panels lines on 1/48s are deep enough so running your fingers over it won't affect the pencil lead. Here's some leaded and oft-transformed valks:

0.3 mechanical pencil -- ghostryder's personal choice for klutzy wannabe modelers with little to no spare time. Your panel job looks better than mine!

Yes please ... in opaque resin (at least in black and off-white/gray)

That's pretty funny, might have to quote you in my signature...