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technoblue

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  1. technoblue
    A new/retooled hip mechanism on the 0A/0S that fixes the funky QC issue on the VF-0D would be nice. With Arcadia, I'm not holding my breath, but it would be nice.
  2. technoblue
    Fair enough. But I hope no one who pre-orders has to pay $250US in their own currency. That assumes substantial inflation and no pre-order discounts. I'm not trying to force sides. People are free to like it or to pass on it for whatever reason that suits them. Like DarrinG and no3ljm, I also bought the Orguss that MegaHouse released. Similar pricing and mold complaints were brought up in that thread, but MegaHouse delivered a good product with good quality. Those looking for a deal on it may have to wait a while: it is a niche product and it has a high price tag. And I agree that this is becoming more of a common thing for this hobby, especially when one is searching for older SDF Macross merchandise. I don't know what Evolution has in store for us with the VF-2SS. It's exciting and the prototype is promising, but the quality is up in the air until people actually have it in hand. And that won't happen for a while yet. I stand by what I've written so far. There's more for me to like than to criticize.
  3. technoblue
    Nifty. I'm also curious if any of the parts are useful in transformation or if this is just a package that helps to bulk out Leader Meg's robot mode. Either way, that teaser has flavor!
  4. technoblue
    Well...I agree with valhary. I think the criticism for Evolution's prototype VF-2SS is a little heavy handed. And maybe it is heavy handed because fans of Macross toys have already dealth with the V1/V2 shenanigans with Bandai and Yamato? Will fans have the patience to let a third-party contender catch up and survive similar growing pains? I don't know. Part of me wants Evolution to get it right the first time. But part of me also wants to support Evolution in their effort regardless, because I'm not sure that we'll see anyone else take on Macross II anytime soon.
  5. technoblue
    There is one possible benefit to adding up the cost of collectibles/valuables and keeping a private record like dapro: if you intend to get insurance coverage this information will be important for a claim. It will be especially important in the unhappy event that some or all of a collection is stolen. That aside, I'm with those who are uncomfortable with posting their spending habits in public. Frankly, it's no one's business.
  6. technoblue
    That would be a boss turn around, and a welcome surprise.
  7. technoblue
    Yeah. I agree. Gerwalk mode is the weakest mode of the VF-2SS, even when looking at the animation model. And... It's a prototype. I think if we waited for Bandai to pick this up, we would be waiting indefinitely. If Arcadia picked it up, we would be looking at another costly mold with its own set of compromises.
  8. technoblue
    None of this matters...I'm caving for Batroid mode already.
  9. technoblue
    With limited space, going "pull only" sounds like the best fan configuration. I have a little more room around motherboard components in my small case and have a similar tower heatsink (the Noctua U12S) configured with two fans in a push and pull configuration. The cpu heat is vented by the "pull" fan and the air exits the case by a port on the back near the CPU. The heatsink does not get dusty with this set up. It is low maintenance. Cool air is vented in on the front of the case using an oversized fan at low RPMs. This fan is filtered. LoL! We have to dust the rest of the house regularly, so keeping that junk out of the computers is a necessity. I have used magnet filters in a couple of cases. They work, and any brand will do what you need to keep the dust out. Look for a decent mesh/material, that is my one recommendation. My current desktop case (a Silverstone) comes with one magnet filter for the top "smoke stack" fan, but I do not have anything mounted in that location presently. It still works as a nice dust filter, though, since I haven't blocked off the holes in the top of the case with anything.
  10. technoblue
    Just got word that my copy is at the house. Now I have to finish work.
  11. technoblue
    You may have seen this, but Peaugh addressed the criticism around the hip issue on tfw2005: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/1006189-x-transbots-mx-i-apollyon-mp-megatron-1079.html#post12392290 Things are getting wild over there. I think it shows how much people crave a new version of Megatron. It reminds me of the controversy around MP-22 (a release I let myself get annoyed with too easily). At the end of the day, some people will be happy with it and some will pass on it or sell it off quickly. No big deal. I've notice the barrel alignment in some of the photos. Most of these seem to be fiddly mistransformations, though. I like how the Walther P38 dresses up well with the silencer and stock. The compromises that XTB made in favor of bot mode are not as easy for me to see with all accessories on the gun.
  12. technoblue
    Windows allows you to create something like a Linux symbolic link. Coincidentally, it is also called a symbolic link. Install the SSD as your C: drive, and then create links for all the directories that you want one-click access to on the D: drive. You need to do this in a Command Prompt with administrator privileges. Here is an example using your illustration above: mklink C:\Stuff D:\Stuff /J This will give you access to D:\Stuff and all its subdirectories on the C: drive. When you run this command, make sure to specify the /J option. This enables Windows to create the directory junction. The Windows GUI shows juctions as directories with little arrow icons. Otherwise, these directories are like any normal directory. I use a directory junction for my C:\Users directory. The SSD thinks that this directory is on my C: drive, even though it maps directly to the \Users location on my D: drive (my HDD). This does not affect registry settings. If you have programs on your HDD that you want to keep there, you may have to check them on a case by case basis, and reinstall some of them. Certain programs start acting funky when missing registry settings, and the only way to get those settings back is to reinstall the program.
  13. technoblue
    I think you are taking some of my comments too literally. I never said that \My Documents was the right place. You brought up the idea of right and wrong. I said many games save to \My Documents now, and many games have done so for a couple generations of Windows releases. You are correct when you note that a number of games save to the <Install_Dir>\<Game_Dir> location, where <Install_Dir> defaults to Program Files\ but can be set to some other location by the user. Today, certain games place saved games into the new \Saved Games location. Games can also be saved here: \Users\<user_dir>\AppData\Roaming\<Game_Dir> And that's why I mentioned that there is no standard. Different games save to different places depending on when the game was made, who developed the game, or any number of variables including laziness, and I think we're saying the same thing, no? Would it be great if saved games were in one place? Sure. It would make back ups easier for the user, and consolidation is always welcome I think... Is it a right or wrong thing? That still makes me pause. This argument makes no sense. TL;DR Edit: To put it simply, I think Windows supports multiple save game locations for compatibility reasons. That's all.
  14. technoblue
    You're going way. way back with the \<Game Dir> location. I think right and wrong are strong words. I don't know why Microsoft started creating a specific saved game location. Maybe it was part of the initial "game friendly" marketing effort that WIndows had before MS went off to do X-Box development? But an OS standard that isn't enforced is not a standard, IMO. The onus was on MS to keep it.
  15. technoblue
    It depends on the game. Many games have their save location coded to the \My Doduments folder, which is the old standard from previous versions of Windows. A few games tried to follow the newer standard and save to the \Saved Games folder. Most of these are Microsoft games, but I have also seen emulators (like ScummVM) add saved games here. If you want the performance benefits of the SSD, then using the HDD as the C: drive is not recommended. It's been a while since I've played with this, but unless you have a multiboot configuration with Linux or another Windows partition, your system will use the C: designation for whichever drive has your \Windows installation and owns the Master Boot Record. In your proposed configuration above, that would require installing Windows to the HDD and you would be back to square one with no performance improvements for the OS. Use the SSD as your Windows drive. It will become your C: drive and the HDD will become the D: drive. You can then use a variety of methods to move your /Users/ directories to your HDD if you would like to conserve SSD space. Programs will install to the SSD by default, and you can choose to install them to the HDD when necessary (for those programs that do not need the SSD's performance boost). Your HDD directory hierarchy will be preserved. It will simply be on the D: drive in this configuration. To me, this is the shorter route to better performance. Edit: I'm a little rusty...
  16. technoblue
    There's an idea! Maybe HasTak will do another repaint of CW/Legends Megatron in G2 colors? He's already the right size.
  17. technoblue
    Yes! An Orguss 02 would be nice. I also would love to see an Olson/Athena Nikick if MegaHouse decides to take on other molds. Edit: meant Nikick, but wrote Ishkick for some reason...
  18. technoblue
    I agree. I think Apollyon is going to be as popular as Quake Wave was for FansToys. And here's a neat stop-motion video by Harris Loureiro:
  19. technoblue
    ^That's great news. I've had some good experiences with Zalman's customer support too.
  20. technoblue
    That's a tough one. Standoffs are fit to specific cases nowadays instead of a specific size standard like machine screws. I've seen cases use plastic standoffs, metal clips, and the metal/brass nuts that I think you are asking about, but these do come in different sizes and thread thickness. I'm guessing that you are using the standoffs from the bag-o-parts that was included with your case. Those should work. If they are not giving a good fit, make sure you are using the correct standoff pattern for your motherboard. If that checks out and you are still out of luck, then finding a new set of standoffs may be your best option.
  21. technoblue
    I have an Asus Maximus V Gene motherboard. It uses the Intel Z77 chipset, which is older now but meets my needs. One characteristic that makes this motherboard flexible for me is the number of fan headers. There are a total of 5. And I am able to customize all fan settings in the UFI BIOS. As azrael noted above, the act of physically connecting a 3-pin or 2-pin fan to CPU_OPT should work fine but many 4-pin headers are keyed to take 4-pin and 3-pin fans only. If your motherboard allows you to use any fan type and if the BIOS is able to configure the CPU_* fan headers for PWM or Voltage Regulation, then you should be okay. Note that 2-pin fans do not have a sense lead (wire) and will not report their RPM to any fan speed utilities. This is true even if you use a 2-pin to 3-pin adapter. I don't mean to state the obvious, but that's the drawback of 2-pin fans. If the BIOS does not offer any detailed fan configuration settings, then the PWM headers will most likely run at full voltage like ValkyrieFactory noted. If it is a silent fan, though, this may not matter. If it is a noisy fan, then you can add a resistor in line or pick up a potentiometer like the old zalman fanmate: http://www.amazon.com/Zalman-Fan-Speed-Controller-FANMATE-2/dp/B000292DO0
  22. technoblue
    You make good points, frothymug. I agree with you on the mecha designs and the music. And the show was fun. I don't know, though, if I could recommend it to anyone other than hardcore mech fans for the reasons I already mentioned. To me, the show was rushed. Any improvement to the story would improve the pacing, so I guess we disagree on that point. I'm not looking for Legend of Galactic Heroes level of exposition, mind you. If the focus was supposed to be on the Inaho, Slaine, Asseylum triangle, then that should have been consistent throughout. See Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood as a good example of focusing on two main characters and using the supporting cast to help build those characters up. If that wasn't the point, and we were supposed to care about the red shirts on both sides of the conflict as well as the main cast, then we should have been told more about them. See Rurouni Kenshin for a show that does this well. Of course, Kenshin did what it did with 94 episodes and some OVAs!
  23. technoblue
    I think the show was trying to be too clever with Inaho and Slaine over the course of a limited run. It got caught with too many one- and two-dimensional characters for the second half, and although it did try to fix these issues and wrap up some of the loose ends it invariably fell short. I don't know if the limitation here was time or ability or both, but from my view on the outside I saw a number of political plots that could have added to the show and helped flesh out a few things: Mars vs Earth, Slaine's Knights vs the Vers Imperialists, even the Deucalion crew vs the UFE. Following any of these a little further would have been interesting, I think, but may have also required more than 24 episodes to complete. IMO, as produced, the last episode was a visual feast for the eyes, but was lacking substance.
  24. technoblue
    If a heatsink is seated properly to a chip, then it should warm up. As mikeszekely was writing above, that means it's doing its job and radiating heat from the CPU. I would be concerned if the heatsink was cool to the touch and the CPU was under load (with temperatures averaging at or above the thermal design point of the chip) or if your were seeing visible damage like smoke. The other thing to note is that heat can and may transfer to the fan, and sometimes it will do so more on certain cooling solutions than others depending on how the fan is mounted to the heatsink. That said, a hot fan motor could also indicate that the fan is nearing its end of life. I've seen that happen in my builds before. It might be worth switching the fan out now if only to get some peace of mind or to determine if a warm fan is a common characteristic of the heatsink solution that you're using. Case Fans Do you have other places to mount case fans for cooling? Or is the case limited to these two? With just two top mounts working as intake and exhaust, you would need to create a duct to help direct the airflow to the CPU area. Relying on the case structure as "ductwork" will probably lead to hot spots. My recommendation is to use one or both as exhaust points. If you use the back-top exhaust only, make sure to block off the front-top area somehow too.
  25. technoblue
    Yeah. I don't have an answer for the legal question. I'm not experienced in those matters. Mine is more idle speculation, I think Kawamori could make some cool designs for a live-action film. And taking a more realistic approach, I would think the same of whoever is tasked with designing the mecha. I don't expect to see a VF-1 or VF-0 in a Robotech film. Seeing updated modern transforming...things...would be cool. Who knows, we may be surprised? One thing Robotech needs is its own fresh story. Alas, the team at HG seems unable to break away from the "borrow" model to deliver decent animation. Would Sony have to follow the same model for its film or would the studio be able to make something completely new? If the project survives, my hope is that it doesn't end up as messy as Bayformers.
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