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mechaninac

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Everything posted by mechaninac

  1. mechaninac
    From the point of view of us gaijin consumers, it's tempting to say yes, but that is an extremely unrealistic and childish position. If one can take a step back, suspend the frustrated fanboy range, and look at it logically from Bandai's point of view, the answer is clearly "why should they?" Don't get me wrong, I'm as dissapointed by the way they've (mis)handled every renewal release, in terms of units produced, since the 25F as just about everyone here, and missed on the RVF-25's miniscule pre-order window... but I realize that we're not the target market (blame HG for that), and having to sleep in order to go to work the next day when these things go up (blame the 12 hour difference -- I'm in the NE-USA) doesn't help either.
  2. mechaninac
    I think most/all VFs have active stealth (EM jamming to fool enemy sensors), as opposed to passive stealth (mask, absorb, redirect detection systems). If I'm not mistaken, the VF-0, SV-51, YF-19, YF-21 are all mentioned to be stealthy to varying degrees, like your example of Nora sneaking up, and not registering on radar even when clearly visible, on the F-14s. The VF-17 and VF-171 look like they employ both systems given that they're shaped derivatively from the passively stealth F-117, much more so for the 17. Long range weapons definately gives the combatant with the best "first look, first kill" ability a distinct advantage, but if both sides posess comparable over-tech active stealth technology of equal capabilities than targetting and engaging a beyond visual range target becomes impossible; you'd need within visual range in order to shoot anything other than a nuke and hope to hit anything. Maybe that's one of the reasons for all the missile swarms. When it comes to visual dedection in space, a low albedo paint job would certainly be of help in keeping you undetected from head on, or if you're on momentum alone with engines off your chances of maintaining your stealth are also significantly affected by the finish on the VF. So an all black VF-17 running silent would have the best chance of all VFs of sneaking up on an enemy. And, err, stars' lights only twinkle (blink) within the heat distortions/eddies of an atmosphere... in space, no atmosphere means no blinking, so anti-collision blinkers would be a dead givaway in space.
  3. mechaninac
    Very nice. It's like something between a contemporary HGUC and a MG kit, closer to MG... some panel lining, paint on the canopy frame, decals (if it comes with any and not those godawful foil stickers), and a flat coat and you're good to go.
  4. mechaninac
    The Detolfs have a ~1/4" (6.35 mm) gap all the way around the door, so dust does get in and will accumulate on the shelves and whatever is no them, but at a significantly reduced rate compared to having your stuff sitting out in the open.
  5. mechaninac
    Slu77y looking figures vs. creepy looking dols... kettle, meet pot. Edit: slurmty?... really?
  6. mechaninac
    I too miss the monthly release on new desktop-worthy images...
  7. mechaninac
    Ugly, cheap, crude, and utterly brilliant!
  8. mechaninac
    The sequel to CW is Revenge of the Sith (SW Ep III). That Disney has no plans for one makes complete sense. No logic in rebooting or remaking what hasn't enen been finished; next week's episode is a season finale, not a series one... unless Disney were to not renew and drop production altogether without a season 6 or a movie to wrap things up. I'm unnaware of such plans, but a pox on their company if they were to do it.
  9. mechaninac
    If I'm right, and I'm not saying that I am -- I actually expect that I'm not, then a motivation for her actions would be revealed when/if she's shown to be the real culprit. You mean you wish for her execution at the hands of the Senate, with the Jedi order helpless and/or unwilling to help her? I don't think a kid's show would go that far, but it would certainly bolster Anakin's disillusion with the Republic and the Jedi Council if one were to sentence her to death and the other just powerlessly accepts such a verdict.
  10. mechaninac
    I wasn't sure about this arc when it started with Sabotage but it has turned out to be one of the best of this season, and I loved seeing Asajj Venterss' return... am I the only one here who thinks she's one of, if not the most complex, well developed, and fun to watch characters in the entire Clone Wars Series?
  11. mechaninac
    Only partially new; the head sculpt and all parts related to the forward fuselage/cockpit area, excluding landing gear components, to be precise. Other than that, which is plenty as Bandai could've just given us a re-pop with different colored plastic and just the new head, it's the same as the EX model.
  12. mechaninac
    Smaller. The Cosmo Zero, as seen in 2199, has a maximum length of 16.9 m; the Messiah is listed at 18.72 m. At 1/72 that's 23.47 cm (9 1/4 in) vs. 26 cm (10 1/4 in).
  13. mechaninac
    I can, and it scares me, both is size/scope and price...
  14. mechaninac
    I think you mean the Shah. The ayatollah (Khomeini) was the instigator/inspiration for the revolution that caused the deterioration of Iran's relations with the western world which has brought us to the sad state of affairs we find ourselves in today. It was very unfortunate that those Tomcats were lost to the Islamic take-over. I remember a Heavy Metal episode about the Tomcat, on the History Channel, where they mentioned unconfirmed reports that Grumman's crew of technicians, who were in-country to train the Iranian pilots and maintenance crews how to service the F-14s at the time of the revolution, sabotaged the birds by removing key avionics and other vital equipment, rendering the fighters innoperable... and since the new Iranian regime could no longer get support and parts to make the Tomcats flight ready, not to mention the know-how, they just sort of went into a forced mothballing from which they've never emerged.
  15. mechaninac
    Sacrilege! Tar and feather the infidel!... Mospeada must shine again! But I would not be opposed to any mecha from the shows you listed
  16. mechaninac
    EXO, I wish I could reach through the interwebz and waterboard you into spilling the beans...
  17. mechaninac
    Or would Bandai just go back into the Macross hybernation, with rare instances of mediocre product releases, that they cultivated during the late '80s, all of the '90s, and much of the 2000s? It wasn't until Yamato had demonstrated that yes, there was a market for high-end, high-quality, high-price, model-like Macross merchandise that Bandai started to dedicate any effort to the franchise. I commend Bandai for their MF products, V1 25s and 27s excluded; but I wonder, if there was no competition/inspiration, would they go back to their old ways?
  18. mechaninac
    Occupational hazzard?
  19. mechaninac
    I want one of those really bad, but I just refuse to pay the going rate so I keep hoping that Bandai will reissue the 25s, in their release order, as soon as possible after the RVF-25-Luca hits the shelves... but, oh the temptation...
  20. mechaninac
    What fantastic overkill for toy display... I love it!
  21. mechaninac
    My only issue with the Detolfs is that they're not dust proof; they do cut on the dust accumulation, but you still need to clean regularly. Other than that, they're great for the price.
  22. mechaninac
    yeah, the 2JA and 2SS have nothing in common from a design/engineering point of view, other than doing what every other VF does: go fro F to G to B modes. You could, maybe reuse the pilot sculpt, if the suit designs are the same for both Valks -- not sure, and perhaps -- a very small possibility... would need to refer to whatever scarse lineart there is-- some of the landing gear components. It would be like trying to have parts of Yamato's VF-1 be reused/retooled/repurposed for the VF-11. That does not stop me from pinning/dreaming that either Yamato or Bandai, or any other toy maker willing to give it a shot, would tackle the VFs from M2, in the now standard for variable mecha toys, 1/60 scale; I'd even purchase a Metal Siren, even though it's one of my least liked, however unique a design it is out of all VFs. In a perfect world Yamato's change to Arcadia would open the door to the possibility that the M2 license would be something they'd be willing to pursue; if anything, the release of the VFX VF-4G shows that making an expensive, limited edition, toy of an obscure subject that only a limited number of fans truly appreciated and desired is a viable endeavor to produce. It can be argued that there is, among Macross collectors, an equal and/or greater number of fans of the VF-2SS as there is for the VF-4G, with less interest for the 2JA and MS.
  23. mechaninac
    I just love how people make excuses to justify why they think they did not overspend for their overpriced purchases... easier to sleep at night, I guess. I have VF's by both Bandai and Yamato and have no delusions that product from company Y is worth almost 2X more than a similar product from company B. I have overspent on both, but by far, I have overspent far more on Yamatos than on Bandais on a one to one basis because the latest Yamatos are far more expensive than a comparable Bandai. And again, Bandai is an example of what a Yamato could cost because we are comparing apples to apples (VF's of similar, albeit not exactly equal, materials, similar constructions, complexities, manufacturing, assembly, etc., with no quality issues from either company) -- it's not like comparing SOCs to Yammies, so willfully ignoring the price disparity, even in light of many other factors, is silly. To me it's not about complaining about the price, but honestly looking at what my purchasing money gets in terms of bang for the buck. If I feel an offering from either company is too pricey, I skip it or wait for a sale; but if it's something special that I really want, i'll buy it (Ex: the ludicrously overpriced, under-accessorized VF-4G... did I want it? Yes. Did I buy a copy? Absolutelly. Was it grossly overpriced for what you actually get? Hell yes.).
  24. mechaninac
    Macross Frontier Valks being ready made for conversion into transforming kits and toy forms... granted. Bandai having more financial muscle and a far greater range of licences and products to offset the cost of production for any one toy line... granted. Licensing fees, maybe, but Bandai foots a great deal of the bill for sponsorship, production, advertising, etc of all the licences they hold as exclusive, so it's a minor difference at best. Bandai VFs and Yamato VFs are made of the same plastics, metals, etc. And Bandai tampo prints all liveries on the toys while Yamato gives you peel off stickers. Both companies utilize similar factories and comparable workforce to manufacture, assemble, package, ship their producst. I'll grant that Bandai's considerable size likely gives them an edge in their ability to negotiate better rates with suppliers and manufacturers, but not enough to justifly an almost 2:1 price ratio the Yamatos carry. Bottom line, Yamatos are overpriced, not because Bandais are cheaper, but because Yamato over-charges. Assuming that a comparison between the price disparities of similar products by two different companies is the sole supporting basis for an observation is born out by shopping for said products... baseless.
  25. mechaninac
    You'll get no argument from me there. There is no denying that Yamatos are grossly overpriced; one only needs to compare MSRPs (Before anyone finds it pithy to point out that they end up being just about equally priced due to the scarcity of Bandai's products, I'm specifically talking about MSRP, not dealer mark-ups, Ebay, etc.) between Bandai's equally complex Macross Frontier offerings to Yamatos' latest VFs to see that the yammies cost far too much, and Bandai's aren't cheap to begin with; but it's the nature of the beast, you either suck it up and collect what you can within your budget or just exit the game... whining about it solves nothing and makes one look like a malcontent.
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