Penguin

That is super sweet Kicker. I was sooo tempted by that when it was solicited, but in the end I just couldn't bring myself to acquire it. Ah well. If the Burton Batmobile is similar in price, I might just break down and get it. It looks to be just as choice.

Don't worry about the questions. That's what a community is for. I just hope my advice doesn't lead you to mess up your figure. Can't help you with the swirls. As I understand it, the swirls are inherent in the plastic, with how the colour is mixed in and how it's injected into the moulds. I'd imagine a flat coat hides the swirls by diffusing the light, but they're still there underneath. Since a gloss coat is totally transparent, I don't think it'll hide them. On the flip side, it won't do any harm either. Have you thought about a semi-gloss coat? If you have masking tape designed for models (like Tamiya's), there's no residue. Standard masking tape that you pick up in any old store can definitely leave a residue.

Well, here's where a bunch of my hard-earned cash went this holiday season. First, a little holiday cheer courtesy of Sideshow. Hawk and the Cobra Viper join Sideshow's G.I. Joe collection. Who needs articulation when you've got vinyl capes and telescoping lightsabres? 12-inch fun from Gentle Giant. Best. Superman. Ever. Plus a more comic-accurate War Machine, both from Hot Toys. Sideshow's Desert Sands Stormtrooper Detachment gains a few more members. The Avengers thus far, as interpreted by Hot Toys (well, Rhodey's not in the first movie... but he's an Avenger in spirit).

The white base is just to help the top layer stand out more. It's just a common technique when painting any bright colour on top of a dark. You could pass on it if you want. With regards to coverage, gloss white in acrylics (Tamiya, GS, whatever) tends to be thin. It gathers in corners and often needs multiple coats to get a smooth finish all over. If all you're doing is seamlines then yeah, you shouldn't have any problems.

Here are some examples of the clear-over-silver technique from the main sensor on my QF-3000 model. Mixing gloss white and clear blue will get you a pale blue. Clear paints mix nicely with white to tint it to the shade you want. Produces a nice, rich colour. No special effect. Mr. Colour paints are lacquers and Tamiya acrylics (GS acrylics are labelled "Mr Hobby"), but the results should be the same. The clear blue is the same shade in all three. The acrylic might not cover the plastic as nicely as the lacquer.

I use the silver+transparent method Cesar mentions for to simulate coloured lights. If he doesn't beat me to it, I'll see if I can take a snapshot of one of my examples. The effect is like the chrome reflector behind a coloured light on any car. With the chrome silver underneath the transparent paint, light will reflect off it and shine back through the transparent, producing a bright, coloured metallic shine. I use it for car lights, Gundam eyes, sensors, and similar features, as it provides more depth than plain old metallic paint. I once saw a model of Milia's Q-Rau that someone had painted entirely in chrome silver and transparent purple. The effect was very dramatic! The only thing to consider is that, without light reflecting off of it, the result is either dark (if the transparent colour is darker) or just silver (if the transparent colour is pale, it doesn't show up well without light). So, the effect will be very striking and have good contrast if you display it near a light source, and less if its sheltered under a shelf or lid. If you want to produce an effect more like a constant-on glow, then a bright solid colour would be more suitable. If you like the idea of seams that shine brightly under light, then the silver-backed transparent is the way to go. The Tamiya chrome silver works well, but for really impressive results get a hold of the chrome silver Gundam marker from Gunze or even chrome silver Testors enamel. As an acrylic, the Tamiya still has some grain in it. The lacquer marker or enamel paint create a smoother, more mirror-like surface.

As far as I know, there isn't any canon for the Aliens/Predator franchise outside the movies. The Technical Manual is one of those things that's cool enough that fans want it to be canon, and I see things mined from it here and there, but it tops out as "fanon" only. No one's really "minding the store" as far as I know when it comes to fleshing out the A/P universe... just the cash grab of the moment and screen writers who may or may not trample on anything previously established. For a while Brandywine kinda sorta kept a hand in the consistency of the Alien franchise, but Fox ended that with AvP. Those throw-away lines in Aliens do hint at other tales to tell. That's what makes the story so good (well, part of the reason anyway). The world of the movie feels like it's more than just a setup for the events that follow. "Is this a stand-up fight, sir, or another bug hunt?" Another? I'd love to know what else humanity has encountered.

Seriously? 'Cause text can't tell whether you're kidding. In the interests of keeping this board family friendly-ish, look up "poontang" in the Urban Dictionary and use your imagination from there.

With regards to #2, I wouldn't flow into the seams. You don't want too much, just enough to seal the mask. Brush lightly from the seam out towards the masking tape (kinda like your trying to push it under the tape). If you have a flat edged brush, that works best, but it's not essential. Never tried nail varnish myself. I know the typical stuff is akin to lacquer-based paint, and there are newer water-based varnishes that are somewhat close to acrylic paint. I think my primary concern would be thickness. Most nail varnishes I've encountered are pretty dense. You can use flat clear instead. The main reason to use gloss is that if it does flow under the tape, you don't get flat patches on the gloss plastic (and since with models it's common practice to use a clear gloss coat as a base for decals and washes). If you use the flat, you might have to clean up around the tape a little to restore the gloss. If that doesn't trouble you (careful steady hand scraping or with acrylic thinner), go ahead and use the flat.

Now, now... Predator + Alien + Dark Horse Comics = reasonably good stories. Predator + Alien + 20th Century Fox = markedly less than impressive results. Although I do vaguely recall Scott expressing positive things about Aliens, I think it's pretty likely Ridley is only considering Alien with Prometheus, and isn't worried about franchise "canon" or the wailings of a thousand fanboys.

Well, there are a lot of VF-19A derivatives in there too. Like I wrote... unless more of the VF-19 shots are not altered models than I suspect. If they're ready to do full-CG books, then maybe the Yamato VF-17S will inspire them to do a VF-17/VF-171 next (yay!). I just found it notable that every release so far was backed up by model kits. Could just be the aligning fact that hero planes get more kits and sell more books too.

My suspicion is that it's less Macross Zero 10th anniversary-related, more Variable Fighter Master File "Anything We Can Get A Model Kit Of" related. Seriously though, I was perusing the Master Files we've got so far, and noted that there are precious few full colour "live" shots of anything they had to generate through purely CG (unless more of the VF-19 shots are not altered models than I suspect). Don't know that I'd expect releases with anything that doesn't have a mass-market kit released, unless they shift to more line art and less "live".

Well, given that the remains shown in Alien seemed to have one head, two arms, and two legs, I'd say odds of the race not being humanoid are pretty slim.

'nuff said. http://www.hlj.com/product/SOF36808

I think that's the VA-3C Custom from Dynamite 7, not the VA-3M from VF-X2. IIRC, the VA-3M doesn't have the whale-hunting harpoons or the little booster rockets. It does have beam gun barrels on the pontoons and a lot more angles than the more rounded VA-3C. VA-3C Custom: http://www.macross2....om-attacker.gif VA-3M: http://www.macross2....3m-attacker.gif

To get the effect you're looking for, I think a wash would be too faint to show up against the dark plastic. Here be my suggestions. 1. Mask the heck out of it. Since a wash would be too pale you'll have to use unthinned paint, and that could mark up the rest of the figure pretty bad. 2. To prevent paint from leaking under the mask, paint clear gloss over the edges of the mask and let it completely dry. This creates something of a seal around the mask edges and, if it does flow under, it's only clear gloss. 3. Flow gloss white into the area with a small brush. This creates a base to help the actual colour shine. Naturally, it will want to gather in the seams and leave thin areas in the middle. Sometimes, the clear gloss from step 2 helps the white adhere. Sometimes it helps to put some flat gloss first to create a surface for the white to adhere to. Just make sure each layer has a good couple days to completely dry. 4. Use the small brush to flow in the blue MechTech mentioned. It's almost a perfect match for the colour in the picture. You could lighten it a little with some gloss white if you find it too dark.

Well, if you count all the exposed (i.e. not blocked by arms, armaments, etc.) verniers in a fighter-mode VF-1, there are only 7. The VF-4's got 8 that I can see right away, and they're all larger than the VF-1's. Might not be equal to a VF-1 with FAST packs, but looks like it shuold be superior to a regular VF-1.

Most of the screens showing the prologue are in US and Canada, but there are locations world-wide. There's a list of the IMAX screens showing it here: http://www.imax.com/...max-experience/

Resolute itself is pretty awesome from start to finish. Easily blows away both the 80s cartoon and Rise of Cobra.

That was my first thought too.

If you do manage that and decide to produce this, I'd be very interested, even at $400+. A VA-3M in scale with all my Yamatos would be too sweet to pass up.

Wow... ambitious is right. Best of luck to you. The VA-3 is actually one of my favourite designs, for a lot of the same reasons... it's just so different from the rest of the VF designs. I thought the VA-3M improved on the original design just enough to make it really shine as something different (especially the marine and submarine modes). If memory serves, the SHE kit was based on the original design art prior to VF-X2's release, correct?

The VF-4's guns are always listed as "heavy" beam cannons of some sort, so maybe it's a question of rate of fire. If the VF-4's guns don't always cycle fast enough for dogfighting, a gun pod might improve effectiveness. Aren't rotary cannons in fighters a result of the philosophy that if you throw enough lead around it increases your chances of hitting something? I always wondered about those shoulder covers too, although nothing I've read in the official literature mentions internal missiles. They expose an aperature that I would assume connects to the forearm barrels, given their position. Maybe the forearms don't work, and the cannons fire from the shoulders? Maybe the forearms become lighter guns with bigger blasts from the shoulders using, as you suggested, a power boost gained from direct connection to the primary power plants?

Gee, you just want to spoil all the surprises, don't you?

Actually, I'm correct. The VF-4G, introduced in 2047, only appears in the video game Digital Mission VF-X. The Flashback 2012 anime has, presumably, the VF-4A. I think VF5SS is probably correct... it's only being labelled the VF-4G 'cause that's where we first saw the battroid and gerwalk modes (remembering all the rampant speculation prior that the VF-4 was non-transformable). That, or it's some arcane licensing issue where Yamato has rights to video game designs but not FB 2012. Highly likely it'll have Hikaru's FB 2012 paint job. Before someone says that's a contradiction, the VF-4G colour scheme in VF-X is pretty much (if not completely) a clone of FB 2012, so only having a VF-X licence would allow for the same paint job.