F-ZeroOne

Sigh - last of the 50s - 60s "Gerry Anderson" designs... I've always liked the Draken.

Oh, yes we do - V.I.N.C.E.N.T for President!

Theres some truth to that - although a few Japanese pilots had extraordinarly long careers, such as Saburo Sakai (who lived through China, the first years of the Pacific war, and the defence of the home islands; the latter part of his career flying with one eye...!) - but it should also be noted that Japanese aircraft were, in general, much more frail than most US or European aircraft (Zeroes, Oscars and Bettys being particularly notorious in this regard). Theres certainly a degree of callousness or "samurai spirit" to Japanese losses, but part of the reason Japanese aircraft were designed fragile was because Japanese industry had trouble developing (and perhaps more importantly, maintaining) reliable high-power engines; the Zero for example was on about 900hp when its comparable rivals were over 1000 or more (although at higher weights). It was a design trade-off that become more disadvantageous as the war went on.

The Yamato was - for a machine dedicated to killing created by what was, essentially, a dictatorship - a very attractive ship (as Leeji Matusumoto well knew!). My favourite fact about the Yamato is that the Japanese designed an anti-aircraft shell - for the eighteen inch guns! Imagine being some poor Dauntless pilot and beginning your attack, and seeing three of those monsters pointing at you! (although by all accounts, the shell - a sort of incendiary shotgun affair - never really worked). The other astonishing thing about the Yamato is that the Japanese were planning an even bigger "sequel" - with 21-inch guns...!

I've only seen the anime version, and even then, only a few episodes, but "Touch" is of the same era as Orange Road. The pace is somewhat slow - continental drift possibly happens faster - but it has "something" that makes you keep watching. Like Urusei Yatsura? Pick anything where a jerk somehow lands himself the hottest girl in his sector of the Galaxy... Love! Hina, Please! Teacher, Magister Negi Magi... "His and Hers Circumstances" is an intersting take on romatic anime by Hideki "Evangelion" Anno. "Childs Toy" (aka Kodocha) is more generally zany but has romantic elements, although with a somewhat younger cast (it will also melt your brain).

What always gets me about this sort of thing is I remember years ago a cousin of mine got the Lego fan-club magazine, and someone had sent in a Lego armoured car they had made. Lego noted that they liked the work but that they didn't normally like to promote warfare and fighting in their products. Now, they're talking about "taking out" things with the long-range laser rifle...

I don't know why they're using it in a Macross/Robotech context (other than as a possible Zentraedi reference), but "Standing Upon the Shoulder of Giants" is a quote attributed to Sir Issac Newton, discoverer of gravity, all-round scientific genius, possible pyschopath, and crime-buster. Although often assumed to mean that Sir Issac was acknowledging great minds of the past, its more likely to have been a barbed aside to Robert Hooke, a rival of Newtons who suffered from a hunched back. The quotation also appears on the edge of some versions of the British 2 pound coin.

Fort Max, thanks very much!

Cat-girls and bishies. The entire population will be too busy fawning over them to notice me occupying No. 10 Downing Street.

As expectedfrom SHE. Damn it looks cooL! 345554[/snapback] Nuts, you all beat me to the punch! Oh. My. God. This is kind of cross between a toy and a resin model kit, yes? I know that they did a Getter Robo toy like this - what was it like? Fragile display piece? Cool but fiddly? Just trying to get an idea of what this puppy might be like...

I suspect Kensei is either a) exaggerating for effect or b) has misplaced the comma.

My average has been between about three - four weeks. I'm from whinging pom land.

You have got to read the Aphrodai-A (normal version) review - its the best toy review I've ever read, even better than Anime Jumps infamous bootleg Dragonball Z flyer review... talking nonsense missiles indeed!

And the winner is...

Watching the opening of Macross Plus OAV... tracking shot of the asteroids, friend says "Hmm... looks like Battle of the Planets so far... " Then Isamu kicked off, and there was nothing but stunned silence beside me.

Yep, those are the tail hooks all right. The HCM, like the real Valkyrie, has two. They go inside each rear landing gear bay. Hopefully the attached photo will help:

Having got over the intial shock... I think I've come up for the perfect name for the Cannon Fodder squadron you're building... "Brown Sugar" squadron...!

338123[/snapback] Well for me it would be expensive since I bought 32 of these CFs... 338301[/snapback] You did what?!

We don't know that. Guld had mental problems, and that's as likely to have caused issues as the actual hardware. 336829[/snapback] Its an untested prototype with a thought control system in a science fiction setting. Of course the BDI and BCS are to blame!

No need to cheat but Black Valkyrie got there ahead of me! This one probably isn't such a mystery for UK-based MWers as going by previous threads here we seem to have got a lot more of Gerry Anderson than the US. Incidentally, this year is the 40th anniversary of Thunderbirds. F.A.B!

Now for one that should need no introduction, but here it is anyway! Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... the PAIN! The FURY! The WUSS that pilots it! The Soul of Chogokin Evangelion Unit 1!

Heres one of my all time favourites - the Big Dai-X DX, from X-Bomber/Star Fleet. Believe or not, hes a Valkyrie cousin - by Takatoku! (and it even transforms, too!).

I will post some images as soon as I can get attachments to work! Is there a temporary problem at the moment or am I missing something extremely obvious? Edit: Mods, please remove. Worked it out for myself - replace user and insert new brain!

Funnily enough, the US - I think the Navy - used Kfirs for aggressor-style training for a while. I think the US desigination was "F-21"!

I was lucky enough to visit the AsoBit City store in Akihabara when it was open. That was big enough, but this... this... makes that look like a small corner shop!