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#1396: Rapid Fire Imperial AT-ACT
Posted by Ethan Wilson in	Nerf Reviews, Reviews and tagged with Astromech Droid, AT-ACT, Hasbro, Jyn Erso, Nerf, Rogue One, Star Wars, vehicles	 August 18, 2017
RAPID FIRE IMPERIAL AT-ACT (w/ SERGEANT JYN ERSO, AT-ACT DRIVER, & C2-B5)
STAR WARS: ROGUE ONE (HASBRO)
"A larger version of the standard combat AT-AT, the AT-ACT walker features a dedicated cargo bed for the transportation of heavy building materials or combat munitions. It was deployed at major Imperial construction projects, such as shipyards and sprawling research installations."
Toy Fans can be a bit stubborn and short-sighted sometimes. There's this innate inability to see that not every product is aimed at them, and that adult collectors only make up a very small fraction of the target audience of any given mass produced line. This means that there's whole chunks of product not meant for us in the slightest, or at the very least, items that are designed with kids in mind first and adult collectors second. After going pretty hardcore into the adult collector sphere for a while, Hasbro has shifted their Star Wars product into a more toy-etic form, in an effort to maximize sales and appeal to the new generations of collectors being brought in by the franchise's newest films. The new product has been an overall success for Hasbro, but some of the more hardcore sections of the fanbase have been less than pleased. There's been a lot of crying foul, particularly when it comes to the various new vehicles, which have proved quite divisive. One of the most divisive was today's item, the Rapid Fire Imperial AT-ACT.
THE VEHICLE ITSELF
The AT-ACT is part of Hasbro's Star Wars: Rogue One line. It was released about a month or so after the first big product launch for Rogue One. As with the two X-Wings and the TIE Fighter, there's a bit of assembly required when you open up the AT-ACT. The the legs, small blaster stalks for the head, and the cargo bed are packed separately from the main base body and head, and they need to be snapped into place (which takes a fair bit of force, let me tell you). Once fully assembled, the AT-ACT stands 16 inches tall and 12 inches deep. That's far from accurate scaling for the 3 3/4 inch figures, which was a point of contention for some collectors. It should really be twice the size at least, if not even larger, since the AT-ACT was even larger than the AT-AT. To give a frame of reference, there's a shot in Rogue One of an X-Wing fighter flying through the open cargo hold of one of these things. At best, you can probably get one of the old Action Fleet X-Wings through there. That being said, at the current size the AT-ACT's large enough to dwarf just about everything else in a collection, all while keeping it to a manageable size for production and storage purposes. Could it have been larger? Perhaps, but for most people it's not going to make a huge difference, and this is hardly the first time a Star Wars vehicle has been underscaled for a toyline. The sculpt on the AT-ACT does a decent enough job translating the film design into plastic form. The important details are all there, and it matches aesthetically with the vehicles from Force Awakens and the like. There's a little bit of cheating in a few spots (such as the slightly larger head relative to the rest of the body) which has been done to maximize playability with the basic figures, but the overall appearance is still fairly close to the source material. When it comes to playability, there are two main spots that you can place the figures. Obviously, there's a spot in the cockpit for the driver. While the film's design has spots for two drivers, this one's just got space for the one. This is in part due to the down-scaling, but also due to offering storage space for the four Nerf darts used by the firing feature, which I'll touch on in a little bit. The other main spot for figures is in the main body's removable cargo bed. It's actually a pretty neat bit; the sides fold down on both sides, revealing a nicely detailed interior, as well as a plethora of footpegs to hold figures in place. There are even spots for the troopers to stow their rifles, which is a cool touch. The bed can be removed and deployed as a cool little base or installation, which also reveals the interior of the AT-ACT proper. There are even more details, as well as two panels that flip up to reveal footwells that can be used for standing space or additional storage. Paint is minimal on the AT-ACT, but not entirely absent; there's some minor work throughout, and it's all pretty decently applied. There's also a sheet of decals to pick up some of the slack, and those work pretty well too. The AT-ACT is packed with three figures (which I'll look at in just a second) as well as a cannon and a zipline, both of which can be plugged into either the main body of the vehicle or the cargo bed. A major selling point of this set was the two included action features. To make use of the features will require four D batteries. Both play features can be accessed using the various buttons on the AT-ACT's back, which can be a little difficult to use. Fortunately, the AT-ACT is Bluetooth-enabled. You can download the "Star Wars: Studio FX" app to your phone and use it to control the AT-ACT remotely, which is a lot of fun. Onto the actual features! The first feature is the walking ability, which is pretty decent. It's slow, and this thing definitely needs to be on a flat, uncarpeted surface to work best, but it's an amusing feature. There are a number of associated sound effects and such, which help to sell the feature. There's also a head movement capability worked into this, which is a little difficult to really get working, but nice nonetheless. The second feature is the titular "rapid fire" feature, which replicates the AT-ACT's blaster capabilities through use of Nerf mechanics. There are four included Elite-style Nerf darts to use, and I find the feature to be generally pretty amusing myself. Don't take my word for it, though. Here's a word from the FiQ's resident Nerf expert, Tim. Quoth Tim:
"With such an extensive history of military manufacturing such as G.I. Joe, Nerf, and Furby, it's not surprising that the Galactic Empire contracted Hasbro to help develop weapons like the ones seen on the AT-ACT. The dart cannon in the walker's head is optimized for size, using a greatly miniaturized version of the tried-and-true flywheel mechanisms seen in blasters like the Stryfe. The cannon uses a gravity-fed, 4-round magazine and an electronic pusher to feed the darts into the itty bitty flywheels, producing some rather hilariously flaccid results especially after the ominous revving noise that precedes each shot. Also, just as a fun side note, if we can assume the darts are in scale with the pilot figure, the full size projectiles would be almost 4-1/2 feet long."
SERGEANT JYN ERSO
The first of the three included figures is the film's leading lady, Sergeant Jyn Erso. As the main character, I suppose it makes sense to pack her in again, and they were undoubtedly trying to avoid the issues caused by leaving Rey out of the Millennium Falcon from TFA. That being said, I don't believe Jyn ever actually interacts with an AT-ACT in the film, so her inclusion does seem a little bit out there. The figure stands about 3 1/2 inches tall and she has 5 points of articulation. She uses the same sculpt as the Jedha variant of Jyn from Series 2 of the main line. Of course, I never got that figure, so this one's new to me. It's a pretty decent sculpt, and I think I like this one more than the Eadu version. The likeness to Felicity Jones is definitely improved. The paintwork also appears to be a step-up from the single-carded released. The basic colors are all the same, but the application is a lot sharper, and she's also got some extra detailing on the legs, indicating she's been running around on Scarif's beaches for a bit (not that it happens in the final film, but hey, let's go with it). It's a little on the heavy side, but it looks decent enough. Jyn is packed with her blaster, which is painted silver, rather than molded like the single releases, which looks a lot better.
IMPERIAL AT-ACT DRIVER
The AT-ACT isn't going to get very far without someone to drive it, right? Well, as luck would have it, the second figure included with the AT-ACT is the Imperial AT-ACT Driver. This is easily the most sensible of the three figures included. The figure stands about 4 inches tall and he has the usual 5 points of articulation (though the hips are a bit limited). The larger scale AT-ACT Driver was a total parts re-use, but I don't think that's the case here. He's definitely got some similarities to the basic Shoretrooper, but there are enough subtle differences between the two to illustrate that they aren't made from the same molds. It's a little weird that they aren't the same sculpt, though, because the AT-ACT Driver has some slight inaccuracies to his design that would totally come from sharing parts with the Shoretrooper. Most glaringly, the skirting on his belt; the driver should have the same style of belt as the Hovertank Driver, but instead he's got the Shoretrooper skirt, just painted the same color as the pants. It's an odd choice. The other problem with the presence of the skirt is that it impedes the movement on his hips. Normally, I'm not a huge stickler about such things, but given that this figure's whole purpose is being able to sit in the cockpit of the vehicle he was included with, it's more than a little annoying. In terms of paint, this guy is fairly decent. Like the larger scale figure, he uses the deco of the AT-ACT Commander, as denoted by the grey on his shoulders. Where the larger figure kept the dark brown and bone white of the Tank Driver, this figure goes for a more straight black and white scheme. It's not terrible, just different. The figure includes a large blaster rifle, which is the same one included with the two Scarif Troopers.
C2-B5
I can't say I know much about ol' C2 here, given its complete lack of presence in the final version of Rogue One. There were a few potential endings floating around, I suppose it's possible C2 played a role in one of those. Or, perhaps Hasbro just really wanted to put an astromech in this set. It's Star Wars. It wouldn't be right if they didn't get an astromech droid in there somewhere. This figure's about 2 1/2 inches tall and has 3 points of articulation. C2's a head-to-toe repaint of the Mission Series R2-D2 (which was re-released for Force Awakens as well). It's a pretty standard astromech sculpt, so that's reasonable. It's a shame it couldn't have been one of the slightly better articulated R2s, but they're undoubtedly going for consistency here. Instead of the usual R2 colors, C2 is done up in a more imperial dark grey and silver. Not a bad look, though perhaps not the most exciting color scheme.
I was intrigued by this set when the Rogue One product started hitting, but the initial $300 price tag was just too much for me. Rather quickly after the holidays, Target started marking it down to $150. At that price, I was very much tempted, but my finances at the time didn't really allow me to drop that much on one item. I mentioned it to my parents, but that was kind of the end of it. It disappeared from shelves, and I convinced myself that I hadn't really needed it that much. Flash forward to my birthday this year, when I unwrapped this. Apparently, mentioning my interest in it to my parents was *not* the end of it. My mom went out the very next day and bought this, and then they hung onto it for six months. This thing got a lot of flak from the fanbase, and perhaps some of it was deserved, but this is a really, really fun toy. I'm definitely very happy to have it!
← #1395: Vulture & Spider-Man
#1397: Eradicator →


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Home > History home > Research > Profile > Researchers > Professor Jari Pakkanen > Publications
Professor Jari Pakkanen
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Three-Dimensional Documentation of Architecture and Archaeology in the Field: Combining Intensive Total Station Drawing and Photogrammetry
Pakkanen, J., 10 Dec 2018, Constructing Monuments, Perceiving Monumentality and the Economics of Building: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to the Built Environment. Brysbaert, A., Klinkerberg, V., Gutiérrez Garcia-M., A. & Vikatou, I. (eds.). Leiden: Sidestone Press, p. 117-140
Laurentine Shore Project (Castelporziano, Rome)
Claridge, A., Pakkanen, J. & Evans, T., Oct 2016, In : Papers of the British School at Rome. 84, p. 317-320 4 p.
The Port in the Urban System of Sicilian Naxos (5th c. BC)
Lentini, M. C., Blackman, D. & Pakkanen, J., 2016, Ancient Ports. The Geography of Connections: Proceedings of an International Conference at the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, 23–25 September 2010. Höghammar, K., Alroth, B. & Lindhagen, A. (eds.). Uppsala, p. 253–267 15 p. (Boreas. Uppsala Studies in Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Civilizations; vol. 34).
Naxos of Sicily in the 5th Century BC: New Research
Lentini, M. C., Pakkanen, J. & Sarris, A., Dec 2015, Greek Colonisation: New Data, Current Approaches: Proceedings of the Scientific Meeting held in Thessaloniki (6 February 2015). Adam-Veleni, P. & Tsangari, D. (eds.). Athens: Alpha Bank, p. 23–35
A Reappraisal of the First Publication of Stirrup Jar Inscriptions from Tiryns by Johannes Sundwall: Photographs, Lost Sherds and the 'A-Nu-To/No-Di-Zo Workshop'
Pakkanen, J., Jun 2015, In : Arctos - Acta Philologica Fennica. 48 (2014), p. 261-277
Naxos di Sicilia: nuovi dati sulla città del V secolo a.C.
Lentini, M. C. & Pakkanen, J., 2015, (Accepted/In press) La Città e le città della Sicilia antica. Atti delle Ottave Giornate Internazionali di studio sull'area elima e la Sicilia occidentale nel contesto mediterraneo. Pisa, Scuola Normale Superiore, 18-21 dicembre 2012, Pisa. Ampolo, C. (ed.).
'Observations on the Reconstruction of the Late-Classical Temple of Athena Alea', 'Block from the Starting Line of the Tegean Stadion' and 'Preliminary Catalogue of the Building Blocks in the Sanctuary'
Pakkanen, J., Dec 2014, Tegea II: Investigations in the Sanctuary of Athena Alea 1990–94 and 2004. Østby, E. (ed.). Athens: The Norwegian Institute at Athens, p. 353-414 (Papers and Monographs from the Norwegian Institute at Athens; vol. 4).
Classical Greek Architectural Design: a Quantitative Approach
Pakkanen, J., Oct 2013, Helsinki: Foundation of the Finnish Institute at Athens. 129 p. (Papers and Monographs of the Finnish Institute at Athens; vol. 18)
Economics of Shipshed Complexes: Zea, a Case Study
Pakkanen, J., 2013, Shipsheds of the Ancient Mediterranean. Rankov, B., Blackman, D., Baika, K., Gerding, H., McKenzie, J. & Pakkanen, J. (eds.). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 55–75
Shipsheds of the Ancient Mediterranean
Rankov, B., Blackman, D. J., Baika, K., Gerding, H., McKenzie, J. & Pakkanen, J., 2013, Cambridge: CUP.
Nouvelles découvertes sur l'agora de Naxos en Sicile
Lentini, M. C. & Pakkanen, J., 2012, Tout vendre, tout acheter. Structures et équipements des marchés antiques: Actes du Colloque d'Athènes, 16-19 juin 2009. Chankowski, V. & Karvonis, P. (eds.). Bordeaux & Athens: Ausonius Éditions, p. 153-161 (Scripta Antiqua; no. 42).
Aegean Bronze Age Weights, Chaînes Opératoires and the Detecting of Patterns through Statistical Analyses
Pakkanen, J., 2011, Tracing Prehistoric Social Networks through Technology: A Diachronic Perspective on the Aegean. Brysbaert, A. (ed.). New York and London: Routledge, p. 143–166 (Routledge Studies in Archaeology; vol. 3).
Rekonstruktion des Säulenschafts
Pakkanen, J., 2011, Der Asklepiostempel von Messene auf der Peloponnes: Untersuchungen zur hellenistischen Tempelarchitektur. Sioumpara, E. P. (ed.). Munich: Hirmer Verlag, p. 45–51, 266–267, 284–285 (Athenaia; vol. 1).
The Sanctuary to the West of the Santa Venera: a Review
Lentini, M. C. & Pakkanen, J., 2010, Deliciae Fictiles IV: Architectural Terracottas in Ancient Italy. Images of Gods, Monsters and Heroes. Lulof, P. S. & Rescigno, C. (eds.). Oxford and Oakville: Oxbow, p. 417–425
A New Inscribed Statue Base from the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia
Wallensten, J. & Pakkanen, J., 2009, In : Opuscula. 2, p. 155–165
A Tale of Three Drums: An Unfinished Archaic Votive Column in the Sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia
Pakkanen, J., 2009, In : Opuscula. 2, p. 167–179
Documentation and computer reconstruction strategies in the study of architecture at the sanctuary of Poseidon at Kalaureia, Greece
Pakkanen, J., 2009, Archäologie und Computer. Workshop 13: Kulturelles Erbe und Neue Technologien 03–05. November 2008. Börner, W. & Uhlirz, S. (eds.). Wien: Museen der Stadt Wien - Stadtarchäolgie, 9 p.
Report on the Excavations in the Years 2007 and 2008 Southeast of the Temple to Poseidon at Kalaureia
Penttinen, A., Wells, B., Mylona, D., Pakkanen, P., Pakkanen, J., Karivieri, A., Hooton, A., Savini, E. & Theodoropoulou, T., 2009, In : Opuscula. 2, p. 89–134
The Erechtheion and the Length of the 'Doric-Pheidonic' Foot
Pakkanen, J., Jul 2008, In : Talanta. Proceedings of the Dutch Archaeological and Historical Society. 28–29, p. 97–122
The Shipsheds of Sicilian Naxos: a Second Preliminary Report (2003–6)
Lentini, M. C., Blackman, D. & Pakkanen, J., 2008, In : The Annual of the British School at Athens. 103, p. 299–360
The Erechtheion Construction Work Inventory (IG I3 474) and the Dörpfeld Temple
Pakkanen, J., 2006, In : American Journal of Archaeology. 110, p. 275–281
The Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea: Revisiting Design-Unit Derivation from Building Measurements
Pakkanen, J., 2005, Ancient Arcadia: Papers from the Third International Seminar on Ancient Arcadia, Held at the Norwegian Institute at Athens, 7-10 May 2002. Østby, E. (ed.). Athens: The Norwegian Institute at Athens, p. 167–183 (Papers from the Norwegian Institute at Athens; vol. 8).
Partially Preserved Colonnades in Greek Architecture: the Probability of Matching Column Drums
Mustonen, S. & Pakkanen, J., 2004, Making the Connection to the Past. CAA 99: Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. Proceedings of the 27th Conference, Dublin, April 1999. Fennema, K. & Kamermans, H. (eds.). Leiden, p. 57–59
The Temple of Zeus at Stratos: New Observations on the Building Design
Pakkanen, J., 2004, In : Arctos - Acta Philologica Fennica. 38, p. 95–121
The Toumba Building at Lefkandi: a Statistical Method for Detecting a Design-unit
Pakkanen, J., 2004, In : The Annual of the British School at Athens. 99, p. 257–271
Architectural Remains
Pakkanen, J., 2003, The Asea Valley Survey : An Arcadian Mountain Valley from the Paleolithic Period until Modern Times. Forsén, J. & Forsén, B. (eds.). Stockholm, p. 243–245 (Acta Instituti Atheniensis Regni Sueciae. Series in 4o; vol. 51).
Deriving Ancient Foot Units from Building Dimensions: a Statistical Approach Employing Cosine Quantogram Analysis
Pakkanen, J., 2002, Archaeological Informatics: Pushing the Envelope. CAA 2001: Computer Applications and Quantitative Methods in Archaeology. Proceedings of the 29th Conference, Gotland, April 2001. Burenhult, G. & Arvidsson, J. (eds.). Oxford: Archaeopress, p. 501–506 (BAR International Series; vol. 1016).
La colonne du Dôdékathéon à Délos
Pakkanen, J., 2000, In : Proceedings of the Danish Institute at Athens. 3, p. 209–217
The Toumba Building at Lefkandi: Some Methodological Reflections on Its Plan and Function
Pakkanen, J. & Pakkanen, P., 2000, In : The Annual of the British School at Athens. 95, p. 239–252
Defining the Possible Column Shaft Height Range and Profile: a Case Study Based on the Temple of Zeus at Labraunda
Pakkanen, J., 1999, In : Opuscula Atheniensia. 24, p. 79–88
The Column Shafts of the Propylaia and Stoa in the Sanctuary of Athena at Lindos
The Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea. A Reconstruction of the Peristyle Column
Pakkanen, J., 1998, Helsinki: Department of Art History at the University of Helsinki and the Foundation of the Finnish Institute at Athens. 192 p. (Publications by the Department of Art History at the University of Helsinki; vol. 18)
Entasis in Fourth-Century BC Doric Buildings in the Peloponnese and at Delphi
The Entasis of Greek Doric Columns and Curve Fitting: a Case Study Based on the Peristyle Column of the Temple of Athena Alea at Tegea
Pakkanen, J., 1996, III Convegno Internazionale di Archeologia e Informatica. III International Symposium on Computing and Archaeology. Moscati, P. & Mariotti, S. (eds.). Firenze, p. 693–702 (Archeologia e Calcolatori; vol. 7).
The Height and Reconstructions of the Interior Corinthian Columns in Greek Classical Buildings
Pakkanen, J., 1996, In : Arctos - Acta Philologica Fennica. 30, p. 139–166
Accuracy and Proportional Rules in Greek Doric Temples
Pakkanen, J., 1994, In : Opuscula Atheniensia. 20, p. 144–156
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Why I'm Returning the Kindle Fire
When Amazon announced the $199 Kindle Fire, it was the first time I was intrigued by a tablet other than the iPad. I'm a big fan of the Amazon value proposition and I was impressed with their focus on content consumption at a reasonable price.
I didn't have any disillusions about the device being an iPad replacement. I had plans for it being two things: A kitchen counter web browser usable by everyone in the family -and- a replacement for our portable DVD player.
But as it turns out the device doesn't provide a very satisfying web browsing experience and (due to the fragmented content marketplace) it's not a very good value as a portable video player.
Leading up to the device's release there was a lot of information swirling around about which Android apps would be available on the device. By default, you purchase apps through a special section of the Amazon App store, and there are indeed a number of apps there.
But as you push forward and attempt to make the Kindle Fire perform like your iPhone or even your iPod touch you start bumping into limitations. Read this article to get a sense for what it's like install non-approved Android apps on the device. Within an hour of opening the box I'm wandering around the web learning about .apk's, sideloading, and rooting. The fragmented app situation on the device is a total mess.
Amazon made a big deal about the "Silk" web browser when they announced the Kindle Fire. It was said to speed download times as it predicted where you were going to browse next. My complaint isn't so much with the time it takes pages to load as with the lousy overall experience of navigating web pages on the device.
Often you have to tap on hyperlinks several times to be effective, Apple's brilliant "double-tap" to fit a column of text gesture is missing, and some pages don't function properly. I thought the larger screen size would enable the Fire to be a usable web browser, but on the contrary, the device is slightly worse than a 3 year old 2nd generation iPod touch - which has a much smaller screen - in terms of web browser usability. Browsing the web on an iPhone 4S is a much more pleasant experience than on the Kindle Fire due to the iPhone's speed, excellent page rendering, responsive touch screen and intuitive and effective gestures.
Since web browsing was one of the primary things I was looking for in the device it's a big disappointment.
I've never owned an e-ink Kindle, but so many people say they love theirs, I figured this device was a good time to get in on that experience. Unfortunately I'm not feeling the magic. I thought it was pretty nice that I could borrow "Moneyball" for free from the Amazon Lending Library with Amazon Prime, but I find the experience of reading on the Fire a little awkward given how heavy it is.
Compared to an e-ink Kindle, the battery life of the Fire and lack of 3G connectivity is also a concern. I think I'd be better off getting an entry level Kindle e-reader - they start at $79 now.
Next to the web browser this was my second area of interest and also a big disappointment. Video playback looks great and purchasing/renting content from Amazon is a breeze (if you know what you want, navigating the Amazon store for free content is still a bit of a morass in my experience).
My beef is with the still-fragmented market for digital content. It's still often cheaper to buy a hard copy than it is to rent or buy. Take for example Rio. $8.99 to buy the DVD (free shipping with Prime) or $14.99 to buy the digital copy. Cars 2 isn't available for purchase - you have to rent it at $3.99 a pop. I see similar with books.
I can guess why this is, but it doesn't make me any more enthusiastic about accepting it. Until it's more convenient and affordable to buy digital content it feels like digital just doesn't make sense yet.
Ripping DVDs for playback on the device is also a complicated mess. After experimenting for a day with the best file format and resolution I still can't get a video to make use of the full screen. It's a total pain in the neck.
The magazines I want to read (for example Wine Spectator) aren't available. I want a model where I pay one price for a subscription and I can consume it any way I want to. Print, online, on the go. I don't think this is any better elsewhere but it's certainly not good on the Fire.
It's not so much that the Kindle Fire is a lousy product. It's that Apple spoiled us and Amazon is doing the best they can within the confines of the ecosystem they're operating within.
It's been magical watching our kids intuitively navigate their way around the iPod touch and iPhone. The Kindle Fire has them peppering me with questions about why things don't work. "You've got to tap it a few times sometimes," says our 6 year old. The iPhone found the perfect intersection of being intuitive, looking gorgeous, and being immensely effective.
About the only thing I like about it is the random high resolution images that greet you after waking the device. Unfortunately, the novelty wears off as soon as you swipe your finger across the device and you're reminded of the laggy, herky jerky responsiveness you experienced last time you touched it.
My experience playing with the device the past few days has made me appreciate what a breakthough device the first iPhone was. And what an amazing device the iPhone 4S is. The core interface of the iPhone hasn't changed much since it was released - it's just gotten better and better. Will Amazon be able to pull the same trick? Release a valiant 1.0 and continually improve it through software updates? We'll see, but I don't think I'm going to be along for the ride.
74/100 points - Not Recommended
Here's a link to this same review on Amazon.com
It's amazing how when you're shopping around for an expensive item or embarking upon a home improvement project how businesses that never crossed your mind suddenly catch your attention. Or should I say consume your attention. For about three weeks this Fall I became Mr. Replacement Windows as I sought replacement of 4 windows in our 1940s New England colonial home.
Hurricane Irene was the straw that broke the camel's back. Of the four windows in the modest addition that is my home office, one had a cracked pane, one was extremely hard to open and now that the wind was blowing rain sideways, one leaked. It was time to replace these 4 double-hung 6 over 6 windows. Who to call?
When it comes to a job like this I like to call out the most familiar in the field -and- a reliable contractor I'm familiar with to get a sense for the cost of the project.
With that in mind I called up Newpro on Red Sox color commentator Jerry Remy's recommendation. Mention the Remdawg, he said in the ad, and I'd get half off plus free installation. Sounded good to me! I scheduled an appointment for an estimate later in the week. I also scheduled an appointment with a contractor we'd done a substantial amount of remodeling with on our kitchen previously. Somewhat strangely they funneled me over to "the window department." What is it with replacement windows? Why is it such a specialty item? I'd soon find out.
Here's the way it goes: Professional looking guy in a foreign luxury car pulls up in front of your house right on time. He's very likeable and is very good at what he does. He captures your hopes and dreams for the project, casts them upon replacement windows, and describes in sometimes excruciating detail why these windows are the most incredible things you've ever seen. By the end of his presentation you're convinced these are going to be a substantial upgrade to your life. When you're replacing all (or most) of the windows in your house the energy savings could reduce your heating bill substantially - and I could see buying into the story. But since we're talking about only 10% of our home we were able to avoid letting our desires get the best of us.
After much discussion we finally, mercifully got a quote from Newpro for our 4 very ordinary, right down the middle, double-hung replacement windows. For some reason I had in my head the job should cost around $2,000; $500 per window including labor. I don't know why I thought this. I guess it had something to do with other windows and doors we've had replaced in the house. $500 per seemed about right to me.
The quote? $6,000. $1,500 per window. You've got to be kidding me! They sounded like nice windows but the thing is - after talking with colleagues, friends and associates who have Newpro windows - they're not even that great. People I spoke with reported all kinds of problems with Newpro windows they inherited after purchasing a house. I can get behind a premium price if the product warrants it - but I wasn't convinced their windows were that great long term.
The familiar contractor representing Marvin came in over $4,000 - still more than $1,000 per window. What the heck was going on here?
I casually mentioned to a client I was working with at the time my dilemma. I just wanted some reasonably priced windows that would slide up and down easily, wouldn't leak, would look nice, and would provide better insulation than my current drafty windows. He said replacement windows should cost about $350 per and that I should call Window World.
I'd never heard of them but a Google search turned up WindowWorld.com - home of the original $189 (installed!) replacement window. I had no illusions about paying only $189 per window, but I liked the starting point. I scheduled an appointment for later in the week.
The salesman came out just like the prior two did. Right on time, very professional, checked out the windows I needed replacing, showed me his product, described the company, and efficiently worked towards a quote.
First off, there's no such thing as a $189 window - at least not in Massachusetts due to efficiency standards in effect here. But the add-ons were sensible. More efficient glass, grids in the glass, disposal fees, etc, etc. But as he's building up the quote I'm thinking to myself: "He could add on anything he wants and he still won't come close to the numbers I'd heard from the other two salesmen who proceeded him."
When he presented me with the total cost of $1,700 for all four windows ($425 per window - below my target cost of $500) I had to contain myself. There might be an opportunity to hold out and get some rogue discount like there was with the other guys. But he made it pretty clear - this was the best he could do today. We agreed to move forward with the project pending our calling a couple nearby references. They checked out and we went forward.
Along the way I kept thinking in the back of my mind that something was going to go wrong. The installation was going to be crap or the windows were going to be lousy. Or they'd increase the installation cost when they found some unforeseen catastrophe. But there was no such event.
An estimator came out for detailed measurements and the windows were ordered. About 5 weeks later an installer came and politely and cleanly removed the old windows and installed the new ones. A day later a different installer did trim work on the outside to tidy things up. I think they look great.
I immediately felt that my usually chilly home office was warmer. More a part of the house rather than a flimsy addition. The windows look great and they slide up and down with ease. They're perfect. They're just what I was looking for and they didn't cost a fortune.
How nice is that? And what in the heck ever happened to Remdawg's "half off plus free installation" offer? What a bunch of hot air that was. $6,000+ after discount? You've got to be kidding me. Sometimes I feel like I'm too negative about businesses that fall short of my hopes and expectations. And in this case I'm disappointed with some. But with Window World I'm happy. A fair price for a square deal and a pleasant experience. You can't ask for much more than that.
So check 'em out if you're in the market for replacement windows: Window World
Who and How Much? Replacement Windows from Newpro,...


text:
Q: Recursive replacement in a text file (regular expressions) I would like to make a recursive replacement of variables into a text file, possibly using regular expressions, and so a very simple bash script.
This is the text file that I have:
 ###MS: 12/
 ###MSMS: 13/
 BEGIN IONS
 TITLE= Cmpd 1, +MSn(507.7145), 0.1 min
 PEPMASS=507.71453  5708

 ###MS: 12/
 ###MSMS: 14/
 BEGIN IONS
 TITLE= Cmpd 2, +MSn(637.6461), 0.1 min
 PEPMASS=637.64610  8328

The text file is made of a multiple repetitions of the same-structured block (as you can see in the figure): what I would like to achieve is the replacement of the number after TITLE= Cmpd with the number after ###MSMS. This should be done for every block, scrolling the text file, assigning this Cmpd value with the MSMS one for each block.
I tried with sed, using a script that was previously explained here on StackOverflow, but using Cmpd [0-9] works only for the second part (the replacement) but not for the selection of the numbers after MSMS.
while read line
 do
   varA="###MSMS: "[0-9][0-9]
   varB="Cmpd "[0-9]
   line='echo$line|sed -e "s/$varA/$varB/"'
   echo&line >> "outputfile.txt"
done < "inputfile.txt"

I really thank you in advance, this will be a perfect occasion to learn more about this stuff.

A: You can accomplish this by using the hold buffer. In sed the h command copies the current pattern space into the hold buffer, and the G command retrieves that and appends it, with a newline, to the pattern space.
The sed script below extracts the MSMS number and stores it in the pattern buffer, then when it sees a TITLE line, it concatenates the line with the saved number, and then replaces the first sequence of digits it finds with the saved value that comes at the end (and tosses that appended data away.)
#!/usr/bin/sed -f
/^###MSMS:/{
p
s/[^0-9]//g
h
d
}
/^TITLE=/{
G
s/\([^0-9]*\)[0-9]*\(.*\)\n\(.*\)/\1\3\2/
}

Running this script on the provided sample data yields:
###MS: 12/
###MSMS: 13/
BEGIN IONS
TITLE= Cmpd 13, +MSn(507.7145), 0.1 min
PEPMASS=507.71453  5708

###MS: 12/
###MSMS: 14/
BEGIN IONS
TITLE= Cmpd 14, +MSn(637.6461), 0.1 min
PEPMASS=637.64610  8328

A: For those who are interested,
I dropped the regex approach and wrote a Python script instead, solving the situation. (MGF is the name of the file)
# Read the MGF lines
mgfLines = mgf.readlines ()
# Create the final list of lines
outputLines = []
# Scroll the lines
for lines in mgfLines:
    # If there is no ##MSMS value or TITLE
    if ("###MSMS" not in lines and "TITLE" not in lines):
        # Write the line to the output file
        outputLines.append (lines)
    # If there is the ##MSMS value
    if "###MSMS" in lines:
        # Write the line to the output file
        outputLines.append (lines)
        #### Store the value of the MSMS
        # Index the space and the /, and in between there is the MSMS number
        for i in range(len(lines)):
            if (lines[i] == " "):
                spaceIndex = i
        for i in range(len(lines)):
            if (lines[i] == "/"):
                slashIndex = i
        # The MSMS number is in between
        msmsValueFinal = int (lines[spaceIndex+1 : slashIndex])
    # If there is the TITLE value (the MSMS value has to be passed to TITLE)
    if "TITLE" in lines:
        # Split the line at the commas
        titleLineSplitted = str.split (lines, ",")
        # Three pieces are generated: the last two will be joined back together with a comma, the first will have the TITLE Cmpd number replaced by the MSMS value
        titleLineSplitted[0] = "TITLE= Cmpd " + str(msmsValueFinal)
        # Join back the pieces
        finalTitleLine = titleLineSplitted[0] + "," + titleLineSplitted[1] + "," + titleLineSplitted[2]
        # Write the final line to the file
        outputLines.append (finalTitleLine)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
From the Archive: A British Television Blog
Every week I randomly pick a British television show from my collection to watch and then write about it. Pretty simple! Feel free to take part in the discussions by leaving a comment or e-mailing me at FTA13867@gmail.com
Revisiting Old Friends in Peckham
I don't know about anyone else but there are times that I move away from a TV series for various reasons but when I come back to it, I wonder it's been so long since I had last watched it. Only Fools and Horses is certainly one of those series for me. I think I have been pretty lucky with how I came across this series. Obviously I am in the US and in the mid-1990s I was on the lookout for UK series I have never seen before. I was one of a limited number of people around with a PAL TV and VCR. A friend of mine had a Dad who fondly remembered Only Fools and Horses. I am not quite sure why as I don't think he lived in the UK but perhaps my memory was failing. So, my friend decided that he would purchase the series (on PAL VHS at that point) and asked if I would convert the tapes to NTSC, then I could keep the PAL originals. Yes, there were a lot of tapes but I wanted to get into it and check it out. A good decision on my part.
I started to watch it from the beginning of the series. I found it OK and mildly funny but I really didn't give it much thought until I watched Friday the 14th from Series 3. Clearly, I wasn't paying attention too closely when I was watching it originally because there are so many amazing episodes prior to that one. Pretty much all of them are good. Have you ever watched a series where you have been watching it for a while and suddenly it just clicks with you? That was what I found with Only Fools and Horses. In fact once I got to that point, I couldn't stop watching it. I started to make these conversions faster and faster because I couldn't wait to see the next episode. When I finally got to the end of the series, which at that point was the 1996 trilogy, I thought it had a proper finale. Even though I had seen all of the episodes, I would watch the tapes over and over. The comedy was so well written and if there was drama, it was appropriate and handled delicately. Then, I almost un-loved the series. Even though the series, in my opinion, had a perfect ending it came back in 2001. There were a lot of reasons why this annoyed me. Most importantly two important actors had passed away since 1996. Also, the show was starting to get a little too clever for its own good. When I say a series is getting too clever, I mean that this series starts to do what everyone expects and no longer is doing anything different or new. A series like Only Fools and Horses deserved to be written better. The first special since the return in 2001, If They Could See Us Now…. really turned me off of the series. When the second special came out, Strangers on the Shore, I stopped caring altogether. When John Sullivan said in an interview that the second special was returning to classic Only Fools and Horses comedy, I knew it was too late for the series. It confirmed that the series strayed too far from what it made it so endearing for all of those years. Not only did it get me to not want to see the third (final?) special but it actually soured me on the whole series. It's ridiculous but it's almost like I was in an argument with a TV series and this is where we make amends.
Modern Men TX: 27/12/96
It's pretty embarrassing that I have forgotten so many of the characters and situations when I started to watch this episode. This episode is the second from what was hailed as the final trilogy to the series. The three episodes are loosely connected. From the moment that the familiar theme music started up and that classic title sequence, I felt at home again. There were truly moments that characters would pop up and my heart would melt because I haven't seen them in so long. Uncle Albert telling stories about what was happening during the war, Mike the Landlord at the Nagshead, and of course Trigger. I actually exclaimed, Trigger! How could I forget Trigger? He is one of the best written comedy characters played of all time. So underrated yet often having the best punch line to the joke. I watched this before Roger Lloyd-Pack passed away. I had no idea he would be leaving us so soon.
The episode itself starts out with word that Rodney and his wife Cassandra are expecting a child. This is amazing news for them especially as a lot of the episodes from the 1990s dealt with a rough relationship with those two. They found their way and were now expecting their first child. There is a lot of celebrating amongst everyone about this. Obviously there will be the jokes about how Rodney had it in him and all of that. There is a great moment in the Nag's Head (which is the local) where pretty much the whole cast is present to celebrate the happy occasion. I cherish this scene. There isn't much more of these type of scenes left in the series and when the show came back in 2001, this sort of scene would have been impossible to do.
There is Uncle Albert playing the piano with all sorts of old songs from a bygone era. There is Boyce, Denzil (another amazing character I forgot about), sitting at the table with Del, Rodney, Cassandra and Raquel having fun. Mike is trying to get Del to pay for his drinks but Del wants to pay with shoddy merchandise instead, Mickey trying to one-up Rodney and Trigger just being dumb. Del has this funny trick to trying to get out of paying for his drinks by doing a hand trick with Mike. He tells Mike that he can make Mike turn his hands over without touching him. He tells Mike to hold out his hands, which Mike does, and Del looks at him and says "No. The other way." and Mike simply turns his hands over. There you have it; he turned them over without touching them. So when Rodney goes up to buy the next round, Trigger (who saw Del do the trick) bets Rodney £5 that he can make Rodney turn his hands over too. Trigger then plays the trick perfectly on Rodney only to then give Rodney £5 instead of collecting it from Rodney! What a plonker!
There were a lot of themes and moments in this episode which I truly enjoyed. The last Only Fools and Horses I had watched generally had been the new post 2000 episodes. What I liked about this was being reminded how badly they were off with money. The crap that Del would try and sell which would even sometimes, amusingly, injure his friends. There is a hairdryer in this episode which burns Mike's scalp. There is towards the end of the episode a bike helmet fitted to benefit Indians who wear a hijab. It is kind of insulting but it is also highly hilarious. It is hilarious because of how ignorant Del is but how honest he is to think it will catch on. Del wanted to call it The Turbanator. In the later episodes when the series come back, we have these same type of gags but I just don't think they are as sincere as they are here or in the original run of the series.
The whole point of the episode is the idea of the Modern Man which the title is taken from for this episode. Del is reading a book about the modern man and how he should act. This is very much in character as Del is all about trying to portray himself in a certain way. He spent most of the 1990s wanting to give people the impression he was a yuppie but really had no idea on what that meant! Part of being a modern man is being responsible. He feels he needs to be responsible to Raquel and decides that means he should get a vasectomy. This scene takes place in their bedroom. It is fun to watch because there is a naïve sweetness to the character of Del Trotter and it really shows here. In fact, there are a couple of time where it looks like David Jason and Tessa Peake-Jones are going to crack up at any moment. It's really fun to watch. Within that scene we move on to Raquel suggesting that Del ease up on Rodney a little bit. Make it so he can have some help especially with a child on the way. We find out that Del is already way ahead of her as he had put an ad in the paper for some help.
Rodney on the other hand is looking to possibly getting another job as he feels his career is going nowhere under the Del Trotter regime. He searches the paper and finds an ad for a company that is global and is looking for someone with the same skills that Rodney possess. Rodney picks up Del's house phone and calls this company. Meanwhile, in Del's room, Del's cell phone rings. He gets Raquel to pick it up and answer in a professional receptionist voice only to hear Rodney on the other end inquiring about this cool company. Del decides to have fun with this and answers in a thick Welsh accent. I wouldn't do the gag justice here but it is pretty funny if not going on for a tad too long. Finally, Rodney realizes it is Del and thinks Del is trying to replace him. Nothing could be further from the truth and instead Del has a great idea to get his little brother a better position within the company. It actually fires Rodney up and he is super excited about what can be achieved with the company.
To celebrate, the Trotters go to Sid's café and have a fry up. I am such a foodie. I love the idea of a fry up and I have done my own over here on occasion. Fry ups have eggs, bacon, sausage, perhaps baked beans, and tomatoes. Not very good for you if consumed often but they appear to be consumed quite often in Only Fools and Horses. I love seeing food in TV series and I enjoyed this scene. I also enjoyed this because Del confines to Rodney that he is thinking about getting a vasectomy. He ends with telling Rodney not to tell anyone. As they leave, Rodney goes straight up to Sid to tell him Del is getting a vasectomy and as soon as he leaves Sid announces it to the whole diner.
Something John Sullivan had always done well was to create a simple and effective way to combine comedy and drama. As the episode starts with the pure excitement of the next chapter of Rodney and Cassandra's life, Rodney gets a call at Del's house and finds out that Cassandra had a miss-carriage. They lost their baby. Rodney and Del race down to the hospital. Once they are there, the nursing staff mistakes Del as the father and gets him into the scrubs and keeps addressing him while Rodney is trailing behind. It is a simple comic expression which immediately lightens the mood. Once that is all sorted out, Rodney stops Del and tells him in all honesty that he can't handle seeing Cassandra like this. He doesn't know what to say or do to console her. Del tells him to be the strongest person he can be because she needs him. Do not shed a tear. They walk into Cassandra's hospital room and before anyone can say anything, Del uncontrollably bursts into tears. He can't stop! It's sweet and once again really breaks down the tension.
The final act of breaking down tension occurs when Del takes care of one of the people waiting in the reception area of the hospital. Before Del and Rodney arrive, there is a belligerent drunk who demands he gets seen before anyone else and is being rude to the nurses. As he is still drunkenly yelling insults, Del come out still in his scrubs and punches him out and walks away. This guys was punched into sobriety and instantly behaves thinking that was a doctor.
It has been a while since I have seen these characters in action. I had forgotten how Del spoke. Using slang, he would call things differently than they really were. Such as calling peanuts "Dry Roasted" or a coronary a Connery. I somehow forgot that Trigger would always call Rodney "Dave". There is no reason for it. When everyone proposes a toast to Cassandra and Rodney at the Nag's Head, when they say Rodney's name you can hear Trigger in the background say Dave! I also forgot how Rodney thought Damien (Del's son) really was Damien from The Omen. Damien had no special powers but every time he would appear, Rodney's eyes would get big and he would hear the theme from The Omen. I always laughed at it.
This episode, as I am sure others, always is fun to watch in a historical sense. The UK has changed a lot since 1996. There are references made electric cars and solar windows in this episode. It sort of reminds me that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Electric cars or Hybrids are a lot more accessible now but certainly still a ways away from being mainstream. Speaking of the more things change……
This past Christmas, a brand new episode of Open All Hours aired and was called Still Open All Hours starring David Jason. The last episode aired was in 1985. I will watch it but have yet to do so. I am in no hurry. There is also talk of an all new episode of Only Fools and Horses. Even though John Sullivan passed away, his sons were looking to make a new episode. We then found out that wasn't quite true and that the new episode may only have been a skit for Sports Relief because it could give high visibility to the charity. John Sullivan's sons were adamant that they would not dare resurrect the series. That being said, it looks like it may have been produced with David Beckham appearing in it.
As for myself, luck hit me twice. I never had to pay for the PAL VHS releases of the series and I was very fortunate to not have to pay for the DVDs either. A friend of mine (Mike) had a second set of the entire DVD set which is twenty-some discs. He sent it to me which was really cool. It sort of like history repeating itself.
Sadly, after I watched the episode, we were hit with the sad news of the death of Roger Lloyd-Pack. He played Trigger pitch-perfect. Everything I have seen him in was truly memorable. Roger was only 69. He was way too young to go and he will be missed. I am sorry to say this but I hope never to see anything new of Only Fools and Horses because everything that makes it unique is now gone from it. I want to remember it for the truly funny and sweet series that it was…..from 1981 to 1996.
Next week: I will be publishing the final regular 50WHO article which is happening a month later than I planned but I really think it was worth the wait. I have spent the last year writing one article on each of the Doctors and a story of theirs that meant a lot to me for my own personal reasons. Next week I will publish an article on how I worked with Ian Levine to animate the incomplete Tom Baker story and how we had plans to go beyond it into The Reign of Terror and other stories. Next week, I publish an article titled, Animating Shada.
Do you have feedback, article requests or want to talk about a program but do not want to leave a public comment? Feel free to drop me an e-mail at FTA13867@gmail.com
I am on Twitter: @FromtheArchive
Also please subscribe to my From the Archive: British Television Blog Facebook Page for updates about new articles.
Labels: British Comedy, British Television, Buster Merryfield, Comedy, David Jason, DVD, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Only Fools and Horses
Animation Domination: The Moonbase Animated Episodes Review
Although The Moonbase is 47 years old, I appreciate not everyone has seen it and is waiting for the DVD to come out. Please note that this article reveals some plot points and spoilers that may ruin the enjoyment of the episode/story. If you do not want to be spoiled please do not read further or read at your own risk.
I have been watching an evolution of an animation studio over the last year. It seems like it should be longer but it has just been about a year since The Reign of Terror had been released. When The Reign of Terror was released by Thetamation, which then became Planet 55, I thought the animation overall was inconsistent. There were a lot of good things going on with it but so many of the production decisions made left me baffled, I was quite disappointed by the effort. As we begin 2014 with the buzz of missing episodes possibly being found hanging over everything, I watched something really remarkable.
The Moonbase is the second time we have seen the Cybermen in the series and the first occurrence where they meet Patrick Troughton's incarnation of the Doctor. Troughton would meet the Cybermen a total of 4 times during his era. I have always thought this story was cool but now I feel that I see this story differently. Perhaps now, this sort of reaction is becoming a bit clichéd. I mean, it is becoming clear that episodes make a lot more sense when we are able to see a fluid visual presentation. Take The Enemy of the World for example. Many of us thought it was an oddball story in a season of monsters. Now that this gem had been found in its entirety, a lot of us feel quite differently about it. For me, it has become an instant favorite. It's the same with The Web of Fear. I always knew it was a classic but there is so much more to be taken from the story once you are able to see the visuals the way they were meant to be seen.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, The Moonbase takes place on the moon. The Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie land on the moon trying to get to Mars. After romping around on the surface of the moon, Jamie makes one large jump for man a little too far and ends up knocking himself out. He lands near the entrance of the Moonbase and is taken inside. The Doctor and his other companions go to the Moonbase to collect the fallen Jamie.
Once inside they realize they are at a weather control station set on the moon which I think is a pretty cool concept. Jamie is in the sick bay but we find out that there is something really odd going on at the base. There are strange drops in the air pressure that is unexplained, there is evidence to suggest that communication with the Moonbase personnel and the Earth are being monitored, and finally there is a strange virus that is taking crew members down. Dr. Evans is one of the first to go. The base no longer has a doctor until the Doctor arrives. It is clear from the start that the Doctor is convinced that this virus has more to it.
Soon, whatever attack is happening has been escalated. It is now turned into crew members disappearing. This includes people who have been taken ill or even have died. Jamie, who is still delirious from his fall, is terrified of the Phantom Piper to take him away. It's worse than the Phantom Piper. It's a Cyberman.
Obviously, the story here is that the two missing episodes of The Moonbase have been animated by Planet 55. They animated the two missing episodes to The Reign of Terror and Episode 4 of The Tenth Planet. There is a progression of skill that is very obvious from these three animations. I feel The Moonbase is really a triumph of quality that is almost perfect. My biggest gripe of the animations have been a lack of cohesiveness through the episode. It's still a slight issue here but greatly reduced. The main problem that I see is when there is any sort of moving character action that is created by rotoscoping from real footage, the detail of character is severely lacking. The good news is that these two episodes don't have a ton of action to them so this isn't as big of a problem as it could have been. The detail is in the character designs and backgrounds otherwise are excellent.
Another area that frustrated me with Planet 55's animation in the past has been how inconsistent Hartnell looked from shot to shot. It was a pretty annoying to me. I am pleased to say this is absolutely not a problem with Troughton. I think Troughton is realized better here than he has been in any of the other animated episodes he appears in from the DVD range. He looks like Patrick Troughton which is always a plus. He looks great. That was one thing that really was obvious from the start of the episode. The others Ben, Polly and Jamie look good too. I think Ben is the poorest of the three but that really is a poor choice of words on my part. They are all pretty close with Polly looking really spot on. The characters in the story such as Hobson, Benoit, Nils and the others are pretty good too. Once in a while there are shots where Hobson that may look a little off but generally they look really good.
The animated Cybermen are absolutely excellent in this. That is what truly sticks out for me. This is one of my favourite designs for the Cybermen and they are refined enough in this animation that make them stand out. Don't get me wrong, when I say refined, I don't mean anyone changed anything from how they look from the episodes, the designs are just cleaned up a bit. They look solid. I guess what I like is how they have almost a chrome finish to them in the animation. They are metallic and menacing. In The Tenth Planet, it was harder to get them to look as good in animation because of the cloth faces, etc but with them being solid, the design is a triumph. Easily a highlight of these episodes for me.
The other highlight for me is realizing that this story is more than the "base under siege" story that we have been told this was for years. There is actually a horror element attached to this story that I didn't either pick up on or respect before now. There are some tense and creepy moments. We are treated to fleeting shadows of Cybermen when we least expect it. Scenes in the other areas of the base where the food supply is located is suitably creepy. The animation sets the tone for this well. There are other scenes in Episode 1 that has almost an atmosphere of terror. Moments set in the sick bay where Polly's nerves are frazzled by seeing shadows or when the lights darken to simulate "night". The soundtrack also adds to this as the sound is just of the moonbase background sounds which somehow add to the tension.
While watching the episodes, I was mistaken about a couple of things. I thought Planet 55 took liberties with the animation that didn't appear on screen in the real episode but found out I was wrong. In Episode 3 when Ben, Polly, and Jamie use the "Pollycocktail" on the Cybermen, they start spewing foam from their chest units. I thought this was wrong but I double checked the telesnaps. It's how it happens in the episodes. There is a shot of battered Cybermen in the Weather Control room which is accurate too. It's funny how these telesnaps have been around for a long time and I have never noticed this. Now, in the animated Episode 3 foam comes out of the Cybermen mouths after getting the "Pollycocktail" too but I am not convinced that is accurate. Maybe one day we will know for sure.
Finally, the sets and the backgrounds are superb. They have been superb for all of the productions. I think the characters and the backgrounds combine well together. Planet 55's animation makes a lot of these 60s props and costumes look cool. For example, the scene with the Doctor and companions on the moon in their space suits are great where they look kind of hokey in the actual episodes. The space suits are very cool in a 60s retro kind of way.
I think this is the best animated presentation of missing episodes so far but what is the future of such animation? A couple of interesting things are going on right now. On the DVD for The Moonbase, there was the Coming Soon trailer for The Underwater Menace which was supposed to include more animation from Planet 55, this is said to be cancelled now. There is also the large omni-rumour regarding missing episodes that have been around for a while. Pretty much every episode has been named as being found in one of the various scenarios of this rumour. Has the animation for The Underwater Menace been cancelled because episodes have been found or are they just putting it on hold waiting to see what Philip Morris has recovered in his large find of film prints? This animation for The Moonbase has been in the works before the rumours of missing episodes started to take traction. Is it possible that one day we will be able to watch the recovered episodes of The Moonbase and compare it to the animation to see how close it looks to the real thing? Speaking of comparisons, here are comparisons between the animation and telesnaps.
Here are some other screen grabs from the episodes:
Speaking of animation, in a couple of weeks I will be publishing an article that details my involvement with Ian Levine's Shada and some other cool animation projects.
Next week: I have pushed back my article for Only Fools and Horses so I could publish this one as soon as I could. Next week I look at the Only Fools and Horses episode Modern Men.
Labels: Animation, BBC, BBC Video, British Science Fiction, British Television, Cybermen, Doctor Who, DVD, DVD review, Patrick Troughton, Planet 55
DVD Review: Midsomer Murders - The Early Cases Boxset
Midsomer Murders: The Early Cases Collection DVD 10-Discs (31 hours)
Released by Acorn Media on January 7, 2014. SRP $119.99 (DVD)
Subtitles: English SDH 4:3 & 16:9
I am a huge fan of British television, obviously, but I am also a big advocate to set people straight on what British television is about. I think a lot of people in the US don't realize or forget that British television is made up of more "real-life" television like Special Branch, Z Cars, or Dixon of Dock Green. Not every British television series about a class struggle set in the 1920s or a man who travels through time and space in a Police Box. It is important to know that good British television is made that is not fantastical. Now that I got that rant out of the way, let's talk about fantastical British television.
Of course murder is not a fantastical topic. No matter how it is dealt; it is serious and devastating but I have been watching for the past 2 years a series that delights as well as horrifies me. It is Midsomer Murders. Detective series have been around for a long time. We, as a society, are interested in how law-abiding people catch villains. Sometimes it takes place in gritty locations which makes the setting real and unpleasant. Very often in the villages of Midsomer the murders are unreal which is ultimately the charm of this series.
This review looks at a DVD boxset released by Acorn Media looking at the first 4 series of Midsomer Murders. It is a series I had seen advertised on A&E long ago prior to the channel's Duck Dynasty days but never tuned in. This is the perfect time to start watching and collecting this series with this wonderful boxset of the first 4 series. When I started to review DVDs, I knew this one would be a series I would like watch sooner than later. I instinctively knew it. I am a true testament to the fact that even though we are 16 series into it, one can start anywhere when watching Midsomer Murders. I started with the Series 10 episode Dance with the Dead. By this point Tom Barnaby was paired with Ben Jones. I think it's simplicity with its main characters is what makes it easy to get into. There are continuing developments in the lives of these characters but they are not overly intrusive. In this boxset I am reviewing, a couple of episodes focus on Tom and his wife Joyce looking to get a new house. It's not Downton Abbey and that's why I like it. It's simple. The complexity lies with the murders.
Of course there are murders which is why this is called Midsomer Murders. Murders are a nasty business which often revolves around greed. Midsomer Murders is deceptively simple because the murders take place in an amazing contrast of some of the most English and wonderful locations in any TV series. It's all well and good to go on about how US viewers of British television should remember there are more grounded British series that should be remembered but when I look at Midsomer Murders, there is a certain amount of eye candy involved. No, I do not mean Daniel Casey or Laura Howard. We are talking about big manor houses, long never-ending fields of luscious crops or even quaint village churches that you would only find in The Vicar of Dibley. It is beautiful to watch and as much as I know that there are countless locations like this in the UK, I am still amazed that I keep seeing new unique places for these murders to take place.
Just as unique as the locations is the kind of people who are murdered and who are the murderers. If there are seedy people in an episode of Midsomer Murders, chances are they are not the murderers. It is often white collared people or people of wealth and entitlement. They are imaginative and twisted. They kill people in the most horrific way. As the series went on, it wisely increased the number of murders and murderers to bring a new dimension to the episodes.
Another aspect to this series which I love is the melding of certain interests that I hold. Episodes such as Beyond the Grave uses the influence of people's fear of the paranormal or The Electric Vendetta where it is believed deaths are caused through extra-terrestrial means. Just as enjoyable as that is, sometime the purely British traditions are the focus of murders such as Destroying Angel where there is a focus on Punch and Judy shows or Dead Man's Eleven that has the game of cricket central to the plot.
It is wonderful to go back to the beginning of this series. I did a full review of the first series set last year that can be found here. As mentioned earlier, watching Series 10 and going back to Series 1, there are only a few noticeable changes such as Barnaby's original partner Det Sgt Troy. Barnaby's wife Joyce and his daughter Cully are basically the same as they were when I was watching Series 10, just younger. Even Dr. Bullard is there though occasionally replaced by Dr. Petersen played by Toby Jones. Though I can't quite put my finger on it, I feel that the series doesn't hit it's completely recognizable stride until Series 3. I am not saying that is good or bad. The series is consistently strong throughout all series but for me, when Series 3 started, it all completely clicked for me.
Although all the episodes held my attention and I really loved watching them, some really stood out for me. I loved episodes like Death's Shadow as it takes very separate plots and somehow ties it together with the church being central to it. I loved the tradition and deceit in Dead Man's Eleven. Blue Herrings is one of my favorite episodes. I have never seen a murder mystery take place in an old age home which of course looks like a manor house. What I really enjoyed was the way the episode was lit. Much of it takes place in dark places in the house and everything is only lit through natural light. It is so good.
A look at the future?
Of course one that everyone loves is Judgement Day. When we watch these episodes and are trying to figure out the murderer, it is sometimes that the obvious that trips us up. Episodes like Garden of Death shows us once again the beauty of the British gardens and what someone will do to protect those places and keep the truth away from other people. It is the way the plots deceive us is what keeps me tuning in. There were a few times I guess who the murderer was but what about the other times when there were more than one murderer?
The lead character Tom Barnaby is a fair man. He is a good cop and he is extremely perceptive. He will look at a situation and file items he saw in the back of his mind to use later when he has a better understanding of the situation. With his long suffering wife Joyce, he is active in the community. As good of a husband and father he is, he is on call 24 hours a day. Even when he is off duty to get his new house ready in Blue Herrings, he still involves himself in a case because people are in danger. Sgt Troy is an officer who wants to do well in his job but he is still learning. He has a lot to learn. Troy is also a horrible driver which we see all throughout these episodes. As time goes on, Barnaby has a closer relationship with Troy but it starts off with Barnaby giving Troy a lot of ribbing and sarcastic responses. This never really goes away but over time they seem to spend more time together actually building a strong friendship.
Being a fan of British television, I am always happy to see actors I have seen in other series or films. Some of my favorite guest star roles in this set include: Robert Hardy, Richard Briers, Prunella Scales, James Bolam, Samantha Bond, Phyllis Logan, Terence Rigby, Kevin McNally, John Duttine, Honeysuckle Weeks, and Orlando Bloom. It even has Neil Dudgeon in Garden of Death. He returns later to take over the series from John Nettles, of course as a different character than here. There are also great writers attached to this series such as Anthony Horowitz who wrote for Poirot and created the wonderful Foyle's War, Peter J Hammond (PJ Hammond) responsible for Sapphire and Steel, and even the creator of the Midsomer Murders novels Caroline Graham write an episode from Series 1.
The set itself is a repackage of the recently released series DVD sets from Acorn Media. It takes the outer box packaging from the earlier cases set but the individual DVDs are housed in the new series covers. This set is 10 discs which is reduction from the original release of this box set which was 19. I am not sure how that worked unless there was one episode from Series 5 on the original set. There are a total of 18 episodes in this set.
The quality of this set is fine. It reflects the age of the series. I know it sounds absurd to say that since the series started in 1997, the quality can still be seen. Telecine technology has come quite away even in this short amount of time. These episodes have the A&E logo at the end of them. These episodes exist in SD. Maybe someday the film can be retransferred to HD and we could get Blu Ray editions. I would love to see some of these locations in HD. The series starts off in 4:3 aspect ratio but move to 16:9 in Series 4.
Making of Feature: This is only 8 minutes long but it is very good. It is a standard making of feature but the real stand out for me is the interview with John Nettles. I have been blabbing on for a while in this review and not be able to quite explain why this series is so unique but Nettles sums it up perfectly. He calls it a comedy drama which I didn't really think about until he said that. Plus the two words I keep missing out which he say right away: gothic and eccentric. That is perfect. He also says that he doesn't believe Tom Barnaby is particularly bright but I do disagree with that. Otherwise Nettles and I are on the same page!
Midsomer Map: On the DVDs there are maps of the villages of Midsomer which are kind of fun to look at and see where everything is located.
John Nettles on Midsomer Murders Essay: Perhaps one of the hidden treasures which I almost accidentally threw away is a little leaflet that is a short word from Midsomer Murders Star John Nettles. His honest and straightforward way of describing the series is fun. He has an obvious humility to him which is refreshing. I really think he is a terrific actor and a wonderful ambassador for the series. Well worth a read.
Disc breakdown:
Disc 1: The Killing's at Badger's Drift, Written in Blood
Disc 2: Death of a Hollow Man, Faithful Unto Death
Disc 3: Death in Disguise
Disc 4: Death's Shadow, Strangler's Wood
Disc 5: Dead Man's Eleven, Blood Will Out
Disc 6: Death of a Stranger, Blue Herrings
Disc 7: Judgement Day, Beyond the Grave
Disc 8: Garden of Death, Destroying Angel
Disc 9: The Electric Vendetta, Who Killed Cock Robin?
Disc 10: Dark Autumn
I seem to say this with every review I write for Midsomer Murders but I love this series. Having all of these episodes together in one compact box is great. I love watching these episodes over and over again. There are too many to always remember the murderer but I also love watching them to take in the wonderful locations. I can hardly wait for Series 5 onwards! Well worth the investment!
Next week: I visit some old friends I haven't seen in a long time. I watch an episode of the "final" trilogy of Only Fools and Horses called Modern Men. It has been so long since I have sat down to watch and episode of this series it really was like seeing old friends again. It was a joyous experience.
Labels: Acorn Media, British Mystery, British Television, DVD, DVD review, ITV, Midsomer Murders
Death By Mis-Adventure on Dixon of Dock Green
There are certain series I look back on and think of them in a certain way. They hold a perception that may not really be there. Maybe it's right or wrong but if I look back and remember a series like Diagnosis Murder, I think of it as a standard Sunday night murder drama that has a wacky doctor who roller skates through the halls of a hospital. Maybe it started out this way but by the time it ended, it was actually a some-what dark series. At least it tried to be; whether or not it succeeded is up for debate. Anyway, by the time it ended, Dr. Sloan's (Dick Van Dyke) daughter had been murdered, the hospital blew up because of a terrorist and there was a horrible plane crash perhaps caused by terrorists too.
What does any of this have to do with Dixon of Dock Green? Possibly more than you think. Dixon of Dock Green suffered from the same identity crisis as Diagnosis Murder. Dixon of Dock Green started out life in 1955 as a live program where we followed along with the life of George Dixon. He would unofficially become the face of the Metropolitan Police in terms of how the public saw the "Bobby". He was polite and courteous but wouldn't let the ruffians get away with anything.
Every episode started with Dixon foreshadowing of what we would see in the following episode and then re-join us at the end and tell us, essentially, what everyone learned from it. It was a comfortable series. It wasn't fast pace. That could be down to the fact the series was live in the 1950s but also Ted Willis, the creator of the series, created a procedural police series. We first see George Dixon in the 1950 film, The Blue Lamp, played by Jack Warner just as he would play the character in the series. Shockingly, Dixon is killed in the film. His murder is central to the plot. Five years later, Dixon is brought back to life in his own series.
The series ended up getting a reputation of being comfortable and perhaps even simple with old time values and views. It may even be perceived as naïve. I don't think it is. I have called it comfortable and admire the time it was made in and how it portrayed some of the values. I am not sure when it changed, but the way the series was seen by the general public was going to change.
By no means have I seen all of the episodes of Dixon of Dock Green. Most people haven't. Out of the 432 episodes made between 1955 and 1976, only 32 still exist. You don't need to be Adric to do the math. There are 400 episodes of Dixon of Dock Green missing. Doctor Who fans are upset that 97 episodes are missing of their series. The thing about Dixon of Dock Green episodes being gone is that it appears the series does a decent job of reflecting the style of how television was made and how the general public lived. Even though I just made this statement, I am not 100% sure I believe it.
To finally get to the point I made earlier, everyone thinks of Dixon of Dock Green a certain way but in the 1970s this changed. Joe Waters became Producer of this series. He seemed to want to change the direction of the series. The series started out in 1955 with 30 minutes episode and moved to 45 minute episodes in 1961 (Series 8). The theme music changed in 1966 when the series introduced a theme by Jeff Darnell called later titled "The Ordinary Copper". At least with the 1970s series onwards, the theme kind of took on a bizarre 1970s tone. Previously the theme had a sort of a light entertainment approach to it. That's at least what I can find from piecing info together from what I have handy. In the audio extract from the 1966 episode Nothing to Say, the music is very "dance hall". I find the theme music very interesting as when I hear it, it sounds to me exactly the same as another song also released in 1966 called "Somethin' Stupid" written by C. Carson Parks. It was covered by Frank Sinatra and Andy Williams amongst others. Seriously, does anyone else notice this?
Whether or not the series became grittier is an educated guess on my part. Joe Waters became a Programme Coordinator in 1969 but soon became Producer. From what have read online is that he was always disappointed that people thought of Dixon of Dock Green as the program from the 1950s instead of the work he had done and what the program became under his watch. Joe Waters passed away recently and I wanted to pick something that showed his skill as a Producer and Director. In the episode I looked at, he did both.
Waste Land 14/11/70
This episode begins in a very a very abstract way. The camera is moving around outside at a location that looks like abandoned factories. It's pretty bleak. I doubt that area is there anymore. I am sure that the area has been completely redeveloped. A woman is telling someone about a dream a man she knows often has.
We find out that there is a police officer missing. The woman who is speaking about the dream is his wife and it is his dream. He has been missing since the previous day. He is a mystery to us, the viewer, but he is also a mystery to the police in some way. His surname is Norman and he had joined the Metropolitan Police about 10 weeks previous. He had been in the Police force by not in London.
As the episode unfolds more, we find out a little bit more about Norman. He was attacked in 1965 while on duty by a gang of people who jumped him and hit him over the head with a metal bar. By his wife's own admission, he had never been the same since. From that point on, his life changed. He believed he could find the people who did this to him. It took a lot out of him and his wife believes this is why he transferred to the Metropolitan police.
The investigation on the detective side is handed by Det. Sgt. Andy Crawford. Crawford has been in the series since the first episode in 1955 titled PC Crawford's First Pinch. Crawford is actually Dixon's Son-in-Law. His boss is Chief Inspector Presscott played by one of my favourite actors James Grout. He plays it with a suitable amount of "common sense". Along with Crawford is Det. Con. Lauderdale. They start going around the area having conversations with the locals. One woman who is questioned has a son who spots and keeps notes on all police car numbers. It seems very much like a hobby I would have had when I was younger. Anyway, this woman is non-other than Anna Karen who played the awesome Olive in On the Buses. Seeing her in this brings up an interesting point.
There is something to be said about actors in the UK who were in big name series but ended up in smaller roles either during or just after their big programs ended. It seemed like there was no ego. It was actors staying employed. I think nowadays, at least in the US TV, the networks would probably milk it for as much publicity as possible. On the Buses was not only still going when this episode of Dixon of Dock Green was made but was hugely popular. She is great in this. It was a nice surprise to see her.
Lauderdale ends up finding a woman who may know something. In fact, Ruth Perry not only knew something but she was with Norman the night before. She would see him on a regular basis. Immediately the other officer's attitudes change as it appears that Norman has been cheating on his wife. It makes it even more delicate as the entire time the investigation has been going on, Mrs. Norman has been with them, mainly with Dixon.
Ruth maintains that Norman would see her only to talk to her. She says Norman's wife was not interested in what was going on in his life and he wanted to talk with someone about it. It soon becomes academic because the trail of what happened to Norman leads to a waterworks with waterfalls. As the officers continue to look, they get a call on the radio saying they found a body downstream in the water and confirmed it was Norman. Unfortunately, this call came through the radio as Mrs. Norman was sitting in the back of one of the police cars with Dixon. I guess she found out the hard way.
It is questionable what was going on with Norman that night. What was his true relationship with Ruth Perry and was it suicide? Norman was a very complicated person that really began when he was attacked. Chief Sup Bannister decides that the official record should say it was an accident. He tripped and fell in while in the line of duty. The Coroner labels it "death by misadventure."
It's a lie but it would appear that this serves a dual purpose. One it saves Mrs. Norman from knowing her husband was up to questionable activities. Two it also makes the Metropolitan police comes out looking good for the same reasons. Whether it was right or wrong, that was the decision. In the epilogue, Dixon personally believed Norman died five years ago when he was attacked. A very grim way to look at it.
As for Dixon himself, he is not very young anymore. He spends the entire episode watching over Mrs. Norman and asking her if she wants to go home while other people actual do something. It's not so much a criticism but it is a direct link to the age of this character. This episode was the season premiere for Series 17. Jack Warner was born in 1895 and was 75 by the time this episode was made. He actually looked pretty good. My great-grandmother was born in 1891 and lived to be 102. Knowing her, it's odd to think she was born before and lived longer than Jack Warner. Just a moment of morbidity.
The episode itself has a pretty uneventful perhaps even disappointing ending. Not disappointing for me but for all the people who were looking for Norman. There is hope for a happy ending of sorts but it never happens and perhaps it felt like there wasn't going to be a happy ending from the start. It was bleak throughout the entire episode.
The direction is good on this, especially in the beginning. As I have not seen any of the 1960s episodes leading up to this, I can't help but feel this had to be a shock of sorts for the viewers. Something tells me the series never portrayed itself like this but I can't be sure. There is a real gritty quality to the locations in this episode. Being shot entirely on film help sells this feel. The lighting is minimal and everything is real. There is nothing glamorous about the setting or locations in this episode. I watched this from the Acorn R2 DVD set and I am sure the others episodes follow the same look but I haven't seen them all yet. I have watched the episode Domino from the final series and it seems to follow suit in this regard yet that is a standard mix of video interiors and film exteriors setting.
Speaking of gritty, the film print quality of the episode is pretty awful. It looks like it was telecined through dirt. According to the Kaleidoscope book of excellence, this episode exists as a 16mm print. Disgustingly, all the other episodes from Series 17 were made on the standard 2" video masters and they are all missing. So, thankfully it exists at all. I am not sure how Acorn received the episode to put onto this release but my guess it was provided on tape and not film. If it was on film, I don't know if they would have done anything to clean it up since they are not known to put any money into that sort of thing. If this was a Network release, that would be a different story. Don't get me wrong, I am glad we have this release but if you look at a "popular" title made at the same time such as Spearhead from Space, made during the same period and made the same way, you get an idea of what this could have looked like.
Joe Waters produced 86 episodes of Dixon of Dock Green. What I have seen from his era has been good but will this series ever lose the stigma of what people remember from the 1950s? Even if a ton of episodes are found from Philip Morris with his searches from around the world, would that go a long way to change people's perception of the series? Probably not, it is my belief that most of the people who remember this series who are not ardent British television archive fans want to remember this series in its former 1950s glory with a black & white George Dixon saying to us from the TV "Good evening all!"
Next week: Acorn Media is releasing a box set of the early episodes of Midsomer Murders. I love this series! I am going to review the new box set which looks at series 1-4.
Labels: Acorn Media, BBC, British Drama, British Police, Dixon of Dock Green, DVD, Jack Warner, Police
DVD Review: Injustice
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These are Mulberry Days! The Mulberry Marathon
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A Comedy Classic Begins: The First Two Episodes of Steptoe and Son
Why British television?
My name is Greg Bakun. For years I have been an avid collector of British television. I have set up this blog to randomly choose a program from my collection, watch it and write about it. My interest in British television started with programs like All Creatures Great & Small, Fawlty Towers, Are You Being Served?, and Doctor Who. Then, my interest in the programs continued to grow. With so many programs in my collection (with more being added all the time) it is harder and harder to choose something to watch while still having time to watch my favourites. So, I decided to randomly pick a program every week and write about it. I always welcome discussions on the articles I write. You can either leave a comment or e-mail me at FTA13867@gmail.com
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Art is Awesome! As Always!
This week the third graders were discussing the element of line. The children were able to recall many of the lines they had learned about in the previous year when studying the artwork of Van Gogh. They were then introduced to the names and images of new lines and discussed how artists use line in their artwork. The students are using Geoff Slater's line paintings as their inspiration to create their own artwork. They were asked to create a Christmas scene and use lines as their medium for adding color.
The fourth graders completed a cross curricular project based on their lessons in science. In art, the students were taught how to create a solar system mobile. They were given a template to follow for size but were asked to mix pastels to create the unique colors of the planets.
The fifth graders have been learning about and analyzing the work of Leonardo Da Vinci with a focus on The Mona Lisa. They were introduced to the painting and asked to think about how the image would be different if it was created today. Where would she be? How would she look?
The sixth graders were looking at the works of Romero Britto. They were asked to create a 3D sculpture made out of clay inspired by the bright abstract paintings of Britto.