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HG and Robotech Debates


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Wait a minute, I thought we were all here to antagonize Doug Bendo into making those hilarious youtube video's. I'm so confused!

You're gonna sit up here and talk about Genesis Chamber Morserpedia, bring it into play, you know?

Edited by Legioss
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By using their own logic, by the truckload

Back in the development of Shadow Chronicles, it was announced as a series in 2004. Then, it was a movie in 2005. The reason? QUALITY. They were going to pack an entire series worth of quality animation and storytelling into one movie. Then it got delayed to 2006. The reason? To make it a better movie, of course! THEN it got delayed until 2007, the reason being that no distributor could recognize its quality (ie, Harmony Gold wanted more money than what they were being offered).

On my old blog, I did calculation of the fans expectations of Shadow Chronicles. The movie about 1/3 of the length of what you'd get from a 13 episode series, thus you're expecting it be 3 times better. Multiply that by twice as long as it took to come out as promised, and that's a movie SIX TIMES better than the series that was expected.

And, it's happening all over again. Tommy says the "new animated project" is going to be out in 2011 (in July), then fans were told "oh, we meant the animation is going to be finished by 2011," buying them another six months, THEN, we're told early 2012, buying them at least until March (depending on your definition of early), buying another three months. The reason? QUALITY. I'm serious. They said it was so that they could "make it better" Of course, you're going to want to wait for a big announcement at Comic-Con / Anime Expo, so it'll be held back another few months.

They do this song and dance, 90% of the customers end up being someone who watched Robotech as a kid, saw it at Best Buy, and have never been on Robotech.com or at attended a con panel. Then they tout how big the franchise is (while pointing out only three people work on it at HG). If it's so big, then why aren't they pumping out series after series after series? The official RT.com explanation is that they need a network to pick it up, which you don't. Clone Wars was all self-produced, then sold to a network, as was Wolverine and the X-Men (coincidentally produced by Jason Netter, who produced RSC). For a franchise SO big, of such high QUALITY, it really makes you wonder...

Weren't you the "un-official" Robotech reporter? HG must've done some foul crap to you.

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I've probably said this before, but I just don't get it. I honestly wonder who would pay attention to these guys if the talk about them stopped here? They produce fanfiction level of work on a limited budget. Their audience is small. I'm not sure what the point of the discussion is.

I call it rubber-necking mentality. People can't help but watch the carnage. :rolleyes:

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Weren't you the "un-official" Robotech reporter? HG must've done some foul crap to you.

Yeah, it's a long story that's been beaten to death, but the short version of it was:

1) I make a Shadow Chronicles fansite

2) Harmony Gold uses it as their sole marketing tool on the net

3) They start directing me on how to say things when I call out the BS, make vague threats to me

4) I make a blog full of cynicism, but with the only real breaking news leaving fans to say "why did we have to find out from him instead of HG??"

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Weren't you the "un-official" Robotech reporter? HG must've done some foul crap to you.

To be cynical or upset at HG, they didn't have to do bad stuff to the person, only to the series (Robotech and Macross) people like. Darkwater was cynical about them before the "Un-official Robotech Reporter" was out. Hell, we all were cynical before that, and it seemed like Shadow Chronicles was the validation that all the stuff we criticized about the current state of the franchise, and the abilities of the current staff were pretty true. That's when the mass exodus began.

Yeah, it's a long story that's been beaten to death, but the short version of it was:

1) I make a Shadow Chronicles fansite

2) Harmony Gold uses it as their sole marketing tool on the net

3) They start directing me on how to say things when I call out the BS, make vague threats to me

4) I make a blog full of cynicism, but with the only real breaking news leaving fans to say "why did we have to find out from him instead of HG??"

Awww, the good ol' days ;)

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It absolutely boggles my mind that Robotech is still around, haha! Are there actually enough of these people to keep HG alive?

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It absolutely boggles my mind that Robotech is still around, haha! Are there actually enough of these people to keep HG alive?

All I'm sayin' is "New Thundercats." Well thought out new series, actual effort & professionalism put into making it. Internet campaign to advertise it. Why HG seems to fight this model is anyone's guess.

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It absolutely boggles my mind that Robotech is still around, haha! Are there actually enough of these people to keep HG alive?

I guess if you keep loading the fishing hooks with any old worms there's always gonna be a bite or two.

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All I'm sayin' is "New Thundercats." Well thought out new series, actual effort & professionalism put into making it. Internet campaign to advertise it. Why HG seems to fight this model is anyone's guess.

I've pondered the same question several times, and with several people. The consensus from us, is that HG is banking on the fact that WB will enjoy enough success with the franchise and merchandise to warrant purchasing the franchise outright from them. If that is the idea, then HG wouldn't want to spend too much money on new series and the like. However, the franchise needs to look like there are fans, and that the series is viable in today's market. To that effect, HG is eeking out some merhandise in China, attempting to put out more rpgs, and working on this side story. I wouldn't call the documentary a big project, as documentaries by and large, cost little to make. The interviews are being done in a HG office, and they have easy access to all the people they need to do it. I'm familiar with the person(s) involved in putting it together, so I think it will be done well.

I think this is very plausible, and aside from Tommy, Steve, and Kevin's soft, inflated ego, this may also be why they are trying so hard to do some damage control. I'm sure if WB was interested, they'd be looking at the broad picture of taking this franchise over. Seeing too many negative comments, and an overall bad vibe, is not what HG wants WB to have.

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McKeever recently posted this on his blog:

“There’s little point in writing if you can’t annoy somebody.”

I think he realized Theodore Roosevelt quote was too good for him.

Or that just in case you didn't know that he gets paid to be a troll, now it's clear.

Seriously, the rubber-necking analogy was right on the money. The unprofessionalism is astounding.

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Or that just in case you didn't know that he gets paid to be a troll, now it's clear.

Seriously, the rubber-necking analogy was right on the money. The unprofessionalism is astounding.

Kevin's main problem is that he's probably never been seriously confronted, on a face to face level. He's always been behind a pc, or mic, etc. He tries to play swift and clever. However if anyone got into an actual person who would talk to him sternly, with direct language, he'd fold up.

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Or that just in case you didn't know that he gets paid to be a troll, now it's clear.

Seriously, the rubber-necking analogy was right on the money. The unprofessionalism is astounding.

I think it's kinda awesome be built his whole "Banky" persona to settle some personal grudge with you. I would've believed that the drama involved in the anime industry and fandom would've been his new thing. Dare I say, he makes Stu Levy look... good.

Wait, I take that back.

Edited by chrisk
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McKeever recently posted this on his blog:

“There’s little point in writing if you can’t annoy somebody.”

I think he realized Theodore Roosevelt quote was too good for him.

Judging by this quote of his, he should stop writing then??? I wonder why he has this fixation with the idea that this whole thread is about him? It's funny to point out that he'd go on a blog, log in, and post that up. Usually it's a tell-tale sign that it bothered him enough to make that a point.

In other news, I just saved a lot on my car insurance. ;)

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Judging by this quote of his, he should stop writing then??? I wonder why he has this fixation with the idea that this whole thread is about him? It's funny to point out that he'd go on a blog, log in, and post that up. Usually it's a tell-tale sign that it bothered him enough to make that a point.

In other news, I just saved a lot on my car insurance. ;)

My last question on the issue: Who is the bigger troll? Doug Bendo or McKeever? :o

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Definitely Banky. You should've seen him on the old MW forums before he got banned for spouting out racial slurs.

I would agree with you, but have you heard a typical episode of Doug Bendo's show? :angry:

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I would agree with you, but have you heard a typical episode of Doug Bendo's show? :angry:

Yes I have, but the difference is that Banky is a HG employee and Doug Bendover is not. And so far, Doug Bendover has not gone as low as Banky in terms of insulting people.

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Yes I have, but the difference is that Banky is a HG employee and Doug Bendover is not. And so far, Doug Bendover has not gone as low as Banky in terms of insulting people.

I stand corrected. :rolleyes:

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If you're measuring by insulting people, they're probably on par with each other. Bendo does it more directly and McKeever tries to veil it under half-assed sarcasm and cynical comment. If you were to gauge them by annoyance factor, again, none of them really seem to do that well, either. Ah, but "Troll factor"...now, that we can measure.

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Kevin is the only person who thinks his whole "Banky/BankofKev" self-given nickname is cool. He loves to talk about himself and depicts himself as the guy everyone comes to with questions. He also talks to everyone as if they were 5-years old.

His explanation for why the Light Artillery Battlepod by Toynami won't be released is because they are sitting in a container in China waiting for other stuff to fill up the container so it could then be shipped. That's why fans have to wait.

This is completely ridiculous and defies all business sense and logic.

The worldwide economic downturn that Kevin claims to be an authority on, has resulted in fewer products coming from China, but that simply means fewer ships are arriving with product.

Idle ships are NOT carrying cargo. They are sitting at anchor. The ships that are arriving from China are still full of cargo, there just aren't as many of them as there used to be.

Finished product still makes it to market, a company that produces product and lets it sit is losing money every day it sits on the dock. Maybe that's how Kevin would run a company, but I know that George Sohn does not run Toynami that way. (If the product existed, George would find a way to get it over to market.)

Even if what Kevin was saying was true about the battlepods sitting in containers, there are other ways to get that product to the United States. If they can get these Chinese comic reprints over, they can certainly get the Battlepods over... unless it's not that important to them.

To me, this is Kevin McKeever's fantasy spinmeister machine at work. His obsession with Fox News and Rupert Murdoch shows that he's well versed in making stuff up. He thinks this "creative" answer will come off as smart and knowledgeable, but it just comes of as a B.S. artist. As someone who has been through a college Global Logistics program, which focused on International Shipping, I can tell you that he does not know what he's talking about.

I wonder if they will take down the "Shipping in June 2011" notice on the pre-order page for the Light Artillery Battlepod?

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Someone (or a whole company that hires someone) whose sole purpose is to concentrate on defending themselves against negative comments obviously do not have enough positive things said about them to be proud of.

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I'm still waiting for the announcement that pirates have hit the ships carrying robotech toys and are selling them on the black market. You're gonna have to wait until the insurance money comes in before they can produce a new batch.

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I'm still waiting for the announcement that pirates have hit the ships carrying robotech toys and are selling them on the black market. You're gonna have to wait until the insurance money comes in before they can produce a new batch.

:lol:

Yeah, the pirates based in Somalia and the Straights of Malacca. You know, on the most *direct* route from the PRC to North America. ;)

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These fellows are, essnentially, trolls--and this thread is feeing them. Just sayin'.

Yeah, but watching trolls getting paid to do so is both mind boggling and hilarious. Responding to things said on your own forum for PR reasons is understandable (although Kevin's bat sh!t insane rant a few months on ago Robotech.com did exactly the opposite) . Knowing that they spend time lurking forums with a handful of people posting, then respond to them is the amusing part. At least to me.

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Essentially this thread is here to keep the whole site from becoming a bashfest and it's not so much of an us vs. them (because let's face it... US rules! :lol:) Only a small percentage of people from these forums post here and most members don't really care. This thread does not represent Macrossworld members' feelings in anyway. Most of them are too busy watching new and old Macross animation, buying new innovative toys and models and listening to the endless library of music provided by original creators and their new partners.

If the "trolls" do decide to check this thread and this is where they get their kicks then they are free to do so, but if that's true then it just speaks volumes about their sick way of finding happiness. It seems to me that the majority of the people that post here were true passionate fans that they chose to drive away. Why they would actively kick out people with strong opinions and love for their franchise is evidence that they can't handle meeting the general fans' expectations. Hopefully for them, Tobey McGuire will save the day.

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These fellows are, essnentially, trolls--and this thread is feeing them. Just sayin'.

The thrill comes from the fact that paid stooges of Harmony Gold are reading this thread and reacting in rather... bizarre and unprofessional ways - either online or offline... An unfortunate side effect, as EXO pointed out, is that they believe this thread represents the entire forum, which it does not.

To me, this is Kevin McKeever's fantasy spinmeister machine at work. His obsession with Fox News and Rupert Murdoch shows that he's well versed in making stuff up. He thinks this "creative" answer will come off as smart and knowledgeable, but it just comes of as a B.S. artist. As someone who has been through a college Global Logistics program, which focused on International Shipping, I can tell you that he does not know what he's talking about.

In the end, no BS-spewing spinmeister will change that fact that "inferior" cartoon properties like Thundercats, Smurfs, Voltron, Transformers, G.I. Joe and even the original Japanese Macross are (in certain degrees) flourishing while Robotech languishes with "sidequels", oft-delayed pen & paper RPGS, toys and lame soundtracks.

Edited by chrisk
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The "squatters" will not prosper in their scheming, as long as the stigma of being anime "landgrabbers" remain until they file for bankruptcy.

Is that and assumption or fact? I ask because if so wouldn't all their licensing be up for grabs in liquidation?

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