Mr March

I appreciate more the discipline and consideration that went into the conceptual design of the VF-1 as a plausible aerodynamic craft more than speculation on it's actual real world capabilities. The VF-1 looks like it can fly, as much as any other jet fighter. It's a practical looking machine, as are most of the valkyries. It's one of the reasons I love the Macross designs. Still, I agree it would be even better if one could actually test whether or not a VF-1 could fly. Oh, to be filthy rich

Every fan of SDF Macross should see Flashback 2012. It's a great swan song for the Macross story; a wonderful high note upon which to finalize the original. I'm surprised that more of a push isn't made to merchandise SDFM, DYRL and FB2012 as one package. It'd make a ideal set.

Weird. That's a 180 from what's been reprinted all these years Seriously though, I wonder why the change. Not that 20 rounds is all that important, but it's a rather odd change. Perhaps the 200 rounds figure is not as widely known/published as we think, in which case the 180 round count is an arbitrary attempt to embellish due to a lack of knowledge about the old 200 round figure.

Happy anniversary to some of my favorite Macross. Macross Plus is largely responsible for re-introducing me to Macross, and anime as well. I must make a point to watch it again as celebration

Got hit hard. Couldn't access the site for more than a day.

Yes, I’ve noticed many of the color mistakes inside various pages of the Macross Chronicle. I’m trying my best to be on the lookout for errors, but we have to be careful what we nit pick because the Chronicle does get it right. In many cases, the Chronicle artists have access to original animation cells and materials that we fans don’t. They can therefore match colors to the animation much better than we can. In addition to the rare instances where the Chronicle artists get actual colors wrong, there are also “filling” errors and “shading” errors aplenty. For example, the colorists accidentally filled a gap between the left arm and the inside of the YF-21. A similar error occurs with the Heracles from Macross II. See attached examples. However, I have to note that the VF-17S Nightmare head unit appears to be correct in the Chronicle. According to screenshots from the Macross 7 Remastered DVD set, the VF-17S does appear to have a slightly blue/grey head unit, not white. See attached picture collage. I’ll correct what I can of my own pictures and revise the Macross Mecha Manual so we can enjoy the best of both worlds. The coloring will be one of the rare instances where the English fans will enjoy slightly better final result

A film blog called Film is a Harsh Mistress just did an exhaustive critical vivisection of the 3rd and 4th Terminator films. At the end, they give a great shout out to District 9 http://filmisaharshmistress.blogspot.com/2...-future-or.html Enjoy Too wordy? Well, I ordinarily would’ve just said "smokescreen", but this being the internet, I dread being so non-specific given all the English teachers and lawyers we traditionally have on membership

hellohikaru Great work yet again! I especially like the blue guy. It's good to hear you'll be changing it up. I love your VE-3 Howler, but I'd definitely welcome some variety.

Your later points are all irrelevant because you're affirming your original fallacy. In either case, I don't buy it. All I'm saying is the arguments I see from both Vic and anime52k stem from erroneous assumptions on their face. Allow me to explain. Vic's basic assumptions of District 9 are fallacious. The subsequent explanation he's given has followed from his fundamental misrepresentation of the film. In other words, the later points are all window dressing from a critic demanding we accept the "fact" there is no difference between District 9 and the most hollow SFX-driven action film. Just because there wasn't a personal attack, doesn't mean there isn't a fallacy. Don't let the appearance of "reasonableness" or board politics disguise what is actually being argued. To address your other concern, why doesn't one argue Vic's later points, ignoring what he said earlier? I'm glad you asked Because the "later points" all come from one basic fallacy: that District 9 is supposedly a shallow SFX display. By Vic's own admission, he meant what he said and what's worse, he's ardently affirming his own fallacy. Thus, he wants to debate his later points even though his entire argument stems from the fundamental fabrication that District 9 is a hollow SFX show. But if one disagrees with the basic fallacy Vic has made, how can there be any fair debate if he won't even acknowledge he's committed a fallacy? The answer is there cannot be fair debate under those circumstance. Hence, there is no debate. So what's the point of all this? Why, to point out why this whole charade is not a "reasonable, logical argument" as you posted and to point out why it's as much a fallacy as any other. Fallacies come in all shapes an sizes, not just personal attacks. Naturally, we're having a good discussion so I'd be thankful if you recognized that fallacy (or at least where I'm coming from), but we're all entitled to disagree. Regardless, I too am very pleased District 9 is doing well, especially since it's a film that justly deserves it. When my friends and I walked out of the theatre, we couldn't stop talking about all the issues explored in the film.

That's an excellent rationale, but there's also more to support that conclusion. Kawamori has stated in interviews that Max and Milia are in a league all their own so there can be no doubt they dominate. Chlore was said to be very competitive with Milia, suggesting she either equals or sits just below Milia. That kind of accomplishment means Chlore is definitely second only to Max and Milia. So the top should be 1) Max, 2) Milia and 3) Chlore. One could perhaps debate whether Chlore was better than Milia, but again, I'd defer back to Kawamori who states the Max & Milia are in their own league. Personally, I think Chlore would likely be the closest competitor in skill that Max and Milia could ever hope to face.

See, that's the wrong way to look at it. His VF-1S was getting ready to pounce!

Looks interesting and it's Cameron, so I'm intrigued. I think all the "controversy" is because people bought into Cameron's pre-release hype for the last year now and have experienced something of a prequel-syndrome (read Star Wars). Expectation has gone beyond what it should, so of course the trailer isn't living up to it. I think Cameron's days of zeitgeist-capturing cinema are in the past, but this looks like a very interesting sci-fi film. I'm certainly excited by what I've seen. Given that 2009 has been a watershed year for fun and engaging science fiction cinema (Star Trek, District 9), I'm definitely willing to risk my dollars on Avatar.

As far as I can tell, any criticism of merit has been overshadowed by grandstanding. For example: That isn't a "bang-up job stating one's case". That is hyperbole. Billing District 9 as little more than a hollow SFX show is not only total fabrication, it also displays a complete absence of any "logical" opinion. Vic stretches his dislike so far as to paint District 9 a black when it's actually white. How is that any different from anime52k stretching his disagreement so far as to question Vic's enjoyment of life for disliking the movie? The answer is it's no different. Like or dislike District 9, side with Vic or anime52k, but I'm not buying this spin on the debate.

District 9 is still going strong at the Box Office. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2611&p=.htm

The final result looks wonderful. This is an amazing and all-too-rare complete scene composition of Macross mecha in 3D that is a true treasure. I especially like the graffiti signatures and the VF-1 Battroid hand on the far right side of the picture. Nice use of small details to add quality and richness to an already impressive picture. Well done Dante74! My only criticism is the VF-1S, which I previously said looked better when he was hiding

If District 9 was really considered that shallow, Transformers 2, X-Men Origins: Wolverine and G.I. Joe would be the evaporated ocean floor while Dragonball would be a flood.

SchizophrenicMC Well, I guess I'm easily impressed because I like it. Don't be too hard on yourself either, that picture of the VF-171 Nightmare Plus on my website is rather lousy picture (it's like first generation pic from way back before Macross Frontier started). So it's not like you've got something great to begin work with hellohikaru I love it! Wonderful scheme and very different from the others. Once again you've outdone yourself. But now I have to download your two white and grey Howlers now Talos Ah, some new real world aircraft. Very nicely done. I like the brown and grey one.

SchizophrenicMC WOW! That looks fantastic! Very slick! I'm impressed. hellohikaru Nice work. I really like the tail art of the Black Ravens.

WOOHOO! Weekend Report: Humans Welcome District 9 August Generates Box-Office Heat Go District 9! I'm cheering for ya

As one fan that paid the steep $250 price tag for the Animeigo SDF Macross set, I guess that explains my willingness for Macross But seriously, I don't actually own that much Macross. I own several Macross books, albums, DVDs and a few toys. But even by North American fan standards, I do not own a lot of Macross. By otaku standards, my Macross collection would likely be considered that of a casual fan. Anime is the high end of the luxury items in which I indulge and as a result I have to carefully pick and choose what I buy because it is so expensive. I don't condone not paying for Macross merchandise (especially new stuff), but I can understand it especially in the context of expense and availability.

Well, I've recently color corrected my VF-17 Nightmare pictures so they better represent the anime. If you need some up to date reference (since my next update is still pending), then I'll post it here for you.

This is phenomenal work REN. You work faster than anyone I've ever seen and produce some high quality results. Simply amazing.

SchizophrenicMC Ah, interesting. Reminds me a bit of the original VF-17 colors, but lighter. hellohikaru Looks much like the "playboys" scheme.

Will do District 9 (2009) District 9 is a story about alien visitation to Earth. A group of over a million alien beings arrive in a gigantic gravity-defying spacecraft that has met with mechanical failure, necessitating the aliens habitation near their landing site in South Africa. Unprepared and at times unwilling, the humans accommodate the aliens in a segregated area called district 9. Managed by a multinational corporation called MNU, the living conditions in district 9 falter and most of the aliens live in squalor. In an effort to alleviate inter-species tensions and poverty after nearly two decades of makeshift housing of the aliens, recently promoted MNU employee Wikus van der Merwe (played by Sharlto Copley) is given the task of relocating the alien population to a new district 10 located several hundred kilometers away from Johannesburg. District 9 does not sell itself on the strength of the fictional science, which ranges from plausible to outright fantasy. Rather, the film floats upon the power of the viscerally violent action, the wonderfully performed drama and the intense issue-infused subtext. Or is it subtext at all? Through use of the visually revolting aliens derogatorily referred to as “prawns”, District 9 vividly places at its forefront a story grappling with such issues as racism, war, immigration, integration and poverty. The film’s setting placed in Johannseburg, South Africa provides not only a relevant social geography for the issues explored in the story but also a welcome creative vacation from more conventional North American-centric alien visitations. District 9 director Neill Blomkamp is offering promise with his first full length feature. Shot and staged largely in a documentary-like style, District 9 plays like both a linear drama and a talking-head retrospective of that same story. While the film is interesting and always visually dynamic, the script is lacking in pacing and at times the story drags. The script also relies a bit too much upon convention and the staples of the science fiction genre. Yet District 9 is hard to fault when the conventions are used for such worthwhile subject matter and performed to perfection by an able cast. District 9 lead Sharlto Copley offers a solid portrayal of Wikus van der Merwe, a largely despicable MNU employee complicit in many of the film’s harrowing alien atrocities. That Sharlto’s subsequent plight and tragic choices ultimately allow us to identify with his humanity is doubly impressive praise for Copley given the initial dislike the audience feels for Wikus. There is plenty in District 9 to please many different audiences, from action junkies and horror aficionados to socially conscious film philes and serious drama fans. Perhaps no more does District 9 service certain audience demographics than when displaying the amazing alien technology. From unusual gravity and lightning weapons to spacecraft and bipedal mecha, the toys of District 9 show heavy technical and stylistic influences from such notable video games as Valve Software’s Half-Life 2. A final nod must also be given to the competency of the special effects, particularly the alien “prawns” which are created via pervasive and near-seamlessly integrated CGI throughout the film. Rating: 4.5 out of 5. Not as creative or innovative as it might be billed, District 9 is nonetheless stand out science fiction, engaging action adventure, important filmmaking and serious drama that audiences won't want to miss.

The makers of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Transformers 2 and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra can all shampoo my crotch. District 9 OWNS this summer and is easily one of the best films this year. South Africa....f**k yeah!