Mr March

Given what we saw happen to Grace, Brera may have been transferred in a similar fashion, only under different circumstances.

Depends on technology, but "weapon delivery systems", whether they come in the form of a space fighter craft or not, are an inevitability. Right now, we deliver our weapons using fighter craft because it's one of the best methods for doing so. If this remains true given the types of technologies available in the future, I can't think of any reason why space fighters wouldn't exist. In my imagination, I can see the future of warfare in space as placing even more emphasis on detection and stealth. There is no terrain in space or "indirect" method of attack. Most asteroid fields are typically almost as empty as the rest of space by most benchmarks of effective detection and weapon range. So the priority will be detecting your enemy before they can detect you and firing your weapons farther than that which the enemy is capable. In some sense, it will mimic dissociative warfare currently being attempted by many modern military institutions around the globe, but space warfare will be pursued by necessity rather than as a lofty goal. In the far future, I see planets as liabilities by any measure of conventional warfare. There's simply too many easy, low-tech ways for attacking planets and whiping them out completely with little or no warning. Static holdings should become a thing of the past and any empire based upon planets is likely to fall easily in any type of open warfare. If the US was willing to nuke Japanese cities in World War II, you can be assured someone is willing to glass Earth or any other planet if it wins a "Space War". I think fighters will remain viable especially as small weapon delivery systems, counter weapon delivery systems and as point defense. Space fighters will likely remain the smallest unit for space warfare and there will always be a role for the smallest unit in any order of battle.

Ah, a mystery. I wonder then where they came from.

Those are apparently the missing pages from the Flashback 2012 Graffiti book. For some reason the PDF file that's been making the rounds for years is missing those pages, or so I am told, and that's where they came from. I do have them on my HD and was thinking of adding them to the VF-4 entry, but they are really poor photographs. I was hoping I'd run across someone who had some good scans. I'm hoping these images might find their way into the Macross Chronicle.

I like 1 and 4

Hmmm, I never thought of that. I just assumed that if the local anime shops didn't carry the stuff, no other regular book store would, even a specialty one. I'll have to look into it.

Again, thanks.

Ah, the joys of importing. I wish we had more options. Such is life.

I find the fun is surprising fans with visual comparisons. It's always a lot of fun when I can visually describe to fans the differences between subjects which might seem too abstract when described with words. I can put up a profile that tells the reader City 7 is roughly 6 kilometers long while Island 1 is 15 kilometers long. I can even come up with a volume comparison. But it's not until a comparison picture like the one above displays the difference visually that fans truly begin to notice the difference. It's always fun.

Just realized I forgot to add Jessica Blanc to the pilot list for the VF-171. Correction made and uploaded.

Fun comparison picture

I understand what you're saying, but I don't think the Macross Chronicles can disappoint me in any significant sense. I've pretty much wanted something like the Chronicles for about two decades now; it's part of the reason I made my website. Whatever the Chronicles could be above and beyond my expectations is just my ideal hopes and I'll still be happy even if it's just a collected works.

I think he's got it right. The dock of Island one is simply larger and longer than on the City ships. Refer to this picture of the Battle 7/City 7 schematics and compare.

I ordered late, so I'll likely get it late. But I'm not too worried, I can wait. I think the Macross Chronicles is definitely the book to have. I'm also hoping they include some line art not found in the other books. I don't own a lot of Macross books (only about a half dozen), so this is definitely worth it in my opinion. I think it will be quite definitive. Perhaps we'll finally get some more complete stats on the valkyries and other mecha. I'd like Super Pack stats for all the Valkyries, like missile count, thrust and all that. It would also be nice to see more than the bare minimum statistics we currently have for the VF-0 Phoenix, the SV-51, the VF-4 Lightning III, the VF-5000 Star Mirage and the VB-6 Konig. If there was any time to make the official literature a bit more complete, this would be it.

If I were to give advice, I'd say bite the bullet and get the binder and first few issues where you can and do it now. Like most niche publications, the print run will grow or shrink to suit demand only AFTER the initial print run of the first few issues has been released. Sales will be analyzed and production adjusted to fit demand. After issue three or so, we'll be able to relax and order them in bunches of 4 or so every two months to save on shipping. But for right now, I'd say grab them cause availability and uncertainty are running the show. I'm still kicking myself (just so much to do lately); I wish I would have ordered from HMV. Besides, there's likely to be plenty of goodies from the Chronicle online in the form of fan scans that should keep most of us satiated until our once a month or once/two month packages are shipped so we don't get killed on the shipping.

I'm also lost on the ratings. I mean, I sorta appreciate knowing them, but without the intimate popular culture knowledge and societal awareness that I have in my own country, I don't have any idea how to make heads or tales of these figures. How do the ratings matter to Macross Frontier? How does Macross Frontier compare to ratings in the genre? What do the time slots mean? What is a good rating for an anime show compared to contemporary Japanese broadcast entertainment? Is Macross Frontier considered franchised product with franchised expectations? For it's budget, how are the ratings relevant? What's MF's visibility/penetration and how does it compare to anime/timeslot/genre/comparative budget? I just have no context into which I can place these numbers. If it were a North American film, I could comment all about it and put nearly all the pieces together myself. But TV ratings in Japan? Might as well ask me about caribou hunting in the Yukon. This is one reason I've always been frustrated by fans claiming such and such anime is popular/unpopular, often in contradiction to the few visible benchmarks I can see such as merchandising and continued production of sequels. I think it's safe to say most don't have the answers, because I've read so very few to the questions above. Particularly in the case of Macross, the typical inferiority complex concerning Gundam rears it's ugly head, as if it has any bearing at all. I don't want to hear how Macross does/doesn't compare to Gundam; Macross was never marketed nor aggressively franchised/merchandised to the degree Gundam was. If it were, we'd have 30+ sequels by now as opposed to just six. I don't believe Stargate SG-1 isn't popular just because it isn't Star Trek (okay, not the greatest analogy, but you get my drift). Macross succeeded on it's own merits and it's got nothing to prove, especially after enduring for 25 years and putting out one, most-expensive and/or effects-breaking anime after another. But if I want to know how well Macross does for what market it's in, I can't seem to find any credible answer on the subject. Anyway, didn't mean to go all rant-like; I'm probably more frustrated with myself, being unable to do much critical analysis with the ratings being thrown at me. I'm really hungry for a Japanese perspective on this issue.

Do it man. Don't wait or you'll be scrambling like me

Very impressive. But I know that xenomorph is coming and barring any more Macross Revoltechs, I'm saving for that.

Yeah, the binder is sold separately. I took advantage of Amazon's offer to buy both with a single mouse click (they make consumer addiction so convenient, don't they?) but the binder and the first issue are actually separate items.

That's what I get for watching different fan subs. Thanks MarineCorps and welcome to Macross World! Corrections have been made and uploaded. Make sure to hit refresh on your browser when visiting again. I've barely watched the show, but I found that You-Tube clip hysterical *dramatic pause*

Ah. Well allow me to demonstrate the reference I thought you were making: Sure to get a chuckle

I think Dex is right. Alto didn't launch in that scene specifically and I believe it was David Hingten who noted the vertical stabilizers were flat upon the rear fuselage, suggesting Alto's craft wasn't prepared yet for launch. I think the VF-25F Full Armor fighter was still going through loading procedures.

LOL I sense a new CSI main character in the making. Move over Horatio!

Thank you Ignacio Ocamica. I hope the Chronicle has some good Macross Zero and Frontier stuff to fill in the gaps. Okay d3v and Master Dex, Corrections made to VF-25G Messiah (I don't think Sheryls piloted the Super, right?) and VF-25S Super and uploaded. Make sure to hit REFRESH on your browsers. Thanks a bunch to you both for catching those. I'm grateful for the help.

Order made. Thanks a bunch GGemini! I owe ya.