Mr March

This is brilliant. I'm definitely on board for this. I can't wait to see it.

Very nice shot of the Super VF-25. Wow.

GBP Armored Valkyrie? Only in the vaguest possible way. This one's a stretch, IMO.

That's a somewhat similar reason why I didn't vote either. Whether some liked it or not, Macross Plus carries a special status that none of the other Macross sequels do; the pioneering of CGI animation. Macross Plus was the most expensive anime production of it's time and is a landmark work for the integration of CG animation into traditional hand drawn animation. In some ways, one could argue Macross Plus is the most important Macross production ever made with respect to Japanese animation as both an industry and an art form. I also really appreciate M+ as one of the few anime productions made for a more adult audience.

Kawamori might forgo the letter designation definition of "J" for the VF-25 just so he can create an homage.

LOL If I had pictures, I'd post them, but you're wasting your time. The Animeigo set on DVD has the best picture and sound quality for the SDF Macross series of ANY release thus far. Unless the series is released in high definition, you won't find a better release in any other format or by any other company, ADV included.

I bet drugs, biotechnology, genetic engineering and as mentioned above, the flying bathtub scenario, will be alternatives in the future for superior pilot endurance. All kinds of possibilities exist that could improve the human pulmonary system for high g maneuvers and they might produce some pretty wild results. Of course, it's also possible that eventually technology will become available to counter the effects of inertia, but that sounds pretty far-future to my mind (though not outside possibility).

DJ Loe Kee Ain't rightly sure my own self. I'm sure Macross 7, in Japan, was popular enough. It had a "movie", an OVA sequel and sold albums/toys, so it made an account of itself. If I had to venture so far as to guess, I'd say Mac 7 rode off the wave of the SDF Macross/DYRL/FB2012 era and the successful Mac+, much like Alien 3 or Terminator 3. The lack of later merchandising and any long term sustainability likely means the show was average, like most of the stuff on television it adequately filled up programming time. But no one is selling toys for it anymore like SDFM or M+. KingNor Well, it was a thought. I agree that strumming the ego of fans is as sure a lure as there is. We all love our homages and references. Hollywood has built an empire on feeding fandom just what it needs to keep that carrot dangling with one horrible sequel after another and the Japanese are just as savvy. As strange as this might seem, I don't see Macross 7 as everything wrong with Macross sequels. I do honestly believe it was just a well-meaning attempt at animated entertainment that went horribly wrong. You have to admire Kawamori and Co for sticking to the plan with Mac7 despite the lousy result. Digressing, I will say you're a tough customer to please. I'm sure it's an obvious conclusion that Macross Frontier won't satisfy you, but I do think it's great that the original SDF Macross has sustained your fandom 25 years later. That's quite an accomplishment for one animated series.

There is a possible explanation. Macross 7, until now, was the only Macross sequel in the form of a television series. I've noted over the years that for some fans, format means absolutely everything to them. It doesn't matter if the sequels are good, bad or in between; they want a TV series. Hell, some fans even accept the Macross 7 TV series in spite of it's poor quality just because it's a TV series. In your case, perhaps format also makes a big difference to you. Or perhaps a simpler theory is you're just a Macross 7 fan screaming to come out

It means that for a quarter of the fandom who actually read this thread and voted (which is not representative of MW as a whole), nostalgia was more than enough to sustain their fandom. I'd say it speaks quite highly of SDF Macross and it's importance as an anime. It also means that those who didn't vote due to the lack of an option, such as myself, were not represented at all.

VF-25J

Wow, this will be a first I think. I've never seen a Battle 7 model, ever. Best of luck. I really hope it turns out well.

It's definitely VF-25 era for sure, but it has quite a few design similarities to the SV-51, Fz-109 and some bits and pieces from other Valkyries like the VF-4. The head unit reminds me of the Griffon from Patlabor.

Uh, isn't that scene supposed to be showing some basic tactics. As I understood it, the camera was from the Battle Pod's point of view and it was attempting to follow the Valkyrie, moving it's field of view in the direction of where it thought the Valkyrie was going to appear from around the other side of the building. Except the Valkyrie pilot was smart and used misdirection to gain the advantage, setting himself up in a position to fire and gaining a few seconds to aim while his opponent in the Battle Pod was looking in the wrong direction. The very next scene, the Valkyrie blows away the foolish Battle Pod with a gun pod blast, this time the scene is shown from the POV of the Valkyrie's battroid mode cockpit. Personally, I love that scene. This probably raises a good point against the idea of a remake; so often people don't pick up absolutely everything in a show. People remaking older films or shows can unwittingly alter scenes, ignorantly removing something that has a very specific purpose. The changes can be absolutely devastating to a long time fan who understood the scene and what it was trying to accomplish.

Are you drawing or modeling anything with the reference pictures? Or were you just curious? Inquiring minds want to know

Amazing pictures! The head units look fantastic in detail. I particularly like the VF-25 head unit for Ozuma's type. The armored Valkyrie looks great. I love the way the armored sections rest on the front torso of the mecha. It just looks so bad ass.

I'm generally happy to see so many new faces. There's always a few loons in the mix, but nearly everyone seems content to geek out about Macross. I'm quite curious what will happen when Macross Frontier really starts to get underway in April. If the rest of the series is as good as the first episode, this could be quite interesting for Macross fandom. I wonder if we might even see some more websites pop up?

It's a good thing someone said something, because otherwise I would have been lost.

Interesting artwork, but I didn't find it funny or entertaining.

All this Gundam blasphemy. Gundam 0080 rocks! /thread

Very impressive! I like her suit for the Solid State Society film. Reminds me a lot of the original GITS film outfit.

There's really no option for me in this poll, so I won't vote. IMO, everything Kawamori in the Macross franchise from October 1982 to August 1995 was pure gold. Post-August 1995, it's been awful to mediocre. To me, Macross Frontier is the first sign of a true return to form for the franchise and if it at least proves to be an above average series, I won't complain even if it's not a genre defining production like SDF Macross. I'll be satisfied with an entertaining and exciting sci-fi anime and I hope Macross Frontier delivers.

I am hoping to get an update out this month. There may be a concern with the server and I might have to wait till next month, but we'll see. The actual content of the update is already done (40+ profiles completed) but there is also a bunch of other website work that needs to be completed for the next update that is about 90% done. It's gonna be great!

So because in your opinion the Q-Rau is less human than the VF-1 that means that the VF-1S head unit cannot look more mechanical than the VF-1J? And if a robot has hands with five fingers instead of claws, that means the VF-1J head unit cannot look more mechanical than the VF-1S head unit? I'm afraid I fail to see the logic in this sequence of analogies. What I can see is the two of us going in circles. But just for clarity, I'll point out that I'm strictly speaking within the bounds of anime-style humanoid robots. Regulds and other non-humanoid designs are irrelevant to my preferences for clearly robotic humanoid mecha by virtue of being non-humanoid by default. I do believe the Q-Rau is a poor analogy to my point because as I said, it basically is a powered suit and further, it's designed to look alien. The VF-1 Valkyrie is designed to look human, but not so human it is mistaken as such (which is why I like it). If scale was removed from the Q-Rau would it appear more robotic than human? I believe it would. Does the Q-Rau look less humanoid than the VF-1? Possibly, but I don't really care. What bearing does that analogy have on the mechanical merits of the VF-1J head unit versus the VF-1S head unit? I see absolutely none. If the VF-1 is too human looking compared to the Q-Rau, can the VF-1S head unit be faulted for looking too human? To me, such irrelevance is just that; irrelevant. I certainly can't speak for others or what they may have to say of the YF-19 head unit. All I can say is for a humanoid mecha, the VF-1J head unit appears more robotic than the VF-1S and that's why I like it more. Removing sclae, the J appears less like a helmet than the S. All other artistic considerations being equal, I'd choose the J as my favorite. And I do

I have to honestly say I don't know what you're talking about. My original reply was an answer to the question that was posted: why some fans (like me) prefer the VF-1J head unit more than a VF-1S head unit. To do so I explained that the VF-1J satisfied my own personal preference for a more mechanical appearance. But as I said, "more mechanical" does not necessarily mean square/blocky at the expense of smooth/round. I repeat, smooth/round is not necessarily less robotic or mechanical in appearance, nor did I ever write that it was. What I did write was my love for a mechanical design with clearly robotic form and structure as opposed to mechanical design where form and structure appear far too human. Whether a Valkyrie is round/smooth or square/blocky, I prefer the Valkyrie designs because they are more robotic and less human in form and structure. The VF-1 has an inhuman shaped torso and hips; hence it's form and structure is more robotic and more mechanical to my eyes. If I was a science fiction fan, but didn't know anything about Macross, you could sit me down in front of a single scene where two VF-1 Valkyries were fighting and I'd instantly know they were robots, not men in armor. Same thing for most Mortar Headds and Evangelions. Now depending upon the Gundam, I might be inclined to say it was a guy in a suit (assuming I didn't know better and assuming scale was NOT immediately obvious). It might also help to explain that I am talking about appearance only. Yes, we all know better, that these are indeed giant robots with internal components like engines, gears and machinery, not suits of armor worn by men. BUT if these supposedly giant robots don't LOOK like robots because their external appearance is just too human in form and structure, it personally hurts my suspension of disbelief. Most giant anime robots can run, duck, roll, flip, dive and move like an athlete and because of that, they can often feel too much like a human in an armored suit. To avoid that problem, the best mechanical design (at least, in my opinion) provides an obvious outward indicator that these creations are quite obviously robotic in nature. That's my feeling and I know some people don't have similar preferences, but I do. If you showed me two mecha drawings, of relatively equal aesthetic merit, and asked me to choose, I would always favor the mecha that looks more outwardly, structurally robotic. Comparing the VF-1J head and the VF-1S head, I think the VF-1J looks more robotic, more mechanical and thus, I prefer the J even though the S is almost equally as artistically appealing. But that's just my opinion, nothing more.