Mr March

Blasphemy! I just really want Canada to buy F-35s like they said they were going to. I like the fighter.

Well, I never owned Gasapons or any other action figures. All I know is the three Revoltechs I purchased (VF-1J Valkyrie, AV-98 Ingram Patlabor and Unit 00 Blue Evangelion) are all really high quality figures that have fantastic joints, amazing articulation, plenty of properly designed accessories and some of the best small detailing I've seen on figures so tiny. They are so fun to pose and then admire on your desktop. IMO, the revys are a big win for a consumer like me.

[seinfeld mode] "There was no pick. I was clearly on the outer edge of the nostril. No pick! NO PICK!" This is great news. New VF-11 transformable. Yummy!

Strictly speaking, I suppose that's true of Hyper Carbon. But I doubt the SDF-1 Macross was made of tennis racquet materials, so we should assume that Hyper Carbon in Macross is significantly different Space metal is likely a minor homage to Gundam, since Kawamori was such a big fan. In the context of Macross, we just know its a lightweight, but incredibly strong material, certainly strongly than conventional materials given the events depicted in the anime. I've seen all the Macross shows and ECA is mentioned only in Macross Zero. Apparently, it existed before Macross Zero (see the posts above) but as far as appearing in a Macross anime, it was first mentioned in that show in 2002.

Whoa! Nice catch azrael. I'd love to get a specific reference for that. That would make a great addition to my Macropedia or FAQ page. Ummm, Shawn, you around?

Personally, I thought the SWAG Energy Converting Armor (ECA) was the most fitting explanation that made the most sense with the least contradiction. And most of all, I'm glad Kawamori and Co. finally said something about the armor of a Valkyrie. Up until Macross Zero we were apparently just supposed to "go with it" as the Valkyries plowed through buildings, bridges and crashed into the ground all while remaining in one piece and still functional. Fly a 10 ton fighter jet or 60 ton tank into the ground at high speed and what you get is a kilometer long trail of scrap parts strewn across Nevada But using a technology like ECA not only makes sense in the context of the fiction but it also solves all the practical problems in a tight little package. The Valkyries are already unbeleivably over-powered by cheap, efficient reaction (fusion) engines. The VF-1 produces 1,300 MW of power (by comparison, a Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier produces 194 MW of power). Something has to be done with all the extra power. Second, ECA solves the weight problem posed by a highly armored Valkyrie; how can a Valkyire be more durable than a tank, but weigh so little? If valkyrie armor is energy based, the weight doesn't matter and you can have a 13 ton transforming fighter more heavily armored than a 60 ton tank. Genius A Note About...Weapons Fan perception on the issue of weaponry in Macross has always confounded me. Here we have the Macross universe as our base of understanding: we have practical energy weapons, space ships, gravity control and space fold drives; we have practical transforming robots with athlete-like agility; we have Valkyries generating more power than a battleship, capable of flying in space and armed with practical laser weapons and particle guns. Eveything just screams "far more advanced." Yet for many fans (no offense intended, just bear with me), the 55mm gun pod and the VF-1's missles are equated to conventional firepower levels. Why? Why would we fans happily suspend our disbelief for every other area of Macross technology EXCEPT ballistics and explosives. I mean, how can a micro-missile be considered in any way "conventional"? The real world A-10 Thunderbolt II is armed with the most devastating cannon ever mounted in an aircraft: the 30 mm gatling gun. Here's a 30 mm gun capable of shredding the heaviest tank armor, yet we're worried a fictional 55mm gun pod (already unconventional by virtue of being usable in space) might not penetrate the armor of another Valkyrie or Zentradi battle suit equipped with ECA? Why is it such a stretch to assume the GU-11 might use a superior type of bullet or even just have a faster muzzle velocity? Personally, I think ECA is the one getting the short end of the stick in this relationship Moral of the story: I like SWAG Energy Converting Armor

Nice work, Graham.

Welcome to Macross World, Macross007! They don't specifically mention construction techniques or processes in the Macross anime shows or films. I suspect it would be difficult for anyone to write about such a fictional process with any kind of believability. The official literature does make mention of two unknown materials use in the Macross universe; one is called "Space Metal" and another is called "Hypercarbon." Space Metal is specifically stated as comprising the frame of the variable fighters. The properties of this metal are unknown, but we know from the statistics that it's obviously light weight and we know from the anime that it's obviously very strong. Hypercarbon is mentioned in the 1984 Macross film Do You Remember Love?. It is stated the SDF-1 Macross is composed of this material, but again, no specifics are given. Naturally, if you've already watched Macross Zero you know all about Energy Converting Armor

Wow. Dark Joker indeed!

Wow, that is very cool, yella. Thanks for sharing! It even has the lights and reflective surface. Very nice!

QFT ad infinitum.

hehehe, Neon Genesis Car Crash

Well, maybe not a fact thread since facts are so few. However, as Duke Togo has suggested, a thread that collects what little information is available would be nice. Actually, I was thinking perhaps an "image page" would be nice too, a collection of all the screen shots and scans MOST important to fans. Things like all the magazine spreads with characters and the like as well as Vic's transformation collage. Oh, and BTW, I already did! See my old post lost thanks for translation

Good replies all. I figured this would be a good article for everyone to read and the detailed responses prove many of our members have given significant thought to the issue. I'll weigh in with a few thoughts of my own and hope they offer some insight. I think a major point in the ANN editorial, which may not have been emphasized as much as it should, is the debate over the window of initial availability . This is not a problem unique to the international anime industry, but it is a case in point. Traditionally, the only way television was available was through television broadcast. Films were only available through the theatre. While home video did have an effect on the market for film and television, it had negligible effect upon the traditional channels through which media became available. However, the internet has changed all this. Now rather than being limited to the television or the theatre, the internet has become a tertiary channel through which distribution of media occurs. Much like Justin Sevakis, I believe the biggest problem with the international anime industry, the Japanese anime industry and other like industries such as the US film industry is a failure time and again to recognize this fundamental change AND to seize advantage of this changing distribution landscape. I'm sure the reasons all these companies have are many, but the simple fact remains that our modern entertainment companies are simply not changing with the times. I also believe that this latest development in the international anime industry brings to light many factors which both businesses and consumers took for granted. International anime, despite growth outside of Japan, has not been of interest to the Japanese. Some may call this respect while others label it xenophobia, but no more is this attitude apparent to the non-Japanese anime fan than it is when these fans realize the Japanese simply don't place any importance upon the international anime market. This apathy to the international market keeps Japanese companies focused on little more than the domestic market. The proof? The disproportionate costs of licensing anime in the U.S. compared to the actual size of the market (despite the lesser cost of anime for the foreign consumer versus the Japanese consumer). Japanese companies continue to charge luxury prices for anime distribution because anime is considered a luxury item to them and functions as such in their own domestic market. Anyone else not willing to pay those luxury licensing prices outside Japan is simply out of luck. Having said that, I do believe this is both a wake up call for the international anime industry and for the Japanese anime industry. The international anime industry (now at its largest point ever but starting to drop) is once again being reminded they are incidental to the Japanese. At the same time as this revelation is hitting the foreign industry, the Japanese are becoming increasingly aware of the effect international online distribution of anime is having upon domestic anime sales in Japan. Obviously, the Japanese don't like it and the issue has become important enough that the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has made it a point in their negotiations in the trade market (see link). http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-...leases-of-anime What does this mean to me? I suppose it means eventually the international anime industry will collapse and the Japanese will continue to stay focused on their only interest: the domestic anime market. Anime has grown internationally for decades now along with a generation of non-Japanese fans. But the Japanese have really been anything but interested. The international anime market has been a curiosity for the Japanese, a modest source of additional revenue and even a point of flattery, but that is all it has ever been to them. As a Canadian, the policy certainly strikes me as different since I'm used to domestic companies seeking all sources of revenue with vigor, whether foreign or domestic. No market left unsold, as they say. But it's really a choice for the Japanese and if they don't wish to pursue foreign anime sales and promotion, that's just a reality we have to live with. I do believe that eventually, anime will become readily available to foreign consumers, but only at the same pace as the proliferation of foreign programming through new technologies that globalize the television broadcasting marketplace. Satellite, streaming internet, and similar technologies will eventually bring anime anywhere through official distribution. But if attitudes of the people running the entertainment companies are any indication, this change will be very slow. Thank gawd for fansubs!

This is a really good read from the big cheese at AnimeNewsNetwork. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/editorial/2007-11-25

It was the 2040s. Full body cosmetic surgery was all the rage "back" then

Well, I'm definitely checking this line out when it is released. As long as the figures stay together well and have advantages in their own right like the Revoltechs, I'll be happy. A VF-11 action figure is just too much to pass up. And if that Battroid toy turns out to be great, pruchases of YF-19 and YF-21 figures will definitely follow.

I think at the very least there will be references in Macross Frontier to Macross 7, especially if that series is any indication. I suppose the references may be limited or absent if Macross Frontier is a "reboot" or an attempt to distance itself from the rest of the Macross franchise as some have suggested. But the one television sequel has been a link to the original and I suspect this next television show would do the same, all thing being equal. Not that i'm hoping for that at all I'd much rather they don't bother with too much Macross history. This is sort of a chance for Macross to go into some bold new territory without bearing the burden of too many events for the past franchise productions.

The story and characters definitely come first for me, but the music and mecha are major parts of the Macross stories. I love the Macross Plus music the most, both the singing and the orchestral. I also really like the music from SDF Macross, DYRL? and Flashback 2012. I guess it just has a lot of that older-era style music that still appeals to me on some level. Plus it just fits so well with the visuals, I can't imagine it working any other way. I don't care at all for the music in Macross Zero, Macross 7 or Macross II. Just my opinion of course, but I'd say Macross Zero probably has the most uninspired music of all the Macross productions while the music of Macross 7 has the least aesthetic value.

Aaahhh, I see. Dobber is just a nickname because of that member's previously posted custom. The real name is the splinter camo for the Ukranian Su-27 Flanker. Dobber's infamy has lead to my misunderstanding Thanks Dobber and David Hingtgen for clearing that up. Wow, that sure was quite the round of influences to get to Ghostkiller's version I always loved this color scheme; it's been one of my favorites for years. And it doesn't hurt that it's featured on one of my favorite fighters. It's really quite strange that it's a Ukrainian fighter that has one of my all time favorite color schemes. I'm part Ukrainian myself! *twilight zone music plays*

Looking spectacular! That is one fine custom and very fitting given the eastern-styled design of the SV-51 fighter. These are some of my favorite fighter colors. I've always loved that scheme. Dobber is it? Wow, looks amazing!

How do you get that? The VF-11 is only slightly taller than the VF-1 in Battroid mode; it's 12.92 meters tall. By Comparison the YF-19 is 15.48 meters tall. I hope they are to scale and the VF-11 is noticeably smaller.

Thanks for the news, Graham. This is certainly not what I expected, but welcome news nonetheless. Based on the CAD drawing of the VF-11, it seems Yamato is going for really accurate proportions and concealed joints. Looking at these drawings, it's clear now why you had such a problem with the Revoltech shoulder joints. However, I still have my concerns. The one thing the Revoltechs do well is joints. The Revoltech joints may look aesthetically intrusive at times, but for an action figure that will be used and articulated hundreds of times, these joints are an absolute dream. The Revoltech joints don't loosen over time and more importantly, a single joint can hold the entire weight of the figure, allowing for amazing poses. The Yamato figures have a tough act to follow. I'm going to be critical of the ability and durability of the Yamato figure articulation more than their look. But, I'll say the price is sure right

Oh well, it's always fun to wish. Like the lottery

Give me pretty!