sketchley

Heightening the sense of realism and/or distancing the project further from the SDF:M export-to-the-USA legal hurdles (note the lack of everything from SDF:M. Even the character designs are radically different.)

There's no, one, cover-all answer. I have also not heard of something called a mecha artist until this thread (though, that does not mean that such a thing doesn't exist.) I have heard of mecha designers. There are plenty of those (especially in anime); though I don't know how easier or difficult it is to learn about their wages. My guess is that they are essentally freelance artists, as they (appear to) work from project to project, and not necessarily with the same studio or production company. I think looking at graphic artists would be another guide to potential income. The major criteria is one and only one thing: will people buy it?* I don't have anything else to add to what has already been said (aside from less talking, and more arting!). * This is from both the artist to the production company, and also the production company to the public.

FYI the last set of photos come from the '80's. If I'm not mistaken, it's from a book about amusing but failed Japanese inventions. The sign on the lady's hat says "wake me up when I get to ### station." The series of pictures is missing another one - a toilet plunger and what amounts to a noose. Attached to the ceiling allowing the user to sleep standing up. Before I moved to Japan, I felt that the inventions to aid on sleeping on the train were amusing. Now, I don't. I actually sympathise, as there have been many a night (sometimes morning) were I've wanted to do the same!

改 = alter, renew, reform. For best English comprehension, make the verbs past tense.

VF engines in an atmosphere = VERY effecient (only reactant used is to power the engines, thrust comes from the atmosphere being heated by the engine and exiting.) VF engines in space = VERY inefficent (reactant is used to both power the engines and get thrown out the rear of the engine to create thrust.) The AVF have uber powerful engines, in an atmosphere. Out in space, they have cooling problems, and cannot provide as much thrust as when in an atmosphere. Nevertheless, even the AVF gets the additional transatmospheric scramjet (I think that's the translation) FAST packs in Macross 7.

Illos, aka illustrations. No. If you learn how to draw the human body, and make dynamic poses, then you're well on the way to being a professional. Another thing you must do is to create your own stuff; be that new art based off of existing designs, or entirely new designs of your own creation. Here is an example: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/58294071/ (I drew it for inclusion in a fanzine about a decade ago.) The key elements to it are: storytelling, dynamic energy, a sense of movement, focal point(s), and the appearance of weight in the mecha. I don't consider myself a professional just yet, but I do consider that all professionals include those key elements (and more!) in their art. Actually, if you can accomplish that with ONLY black pen on white paper, you've got what it takes. Colour, shading, tone, etc., or only extras, and shouldn't be the crutches used to support bad line-art. You misunderstand. Not classes on mecha per se, classes on art in general. The basics are the human body and it's mechanics, shading, reproducing textures and so on. A healthy dose or awareness of graphic design definitely won't hurt either. The classes referred to are available anywhere with a competent educational facility. I'm not a United Statesian, never went to school in the USA, and have never lived there. You'll have to ask some of the residents or citizens of that country if you plan to go to school there. (I don't recommend it, as their current visa system is rather arcane, and they are rather xenophobic to foreigners, especially if one is non-white.) Some food for thought: what makes or breaks a good mecha series, is the characters. The storyline and mecha are secondary. Mecha by and large only serve the needs of the plot, and to become a professional, you need to be able to modify mecha designs as the directors and producers want and need (and not necessarily in the direction that you initially envisioned for the design.) In general, less-lines are better (case in point: the Macross Zero mecha are butt-ugly and terrible. Without colour, perhaps without movement, they are nigh-impossible to decypher. On the other hand, the Macross 7 mecha are the best VFs penned to date; as they are complex in their symplicity. Another angle to look from is: if you have to drawn hundreds of them per day, thousands per month, which would you prefer to do?) And (holy badly organized paragraph here!), in general, unique, heretofore unseen elements incorporated into mecha designs generally are the most successful. (Again, stessing a non-mecha related background of studies. Check Masamuni Shirow's work, as the inclusion of insect designs into his mecha is very clear. The way he incorporates those elements is also very different from other artists who have drawn insect-like mecha.)

Correction: real-world FAST packs provide both additional fuel and sensor capabilities (Fuel and Sensor Tactical packs). 1) Acceleration. The thermo nuclear engines have a finite supply of reactant (fuel), and the performance abilities of the engines allow for (at least until the AVF project) a "limited" acceleration curve. Both FAST packs and thermonuclear engines need fuel. VF-1 standard engines: 11,500 kg [x g] class (23,000 kg [x g] in overboost); FAST packs: 120,000 kg [x g] class (for 150 seconds at maximum thrust) From: http://macross.anime.net/mecha/united_nati.../vf1/index.html 2) Aside from additional armour protection (possibly specifically for the shoulder thrusters), I believe that they contain additional reactant (fuel).

Sometime after the discussion with Lestat, I stumbled across the "multiply" option (I think I read about it on the internet somewhere...) I've been using it ever since in the manga that I've been creating for the past year +. (I'm mentioning it as it's why the VF-5 project never continued. I had some ideas, ah well. I'm happier playing in my own universe, and not in someone else's.)

Nope. I could draw VFs from the first day that I saw them; just not very well. Years studying means extensive time looking and trying to figure out how they transform and fit together. I draw my own manga, and examining how other people achieved a particular look, effect, or whatnot, is part and parcel with the territory. How long does it take? That depends on two things: what you draw, and how much practice drawing it you do. Basically, if you don't practice multiple illos per day, then you're not getting anywhere fast. (Illos can be anything from doodles to finished pieces.) Mecha come in a variety of shapes, sizes, forms and whatnot. Some of them are easier to reproduce, and others are much, much harder. For me, VFs come easy, whereas a lot of the Gundam mecha (outside of the original series) are difficult, and those in 5 Star Stories are downright impossible. The key to becoming a professonal is this: are people going to buy your work? (Or are they going to buy it to sell it to others?) If you can't figure out what it takes to make an image sellable, then you'll never become a professional. This is the time that you and other buddying artists have to take a step back from the actual lines and paint that compose mecha, and ask critical questions like why do I (and/or other people) like this mecha/series/whatever? (I don't got no answers, so don't ask.) Some other things to do is to take some art classes. The afformentioned books are good for refreshing ones memory and learning a few tricks, but if you've never had a fellow artist, or better, a teacher, critique your work, you'll probably stay at the level of fan artist, and not grow the thick skin needed for professional work and the abuse that comes with it. Just read some of the terrible, and oft rude comments leveled at Shoji Kawamori in these forums!

Typhoon, earthquakes, multiple tsunami, (seasonal) monsoonal rains, and cicada. (and that's only the past 48 hours!) It's shaping up to be a normal Japanese summer! Though, the radiation leaks at the nuclear power plant are worrisome... The tremors weren't felt this time in Osaka Prefecture (though the ones last year in Ishikawa Prefecture, next door to Niigata Prefecture) were felt. It is a good reminder for us to check our earthquake emergency kits, as one never knows when the Great Nankai Earthquake will come... Thank you for the thoughts and concern, and please send the good will to the people affected in Niigata and Nagano.

What's in a name? A LOT! Evil Series = what became the Protodevlin. Evil series = nothing to do with Macross! It is referring to a series of something called Evil. evil Series = nothing to do with Macross! It is referring to something called Series which is evil. evil series = nothing to do with Macross! It is referring to a series (possibly a movie or TV one) which is evil. Not providing the correct name not only diminishes ones posts, it also fundamentally changes the meaning. It's like referring to the President as the president. Post what you mean, not something resembling what you mean. It fights off confusion; unless if you're being deliberately arguementative again. In that case: everyone, don't feed the troll! PS Eugimon, I had to read your post twice to confirm exactly what you're talking about. The dual word, dual capitalization, especially in the name Evil Series, is applicable to one and all. It's terms like this that leave me scratching my head as to why people have chosen to romanize Macross terms in non-standard ways. Personally, I prefer the standard Hepburn romanization, and in this case, the result would create something that would still be understood without proper capitalization.

Psst: did you see the edit?

It could be another ship in the Supervision Army fleet that sped by somewhere "close" to Earth. I'm not thinking along the lines of Macross 25 being about the Supervision Army at this point. However, one way to look at it is that Earth (or at least a select few on Earth) were aware of exo-solar life traveling the stars, and an enlarging of the scope of the Macross Background Story .

Correct name: "Evil Series" See: http://macross.anime.net/story/chronology/...0000/index.html (Before anyone raises pitchforks and ilk, note the capitalization denoting a proper noun composed of two words.)

Good point Eugemon. I'd like to add: In VF-X2, the Factory Satellite has had a giant (for lack of better words) hole in it's side, allowing for asteroids to be brought inside and processed. IMHO, extra-solar asteroids would be the main building material used by the factory ships in colonization fleets. That said, how many years have the Zentraedi (and presumably Supervision Army) Forces been using Factory Satellites to build their massive fleets? It's highly probable that they have already strip-mined the (easily attainable) resources of the galaxy!

Ok... I'll bite. 1) of the few that actually make Macross art, they post some here. Though, in honesty, I don't know what you're saying when you say "favorite Macross artwork". Do you mean self made, or made by others? 2) In my case, it's finished pictures inclusive of backgrounds. 3) Drawing anything decent (or anywhere near what the original artists drew) takes practice, irrespective of the source. 4) I've never drawn Seed Destiny mecha, so I have no clue. I have found that Macross VFs are generally easier to draw than mecha from the original Gundam series. Mind you, I've spent years more time examining and studying VFs than I have Gundams. If, as I'm guessing from your questions and UserID, you plan to draw Macross VFs, keep in mind the design philosophies: Gundam = heavy and armoured, VFs = delicate and aerodynamic.

On that note, I'd like to add that the era that the VF-1 and the VF-19/21/22 were produced in are radically different. The VF-1 needed to be produced in sufficient numbers to fend off an alien invasion as soon as yesterday. The VF-19/21/22 were produced in an era where the authorities could spend the time/money/whatever to finesse the designs to get the most out of it. In other words, due to the situation, the UN Spacy can afford to wait on releasing the Project Supernova AVF. (In addition to the logisitics, training, difficult to pilot, etc. that's already been mentioned.)

The VF-X2 game, set in 2050, with the main opponent being people from the UN Spacy itself, has the majority of UN Spacy equipment using opponents in the VF-11. Only one or two had the VF-19, one had the VF-22, and the majority were the (Target) Drone and Ghost X-9 (both from Macross Plus.) I think it says volumes about the fate of piloted VFs in general in Macross post-2050, but that's an entirely different topic of discussion.

I don't think Kazutaka Miyatake did the AFOS design. He did do the Ginga Kujira, Protodevlin, and the Ghost Fighter from Macross Zero. Though, given the limited literature spawned by Macross Zero (the only art book per se appears in the back half of Tenjin Hidetaka's Valkyries), it is possible that he designed the AFOS as well.

Many good points, but this got me thinking the most: what is the gimmick that Macross has that makes it different from the rest in the genre? I read it as spiritia is here to stay.

Had a chance to check out the magazine - Gundam 00 is in full hype mode. Macross only appears as small adverts for the rereleases of Macross Plus and 7 (old news.) As for the future release of it - there was an article in the magazine about the benefits of Blu-ray/HD-DVD vs. DVD. Given the number of anime releases on Blu-ray (I didn't spot a single HD-DVD release!), there's a strong chance that the standard for anime will be Blu-Ray. That said - what Azrael said - let's wait until AFTER the show starts being broadcast before we contemplate a non-televised media release of "Macross 25".

Agreed, and that's only if the ships aren't being used to do something else. If I'm not mistaken, attachments to the colony ship were built to expand the available space for the residents (populations tend to grow and need more living space,) not to mention the general repair and replacement of parts in the ships and vehicles in the fleet.

Simple: Macross 7 and Macross Plus were running at the same time. If they had the M7 Fleet VFs composed of VF-19, it'd take (one part of) the mystery out of Macross Plus. In universe, I believe the explanations are: the VF-11 worked fine, and until they met the Varuta, there was no need to change all of the VFs in the fleet to the VF-19. I believe the M7 fleet was also launched before the year that Macross Plus takes place.

Isn't it implied (if not directly stated) that the AFOS (or a similar device) has been used in Earth's past to wipe out preceeding civilizations? I think that was shown in the last episode of Macross 0, if memory serves.

The latest issue of Newtype is out. There's nothing on the cover mentioning Macross 25. I'll try and pop into a store that allows tachiyomi to see if there is anything mentioned inside (doubtful.) Hobby Japan (I think that was the modeling magazine) didn't have anything on the new series either, though it does have a nice collection of photos about the new SV-51.