sketchley

Zinjo, as always, you make me chuckle. Please, don't read what you think I am trying to say, but what I am actually saying. Did I once claim that Macross DVDs were still being published in Japan? NO. Are new Macross DVDs still available for purchase at stores? YES. I, and I am sure that other members of this community have seen them in their forays to the shopping districts of Japan. Do you want a list of shops and titles? As one can be provided. Agreed that purchasing used products probably doesn't (I am unfamiliar with those laws here in Japan,) put money directly in the hands of the producers of Macross. However, it DOES tell stores that people are buying Macross products. They, in turn, request more product from distributers, who in turn request more product from the producers of Macross; which significantly increases the chance of both reprints AND sequels. It's simple market economics. Yes, buying merchandise is all well and good, and it tells manufacturers, distributors and retailers that there is a demand for merchandise. However, it only proves that there is a demand for merchandise, and not the anime that the merchandise is a derivative of. Anyhow, I think all of you who want to buy bootlegs are silly. Haven't you heard of Torrents? The last I checked, ALL of the Macross anime, manga, and games* released to date are available - for free, and with subtitles or English translations. Why pay money to criminals**, when you can get it for free from other criminals? *PS1 generation and later. I'm not sure about preceeding games. ** Who invariably provide flawed, or just plain wrong subtitles and translations

(sigh) Thanks Eugimon. Grebu, to clarify, I meant real world research, not research of other anime, and manga. Yes, they are good inspiration, but take both Kawamori and Shirow as examples: the former researches real-world aircraft, and the research of insects is very apparent in the work of the later. Both of their research, and subsequent application, has lead to new, and interesting designs - and that is exactly what is needed in the overgrown toe-nail of repeatedness in the manga and anime industry, if one wishes to be successful; or at least noticed. Also, when artists learn about illustrating the human body (and doing humanoid mecha is an extension of that,) they learn about the inner workings of the human body. No, not at the level of a doctor, but still at a level to know what is underneath the flesh and hair, and how the body moves. So research at some leveLA, and observation of ones surroundings are part and parcel with being an artist, and a designer. At the very least, it allows ones audience to more easily suspend their disbelief. Regarding making things simple: if one has to draw an object many, many times (as animators, and manga artists must,) one tends to choose the simpler design over the complicated one. That is where I am coming from when I say 'economy of line'. Even in DYRL, economy of line is apparent. The animators still used the same, simple, blocky VF shape design from the series; they simply embellished it. Apologies if my comments offend you, as the intent is only to assist you, and others reading this thread. Ignore my advice and criticism if you need to, but please keep in mind that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. As for 'coolness factor', that is all in the eye of the beholder. Please refer to that thread for other people's comments on it, in non-upset frames of mind.

Lynx, ALL of the tanks in the 2nd manga series are Bonaparte types. Knight, the ball-wheeled tanks in the first OVA series are based off of the ball-wheeled tanks in the first manga. I haven't seen any lineart on either series (not that I have been looking...) but I recommend the first manga series, as there are ball-wheeled tanks in it. Not to mention that the art from the manga is more readily accessible.

Just to clarify, are you requesting pictures from the first manga series, or the first or second OVA series? If I'm not mistaken, they all had different main battle tanks in them.

*cough* fourth language *cough* I'm not saying that at all. I am saying that I have no sympathy and there is no excuse. There are translated scripts, and even subtitle files with time tracking built into them available. There is even one that I am aware of being made available by a member of this forum for DYRL. There are ways to watch non-region compatible DVDs. As I am not an expert in it, I cannot elaborate. But yes, expensive hobby and tastes us Macross fans have, and there are unavoidable costs when it comes to imports.

Weren't the VF-19F and S designed for space use only? In both VF-X and VF-X2, a VF-19A exists, that looks similar to the YF-19. I say similar, because the YF-19 is a test bed with a lot of extra bells and whistles. Some of them made it into the finished product, but a few of them didn't.

The bow feels... off somehow. I can't describe it exactly, but it doesn't look quite right. Agreed on the Compendium stuff. As I have stated earlier (or elsewhere,) the compendium is mostly correct, but it does have errors and inconsistencies. If you want, here are some examples off of the top of my head: Wrong number of conformally mounted missiles for the VF-4 (claims 6, when there is really 12.) VF-4, VF-11 and VF-5000 contradict each other re: when which was the main fighter of the UNS. Inconsistant use of Supervision Army and Inspection Army, when they are one and the same. True, not large errors, but as a site dedicated to the small details...

It doesn't work. At least the stretching-the-limits-of-plausibilty original packs have a more accurate location on the transformed VF-19. Yes, they look like they make the thing top heavy, and it'll fall over. But as those packs are transatmospheric and contain a scramjet, they aren't 100% dead weight...

I agree that it is an interesting extrapolation. However, Macross II is neither original, nor realistic in it's extrapolation. Flashback 2012 has (recycled) Zentraedi ships as the escorts of the Megaroad; even Macross 7 has a couple of Zentraedi flagships still acting in colony fleet escort duty. Macross II fails to impress me with it's logic that after 70 years, the 'recycled' Zentraedi ships are still being used, with little apparent upgrading to the tech advancements apparent in both the VFs and the other capital ships used by the UNS. IMHO, Macross 7 portrays things better, with the switch from big, slow, unstealthy capital ships, to small, manueverable, stealth ships. A much more realistic development, given the current trends in the war machines of the real Earth. I do agree that turning the crashed Zentraedi ships into cities on the surface of Earth is interesting, but the whole premise of Macross II ignores the end of the SDF:M and the developments in Flashback 2012 - that being the human emmigration project. EDIT: forgot to mention the recycling of the Gluag design into a variable fighter in Macross Plus: Game Edition, and Macross M3.

Rationalize it all you want, you are still not putting money in the hands of the people who make Macross. Being a fan of a foreign entertainment sucks at time. Bite the bullet boys. I've been studying Japanese since 1992, and buying domestic releases of the Macross series that I like, so I have no sympathy for you. Also, there are used shops too, and I have found all manner of Macross DVDs in them. Again, no excuse.

Isn't that the standard gunpod for all VF-5000???

Tired, and macho. It was his riding out into the sunset.

The sad fact is that Robotech is not Macross, despite the name, and the use of the animation. IMHO, the fault lies totally with HG, as who are Palladium going to ask for clarifications with some of the details? The people at HG. And what are they going to say? The same stuff that was published previously, and more of it.

I agree with Knight26 and wldr. Having a fleet of Command ships, unloading their style of pain, would have looked far cooler - and have done a lot more damage (able to shoot in more directions.) I think the ships should be called 'Grand Cannon Ver. 2.0', as the ships and the ground instillations have far too many similarities.

Which version are you referring to here? The one for Advanced Valkyrie, or Macross M3?

Spotted this today in Kyoto, at the shrine in Kiyomizu-temple. Has anyone heard of this country?

The Robotech novels claimed that he was covering (or watching) a wingmate in his squad who had bailed out and was parachuting to safety. I'm not sure if it is faithful to the animation. Maybe he was distracted with thoughts of Claudia's... pineapples? Wasn't that the name of the episode?

The penetration plan was sound - how many asteroids turn to meteors and crash to Earth? Would the defense network be so supertuned that it would detect small, natural bodies in space and shoot them down? I have no problems with that scene, as it makes a fair bit of sense. They knew they were coming, they hid in debris, and as long as they remained unmoving, they would be thought of as only another piece of debris. To be honest, the disappointment of that scene was the lack of activity from the ships, and VFs in orbit. Sure, the YF-19 could fly loops around them (as shown in Macross 7,) but there wasn't even a hint of activity amongst the ships. Disappointed.

Just as long as you all are aware that by supporting bootleggers, you are not supporting further Macross projects, then that is all I can add to this topic.

If I'm not mistaken, those might be bootlegs. Macross 0 has only been released with the episodes on seperate discs. There is no 'Bandai Emotion' imprint label on the cover of the Macross 20th Anniversary DVD, plus the DVD logo itself is in colour, when the original is not. (Plus they are far, far cheaper then the 'region 1' DVDs listed on that page. Suspicious...) I searched on the net, and I found some similar releases, and they had English and Chinese subtitles - leading me to suspect that they are Chinese bootlegs.

The question is: will it simply be a reprinting of the previous editions, or will it be revised and 'updated' in some way, shape, or form?

Not reading, and not doing a google search: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=ja&q=th...aws+of+robotics Searches are not hard people.

Agreed with this - but again, making it more 'realistic' (through a bit of research) only makes these machines look more realistic. Now, before I get dismissed as being a critic without an artistic leg or background to stand on, I humbly submit a transforming VF that I designed a few months ago: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...18842&st=40 I regret to say that I never completed a rear 3/4 view, but it does exist in the roughs. I also like the transformation thumbnails too for it. Oh yeah, Grebu, make more than one view of your vehicles. It makes for an easier time in figuring out their dimensions and stuff.

Some comments: 1) do a bit of research. Realism of course requires some design compromises, but making things look more real, makes it easier for the audience to suspend their disbelief that such a thing can exist. Also, there are plenty of dohickies and other small (and large) features that can be added.* 2) Economy of line. Detail can be added later. If you rescale your ship to a smaller size, and the lack of detail distorts or fundementally alters the shape of the ship, then it's no good. As Gene Roddenberry said of the original Star Trek Enterprise: he wanted any 5 year-old to be able to draw the ship. As seen from the movie incarnations, layers and layers of detail can be added onto that simple base design. For some reason, the ship reminds me of the Musai class of ships in Gundam. I humbly suggest doing a bit more research, as those ships, and the one that you designed, will have the problem of being forever put into a slow vertical rotation because their engines are off of the centerline of mass in the ships - wasting fuel in the constantly required course corrections... * My big complaint is that the defensive laser batteries are buried between the superstructure, in a place where they can only defend straight ahead. Putting them, say, where the missile launchers or radome are, with a larger field of fire, makes them not only more useful, but more realistic. One doesn't see AA guns on Navy ships with restricted fields of fire, after all.

Personally, AI vs. the human condition is better served in a Ghost in the Shell type environment, where the lines between humans and machines are blurred. I love how a lot of people deem the Ghost X-9 a failure. I wonder why they feel that way. Is it because the AI Sharon Apple took control of the SDF-1's main computer, and used that to take control of the Ghost X-9? If so, then the failure isn't with the Ghost X-9 itself, but in it's abilities to not be taken over and controlled by the people who it was designed to be controlled by. Wait, wasn't that done deliberately? Rhetorical questions aside, the Ghost X-9 was not only a success, it has been mass produced, and employed successfully. Just look how many of them crop up in VF-X2. Sure, they're controlled by the enemy terrorists. But keep in mind that the enemy terrorists were UNS military officers doing some type of coup - again, the Ghost X-9 being controlled by the people it was designed to be controlled by. The last peice of evidence on AI controlled fighters in Macross is the 'other' Ghost fighters. There are the QF-2001 Ghost, and the QF-3000E Ghost unmanned fighters (Macross 0, and SDF:M.) They served without going haywire. Why wouldn't the UNS revert to the succesful control computers used in them when mass producing and employing the Ghost X-9? EDIT: spelling. Coup isn't a coupe.