sketchley

Kensei, that's a fallicy. It can and indeed does transform into different modes, without the need to eject the FAST packs. Grebo's post above is proof. Yes, he added colour, but the line-art is all authentic. Aside from the FAST packs on in battroid, one of the smaller images in the fighter picture details how the FAST packs move from the wings to the legs when it transforms. PS the VF-22 Sturmvogel has the most firepower.

Agreed Eugimon. I'd really like to see a story detailing the years post Flashback 2012, and pre-Macross Plus/7. Of course the game Macross M3 deals with it, but as I haven't played the game, the game's story isn't readily available, and from the designs that I have seen, it doesn't add enough to the rich details that could be added there. What detail? Just look at Isamu's history. The other angle would be something occuring after VF-X2, and dealing with the fracturing of the UN Spacy itself (if I'm not mistaken, there was some kind of military coupe going on. How else would the terrorists in the game be well stocked with UN equipment, let along get their hands on the Battle 13?) There's lots of potential.

Jenius, I think that they were as far away from each other as they could possibly get, and fate (or the producers/writers) threw them back together. Conflict always makes for good drama. There's a little bit more fleshing out occuring in Macross 7 - though as the Japanese people consider themselves to be a 99% homogenius population, they probably don't consider the topic of race relations inside of a single culture, or it could even be cultural taboo. Either way, a series like Macross 7 or Plus isn't really the right venue to explore such things. Just look at how the exploration of a none violent means to resolve conflicts alienated a bunch of Macross fans. Anyhow, back to the fleshing out in Macross 7: colony fleets designed for Zentraedi and (exclusively?) crewed and populated by them. Mecha designed for Zentraedi. Even in the City 7 ship, there doesn't appear to be that many Zentraedi present (pointy ears, lack of eyebrows, etc..) Segregation... by choice, or design? Hard to say. But I do feel that, in the context of the story, there is some pro-human actions going on. Pity that they couldn't have exploited that with an arc of the story dealing with racism towards people of mixed ethniticity. Again, not something that is big enough to appear on the radar map in Japan. (If Macross 7 were made now, it'd be reflecting the high rate of student suicide from bullying...)

Ghost in the Shell, 1995; Kodansha, Bandai, and Manga Entertainment. Agreed that joint/international productions were rare 10 years ago, but they were occuring.

Funny, you should mention this. In the wikipedia site (again, not the most reliable source), Bhasa Malay wasn't listed as one of the languages the page for Macross is available in. But, Bhasa Indonesian is... Of course neither language shows up as alternative pages for the Robotech wikipedia page...

Jenius, the icing on the cake line sounds like something I used in the past few days either in this very thread, or elsewhere in these forums. It's funny that you should ask me it. (BTW, I agree with the fan, but as the point of the post is marketability in English, including that in the post would've dilluted the main point.) There may very well be Japanese (and other nationalities) crunching numbers, but without a domestic partner, it's hard (to impossible, depending on the laws of the country) to start a business in that foreign country. Japanese businessmen aren't they type to stab others in the back, and steal their ideas. The vast majority here prefer to work together for the common profit. So, please don't feel that it is the Japanese who are preventing the release of anime in other countries. If anything, it is unscrupulous businessmen *cough* HG *cough* who're trying to trick Japanese business into agreeing to some kind of unequal or exploitive licensing agreement. Ah... the capitalist paradigm vs. the guided economy paradigm... With the limited releases of Macross in English, it may very well be that domestic distributors are unaware of the potential profit they can make from releasing more Macross series - or the flip side, they are very, very aware of the (limited) potential for profit, and are investing in less risky (usually meaning movies and OVAs) anime to import.* In this case, the fans need to make requests to the domestic distributors to release Macross, and follow through with their requests, by actually buying the releases - pirating hurts everyone. As for Macross production suffering in general: it is an entirely domestic (to Japan) situation. On the one hand, until recently the country has been in an economic slump (despite the 'recovery,' people's salaries have yet to increase, and with inflation, the amount of money available for discretionary purchases is steadily shrinking**. In other words, there is less money floating around for anime to be created - so less (or no) money is being spent on anime that look like they will be anything but a sure-fire hit. On the other hand, Macross never has had the popularity of some other anime (Gundam, Sazae-san, Crayon Shin-chan, Boy Detective Conan, etc..) Macross is for a niche market, and niche markets have a harder time to make big, popular successes, thus sponsors, and their money, are fewer with less of it. This is all my personal take on things here in Japan, and it may not be completely true, and it may be overly pessimisstic. Sensationalistic news is not good for the mind... Re: Simpsons and anime for toys Sponsorships. Fox originally (and continues???) to sponsor Simpson for - as stated previously - selling commercial airtime. Toy manufacturers tend to sponsor anime (as they do 'kid' cartoons in English, films like Star Wars, etc.) as they have the potential to make their investment back via product marketing. Of course they pay more for sequels and prequels to successful series as they know that there is a proven market for merchandising (makes you happy to purchase Macross products, don't it, 'cuz you know it's sending the right message to the very people who actually do sponsor the production of more Macross anime.) * Macross Zero would be the most likely candidate for import, followed by Macross 7 Dynamite, and the Macross 7 movie. Macross 7 - well, the membership on fan websites like this have spoken (newer Macross productions suck, etc.), and domestic distributers are listening. ** Japan, the country, is rich. The Japanese people are not rich.

Uhm, pre- and post-Plaza Accord monitary exchange and the ability to import (or export) an anime series-for-profit are apples, and oranges, my friend. Aside from the financial implications, there's also the cultural paradigm shift to take into consideration that occured through the late '80's and early '90's. Nevertheless, my point is all about the Macross that wasn't in English, not the Macross that has already been in English, whether in badly done dub, or corrected sub. The bankability relates to the Macross product that has not, or has yet to be released. But you are correct, the troubled past of what has been brought into English, and the potential of more legal troubles for an importer does have a negative impact on the potential bankability, or profit, of any future imports.

Could be, but please note that when I say 'in English', I mean releases outside of North America in other English speaking countries. HG hasn't stopped the release of Macross in other languages such as Korean, Chinese, Tagalog, Spanish, etc.; why should they be bothered to enter an expensive legal battle in a foreign English speaking country? Precedents... A quick check of wikipedia (yes, not the most verifiable reference, but being used as a barometer in this case) reveals translations of the SDF:M page into French, Bahasa Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, and Crylic/Russian. Of all of the links, only the English and Crylic/Russian pages have a section on legal issues. I am not sure if they mention HG in that section, but they do have links to Tokyo, and the USA in it. Nevertheless, even with the presence of HG and it's potential of legal problems, it still implies that Macross is not deemed bankable enough to be translated into English any more than it has been.

It stays with him, and only gets knocked off near the end of the battle. I can't find any images on the net, but it is there.

The colours look good, but I still don't like the gun pods. The VF-14 should still be able to mount a gunpod along the centerline - if not carry the rather lethal looking gun pod of the Fz-109; that thing has four nasty bayonnet like spikes on the front. Nasty.

How many Macross productions have been released in English, let alone the US market? Anime: 4 of 10* Games: 0 of 5** Manga: 0 of 1 Macross is definitely not being released for the international audience. If anything, international sales are only the icing on the cake. Also, Macross is definitely anything but a "mainstream, prime time" anime. There are very, very few of those in Japan, and most of those are defined as very kid oriented ("Boy Detective Conan", and "Sazae San", are the ones that come to mind; and there is like 3 or 4 more tops.) Sure, there are anime specialized channels here in Japan too, but they are monopolized by Gundam, Ghost in the Shell, and other recent, more popular anime. I've only seen Macross on TV twice here in Japan - both times were on a non-anime semi-family oriented specialty channel on cable TV, and they were marathons of Macross Zero and Plus, that started after midnight. That's twice, in the 3+ years that I've been living here. I've seen more Gundam Seed, Ghost in the Shell, Conan, and Sazae San being broadcast than I have of Macross. I'm not saying we shouldn't expect something, but be prepared for something that is small - like the 20th Anniversary DVD. *I'm counting the Macross 7 TV series, movie, and OVA series seperately, just as SDF:M and DYRL are seperate. ** only including games from the Playstation and Sega onwards.

I was mostly refering to the VF-2S (with their automated attack bits) and the Metal Siren with the alphabet soup.

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Post SWI. I'm not sure if it was mentioned in Flashback 2012, but the new calender disappears in Macross productions between Flashback 2012 and Macross Plus/7. IMHO, I think it was just the production team (the original) Macross (who are big Gundam fans,) pulling a "Gundam", by attempting their own Universal Century. And yes, Macross even has space colonies...

I was thinking along the lines of machines eventually break down (including, and most likely the first being the communications link to the protocultures/creators/factory satellite), whereas when the food supply (or whatever) breaks down, a living, breathing humanoid is going to do something about it (well along the lines of a "truly adaptable, thinking pilot"). Of course humanoids can break down too. But in the Zentraedi society they simply get shot, and replaced before too much damage happens. But hey, self-aware, psychotic AIs works too.

That's not Guld. It's Mr. John Doe Zentraedi. There was some further information on Hikaru and Misa (beyond what's written in the compendium): Pg 75, and 76-77 of "Macross Graffiti Best Hit Series". If you don't happen to have that book handy: Pg 75 Wedding of Hikaru and Misa, dated 2011.10.10. Pg 76-77 Max and Miria with a toddler and a baby, and Hikaru and Misa with a single brown haired baby. The image is dated October 18th, of the 0003 year of the New Era calendar*.) * For those that don't: 2013 being year 0001 of the calender.

You know, this has reminded me of why I dislike Macross II so much: the uber able-to-kill-em-all-without-fear-of-harm-as-the-enemy-cannot-penetrate-the-armour mecha in it. At least in Macross Plus, the other Macross with uber mecha, it was uber mecha vs. uber mecha with semi-developed characters, so there was some concern about the outcome of the battle. Anyhow, ranting and raving aside, wouldn't the individual panels and seam lines on 6 Km long ship be smaller? Also, they don't line up with the angles of the ship (ex: underside of the cannon arms) so it gives the ship a distorted perspective look. I suggest applying a layer of 50% or 75% black shadow over those spots to, at the very least, give the thing a more 3D look. You may want to add some additional elements - such as other capital ships - in the foreground, to give some kind of sense of scale (which was a problem in the animation - no sense of scale aside from the bridge, which given the size of the bridge in the SDF-1, would make the Macross cannon only slightly larger than the SDF-1, and not 6 Km!)

If it is true that the Protoculture made an army of automated machines to do parts replacement, why weren't the war machines of the Zentraedi also fully automated? Why even design giant sized biological soldiers that waste resources like space, require heat, food, water, and training to maintain their skills? Robots that are only activated when needed are a lot more efficient then biological warriors. So why the heavy reliance on them? The evidence is strongly in the favor of technicians in the Zentraedi fleet. And Nathan didn't say that the Zentraedi males were serving onboard mixed with Zentraedi females. He said that the Zentraedi males (with no females) were serving aboard a ship painted the same colour as other ships in the female fleet.

In gerwalk mode, I believe the arms can still pivot, thus allowing the "elbow mounted" lasers to be aimed off of the centerline. Grebu, don't forget that the Vf-17 also has weapon pallets in it's legs, too. Meaning that there is room for the engines, gun pod, AND either the B-7 or the B-11A internal pallet (and any others that may exist). The fuel is probably stored in what becomes the back, and the wings. Agreed that the SV-51 is supposed to be visually distinct from the VF-1. Fun fact: the SV-51 is the only VF (that I know of) that Shoji Kawamori designed in 3-D first, before drawing. In other words - it's the most accurate VF in all modes, to date. I believe that is one of the reasons why it is so spindly, and has so many parts that merge and morph together in the different modes - but hey, that's what a transformer is supposed to do, right? Right. Anyhow, going back to the topic of this thread - can the Macross II gun pods be removed, and replaced with those from the Fz-109? The Varuta ripped off the VF-14 in designing that VF, why not take the basic shape of the gun pod too? It'd also make fitting the gun into the leg that much easier. Also the colours - purple (at least the shades chosen) don't give the VF enough menance. It is named Vampire afterall. The original colours (dark blue and light blue) had a lot more contrast. I suggest retaining that. Either go all black (and make the tie-in with the mystery jets on the sets in Macross Plus) or other colours that are more bold and aggressive.

Psst Grebo, that's what Nathan said - though not upkeep. That'd require constant attention, and is the role of the heretofore unseen 'technician class'.

It had something to do with the laser guns that are in the arms, and to give the whole thing a more sleek, aggressive looking gerwalk mode. It may also have to do with utilizing the thrusters in the shoulders as breaking thrusters, as the knees on the VF-17 don't appear to be able to bend backwards.) Forward thrust comes either from the legs/main engines (angled the right way,) or small thrusters in the ankle and two that are normally concealed in what becomes the back of the VF-17 (seen in the detail-up review battroid lineart.) In both VF-X and VF-X2 the VF-17 does have a more regular looking gerwalk mode. It should be kept in mind that the VF-17 is primarily a space based fighter, and the design reflects this.

Make that two of us. The VF-14 "Vampire" is from M3. It makes sense that the gunpod is stored in the leg, and is retrieved in the same way as the Fz-109. Though, with the missile launchers that are supposedly also in the legs too, it's definitely a tight fit! That said, with the trend in VFs in M7 and Plus, with space in the leg for an engine, a weapon pallet, and sometimes even a gun pod too, Kawamori Shouji must be of the mind that the thermonuclear engines must be getting quite small by the 2040s.

BOTH have images of the Battle 7. The former contains smaller images, and the design process. The latter contains larger images, and slightly more of them. If you are looking for a sample of all of Kazutaka Miyatake's work, than the former is recommended (it contains stuff from SDF:M, DYRL, M+, M7, M7 Dynamite, SDF:M DYRL, VF-X, VF-X2, and Orguss.) If you are only looking for material from the first 1/2 to 3/4 of M7, the latter is recommended.

Not only is this badly paraphrased, but it is written in a highly inflamatory mannor, and twisted into an unintended, and offensive meaning - a meaning that wasn't present in the original. I may be reading more into it than intended, as I am losing some of my English abilities, but IMHO that statement is both a form of trolling, and a recycling of other's comments. I agree that differing opinions are welcome, and valued in these kinds of discussions, but inflammatory and offensive language are not. It is one thing to say that you disagree (and why), and it is an entirely different thing to say that what someone else likes is something that negatively reflects on the person who expressed their appreciation for it. In other words, tone down the language, please and thank you.

Jenus, let it go. Not only have you repeated your stance numerous times, you are attempting, and badly I might add, to recycle the posts of others. In fact, I'd say that you are crossing the line into trolling. I'll summerize your position here: "I like mecha porn. Macross 7 isn't mecha porn. I don't like Macross 7. Macross II is mecha porn. I like Macross II." As for characters vs. plot: character's make or break a story. If it doesn't feel like the characters are directing, guiding, and/or controlling the story, and instead it feels like the plot is being forced onto them, then the story, frankly, sucks.