sketchley

It's not an option available in the game, if that's what you mean (ALL VFs available to the player are limited to the 3 'base' modes.) I think that extra gerwalk mode of the VF-17D is pretty funky - it gives it a more aggressive feel. Nevertheless, it doesn't appear very often in the games or animation...

The VA-3 first appeared in 1995's "This is Animation Special: Macross Plus", on pg 72-73, 94. The book is also noteable for the first appearance of the VF-5000. The VA-3 later appeared in Macross 7 Dynamite, as the VA-3C/VA-3C Kai. In a sense, it wasn't original to VF-X2. (Though the water landing and submarine capabilities are - as it is the VA-3M in the game - the wing pods are modified into pontoons, and it looses it's BFG gun pod.) Believe you me, it's not a fighter, but a bomber type plane. If it ever gets produced as a toy, it'd probably need the least amount of 'redesign' to make it work (unlike the VF-19...)

Didn't someone do a VF-4 as well (from VF-X)? There's a few pictures available here in Macross World in the model section.

I believe it's all-or-nothing. The reason being is worth for the licensee (a bunch at a low(er) price), and less risk for the licenser (ALL the designs are purchased, giving a higher total purchase than any individual design would garner.) Anyhow, colour schemes from VF-X2 (from the poster that comes with the game): VF-1A: Tawnie VF-1S Super Pack: Fokker's colours VF-11: white, with yellow trim VF-17: standard, and an all-red model VF-19: sky blue VF-22: dark blue (note: it is VF-22, and not YF-21.) VA-3M: pink/light purple (mauve?) VB-6: light brown, grey and red trim There's also (and I'm not sure if they're included in the license): all are standard colours Light Missile Regult Graug/gluag Tomahawk Destroid Defender Destroid Spartan Destroid Zentraedi Fighter Pod/Gnerl SB-10/10 Starwing Target Drone Feious Valkyrie Ghost AIF-9B Gjagravan-Va There's a gold mine of designs there. And us model builders don't exactly have to settle for the 'recommended' paint-schemes when we have model paints...

Feature films are doubtful - basically it's a big investment on a risky project. We're more likely to see OVAs - small to medium investment with a greater return potential. If anything, we'll see more things like DYRL, Macross Plus Movie Edition, and Macross 7: The Galaxy is Calling Me. In other words, move versions of already ongoing (or finished) series.

Japanese have different concepts of unacceptable body language. As the image used in the avatar is a Haruhiku Mikimoto original, I don't think North American body language should be read into it.

I don't think it's glow-in-the-dark so much as the colour contrast (white on dark.) Is the shadow producing script not working or something?

True, but France isn't the only European country that speaks French. There's Monaco, Switzerland, and Belgium, to name but a few... nevertheless, good point on the relationship between France and Japan in the entertainment industries.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nb20060804a3.html

I thought Global was Eastern European, and Claudia was the most likeliest contender for French (last name = Laselle.) Crap... checked the Compendium - Bruno is born in Eastern Europe but of Italian decent, and Claudia is American. Though... max is European. http://macross.anime.net//characters/index.html

Funny... "Wings of Honneamise" is also a great movie. Sure, it doesn't get much replay (mind you, my collection is on the other side of the Pacific Ocean... ) I think these films are more for the connoisseur, than for anime fans in general. For example, I found the Oshii movie "Innocence" to be like a noire film, punctuated with extreme violence (or was the lack of violence in general, and the suddeness and violence of it, what really made it seem more violent? Hmmm... I think that there is a message in it...) Anyhow, these films are works of art. To each their own. Let's keep the negativity on them to a minimum. We're all fans of something, right. Back to the topic - what really gets my clock spinning with Patlabor 2 is how life imitated it: the Aum subway gas attack... scary!

Gah! Sounds too much like Ultraman/Kamen Rider/any of the other plethora of rubber-monster-of-the-week shows already being produced. If any Macross sequel is to be produced, it MUST have what makes Macross what it is: anti-war story, love triangle, and music. (In a sense, VFs are really only window dressing to the core Macross values, and aren't really needed... )

Going by the Compendium (and my copy of Macross Perfect Memory* backs this up, though I don't know what the Macross Gold Book has to say about it) the name of the ship is: ç ²è‰¦ Aka: Gun Destroyer. http://macross.anime.net//mecha/zentradi/s...oyer/index.html *Technically speaking, the Macross Perfect Memory book calls it a 'Medium Sized Gun Destroyer'. Medium being the size of the ship - I guess by Zentraedi standards - and gun would probably be better translated as cannon; as the wife says.

"2001 A Space Oddessy" is a great movie - especially the open ended ending as well as the accurate, though (being honest,) boring representation of real space travel. "2010 The Year We Make Contact" is not a good sequel. On it's own, 2010 is a great film, just not a great follow-up to the Stanley Kubric masterpiece. Nevertheless, I didn't really notice the similarities with Macross Plus until now... thanks for pointing them out!

Ghost in the Shell OSTs - for all of them (the two movies, and the two TV series!) The Appleseed 3D CG anime movie's soundtrack was also pretty kick-butt. Recently I've been having an "Otaku no Video" revival. The OST of that is fun, in a weird way. I guess it kind of helps if one has an understanding of Japanese and Japanese anime history when listening to it...

I do agree that the percentage of Macross fans amongst English speaking anime fans is greater than that of Japanese speaking anime fans. However, as Azrael started to point out - if Macross is truly that profitable in English speaking countries, we would see more joint productions like the Manga Video - Production IG work in the "Ghost in the Shell" movie.

If I remember correclty (heh...) it's the same as the one that they used in the next episode - a Zentraedi Gunship.

The problem with that trailer is that it shows nothing about a game. It looks like a preview to the 2nd movie. Mind you... depending on the platform that it is released on... we could be looking at movie quality graphics... nevertheless, it looks good. A nice combination of elements from the 2nd, and 4th manga books.

It does take a few hits, and damage (mostly bullet holes, and some parts of the edges ripped out) during the VF/Destroid/Armoured VF battle over and around it in the 3rd episode. Otherwise... yeah... OTEC metallurgy and other armour upgrade techniques.

I have always been under the impression that Max is the better pilot. In his first sortie, he downs an impressive number of kills. Roy, on the other hand, doesn't appear to rack up as many kills in as short a period of time. Mind you, as squadron leader, Roy probably has to spend a lot of time looking after those under his command and keeping track of the big picture... so I guess we have to give him piloting points for that - not being killed while he is doing the management tasks.

And here are the images. Had time to search for them. Note: I didn't do the translations and the images are 'as is.' The Studio Nue line-art backs up the 4 panel LIDAR, and 55 mm gun attachment. I haven't found supporting line-art for the missile launcher head - though that doesn't mean that one doesn't exist.

I'm not sure IF the alternate Phalanx head types were created during SWI (except for the hack-job one in that one episode.) Nevertheless, the other heads are definitely available after the end of SWI. I'm of the opinion that once the war was over, and things begain to stabilize themselves for humanity*, designers went over the war footage, and started tweaking it. *I'm deliberately being vague here. It could've happened right away (as in when the Factory Satellite was retrieved) or a few months or even years later.)

I'm not saying that it can't hold more. I'm just saying that Studio Nue released resources state that it holds 22x2. Obviously from the animation, they can cram in more small missiles in between the larger ones. Now... some interesting things about the Phalanx are the different heads that it has. I don't have time to sort through my image files, but believe you me, there are at least three alternate Phalanx heads. One is a gun pod, one is a missile launcher, and one is a differently arrange searchlight type head. If you count the 'battle damaged and repaired' ones that showed up in the 'Force of Arms' episode, than there is a 4th alternate head as well...

Interesting... that's exactly why movies are good (in general,) and especially recently, why I want to see movies. Also, isn't that the formulae that the ST series are based off of? After all, action (aka special effects) costs money. Actors standing in front of a camera doing their thing costs much, much less (most of the time.)

It looks really, really sweet. Good luck figuring out the CG modelling program - and best of luck getting a working skin that has the same matte colouring as the above image. Though... the left-most engine block (on the picture above*) is missing some of the cowling around the engine thruster... *The one on the right side, when looking at the model from the rear.