Dio

Found Samurai Prowl and Waspinator yesterday, got great things to say about them.

Samurai Prowl takes the awesomest deluxe in this line... and makes it awesomer. Though I was a little disappointed they took the prototype and altered it for the released version - this toy has just the wheel-sword, where the proto had a wheel that separated into a sword and shield combo (and is even shown on the packaging!). I was also a little disappointed they took away the unfolding shuriken, though you can still take the... hockey puck things out of his knees and think of them as hologram generators or something. All things said, the figure retains everything I loved most about the original and gives it extra goodies, and they also fixed the hip design that could sometimes pop out, replacing the 90-degree ball socket thing with a traditional ball joint and swivel. I bought two.

Waspinator is cool, albeit simple, and the toy has a lot of character which makes for a huge variety of entertaining display poses.

ROTF Megatron VIDEO Review

Thankfully, this movie is going to be easy on my wallet. The designs are really disappointing to me this go-around. More toys available for you guys who like them, I suppose!

At this point the only way I could see this show becoming more than a glorified undressing fantasy-girls extravaganza is if the Dolls take over and start modding their own brains for some greater purpose... like Mission Impossible kinds of stuff, not escort service clients gone wrong. So far, the utilitarian abilities of the Dolls seem very lacking (aside from Sierra's burst onto the scene with an assault rifle in Ep 1, which hints at oh so much more potential).

It's like the Matrix, but boring and shallow.

I... grew up in Illinois, if that counts

I'm in agreement with several of the above posters... this one, I'm in "wait and see" mode, trusting it will find its footing and draw me in. The first episode didn't give me much to go on, however.

I'm also a little bit peeved at the frequency by which they're using Summer Glau and Eliza Dushku to push their "spend Friday night with these hotties" advertising angle... it just seems beneath Joss Whedon, you know? Then again, Episode 1 of Dollhouse was about one-third-part each Eliza Dushku in provocative party mode, pajama girl-next-door mode, and naughty librarian mode.

It did throw me for a loop that she didn't bust out any martial arts in the episode, I was half-expecting them to dramatically flip that character's switch for the final 5 minutes. The Episode 2 preview looked somewhat compelling. Again, I say I'm giving it a chance and expecting great things, but honestly if it didn't have Whedon's name attached I would probably be much more skeptical.

Hey, Dio, you got any plans for A-Kon 09? I'm gonna cosplay Focker.

I've been toying with the idea for the last year or so... not sure if I could handle the culture shock or not! Been so long since I watched any anime other than Macross, I'm probably well out of the loop when it comes to that stuff. Who knows, it might be worth it, any chance of picking up any Macross toys there?

I believe I saw those exact few Alphas (Aoshima, I think?) at Hobbytown USA last time I was out that way for a book signing Are they all the green version? This is in the little mini-mall right across from like, Toys R Us and the big mall, right?

LAFToys = Lost [And] Found Toys, www.laftoys.com

Should have all their info like address, etc on the website... sad thing is, even with gas being cheap it's probably still more economical for me to have stuff shipped from there just because of the commute! Not to mention risking my life in DFW traffic...

If LAFToys gets the DX VF-25 toys, they shall have my business immediately. They're always out of FlexiDisplay stands whenever I check the site though, I must have the worst luck!

I'm about 45min east of ya, over in the Greenville/Rockwall area

Man, where are y'all finding these new waves of Animated/Universe? I've been to Wal Marts in two different states, and all I've seen is a reduction in the size of the TF section down to like a 2' long piece of aisle that's half taken up by the last wave of movie pegwarmers.

[insane Sheryl Shipper Voice]SEE? SEE?!? We DO have a resolution to the love triangle! And OUR QUEEN beat ol' dog ears!!! I TOLD YOU SO!!!![/Voice]

(Just getting in here before any of the real Sheryl Shippers see this... )

You know, in Macross past there was another singer who happened to spend Christmas with her pilot boyfriend... didn't work out so well for her in the end now, if I recall...

Time to lay it out on the table... keep in mind, this is the first time I have ever put this much effort into a model, usually I just cut them off the sprue, slash the nubs with my pocket knife, and apply decals and consider it done.

First 2 pics are my attempt at painting Alto... took about as much time as the the rest of it all put together, even with detailing. This marks the first time in my life I have ever sharpened a toothpick to create a paintbrush. I even tried to add a little detail to his monitor, though the Green Metal Flake didn't come out as well as I'd hoped. Maybe I'll put some white in there, let it dry, and then green over it to try and get that monitor just right.

Third pic is the amount of detailing I've been able to work in there. I find a good thin wash with straight Testors flat black, then sanding down the surface gives me both a good line and a good surface for when I clear coat it. Using thinner to swab it off tends to leave some smudges and I think it might even yellow the plastic...

I'm honestly scared to start this one, and it's been sitting behind me now in the box for the last couple of days. Could you guys make me some recommendations as to how to get started, from sprue to finished model? I'm probably at about Graham's level of experience, but there are several things that I'd like to get right on this model since so much isn't done for us.

I'm quite fine structurally putting it together, trimming sprue nubs and smoothing the surface, etc.

Locating stickers properly is no trouble either.

My issues with the model are:

Panel lining - when is best to do this: on the sprue, after cutting them off, or after assembly?

Gunpod not quite the "right" color (I want that lavender).

Painting the clear parts - canopy, visor, sensors. I've never painted clear plastic before.

My other problems are, I'm in rural Texas and pretty much just have Wal Mart or a local Hobby Lobby (craft store) to obtain supplies, so this will have to be a job done with probably the worst grade of supplies available. But I want this to be done right, because to do otherwise would be a disservice to Macross.

Oh, I'm also an engineer, so if you could tell me how to work this in numerical order (flowchart!) it would be stellar

Since everyone and their dogs are doing rankings, I'll throw mine in here.

1: SDF:M/DYRL

2: M7 (Yes, there, I said it)

3: MF

4: M+

5: M0 (god I hated Zero, Skull 1 on screen again was what ranked it above M2)

M2

I'll second that list... Frontier was just crammed into too tight of a package for my liking. It seemed like a lot of exposition got overlooked, and it did seem to lose its focus later in the series. From the beginning, it was set against the backdrop of the high school students, but it seemed like they dropped that angle and suddenly went straight to Soldiers, Mecha Porn, & Love Triangle.

The supporting cast wasn't really expanded on, except for a couple of character-centered tribute episodes. Even the main character didn't get defined very thoroughly... I didn't feel like I was familiar with Alto, he was just the pilot who looked uncomfortable whenever the girls in his life started making romantic overtures, and really only demonstrated any desire to do anything when it was a life-or-death situation. Heck, I feel Michel's death was more meaningful to him than either Sheryl's or Ranka's unexpected kisses. Isamu in Plus had that same craving for pushing life to the limit, flying in the infinite sky, and putting the girls on the back burner... but in 2 hours I got more familiar with him than I did with Alto over 25 episodes.

That's not to say Frontier disappointed me, I really did enjoy it, as I have pretty much every Macross series/OAV to grace us. But because of its shortcomings, I think it'll eventually be forgotten, especially if we get a better-developed Macross story with the same beautiful packaging later on in life.

And I STILL think Frontier was Kawamori takin' it back from Robotech

Wow, epic. Just epic. I was expecting something akin to Zero's bittersweet ending, but this was much better to end on a positive note (yes somewhat unresolved, but I don't mind all that much). I also loved Macross 7's ending for that very same reason - everything "big" got resolved, and left the smaller personal issues unresolved, but with a cast of characters who had finally perhaps grown enough as characters to finally address them in the Happily Ever After.

Moments I loved -

Vajra swarm shielding the fleet. That's one of those moments when you just KNOW the tide has turned.

Alto cutting the circle in the wall before rescuing Ranka really brought back the memory of Hikaru rescuing Misa after the Zentradi bombardment (though I've only seen it as Rick saving Lisa... all the same, it was a good scene).

Luca unleashing the Ghosts, talking about removing the chains that bound them, etc... that was a speech with a level of badassery on par with Samual L Jackson's Ezekiel 25:17.

Alto saying goodbye to his custom VF-25F... we were sad to see her go, but definitely appreciated her.

Here's an added bonus for me... the wife hasn't seen either Ep 24 OR 25 yet, so I get to re-watch them both this evening when she gets home from work

(Just can't let on that I watched them both early or she'll kill me)

I've heard about this several times, but honestly I never noticed ;;

When exactly was the music used?

The upbeat Wendy Rider song from the moon base festival scene was what the Jamming Birds tried to sing. I recall them singing it when they were training (jogging behind the jeep) and I think in a few space fight scenes for a short while before getting shoved aside by Fire Bomber.

Pre-disclaimer: I'm a Mac7 lover. The show ranks easily as one of my favorites among all the different iterations of Macross we've been given to date.

In response to the original post:

"Expect to have fun with this Macross." Nothing serious, nothing that will spur a deep philosophical discussion on the metaphysical reasons behind the things you see in the show - just fun.

The main character is what you see in the first episode. He does not change, does not develop, does not experience any new revelations over the entire 49-episode run. However, he's also really not the character the series meant to develop - instead, you've got a show where the secondary characters all develop around him - a sort of interesting way to engage in a story, if you think about it.

Regarding the animation quality... well, 49 episodes of a series, you should expect some recycled footage. This series takes it to excess, with only the major plot-turning moments introducing anything revoutionary, which you'll then see, ad-nauseum over the next 5-10 episodes, with the exception of the armored VF-11 (sexy!).

Same goes for the music. Good J-pop, bad to hear it over and over again every time the recycled battle footage gets presented. That being said, I never really got sick of it, and to this day I still pop in the Fire Bomber CD occasionally when I want to get fired up.

Expect the first couple dozen episodes to drag. They spend a very hefty amount of time developing the secondary characters (which the show is about), but nothing really starts to form around a single plot arc till about episode 28 or 29. From there, it's a pretty good ride through the rest of the series, where the stage has been set and they pretty much stay on-topic with the major plot of the series.

Would I recommend it? Of course - but going in, you have to be aware that you shouldn't expect the serious personal development/war story that you saw in Robotech/Macross. This isn't that kind of series. As some have said above, it's a story for a much younger audience - if you've got no problem indulging your inner child, I say go for it.

Former Sheryl voter here - I liked her style and the fact that she seemed the most "developed" character, personality-wise, where the other candidates seemed to have a lot of growing up to do.

Now voting Klan, of all people - and amazed that a series could change my opinion like it has, since I usually have good character judgement right off the bat when I watch a show. It probably comes off as a sympathy vote considering recent episodes, but I really do feel she's demonstrated some depth that wasn't apparent earlier on.

Plus, (and I will prob get banned for this, lol), it seems as if Frontier is SK's way of saying:

"THIS is how Robotech should have been done!"

Invid= Vajra, Fold Quartz= Protoculture, Ranka= Minmei & Ariel, etc....

I said it a while ago, actually... Kawamori's takin' it back!

http://macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?show...st&p=635142

Hear hear... weaponized fold system gets my vote.

Think about it... Folding is like a piece of cloth. Go from point A to point B on the cloth by tracking across it, that's standard space. Fold the cloth over so that point A touches point B, and you've folded space to cross a distance. Then you unfold while sitting on point B, and you're at your destination.

Scrunch a bunch of the cloth up all around point A, to where it is occupying several different folds (points B, C, D, E....), and then suddenly pop the cloth apart back to normal space.

This my my DE theory. It "eats dimensions" by turning 3 dimensions (space) into 0 dimensions (point or comparably small zone), then "pops" back out to normal space, effectively scattering the contents of the small zone across the infinity of the universe.

Oh I am SO buying this.

And swapping out some MG Gundam hands that have articulation.

ITF Tae Kwon Do - 8 years now, carry a 2nd degree black belt.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu - a little over 2 years now, have earned a blue belt. Wife is almost a blue belt as well

Everything prior was just dojo-hopping, experiencing the arts, instructors, etc before I settled.

I really want to train up for MMA, and hope to have an amateur match by the end of 2008 if I can ever stop working Overtime and get back into my gym routine. 48-hour work weeks on top of being married and having to teach don't leave much time for extra fun, unfortunately.

Gave this one to Guld by a squeaker, but the temptation to vote for Michel was there as well. I had to step back and think "in 5 years, when we next get a dramatic main character death in a Macross series, who will we be comparing it to?" I think that Guld will still be the benchmark against which we compare the unfortunate character's death scene, and Michel will be more of an "honorable mention" at that point. Heck, we're already doing that with Focker's death now, and it was the original scene that really proved Macross wasn't just playing games.

Guld had a little more control over his situation than Michel did. He actively persuaded Isamu to leave the field of battle after a prolonged dogfight and go save Myung, then went on to take the Ghost X-9 out personally without the benefit of a wingman. He experienced a moment of final clarity, chose to redeem himself, and to let go of the woman he loved because it was the right thing to do.

Michel, while heroic, made a snap decision to save Klan - and honestly, if he hadn't, we'd be writing a much different thread right now (and MisaForever would be inconsolable). His actions were heroic, but also more "tragic" because of how they played out, but it can't really be said whether he would have chosen his fate or not, since it was such a quick, reactionary decision that he had to make in an out-of-control situation. I get the feeling that SDFM Focker would fit this bill as well - a very "tragic" death, while incredibly heroic - but not a fate he really chose for himself going in. And the "grieving lover seeing them die right before her eyes" also adds to the magnitude of the scene, we can't discount that as a motivating factor for why some of us might find those deaths particularly powerful.

All of the characters I've mentioned demonstrated what it means to be "manly," and have certainly been carried by the Valkyries (pun intended) to the pantheon of legendary Macross heroes... Macross Valhalla, if you will. And I certainly don't feel that any of them will be remembered as anything but a true hero who did the right thing at the cost of his own life.

I really don't think Kawamori will turn the end battle of Frontier into a fanwank for 7 fans especially considering the love/hate nature of the series among Macross fandom as well as the massive amount of new fans watching the show. Also Grace will probably be in Battle Galaxy by in the end fight..

You know, you may be onto something... but not a fanwank for 7 fans, perhaps something more akin to Macross Plus, with Grace taking over the Battle Frontier and using it as a weapon, similar to Sharon Apple's big coming-out party. SMS having to stop one of their own fellow "good guys" would make for good space drama, especially in the context of them learning to communicate with/command Vajra units via Ranka's singing.

So... I just thought about this today when contemplating the Fold Quartz/Space Whale similarity, and jump on me please if someone has already noticed this... or jump on me for daring to make the connection, but I just had to...

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Firstly in Frontier, we have humans who have recently discovered a powerful, naturally-formed material that can greatly enhance their current technology. Use of this material seems to draw the attention of hostile aliens. It seems like a pretty cut-and-dry conflict, which turns in the humans' favor once they discover they have an ace in the hole which can musically destroy the aliens' urge to fight.

Then, around a third of the way into the show, a group of immortal, body-regenerating scientists begin to make their appearance - trying to conduct their business in the shadows, but ultimately seeking to overthrow the good humans, all for the sake of consolidating their power using the same technology-enhancing material. We discover they have no moral qualms, and their ultimate purpose is actually to strip a semi-sentient race of insectoids of this material - a powerful resource that only the aliens (thus far) have demonstrated the ability to produce.

Probably in the final third of the series, we're going to see the humans shift their focus back to the conflict with the insectoid species, concluding with everyone finally discovering how to communicate with one another, and reconciling the difference between the well-intentioned citizens and the shady, evil immortal scientists in the minds of the insectoids. During this story arc we'll have a character step to the forefront, whose primary unique features are her inhuman blood type/DNA, and her ability to ostensibly communicate with the insectoid organisms and convince them not to fight.

This may well be the series where Kawamori "takes it all back."