Graham

* Best Anime (film/TV series/OAV) - TV Series = Macross Frontier. OVA = Macross Zero. Film = * Worst Anime (film/TV series/OAV) - TV Series = Gundam 00. OVA = Votoms Pailsen Files, Movie = Steamboy. * Best/Worst Manga - Don't read Manga, so no comment. * Best SF (film/TV series) - Film = District 9 . TV Series = RDM's Battlestar Galactica. * Worst SF (film/TV series) - Film = Terminator Salvation. TV Series = Dr. Who (started good, but turned crap). * Best SF Literary (Book/Short story/Comic) - Best comic, without a doubt is '2000AD, the galaxy's geatest comic'. For books, GRRM's A Song of Ice & Fire series & an honorable mention goes to the first 2 books in Peter F. Hamilton's 'Void Trilogy'. Don't reacll any memorable short stories. * Most annoying trend in Anime - Whinny, angst-ridden heros. Thankfully, Frontier bucked that trend. * Most annoying trend in SF - overuse of CGI for spaceships. Bring back models. * Best comeback - Dunno. * Most disappointing comeback - Dunno. * Best Game of the decade - Macross Ultimate Frontier (of course)! * Most consistent game developer - Dunno, don't play that many games. * Best/Worst Game platform of the decade - * Which product do you really wish had not turned out to be vapourware? - * Most Unnecessary *Remake - All of them. Never seen a remake that is bette than the original. * Greatest addition to your toy/model/DVD collection - Toy = Yamato's 1/60 scale VF-11B. Perfection in toy form. DVD = Macross Frontier TV series. Models = don't buy models any more, but Bandai's 1/72 scale VF-25 models were damn good, so get my vote. * What is the piece of technology that you have now which was not available at the start of the decade that you cannot do without? - Err.......MP3 player. * Best Band/Album/Live performance - Live performance = Muse - Black Holes & Revelations tour. Album = Muse Black Holes & Revelations. Best band = Muse. * What do you think is going to be the most inaccurate SF prediction about life in 2010? - Err.......still no personal jetpacks, or cities on the moon! * Person of the decade (NO politicals) - My wife, for staying with me, despite all the crap and stupid stuff I do. * Where do you think you will be at the end of next decade? - Hopefully retired on a beach in Thailand, but I'll settle for still alive and in good health. * Complete the following sentence. "I will be much happier next decade if I get a BJ ever night." Graham

Nice, Looking forward to this. I also hope the Valk is white, not blue tinted. Hope we get a painted SMS stand too. Graham

In a way I'm disappointed, as this is one of my favorite Valks in the Macross universe and I've been wanting a toy of it for 15 years. However, my wallet is heaving a sigh of relief, as the Yamato Valks have been coming too fast recently. Graham

That's beacuse it sounds like you bought the recently released "movie color" version, which has blue Super Parts and a blue tinted VF-25F. Fine if you like blue, but if not, you would have been better off buying the original (or reissue) standalone VF-25F Alto, which is white and tracking down the separate Alto Super Parts set (which are grey). Graham

I'll buy the official R2 DVD when it's released and of course download the fansub when available. But yeah, if it showed at the cinema here, I'd see it.

Currently listening to the following albums: - Fire Bomber's 'Re.Fire'. Muse's 'The Resistance'. Sheryl Nome's 'Universal Bunny'. Graham

OK, this thread is getting a lttle off topic. Let's get back to discussion of the Frontier movie please. We have a licensing discussion thread, so please take talk about the licensing dispute there please. Graham

Is it sung in Cantonese or Mandarin? Graham

Not surprised, given that most of the VFs in the series come with Fast Packs, Armored Packs, Fold Boosters etc. Graham

For those who can't make it out on the pic a couple of post back, series 3 is scheduled for release in March 2010. Saw it advertised on a Bandai flyer in a toy shop today. Graham

Scrawny is good, me like scrawny. Anyway, Grace Park was definitely the hotest female in the show IMO. Graham

Curious to know if any mention of the following: - 1) Whether Max is still captain of Battle 7? 2) Whether Milia is still mayor of City 7? 3) Max and Milia still apart or back together again? 4) Did Mylene ever marry and if so to whom? 5) What Gamlin is doing these days? I doubt any of the above will be covered, but you never know. Graham

Guys, you wanna discuss Star Trek or post pictures of the Enterprise, please start an ST thread in the other anime section. Graham

Eh........the VF-27 comes with two chestplates? I'm presuming the smaller one is for battroid and the larger one is for fighter? Do you have to swap them in order to transform? I may pick up the green mass production version when it's released. Prefer that over Breara's unit. Anyway, glad to hear that they have strengthened certain areas of the kit compared to the VF-25. Graham

Like many companies, Yamato has also been affected to some degree by the global economic recession. This has taken the form of declining sales this year, especilaly for the higher-end collectables, as customers have had to tighten their belts and cut down on spending on non-essentials. This obviously has a knock-on effect. Fewer units being sold means smaller profits for Yamato, which means less money that can be in ploughed back into new product development. And development of a new 1/60 scale VF is far, far from cheap. I think this is why this year, we have seen fewer all-new models and most of Yamato's releases so far this year have been repaints of existing products, or have just featured small retooling modifications (i.e. VF-11B -> VF-11C & YF-21 - >VF-22). Hopefully with the financial situation worldwide seeming to improve, we will start seeing some new products from Yamato. Graham

I love these little fellas, but really Bandai, 3 series in and no sign of a VF-171 in this line or indeed any of your toy and model lines!!!!! Grrrr........ There's loads of mold-milking potential with the VF-171/VF-171EX and it's not like it only had a few seconds screen time. They appeared in quite a number of episodes in the Frontier TV series. C'mon Bandai, let's start having some VF-171 love! Graham

OK, had a reply back from Yamato. Basically they said that they have been really busy and the VFC series 3 got put aside and they sort of forgot all about it. Anyway, they are going to have a meeting to discuss whether on not to still release it (I gather series 1 & 2 where not huge sellers). There is some discussion about using a different material instead of ABC+PVC (I believe PU was mentioned) and having them fully painted. Apparently this would not affect the cost, or would even result in a cheaper selling price. But basically, it's all up in the air at the moment. So don't give up hope. These may still be released in some form. I will post again when I hear more. Graham

I suspect the big underwing-pods (fuel tanks/missile launchers?) are only for space use. They are shown both in a pic in the movie guide book in space with boxes that cover the 4 intakes on the wing-tip mounted engine nacelles. Also, the upcoming series 3, Bandai 1/250 toy Typhoon toy has the big underwing pods together with the boxes covering the intakes. Graham

I will ask Yamato what the status is and report back. Graham

Can somebody please remind me when do you win or get to buy the Mac II and VF-X2 mecha? Completed Zero, DYRL, SDFM, Plus, M7 & D7 campaigns and about a third of the way through The Frontier campaign. Have S or SS rank on all played missions so far and my shop level has been at 30 for ages, but still no sign of those mecha. Graham

The CD booklet that comes with the new Fire Bomber CD "Re.Fire" has a page titled 'City 7 in 2060' (scan attached). Can somebody please translate this? I think many of us would love to know how City 7 is faring 15 years on. Graham

There is a front view screen capture pic of it, IIRC in the movie guide book, which came out a few weeks ago. Yeah, I was wondering about the difference, but space use version makes sense. Graham

The MAC II SAP doesn't have boosters on the end of the wing, they are missile pods. Graham

Heh, that's an easy buy for me. I love these little critters and I love the VF-25 Super/Armored packs, so don't mind having them in multiple scales. Graham

Hope they have a better attachment for the arm armor, when they release the Tornado Pack. Graham