Mr March

Lobsters and Chryssalids...all these crustaceans are making me damned hungry

None of the new X-COM games are as hard as those old school titles. But to their credit, the new games do offer more challenge than most other modern video games, which are almost without any challenge at all.

Whoa...

Very impressive work! I like the SMS icons. Your choice of backgrounds is also very suitable.

Looking good!

Given what is shown in all the anime series/films, I'm fairly certain space folds can be achieved almost anywhere; near the ground, in the air or in space.

I wouldn't call it good, but it certainly was silly. I understand what they were going for and the fun they clearly had making it. But like the direct to VHS films of the era that they are clearly parodying, this is not something of which I want to see more

That may be vsim, but just to clarify my own position, I'm not faulting the Macross fiction for being unrealistic. I'm faulting the Macross fiction for having some silly internal inconsistency when it comes to thrust vectoring. All these variable fighters are shown capable of utilizing full 3D thrust vectoring in GERWALK/Battroid mode from their existing feet/nozzles. But in fighter mode, suddenly that capability is lost when it's needed most and becomes restricted to two dimensional thrust only. Anyway, moving along. I think the animation does show thrust vectoring to be quite extreme. Macross Plus and Macross Frontier both showed angles at least as far as 70 degrees or more.

Yes folks, I've seen the picture already... Oh I agree, but my post was an analysis beyond that. I know why the toys look the way they do and why 3D thrust vectoring is not shown in the anime (outside of rare examples, as pictured above). What I'm saying is given the abilities of the feet/nozzles in GERWALK/Battroid, it makes no sense why it can't be done in fighter mode nor why the official trivia states the thrust vectoring is limited. I'm questioning the silliness of what appears to be contradictory engineering, not the fact that the writers and animators conveniently ignore it. They build a VF with 3D thrust vectoring capability, then deny that capability in the mode that needs it the most? Like I said, ridiculous

Agreed, but I think this is a part of the Macross fiction that has never made much sense. All the feet/nozzles of the variable fighters - way back to the VF-1 Valkyrie/VF-0 Phoenix - are fully articulated to allow a highly adept level of GERWALK/Battroid movement. Not only that, but the feet/nozzles can use thrust while deployed in nearly any direction and even when under stress during robotic movement! And yet when the variable fighters transform into fighter mode, they are intentionally designed so that they lose all three-dimensional thrusting capability because....reasons? Has always made ZERO sense. I see no reason why the feet/nozzles wouldn't be deployed for maximum effectiveness in fighter mode just like they are in GERWALK/Battroid. Looking at it from a logical, functional perspective. So yeah, officially, the Macross franchise is just plain wack when it comes to feet/nozzles

Well, the VF-17 Nightmare legs/engines rest laterally in Fighter mode, so would the feet/nozzles. That being said, the feet/nozzles are fully articulated, so I suspect three-dimensional thrust vectoring is possible, in spite of the official trivia saying it's two-dimensional. Maybe it doesn't, but that does seem kinda weird

It's unclear whether they were supposed to or not. The DYRL animation depicts several "brownie" color schemes for the VF-1A Valkyrie, including one just like the TV series. The others are minor differences of that same TV scheme, which may actually be just simple coloring/animation mistakes rather than anything meant to be a genuine variant.

I made scans of the cover of this book for the next update to the "Books" section of my website, but I'll attach it here since you asked.

Glad to see more folks watching it. The movie isn't a failure, but it's not a big hit either. It can use all the viewership it can muster.

I hope the film does well. Like Hikuro I've tried to get a sense for how this film is being perceived from my social circles. I've asked a bunch of my friends and coworkers that are much younger than I am, typically around 30 years old or less - what they thought of the Mad Max: Fury Road trailers and received a similar reaction. One or two even said they thought the film just looked too silly and over-the-top, turned off by that very daring "world-gone-mad" tone that so impressed me about the trailers. I think perhaps pop culture presence also has something to do with the less enthusiastic response from younger viewers. Unlike many sci-fi or action properties that produced sequels for decades until the well had run dry, the Mad Max franchise pretty much ended in 1985 and hasn't been seen in popular culture in any significant form for now 30 years. That's longer than the length of time of an entire generation. Perhaps some folks simply lack context and thus don't know what to make of it. Sadly, a significant proportion of the modern audience only want familiar things from their entertainment, trailers that tell the whole story and give the consumer exactly what they want. I'm not blaming people for that because it's a behaviour born of the result of being lied to by film marketing and led astray by deceptive advertising for decades. Digressing, I think that lack of context will turn some folks away. May explain some of the numbers.

Well then you're sure to be pleased by what's coming. I'm at almost 200 pieces of material, either new pieces or revisions of existing art. The VT-1 fighter I've posted above is a typical example of the new, high res scans and enhanced coloring that will be on almost all the new artwork. There will be plenty to ogle

You're most welcome. I'm working hard to update as many of the oldest pieces of colored art as I can. Always trying to improve the site. I'm thankful you and other fans enjoy the content. Yes, it is a color error of which I'm aware. This was one of the first valkyries I ever colored, so it's a very old and very low-res piece, one that I was hoping would eventually be replaced when finished line art of the VT-1 Battroid mode was eventually released. Sadly, it appears that will never happen. Perhaps a good candidate for a fan art commission Since I really dislike coloring sketches, I've not bothered to rescan the original concept art, instead I just update the lousy old version. Here it is (plus the NEW fighter for comparison)

This Max is mad...truly, mad...in all the right ways imaginable. Exhilarating barely manages to describe this whirlwind of a film. A pace is set at the beginning that almost never lets up and yet never tires the audience. One action set piece after another is thrown at us, but rather than each one trying to one-up the last, the action distinguishes itself in each unique sequence. Circumstances change constantly, forcing every action sequence into a new battlefront. And damn does it look gorgeous. Not a single dollar is wasted in this film and looks just saturated in fire, blood and dust. The production design is so rich and vibrant you literally feel the heat of turbo-charged exhaust blasting you as you watch it. This is world building at it's best, filled with seemlessly endless small details that immerse you in a world from which you cant and don't want to escape for the entire running time. The vehicle action is on a whole new level. The CG effects are astounding, creating a world that feels perpetually ablaze. But more incredible are the practical effects and of course, the stunt work. Omg, the stunt work. Every flp, every punch, every fall, every clange of metal against bone feels like a blast from a tank-sized gun. There were so many moments where my jaw just dropped from the symphony of destruction unfolding before my eyes. This is that rare kind of film you want to watch again IMMEDIATELY after the credits roll. This film has instatly found a permanent place amoung my action film playlist. Tom Hardy as Max once again shows audiences and critics alike why he has the perfect face for film; his Max is all at once vulnerable, damaged, terrified, haunted, desperate, ferocious, furious, daring...and he delivers it all in the few words Mad Max has been known for. In the hands of a lesser actor Max might barely register as a character, but Hardy always finds small moments that wend their way into our hearts. I'm trying to think of more praise I can say about Charlize Theron, but what can be said about this actor that hasn't already been said. Is there nothing this woman cannot do? As Furiosa in Fury Road, she pulls out yet another stellar performance in both drama and physicality. Nicholas Hoult also has a turn as soemthing rather unexpected. I had heard much talk of the feminist themes mentioned in many an early review and so its a relief to write that those themes are satisfyingly explored in ways that only enhance the film. I never felt the original films were problematic for women, but they certainly didn't stand out as champions for any cause. So it was surprising to see such a strong showing of women in this film. But Fury Road's female leanings undermine none of the edge and only raise the stakes that much higher. It's all a welcome breath of fresh air to a genre too often known for poor portrayls of women. 5 out of 5 Fury Road is easily the best action film since "The Raid" and it's sequel. A violent, harrowing and firey journey into a world gone mad, with a pulsating rythmn that carries us - enraptured - all the way to a furious finale.

Actually, Macross is one of the few science fiction franchises that would have the potential ability to achieve stealth in space, but neither the official trivia nor any of the animated productions ever explored adding such an aspect to the world building. So much of the technology in Macross (OverTechnology) is based around drawing/shunting back and forth between super dimension space (fold space) and three dimensional space (real space). It seems to me to be highly probable that most of the heat generated by the valkyrie's own engines could simply be discared into super dimension space/fold space given the nature of the reaction engine. Especially since the engines themselves are described as built upon super dimension spatial theory. This wouldn't eliminate the infrared bloom of a variable fighter, but it would make it far less intense than a craft of similar power and thrust capability. But of course, Macross has never explored such a possibility of the science in its own fictional world.

This looks exactly on par with Arrow, The Flash, Gotham, Agents of Shield, etc. In other words, mediocre and disposable. Nothing interesting happening here at all. Daredevil truly is a hero without anything to fear, at least not from the current line up of super hero TV show competition.

Thank you for these high res 4k pictures AgaveCacuts and Chthonic. You don't know how much these mean to me. Simply gorgeous work and truly a treasure for Macross fans. This is artwork that many of us always hoped would be made by the Macross artists like Temjin Hidetaka, but never was. You've come along and built the stuff of our dreams.

Very interesting work. Done in a style I've not seen for decades. A lot of sci-fi used to be painted like this. I like them. Thanks for posting.

As Macross fans, most of us probably adore flight. Yves Rossy has been around for a few years publically displaying his jetman technology, but I think this new video is the best filmed clip yet made about his remarkable flying suit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=185&v=Czy0pXRRZcs Certainly worth a look.

I totally agree. In fact, i've just begun to dip my toes into the pool of commissioned art. I want to have some work doen and if it goes well, I have a long list of other stuff I want done. The problem right now is finding an artist. But I'm determined. It's your dollar, so any opportunity the rest of us are given to choose with you is charity we must respect. Have you ever thought about the different modes, like a Battroid? Or do you want the fighter mode only?

Okay, cool. I guess that leaves a lot of open questions for which variable fighter could be next. So many to choose....