Vifam7

1/60 goes along well with Bandai's Perfect Grade Gundam kits. I'm not sure but I think 1/60 is slowly becoming the scale for large-size* sci-fi/anime toys (probably headed by Bandai's Gundam line). *1/60 is about as large as one would like to get in Japan. I'd kill for a good sculpt 1/144 scale transformable Valk but I know it'll never happen. I think it's technically possible to do but probably not cost-effective or highly sought by fans.

Those guys in the picture musta loved the sound and roar of those 4 Rolls-Royce Olympus turbojets going by. I was once on the tarmac at JFK when a Concorde (same Olympus turbojets) roared by in takeoff. An awesome experience. Your whole body rumbles.

I like your interpretation of the ending. Maybe I'll make it mine too. Makes MZero a bit darker & cooler.

For the dub. Believe it or not some fans (not me) prefer to watch their anime in English (no matter how good or bad the dub is) and are willing to pay the bucks to have it. Just to prevent any misunderstanding due to the word "butchered" above, the ADV version isn't edited or "cut up". The ADV version uses the "remastered" tapes that AnimEigo created. The only negative I know about the ADV version is the lJapanese audio track which according to some is not as crisp as the AnimEigo release (likely due to the fact that the DVD has 2 audio tracks or it could simply be individual setup issues).

ADV's release is worth getting if a English dub is worth something to you. FWIW ADV's release is the only way you're going to get a relatively faithful English dub of Macross. Personally I think it's worth it just for the inclusion of Iijima Mari in the dub plus the extras with her in it. I [heart] Mari. I almost wish I had not blown $200+ on AnimEigo's set many years back. The only problem with ADV's thinpak releases is that sometimes they delete the extras (as a concession for those dedicated fans who purchased the expensive single releases). If the thinpak set has the extras deleted, then it ain't worth buying IMO. But if they are intact, then it's absolutely worth it. ADV seems to have stepped away from deleting extras in their thinpak sets but I'd be careful nonetheless.

I'm not sure if I'd include Patlabor. It's great show but I don't think it had any kind of lasting 'impact' on the anime scene. If had some form of impact, I might say it spun what is generally classified in the sci-fi fantasy genre into a 'slice-of-life' police drama.

The only thing I don't like about this new 1/60 is the short nose in fighter mode. Though I'm not sure if it's the nose that's short or the whole forward fuselage that's short, or just the canopy being a bit too big. Either way something doesn't look right in fighter mode. Ofcourse it could simply be photo deception - at least from the angles we see right now. I'd like to see a more direct side view.

As a result of the collateral damage, the people don't exactly appreciate what the good guys are doing either. Ah, so you saw the ending. Unbelievable twist wasn't it? Kappei was annoying but by the end, you gotta feel for him.

Crossbone Gundam is a manga series that stems off from the Gundam F91 movie. Just a word of note: If you're going to watch any "Universal Century" Gundam series, it is highly recommended that you first watch "First Gundam" (the 0079 TV series or the 3-part compilation movies). I recommend the 3-part compilation movies as they tend to be more 'canon'. For general Gundam info, perhaps the best website to start with is: GundamOfficial.com

The one in Comp Ace is a short parody side-story with Ranka as a magical girl.

I think Macross II is sometimes unfairly hated on. To trash Macross II simply because it's been retconned out of the official timeline or because Kawamori wasn't involved is unfair IMHO. Granted Macross II isn't great but it isn't terrible either. The story wasn't really creative (pretty much an extension of DYRL) but I think it moreover suffered from lack of episodes and the plot moving too quickly. Animation and production values were varied. Some parts very well done, other parts were lackluster. In general, Macross II fell below the standards expected for OAVs (both in terms of production and story-wise) at the time. To me, Macross II felt rushed. Considering that it was all released within the span of 6 months in Japan, maybe it was. I didn't think too highly of it back then but, looking at it today, it isn't that bad. Personally, I can say I like it more than Macross Zero.

In case it hasn't been mentioned yet, a spinoff manga series is about to start in this month's Comp Ace magazine. It's going to be called "Cho-ji Kuu Uta Miko Ranka" (approx. trans. - Super Dimension Singing Shrine Maiden Ranka). Link: http://www.comptiq.com/ace/index.php?%CB%D...%C7%AF%2FVOL.24 No idea on what exactly the content will be but I'm sure it'll be super cute.

Hopefully MIA forever.

Well I just watched the 2nd episode... it's pretty good. Action scenes are well done and I like the little tributes to the original series. As for the plot... well it's still very early. One big positive of this series over Zero or 7 - the lead characters are likeable (so far). The VF-25 is starting to grow on me.

It's amazing how much Tomino got away with in Zambot 3. Can you imagine this show airing in the states? Let me know how you feel when you get to the ending...

The answers are written right there! You might want to cover the names. ^_-

The lineart at the jvc site:

If 1/100 Gundam hands are too big for 1/100 Battroid Valkyries, then I would venture to guess that 1/144 size Gundam hands should fit just about right. Perhaps something like this might work.

No love for

Lots of screenshots here for Dangaioh. There's some lineart stuff at the official Megazone 23 DVD release site: http://www.jvcmusic.co.jp/m-serve/megazone/ I have this DVD box set and it is awesome. Similar stuff also here: http://www.megazone23.org/index.html

The best example of Hirano's chara designs can be found in the OVA anime Dangaioh and Iczer One. Hirano can draw some knock out sexy girls. I believe he also worked on some hentai titles in the Cream Lemon series but I have no idea which one(s). His chara designs can also be found in his wife's (Narumi Kakinouchi) manga works. They work very closely together so I'm not sure who's influenced by who. Narumi Kakinouchi is known for her work on the manga series Vampire Princess Miyu - which also was turned into anime. you can clearly see Hirano's style in her work.　　BTW in case you didn't know both Hirano and Kakinouchi was part of the staff for Macross. I'll try to find some neat pics.

Funny, that's exactly why I hate Basara and Macross 7. I might have been able to stomach (even perhaps enjoy) all the hokeyness and flaws of Macross 7 if the music was good. But unfortunately I couldn't stand listening to Basara screech.

Some things I picked up/noticed from the Japanese blog... - In fighter mode, the arm section apparently doesn't lock into place. So if you have the weak arm hinge syndrome like the blogger had with his left arm, you'll need some double sided tape to put it in place. ; - The landing gear for the Tread is on the separate linkage arm. orz - The Legioss isn't securely latched onto the linkage arm. It just sits on it. - There's a tendency for the Tread to flip backwards if you use the provided stand. I guess a separate stand for the Legioss and Tread is going to be necessary?

In case anyone is interested - a Japanese blog with a review on the Legioss and the Tread Legioss: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/damien_sancho/53529363.html Tread: http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/damien_sancho/53544876.html Lots of good pictures.

DYRL. In fact I became an anime fan because of DYRL. When I saw this anime (on VHS tape - recorded from a Japanese TV broadcast) for the first time, it blew me away. I must have watched that tape 3 times that night. The animation quality, the unbelievable amount of detail, the music, the choreography, the character designs, the cool as heck mecha, the story.. just everything was so superbly done I still hold it as the benchmark to which I compare all other anime.