MSW

The Wave FSS kits I have all use very high quality resin...no odor, offwhite color, no air bubbles that I can find, no complaints from me about the quality of Wave kits ....might you have heard that from someone who purchased a bad recast thinking it was a real Wave kit?

Off the top of my head...4? The boss, a couple of henchmen, and the guy in the car...my memory is starting to fail me, it's been a while sense I've seen the film

What anime shows/OVA/films do you want to see on DVD that haven't been released yet? I would love to see Cho Kosoku Galvion get the complete DVD release (as well as Dorvack) but it keeps getting overlooked even in Japan...I'm no Transformer fan, but cars and trucks that transform into robots are awsome (as cheesy as they often are)....The various mecha from Galvion, the caliber from Dorvack and Diamos all are great...but Galvion takes the cake for haveing some of the coolest designs ...but no DVD release Mighty Orbots is another...not exactly anime as it was developed for American saturday morning TV...it only ran one season, 12 halfhour episodes...a nice little 2 disc set would be awsome! D-1 Devistator is another...car transforms into robot...tiny 2 episode OVA from around 1992 (Masami Oobari worked on it)...needs a DVD release. Why can't one of these DVD companies release these...I'm not asking for some big heavy advertised release....just a subtitled version (doesn't even need extras) available only through online sales would be cool...There are companies already out there that do this with hentai titles...so what is stopping ADV or Pioneer from doing something simular with shows like Galvion that arn't likely to sell in big numbers?

Production?...erm, no it's only a custom with a 250cc motoscooter powerplant. It never came out...that is a concept bike. Just like the car industry the bike industry produces a number of one off custom concept bikes for the yearly industry shows. Most such one off bikes never see production... A real production Suzuki bike (scooter actually) that draws inspiration from the concept bike: http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/AN650K4/

It wouldn't even be a good drag bike...the only thing it has in that department is the long wheelbase, the laid back front rake while adding straitline stability at speed is fairly useless under hard acceleration as it isn't a responseive enough setup for the minute ajustments needed just to keep the bike going in a strait line...compounding that is the laid back low slung seating arrangement...while this makes for a good set up on cars (even drag cars)....it doesn't work well at all for a bike where the rider is required to shift thier own weight around to make the bike perform.... No the bike won't make even a halfway decent "crotch rocket"...but then again drag bikes are mostly long wheelbase modified "crotch rockets" anyway, so those bikes have been doing something right all these years (not to mention that such crotch rockets even in showroom stock unmodified condition are the quickest production drag bikes you can buy...hell, quickest production street vehicals you can buy period!)

EXCELLENT!!! The VF-2(SS) is my favorite Valky of all time Very sweet work

Are there actually recasts of SHE models out there? Not that I'm interested, but I would have thought that the complexity and huge number of parts in most SHE kits would be a deturent for recasting (well that and I've never seen a recast of a SHE kit ) I'm STILL saveing up for that massive SHE Getter Robo kit which transforms between G1,2 and 3

Zambot looks very cool...lovely "old school" design The bike looks nice even though it's a completely unrealistic performance motorcycle design that a lowly Honda Rebel could effortlessly school on even the most moderetly twisty of race tracks ...ye gods! with that front rake, long wheelbase, and lack of ground clearence good old G1 Optimus Prime has a smaller turning radius than Kaneda's bike

I Found this DVD at, of all places, Wal-Mart Isn't Amazon Women on the Moon sort of a sequel to Kentucky Fried Movie?...for some reason I always thought it was, Landis being involved with both... also I thought I saw something saying that "the Gods must be Crazy" (BTW awsome flick ) was going to be released on DVD soon (like before the end of the month...like 2-10-2004) as part of a special edition package combineing it with the sequel...

erm.. with lots of help from Masami Oobari...especialy in the final combined robot form.

here is another image that shows some of the mecha floating in the background...I resized it to make them larger, although the quality is pretty crappy

The mecha from the old manga titled Grey that was imported back in the late 1980's along with the like of Xenon and Appleseed...those mecha didn't have arms IIRC Cover pic from one of the collected volumes:

Actually I can't understand the need for people to give these things cammo paint jobs...realisticly if these mobile suits have that minversky partical thingy happening (or whatever it's called that screws with radar and such) then even radio comunications between units would be quite difficult (if not impossable...but hey they are shown communicateing all the time in the anime )...anyway without an easy way for communication between mobile suits and thier upport crews...well...it becomes difficult to tell the mecha on the battlefield apart...and much like the wild coloring of world war one aircraft...the mobile suits would need some sort of marking system for support crews to identify them quickly... anyway...our current military structures use cammo and other such methods...and clearly other armies have used it in the past too...but such armies evolved in ways that other combat methods such as knights in armor and the like were used too...the way we do things now isn't always going to be how they are done in the future...just look at military fighting uniforms...over two hundred years ago America fought off the British "redcoats" (eloborite dress uniforms)...and hundreds of years before thatyou had the romans fighting the crude in comparison "barbarians" (rough unitarian dress)...times change, as does the way wars are fought...and even if these mobile suits are massed produced they will still be quite expenseive to field...which in turn makes wars far more costly, and increases the odds that there would be a return to the old "dignified gentlemans chivelry" style of combat much like knights in armor and the like...blah! I'm rambleing

The Brave series toys (also many are made by Takara just as are the Transformers) have some pretty cool toys...particularly from the last brave series show 'King of Braves Gao Gai Gar' (Gao Gai Gar or sometimes gaogaigar for short)...Zoids arn't bad either...really it depends on your taste and just what you are looking for in a toy, as even old classics like Microman have new toys being released for them (as well as re-released) some others: Machine Robo (which included figures from the old American Gobots line) Kamen Rider Faiz (prolly spelled that wrong...has some transformable motorcycles and such) course any of the Super Sentei shows (which form the Power Rangers) Votoms, and other classic lines/shows getting the new and improved treatment...guess you could put SF3D in this catagory as well (I never know what to call it now ...I only knew it by the old SF3D name...some of you know what this is...the eggish shaped cammo painted power armor and old Nitto model line that has seen some renewed intrest/publicity of late with new collectable toys like the "snake eyes" stuff)...there is tons of stuff really, just head over to Hobby Link Japan ( www.hlj.com ) and start looking around to get an idea of what is out there

Revell had the Robotech line out before the the Robotech TV series was made...course besides the Macross and Orguss kits, Revell's initial Robotech line also included Dougram kits as well... the original plan HG had with Macross was to release it as is on VHS tape...You can find advertisements in old (pre 1985) issues of Starlog showing this...then when HG found out that Revell had the license for the Macross kits...well, the two companies combined thier efforts and Robotech as we know it was born (arguably setting back the clock on importing anime as it is done now, if HG had stuck with the original plan it could be argued that the modern "anime invasion" could have happened sooner rather then later)...previous to this Revell had gotten Marvel to produce a two issue Robotech comic book (which mostly featured the Dougram mecha, and a silly quickly slapped togther story that had nothing to do with the anime...much like thier take on the Shogun Warrior toys from a few years previous)...at the same time this was happening Transformers and Gobots were takeing off in popularity and Monogram scooped up a license for the Mospedea kits before Revell or HG even decided to include the show in with the rest of Robotech... Orguss was definetely considered at some point (after all it does share the same character designer as Macross and is also a product of Studio Nue) ... But for whatever reason they decided against it

Nagano not only designed all the mecha on L-Gaim, but designed the characters and wrote that series too...in many ways L-Gaim served as both much of the inspiration and as a vehical for much of the story concepts behind Five Star Stories...and many of the FSS mecha are pretty clearly redesigns and reworkings of those in L-Gaim (at least in terms of how they look)...L-Gaim (from 1984, a year before Zeta Gundam) is sorta considered a trial run or rehersal for what eventualy becomes Five Star Stories...don't get me wrong, thier are some big differences between the two, but thier are some big simularities too...which is cool as one can see how Nagano has evolved his design style and storytelling abilities over the years. Possably...but also have a look at the L-Gaim D-Seerd ( http://www.hlj.com/scripts/hljpage.cgi?BAN01518 ) a "good guy" mecha from L-Gaim which could be the source of inspiration both for the Hyaku Shiki and KOG...course the L-Gaim Bat-Shu became the FSS Vatshu (the black knight)...and the LED Mirage line has ties to the L-Gaim Calvary Temple among many others from L-Gaim that "show up" in FSS

Lots of cool one listed so far...but I gotta go with the one that effected me the most, so much so that I can't watch the film but every 5 years or so (else I cry like a baby )...course this film is Grave of the Fireflies.

Oh good gawd, they already made a G.I.Joe flick...many actually...the toy line has a long history well outside it's cheesy mid 80's reimagining...Hell, Pearl Harbor could be considered a G.I.Joe flick, as too could Saveing Private Ryan and even Platoon...*cough* But there I go showing my age

I'm kinda shocked this hasn't been covered on the forums here yet...but the Comic Book the movie DVD just came out last week, it's a fun little flick...check it out if you get the chance. For those in the dark as to what it is: Mark Hamill (yes, Luke skywalker himself) stars as Don Swan, a school teacher and owner of a comic book shop. In the film he is hired by a movie studio as a technical consultant for thier upcomeing big budgit production of "Codename: Courage"...a re-invented comic book basied on a older golden age title called "Captain Courage"...Don is hired because he is recognised as one of the biggest fans and experts on the original title...However Don isn't happy with the way Captain Courage was re-imagined into Codename: Courage and sets out to try and convince the studios to remain true to the original golden age title...the film follows Don around as the studio has decided to film a documentary about the first public announcement of thier big Codename Courage film during the huge annual San Diego Comic-Con. The film itself is done in a style simular to This is Spinal Tap! (mockumentary?) and nearly every actor is actualy a well heard but hardly ever seen animation voice talent for toons like Ren and Stimpy, Futuroma, Pinky and the Brain, and Jimmy Nutron...there are tons of cameos and such, a fun, campy and very funny flick Best part is that most of the film was made right on the floor of the Comic-Con with the actors and camera crew wondering around talking to people...lots of cool cosplay costumes shown and such...and unlike Trekkies, it never makes fun of the fans

I doubt this French guy has a "real" case..way back in the 1980's there was an obscure indie comic book titled Fish Police...and IIRC one of the issues featured the heros investigateing a case involveing a missing clown fish character...course a short lived animated TV series basied on this comic book aired on TV back in 1992, and it's entirely possable the creater of the Fish Police now has ties to Pixar.

Off the top of my head both Daba and little Mirawoo from L-Gaim, also Ishtar from Macross II.

I lurked a bit in the modeling forums, even posted a bit...most active there when MSG was first airing (post Wing)...gave it up after encountering both the young "Wing rocks!" and "UC forever!" crowds I recall a posting about the MG Zeta kit, and how to fix some of the floppyness problems...started off all nice and legit...then some kid hops in there with something along the lines of "Zeta sucks, it's a poor copy of Wing!"...I calmly tried to explain that "Zeta the series came out in 1985 a full decade before Wing"...some one else actualy hops in with "You noobie! Zeta had 50 episodes not 1,985!!! get it right dofus!" ...Obviously reading was not a required skill there

How did I know about the shadows? way, way back in the late 1980's (I'm old) I did a high school term paper on CG animation...sort of showing the evolution from tron to Last Starfighter...to the then brand new morphing effect seen in Willow...I never noticed the tron shadows or polygon poping when I first saw Tron in the theaters...but I studied every frame of it from books, magazine articals, and well worn VHS tapes...also I knew the basics of how it was done through the knowledge I gained in all the various computer programing classes I took (mostly Basic and Pascal on the old Apple II computer, then on the Commadore 64)...anyway, never worked on the film, but did get to play around with a video toaster unit many years ago when I worked in video production... anyway...I'm not sure if POV can do this...but if you make a copy of the domes,resize them slightly larger, then invert the polygons of this copy (giveing it a red color) this should work pretty well for giveing them the red outlines...some 3D rendering systems (and most all 3D games) use "single sided" polygons...basicly this works by calculateing the normal of the polygon once it is rotated and translated to camera space, if this is positive the polygon is thought to face the camera, if the result is negative then the polygon is faceing away from the camera (and thus the polygon doesn't need to be rendered)...anyway in effect buy "inverting"or "flipping" the order the computer stores the verticies of polygons (such as those that make up the rescaled larger copy of the domes) it can make them seem invisable...sorta like entering the special code that lets you walk around outside the levels in Quake and such... It might work with POV, and then again it might not... If there is a cell shader type rendering feature for POV you might be able to use that along with some photoshop post processing to get those dome outlines as well... The Imagic visuals are quite unique in that those little red outlines (white ones on the lightcycles, look closely...and thier are blue outlines on the recognizer Flynn takes control of) anyway...in the Imagic shots the outlines are always the same size/thickness...while the polygon modeled lines on the large carrier and later shots in the film change size depending on how close to the camera the object is (it's kinda obvious in the few recongizer shots where they ride the beams chaseing after the solar sailer)...appart from the vector laser basied animation in the opening credits the later polygon basied CG animation (like the solar sailer and carrier) are far easyer to duplicate with modern CG rendering software)...anyway...to duplicate the IMagic CSG stuff you would be best off to program your own rendeer or some such...effectivy the lines are done by finding the surface normal (once everything is transformed to camera space)of the ray being cast...if the normal is around 0 (zero, plus/minus some small amount) then the "outline" is visable at that specific surface point...another way is for each polygon to store a "edge list" indicateing the other polygons that share each of it's edges...if those "edge linked" polygons face away from the camera (by doing a normal calculation) then the edge is visable and should be drawn (which is pretty much how Imagic did it IIRC)...hope that helps

Yes I know all about the funky shadows in Tron, as well as the polygon "popping"...both of which were the result of the software used to produce the visuals at that time...what I ment is that modern 3D rendering software has to take several steps "backwords" (or one has to program thier own 3D render system) to fully duplicate the visuals of Tron...if you watch the menu selection screens on the Tron SE DVD you can see that they tried like mad to duplicate the original visuals as best as possable, but there are still little details that give it away (course part of the problem with duplicateing the Tron visuals also involves the custom hardware developed to transfer the images from the Cray super computer to film..our current technology is much better and doesn't introduce the little image artifacts and such that are present in Tron (and to some extent the Last Starfighter)) My comments wern't ment to critisize your models and such...just to point out that if you had wanted to duplicate the Tron visuals exactly, it will be difficult if you just use modern 3D rendering software as is without a carefull eye for the perspective, color, contrast, resolution, and other details that make the original Tron CG visuals unique...your models and renders look really good, keep it up

The energion Starsream I have (the only Energion figure yet) is fairly cool...decent transformation, even has a undocumented gerwalk mode....But it would be much better if they dropped much of the "guts on the outside" look