TheLoneWolf

Do you have a digital camera? I might be interested in buying the DVD drive of your xbox, but I'd need a picture of the tray ejected from the xbox to see if it's the one I want.

I agree that all the improvements you've mentioned are whole heartedly welcome, but I see the lowered sholders as a blemish. In battroid mode, the shoulds are raised, in my opinion resulting in a more beefy look. But in the CAD lineart, they appear droopy. This was done, naturally, to accentuate fighter mode at the cost of battroid mode. The droopy battroid shoulders bring back memories of the horrid Retpuu YF-19 and I was glad to see that no other company followed the tradition of droopy shoulders, up until now. Here's a pic of the shoulders from the anime. And here's the CAD lineart. The shoulders are already slightly protruding in fighter mode, I think Yamato could definitely raise them a little more so that they're level with the canopy. To me, it's a cosmetic fix that Yamato could easily do without compromising transformation or infrastructure.

OMFG!!!!! I never thought I'd see this day, I thought Mac+ was dead in Japan, but yes Yamato does love us!! Liquid Stone what?! Hey Graham, I know you're not permitted to say much, but since I didn't see any YF-19 gerwalk pics: did Yamato figure how to do a proper A stance in gerwalk (ala Kawamori's lineart)? Also, please inform Yamato that'd we'd all be grateful if they could toss in a fold booster for us. Oh wow, just noticed the mini guns in the torso, NICE!!!!

so is that really 1/55 scale? I remember Jung had some shots of the MPC beside the 1/48 IMAI Legioss and both were the same size. Someone then went on to say that IMAI had the scale wrong and that Toynami had it right. Yeah I know, but sometimes truth is stranger than fiction.

Here's a bigger pic. Looks like Hikaru & Minmay are actually molded into the moniter. The background looks photoshopped, hope the actual product looks better.

Make it a 1S

Damn, Minmay gets an entires series dedicated just to her. The only fig that interests me is the Minmay with the beret, but like Ishtar from series 1, this fig looks like it'll be near impossible to stand up. I hope this set will be Minmay's last hurrah, so that in CMS 4 we won't lose another figure to her. Hey, a guy can dream.

The Banprestos aren't 1/144, I used to have a 1/144 VF and it was smaller than a Banpresto. I'd say the Banpresto is somewhere around 1/120. Regarding the 1/100 SDCC exclusive: have any of Toynami's SDCC exclusive toys ever become rare & valuable?

I would kill for some 1/60 Macross Plus Valkyries!!! At 1/60 scale, Yamato could make a YF-19 that'd blow the LS version outta the water! Graham, do you think there's still enough interest in Japan for Yamato to take another stab at Mac+?

damn Roy, you sure do love to lay the hate on women. would it make you happier if we post some pics of Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt?

I don't mind banners as long as they're not 1)overly obtrusive 2)unrelated to the content material, and 3) a scam. Needless to say, I'm ok with this one. Am I the only one find it interesting that Shawn has reneged on an age old MW policy? I hope this is more a friendly business gesture rather than a financial necessity.

Yeah, but they might be able to market a "Snow Valkyrie" and get away with it. You just won't be able to get the extra heads and whatnot

I remember a long time ago Graham asked Yamato about selling 1/60 VF-1's unassembled and unpainted, but Yamato said they couldn't because it's looking less like a toy and more like a model, in which they would need to pay for a model license from BW. An unpainted 1/48 may not be in compliance with their existing toy license.

R1 or R2 version? IIRC, someone on AOD ran a test on the R2 Mac Plus DVD's and they were somewhere around 80% to 90% progressive. I have no idea where the R1 DVD's stand, but I'm not optimistic as they look noticably worse than the R2.

I suppose it's easier to market a $600 computer vs a $600 game system.

True, but the PS3 won't have the coveted HDMI output. Videophiles with an HDMI set looking for the full experience will still need to shell out $1000 for the standalone BR player.

an oldie, but a goodie

Kawamori has gone on the record stating that Plus originally wasn't supposed to be part of the Macross universe. He approached Big West about doing an OAV involving rival mecha pilots, Big West thought it was a great idea but also thought it would sell better if it had the Macross name attached to it. I have to agree with Zinjo that most people tend to think Kawamori was more involved with the original SDF Macross than we give him credit for. From all that I've read, Kawamori's greatest involvement was with the "Outside Story" (episodes 28 - 36) where he began to direct, write, and script. The first 27 episodes of Macross was a Studio Nue collaboration. Several of our most beloved plot points (enemy ace falls in love a human pilot, girl ends the war by singing, said girl works in a Chinese restaurant and falls for the clueless hero, etc) were already set in stone by Studio Nue before Kawamori even had a chance to finish the VF-1. With the VF-1 being such an iconic design, it's easy for us to pin the role of series creator to the VF-1's creator. However, no one doubts Kawamori's involvement in DYRL. DYRL was THE Kawamori project of the 80's. But, with DYRL being a remake of the TV series, how original can it truly be? Yes, the mecha designs were improved, animation is still amazing by today's standards, there's mouth-watering action scenes, and a timeless score. But how about the story? I'd say 80% is borrowed from Studio Nue's plot with 20% of new material from Kawamori (the Protoculture city, Zentrans vs Meltrans). Storyline-wise, I can't say DYRL is original. So let's see how Kawamori's batting average with Macross goes: - SDF Macross (eps 1 - 27, Kamamori mostly relegated to mecha designs) - Japan and USA love it. - SDF Macross (eps 28 - 36, greater involvement with Kawamori) - Lukewarm response in Japan and USA. - Macross DYRL - Japan and USA love it. Mostly a remake of eps 1 - 27. - Macross Plus - Lukewarm response in Japan, USA loves it. Wasn't originally envisioned as a Macross series. - Macross 7 - Japan loves it, USA hates it. - Macross 7 Dynamite - Japan loves it, USA hates it. - Macross Zero - Lukewarm response in Japan and USA (using DVD sales figures as a basis for Japan). As far as Kawamori's original series go (Plus, 7, Zero), he's probably doing .500. Not bad, not terrible either. If Studio Nue wants to keep Kawamori around for future Macross projects, I can't blame them. But I wouldn't mind someone fresh taking over either.

Animeigo didn't have the rights for the artwork that Garoquel used in his preliminary sets. Instead, they could only use what little artwork Harmony Gold actually has the rights to, and most of that art was already appropriated for use on the Robotech DVD's. Sorry Keith, no sinister conspiracy theories here.

Nope, the only LD's in existance are pressed LD's. I suppose it *might* have been possible to burn your own LD, but it would have been a logistical nightmare with the physical differences (CAV, CLV) involved, not to mention that nearly every LD had data on both sides of the disc.

Tam's right, the most we could expect to save would be $20. I'm not saying this in relation to the $79.99 MSRP of the Toynami MPC, that's just Toynami price gouging us. But Yamato's toys aren't cheap to produce, and they fully know what we're capable of paying. That said, I find it very interesting that Yamato has shown an interest in working with HG. I mean business-wise, it's a good move on their part, but didn't Graham state that Big West would cut all ties with Yamato if they were to work with HG? No doubt this would tarnish Yamato's reputation, something Yamato would not do in a country that places honor on such high regard. Unless.......Yamato's license with Big West is due to expire! Seriously, Yamato acquired the Macross license in 1998 or 1999? If they paid for a 10 year license, then they're due to expire soon. They could always opt to renew their Macross license for another 10 years, but for what? Risk producing uncommon Valkyries like the VF-9 or VF-5000? Or, go with a definite seller like the VF-1, only this time sell it in America. Yamato's already got these magnificent VF-1 molds made, why not let their Big West license expire in 2 years and make even more money off those molds by selling VF-1's in America. Just my nickel. edit: everyone wins in this scenario, except Toynami!

No offense to Megazone fans, but acquiring the Garland license was probably cheaper than the Macross license. From Toycom's old days, they said that Big West wasn't interested in selling toy licenses for individual Valkyries, rather they'd sell a license for the whole damn Macross franchise (minus M7, which Bandai had locked up). While Yamato could easily produce a VF-2SS toy, the question is will it sell well, and do they want to risk drawing Kawamori's ire. For another company like Kaiyodo, it probably boils down to whether you want to pay for an expensive license on a toy from an unpopular series?

Ugh, the camo Valk looks cheesy. Plus, it's a VF-1A. Yaaawnn. Now the stealth VF-1 doesn't look too bad. I also like that it's coming with fast packs and isn't a VF-1A. Yay! I just hope the pilot ends up being painted in some grey or black scheme, Hikaru's bright colors just don't mesh with the mecha's color scheme.

If the game allows you to save directly at change disc point, you'll be ok. Otherwise you're going to have to resort to the old swap trick.

If it weren't for the solid cockpits, I'd definitely pick up a 1/100. My Konig Monster needs some company. But now I'll wait for the reviews. I'm not going to give $20 to Toynami for ripping off the Banpresto design and failing. As for the Hikaru figure, I'd be tempred if he were in his TV uniform or either flightsuit. But I never dug the DYRL stockings\pants, too much Southern Cross there.