Zinjo

Well if the VF-25 has force feedback controls it would actually make a lot of sense...

But, the question is... Will they do that for a Macross line?? Historically Bandai has treated Macross like the red headed bastard son...

In the Mac 2 universe the original Spacy was reformed from the ashes after the war, hence the different kite design.

Somewhat less popular than Macross Plus or Macross Zero (lately), to Japanese audiences, if you want to be honest. Mac 7 was the big success with Japanese fans back in the day. As already stated, they can't. That's Bandai's property. This we agree on. What they do with that realization is what this discussion is about.

There were two animation books for Macross 2, TIAS and an EB. I agree that Bandai clearly dropped any plans for serious merchandizing of Mac 2 when it's popularity started going south, however, Mac 7 was the epitome of the Victor and Bandai merchandizing machines. Granted the Bandai releases were of poor quality, but there was certainly a lot of it floating around.

**Cough** Macross 7.... **cough** Macross II **cough** Bandai had plenty enough licenses to compete with Yamato in the 1/60 scale sandbox, but chose not to play. They stuck with their bread and butter Gundam merch. After seeing how much Yammie was making with their 1/60, 1/72 and 1/48 Valks, I'm sure they stood up and took notice that the Macross fan market actually had the money to afford higher end collectible toys. Now with Mac F, they have a perfect "excuse" to compete directly with Yamato. Both are licensed for different shows, but they are both after the same Macross fan's pocketbook. So things could get interesting on the toy front in the next few years...

I'm expecting similar themes as SDFM, not a direct adaptation. There are plenty of references to previous Mac productions, but I can't see them re-doing the original, unless Bigwest (backed by Bandai) were prepared to fight for their intellectual rights in the West. The coloring of the the valks, the resurrection of the Skull Squadron, etc... It's so early in the series (with only 1 episode to draw from) the show could go in many different directions.

There is the other benefit of being sponsored by Bandai, they scheduled both potential money makers separately to maximize their return on investment. If their toy line is of the same quality of recent offerings, we have little to worry about. They also have the clout to really make Yamato squirm if they release VF's of similar quality at a lower price from not only Mac F, but the other two shows they've sponsored. Designs Yammie has never had access to. My greater concern is over the quality of the model kits. It's pretty hard to compete with the quality level of Hasegawa.

Hmm, sounds like...

Historically, if Bandai has merch rights to a Macross series, no one tends to release competing items. Mac 2 & Mac 7 are perfect examples. Figures tend to be the only exception I've seen, however that may change with Bandai having trading figure lines out in recent years. He's the hero pilot. If they follow the SDFM, Alto may not be the genius pilot of the show...

Hmm, hard to tell if it'll be a transforming toy or not...

Watch all of Mac Plus then you will be able to debate the merits or failures of it on the same level as the rest of the board. Besides it's the only Macross production Kawamori wrote specifically as a "foreign" film aka Western film, which is why it is such a fan favorite here as opposed to Japan. I liked the mecha, but the YF-21 had to grow on me, I must admit. The story was much more mature compared to Mac 7. Mac 2 had a great premise, that I still believe was truncated for some unknown reason, similar to how I believe Zero is missing at least one more episode. Too many plot threads left hanging for it to be complete as it was. The deterioration of the animation by the last episode is well known and has been previously explained.

Kawamori's anime death as a result of Hikaru's crashing the VF-1D is one of my favorites... Roasted alive, fairly brutal...

I think you need to stop assuming what I think or where I base my knowledge on to avoid making yourself look like an a$$... Cool!

Yeah the sub groups upload to several trackers and boxtorrents tends to have all of them, sooner or later...

I doubt that completely. The military has stricter policies on returning fire as they are direct representatives of their governments (at least in the West), which is why paramilitary forces are used in shall we say "potential wetworks" situations. What would embarass a government's military would go largely unnoticed if it were mercs (or those not bound by a patriotic oath of conduct) doing the shooting. That isn't to say militaries are innocent, but are held much more accountable than any paramilitary force for their conduct on the battlefield.

Well the VF-11B from Hasegawa is a possibility, but the VF-17 is a Bandai property. With all the re-issues coming out I think we'll be seeing a battle of the titans on the model kit front for the old guard Macross fanbase... Didn't something similar happen for the 15th anniversary? It would be nice to see an update to the old molds or even a re-scaling of existing kits, like the Mac 2 & 7 lines to 1/72.

The SW-XA1, is SK's update of the VF-1, which wasn't apparent until Mac Zero. Officially it is explained as an experimental fighter. I tend to believe it was his re-design to see if the VF-1 could be updated and who knows maybe Bigwest was considering a re-animation of SDFM to side step the legal problems with the original. I tend to believe the SW-XA2 was a re-design of the VF-9 to something with a much less clumbsy transformation sequence. However why SK did the designs are purely conjecture on my part since nothing is mentioned outside the official explanations.

Don't have a picture, but apparently Hasegawa is releasing another special VF-1S for the anniversary. http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/aid-...pid-1010669599/ It could very well be a Battroid version of the Blue and Gold fighter, but we'll have to wait and see...

You guys are aware that Bandai is planning on re-releasing the VF-2SS kit right? If I recall correctly it is supposed to come out this spring sometime, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Macross... Whether it will be the transforming kit or separate fighter and battroid kits, I do not know... http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.as...&company=11

So did anyone notice the brochure showing the VF-11B as well as both YF fighters? Oh By the way Graham, I hate you too...

OK, "Paramilitary Force" is the best way to describe what they are, despite the negative conotations it carries in different parts of the world. "Independant Contractors" is a US euphemism for Mercenaries, they aren't out there building houses after all....

Probably, however, Millia's VF-1J doesn't seem to sell well it seems. It is picked up by hardcore collectors, but that's usually about it. You can find more Doyusha VF-1J die casts on Yahoo Japan than the other collectors valks, like the blue max and the YF-19...

The Manga describes them as a civilian special forces unit that tests new mecha for NUNS and takes on SOCOM missions for the Frontier President.

Well I suspect in the heart of TiVo land, most of the shows are recorded and watched later. Most home video is rented not bought like here.