Zinjo

It's more about how many will sell, not how cheaply it is to make them. If few will sell then the costs of retooling even a few parts will not be recovered, which is not good business...

Not really. Sellers are probably just blowing out their old stock, since the most popular one has always been the YF-19. There are the plastic "F Toys" versions out now, which are cheaper and essentially "look" the same, with more versions of the VF-1.

Pfft. easily explained... the VF-14 in the early sketch is Block 1 and by M3 it is Block 6.... Wha? It worked for DYRL....

Just a generic question, but why do fans always create "Uber" powerful equipment? I've seen this in so many instances. It is cool to imagine you favorite mecha decked out with super weapons, but where's the sport in that (or the equally huge power generators to support the weaponry and the uber engines to simply move the gear for that matter?). Always wondered about that.... The pic is indeed cool, but I agree that coloring is not the best (I can understand having struggled with that skill myself..).

Well so long as you don't have any ruins with doors, windows or steps, you may be able to get away with 1/35 scale ruins. However, you could also get foam insulation (denser than regular foam) and simply cut your buildings out of it. Paint it and voila you have scale building ruins... There are so many possiblities with urban warzones...

Ah Hasgawa sure know how to boost a kit's value! I wonder if they have new variants in the pipe, which will suddenly see a massive pre-orders in comparison to the first two?

VF-19E??

THAT would be sweet!! But it is consistent. Mac Zero was the 20th anniversary project and it didn't start coming out unti 2003...

Well yeah, the YF-19 and YF-21, what 21 are you talking about? There is a VF-22, which is the production model of the YF-21, that is without the BCS, and variable camber wings as JBO pointed out...

The only thing I can think of to suggest is to turn down the "sheen" on the cannon pillars as well as the Deadelous & Prometheus surfaces so that the scale of the fortress is conveyed better. Before totally abandoning this project, please provide various angles of the rendered ship and various close ups of the areas. Put the renders on a neutral or grey background, so we can play with these amazing images in photoshop as they are they are displayed quite nicely, but are too dark for us to be able to "lift" the darker areas of the SDF-1! Truly is an amazing render, the detail is quite astounding!

I'm glad someone brought up the color schemes displayed in TIAS:M+. There is another squadron listed in that book that "may" have had VF-4's in it's history and their color scheme may not have been black, but was a navy blue, they being the SVF-411 Blue Lancers. The book shows that color scheme on VF-11s, but we know that VF-4 were one of the predecessors to the VF-11s. Now if that book is considered a canon source, then there are several "canon" color schemes that have not been animated in the Macross Universe, as of yet. How color schemes from B-club, Hobby Japan, and Hobby Graphix fit into canon, (if at all) is another matter.

Unfortunately we don't see as much of Sylvie's or Nexx's prowess behind the stick as we do with other characters mentioned. They are both smart pilots, but it's hard to tell if it is they or their fighters that are outstanding. Actually the jointed wings on the YF-21 were kept on the production model VF-22 according to the "Mac 7 Animation Materials" book as well as the stupid bubble cockpit canopy (could never understand why SK went with that as opposed to the regular canopy he had designed for the non-BCS version of the YF-21 when the BCS was scrapped by Mac 7?).

What he said... I kept meaning to do some Photoshop work on it to create a photorealistic scene of the SDF-1 from the park, but free time and skill level have not been my friend recently. Anything new on that project would be greatly appreciated. It has to be one of my favorite renders of yours....

Yeah interesting fuselage textures to be sure... Not sure if the aircraft should have a brushed metal type finish though. I do agree a block 6 (DYRL) type cockpit would look pretty amazing too! Regardless, WOW stunning work!

Canada Goose anyone.....

Kawamori was the Director of Mac Plus thus, to further Sketchley's position, had the final say in what was animated, not the animator. If he choose to put a VF-4 there then that's what was done, if it was to be another aircraft, then that was done. Pretty basic...

I've heard that too. He considered it a "one off". A one time cool fighter he designed for FB2012, that he never initially intended to be shown as a battroid.

Not really. The man has other stories to tell, they just aren't necessarily Macross stories. He's already done an episode of Cowboy Bebop, wrote Escaflowne, and recently finished a segment in the "Genius Party" project. Initially he didn't want Mac Plus to be a Macross project, but it was the only way he could get the project funded. He divorced himself from the franchise for nearly a decade before he wrote plus and I am expecting him to do so again. BW/SN really need to foster new talent and develop a core group of writers to pen new, interesting stories within the universe. I'm sure SK would love to only design new variable fighters and not be expected to come up with yet another fresh angle on the same formula. He has other stories he wants to do, so why not let him tell them? There is nothing stopping them from releasing a new show every couple of years, they can just have different writer(s) developing the story for each series. Although, there is the risk the franchise could gundamize and become more about merchandising than drama.

The Macross universe is vast and in reality it is unfortunate that BW/SN are only concentrating on fleets and variable fighters, (the formulas). I'd love to see a story about the wars Dyson participated in prior to Plus, a story about the Spacy Marines and destorids, hell how about a horror story about the Megaroad 18 colonists waking the PD, or another prequel about what happend after Mac Zero with the advent of the AUN's variable fighter program and that armed with such advanced gear the "quiet" war would get much more intense before it blew over. So many premises are available to the writers of Macross, which is why it is such a dis-service to the franchise to rely solely on one writer to pen the stories. SK has many stories that he doesn't want to be Macross and they probably won't be, ultimately. With a universe so huge it could support several genres and still survive. The Alien franchise has seen a thriller, horror, action, and now with the new AVP Requiem, they are exploring the "gore" genre... Macross could easily support the same approach, much more so than Gundam, it just takes the will to try it.

Dude, doesn't Max's VF-1S get any love too? That would be a cool collection of all three VF-1S Strike Valks!

Actually Mac Zero has huge loose ends, and the loose end in SDFM was created by FB2012... If FB would not have been made for the sake of the fans, the story of SDFM would have ended at the finale of the series...

Always a pleasure to watch you work brother!!

Mmmm, the VF-3000 and the Neo Glaug....

Really? Where was that? I don't remember it... Ah yes, the tabloids, I didn't remember the stories they were running...

I agree! I don't normally buy the toys, but for Mac II VF-2's? I'd make an exception. Throw in a Gilgamesh and I'll get the set!! As for Phyrox's & S001's comments, I have similar issues about the VF-17, but I am willing to admit to myself that is a personal preference issue, not necessarily a failing of the VF-17 design itself. So yes please ask if the Macross II variable fighters are on the drawing board, please?