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Yup, and you're lucky if you even see it coming. (Or maybe you're not lucky.) It's quite poignant when you think about it. Roy was great. He wasn't invincible. No one is. JsArclight: The Oedipal take on the topic is interesting, but you have to remember that the specifics of the Oedipal myth are part of western culture, with a bit of extra emphasis coming from Freud. They're not universal. In a more general sense, we can certainly say Roy was somewhat of a father figure, that Roy's death is a key step in Hikaru's growth, and his eventual choice of Misa--a mature woman who comes from the world of responsibility, the kind of woman he used to think of as a "sourpuss" and a nag--is a manifestation of that growth.

The one you mention is the reason I said that the subs USUALLY don't suck. The initial AJ release of episode 2 has been the one exception, LOL. There's a good reason why they managed to pump out that release the day after the DVD came out In my experience, i've found that most fansub groups (again, AJ being the big exception) put out very good digisubs with excelent translations. I can understand if your PC sucks, or if you're on dial-up... and yea, it's nice to be able to watch them on TV (though that's possible too, either by making an SVCD or with a video card with a s-video output). DVDs of course, are an option too. I'm sure the video is a straight rip of the R2 disc, so the video has gotta be good. But of course the subs are gonna suck on the bootlegs. I mean... they're bootlegs! Bootleg DVD's vs. Downloading 1. Cost of burning DVD's You can get a cheap CD burner and software to create VCD's. Some DVD players will play SVCD, which is about the same quality as DVD, and some will play "mini-DVD", which is DVD-encoded data on a CD. The money you spend on bootlegs could instead go to acquiring the tools you need. 1a. Technical issues There's some help in the pinned imacross thread. The more you learn about codecs and the more you find and install, the less trouble this will be over time. The same applies to learning how to burn DVDs/VCDs. 2. Download speed over modem/broadband For me, Bittorrent over broadband isn't much faster than a modem. Other filesharing methods (certainly ftp or hotline) would see more of a difference. Anyway, if you've got a phone line that you can use for 24 hours, and you don't suffer from dropped connections, just start a download before you go to sleep, and when you come home from working/studying/playing the next day it'll be practically done. (CORRECTION: At least with Bittorrent and Hotline you probably don't have to worry about dropped connections--the technology is designed to "pick up where it left off" if a download is interrupted.) 3. quality of sub/video The sub on the MI Macross Zero vol. 2 was pretty bad; I don't see how it could be much better than the fansubs. (And certainly it's worse than the NLA fansub.) The video on the MI bootleg is terrible--I don't know how they managed to screw up a digital transfer, but they did. And I haven't been able to find any retailers/eBay sellers who can answer whether their version of vol. 2 has decent video. I'd rather watch a small (and in the case of NLA, slightly dark) version of the video than see those annoying lines during the fight scenes. 4. ethical issues When you buy a bootleg, none of the money goes to the creators, and it might be going to people involved in crimes worse than copying DVD's. Not only do the creators deserve to be paid, but the less money they make, the less likely they are to invest in additional product. I suspect that if you buy a bootleg, you're also less likely to end up buying a properly licensed version when its available. Conclusion: I have the DYRL "Perfect Edition" and may eventually spring for Flashback (although for the amount of story contained in it, for now I'm happy with the download I got from imacross). My bad experience with M0 vol. 2 and success with downloads has convinced me not to spend any more money on bootlegs unless there's no prospect of the anime appearing in licensed subtitled form in the foreseeable future.

Maybe NP-BP refers to the backpacks as a whole (including boosters) and the 01/02 refers to what weapon is attached to them. HMMP-02/Mauler would then just refer to the weapon portion. In answer to post right before this one, I can't get the arm missiles out of the armor, and I haven't seen any pictures of them taken out, so I'd say the answer is "no".

It was destroyed on Britai's flagship just prior to them being caught (forget the episode, and can't check from work). It was also destroyed unintentionally by a mis-timed Daedalus attack by Misa in the ep just prior to "Phantasm". After that, he "inherited" skull one. Yup, "K-FD"/"BC" is the episode right before Phantasm. You're right, Hikaru lost his 1J in "First Contact". See http://www.mahq.net/animation/macross/seri...ies/macep11.htm I forgot that they used a Regult to escape. Is MAHQ right in this from the summary of "Miss Macross"? I thought it was a VF-1J, and I even suspected it was "his" 1J (#101), just with the GBP-1S armor. Whatever craft it was, it seems to survive the mission, barely.

Yup, that shark's mouth Valk looks nice, but what I'd really like to see is something like that jungle camo F-111 with a red shark's mouth. Something a bit like this: So ugly it's beautiful!

http://macross.anime.net/mecha/united_nati.../vf1/index.html

Looking for some clarification on the VF-1X. I've seen people say that the Valk flown by Hikaru at the beginning of DYRL is really a VF-1X. True? If not, what does the head of a 1X look like?

I'll have a go at Hikaru. I count the following: TV: 1. Fan Racer 2. VF-1D 3. VF-1J Hikaru (equipped with GBP-1S on one occasion) 4. Fan Liner 5. VF-1S 6. VF-X-4? (Do we ever actually see it, or just a model?) Notes: Although the 1J took a beating and was disabled at least once, I think it kept being repaired and was only totalled when it lost a wing in "Kung-Fu Dandy" (RT "Battle Cry"). When Hikaru flashes back and sees Roy flying a biplane in episode 1, do we see what Hikaru is flying? (I don't think so.) DYRL: 1. VF-1A 2. VT-1 3. VF-1S Flashback: Aside from reused scenes, FB does show Hikaru in a VF-4. Or is it a VF-X-4?

Nope. DYRL only has a VF-1J briefly, and that is in GBP-1S armor. Hikaru switches from 1J to 1S before FAST packs are introduced in the series, so unless his old ride appears far in the background somewhere (*), you never see a Hikaru 1J with FP. You do see Max and Millia's with FP, though. Strike version of FP only appears in the movie. (*) I'd say "it doesn't", but I wouldn't exclude it from the realm of possibility, having never examined every frame of the animation... Edit: Actually, I'm sure the Hikaru's old 1J never showed up again--it lost a wing and Hikaru had to bail...thanks to Misa...

However, page 158 of Macross Perfect Memory shows that the legs partially open during transformation to Gerwalk, and the arms fold out on hinges a la Bandai 1/55 and Yammie 1/60, instead of rotating out like a 1/48. Don't know if Kawamori changed his mind later. Will scan when I have time, if anyone's interested. (PM me if I forget.)

No, the 1/3000 sometimes go that high, but the "miniature SDF-1" in Matchbox box usually goes for much, much less. Probably because it not only doesn't look as nice, but it also isn't transformable. (Although it does have removable carrier arms, like the 1/3000.)

I don't have much experience with this sort of thing (though I have access to the tools) but I think the best start would include a uniform and highly contrasting background (similar to the idea of a blue screen).

That sounds like Project A-Ko to me. Definitely had a scene like that. Quite a funny movie if you've seen enough anime already to know the cliches that it's spoofing. Edit: Ranma 1/2, Maison Ikkoku, and Urusei Yatsura, all by the same author (Rumiko Takahashi) are all quite funny, but I don't know if I'd start with the movie versions of any of them. They tended to gather more and more characters over the course of the respective TV series (MI is a possible exception), and unless you've kept track of all the accretia, they'll probably be pretty confusing.

Null vote because it depends on the price. But actually, no, I wouldn't want a 1/48 TomCat. A 1/60 maybe.

Any pictures? I've wanted to make a 1S with shark's mouth (and jungle camo) from a carded bootleg...

Cool. Can you (or anyone) help with "SR" and "M" (as in M-21?) And "U"? What do they all stand for/designate?

I'll add another vote for Miyazaki. It looks like you want something with action/fighting, so I'll particularly recommend (1) Castle of Cagliostro, (2) Laputa, and (3) Nausicaa. Kiki's Delivery Service and Totoro are also favorites of mine (actually, I like them better than Laputa and Nausicaa) but have, shall we say, "gentle" stories. (Though both have exciting flying sequences, especially Kiki.) I'm going to recommend against Mononoke and Spirited Away. Mononoke has too many half-baked ideas and while I like Spirited Away, it's very weird, disgusting at many points, and suffers from poor pacing and plot development. I don't know if anyone's recommended Wings of Honneamise. One of my all-time favorites, it manages to tell a good story and it even manages to get away with a rather heavy-handed message.

I stand corrected--I was fooled by the "A" into thinking the A-12 was a light bomber (like the A-20 Havoc or A-26 Invader). Nevertheless I seem to remember reading that the MiG 25 was developed in response to the "A"-something-or-other.

A separate role fighter (actually intercepter) isn't a good idea, unless you need to fill that role with the best system possible, in which case you don't want to try to make it do other stuff if that means compromising its capability in its primary role. I also don't see why you're comparing carrier-borne and land-based aircraft. The Super Hornet is a compromise (though some would say it's not a particularly good one) that's designed to meet the current needs of the Navy economically. If we still needed to knock down large numbers of bombers headed for our carrier groups, we'd either build an upgraded Tomcat or develop a new system to do the job (not necessarily an aircraft--Aegis may have something to do with this, now that I think about it). Edit: But you could convince me if you could show that the F-18E/F is a better interceptor than the Super Tomcat (or even better, a conceivable further evolution had the Tomcat program been continued).

Nope, I don't feel that I've been corrected. My point was that for the role it was designed to fill, the F-14 does a better job than the Super Hornet. If we still needed a superduper interceptor to swat down Russkie bomber swarms, and cost was no issue, the Super Hornet (at least as currently built) wouldn't be the aircraft of choice, and chances are we'd need a specialized interceptor system (evolution or replacement of the Tomcat) and a separate strike system.

That PDF's actually pretty good. Do you know to what extent it's based on info from the books (such as the blueprint included in the Gold Book)? Is the original discussion that produced the document somewhere on line? The only thing I find dubious is the idea of gathering hydrogen from water vapor in the atmosphere and using plasma from the reactors for afterburner and space propellant. I suspect instead that the propellant (whatever it is--could indeed be water) is stored in the wings and that there's no afterburner pe se .But the basic compression/heat exchange/bypass looks good. It's true that the Macross wouldn't need to fire its engines very much to make the trip, but would mean either a very long trip or the acceleration during the 2-3 burns would be enormous (implies requiring a lot of propellant) in order for it to go from the outer Solar System to Saturn to Earth in nine months. I forget to mention earlier, though, that if the Macross is capable of generating artificial gravity, it could possibly use the same technology for maneuver (although the show doesn't seem to portray things that way).

Yeah Bunny's are cool. And Smarter than I excepted. They are cool pets. Thanks, guys. Yup, rabbits can be house trained--Benji basically did it himself--picked a spot on the balcony (where he lives) so that's where the litter box goes, and he even remembers to make a pit stop before coming in the apartment. (Visit the House Rabbit Society for rabbit care tips and propaganda.) Speaking of rabbits, that was one freaky looking rabbit a few posts up! Forgot to mention that I used to be heavily into alternative comics at one time. Love and Rockets, Hate, etc. Was happy to get a tour of the Fantagraphics offices a few weeks ago when I was in Seattle. And also, I'm into anime and animation in general.

I have the Hikaru VF-1J and none of the others, so for now at least it's my favorite. I like the head, like the paint job, like what it stands for in terms of being the Valk Hikaru grew up in. I probably would have gotten it even without the FP, but that's a nice bonus. If I ever get a Roy Strike, a VF-1D, or a TRU brownie, the FP will give me some more display options.

I think the B1-B postdates the MiG-25 by a little too much for the MiG-25 to have been a response to its development, but the XB-70 is right. I think it was also a response to some of the combat-equipped SR-71 variants (A-12, YF-12). (David?)

Ah, now that's a good idea! Turn them both into TV-version Valkyries!