ewilen

Yup, I've learned my lesson. But what I hate about the putty I've tried (Testors) is that it flakes. What's do you recommend?

I'm a very inexperienced and, frankly, lazy modeller, but I do have one thing I've learned about CA: it dries harder (much harder) than polystyrene. So be careful, especially if using it as a filler, because when you sand it down, you're likely to sand down the plastic and leave the cement. (CA can be used as a filler either in the Zap-a-gap formulation and/or by putting baking soda in the gap and adding crazy glue.)

I posted a picture of a 1/72 resin model in the auctions section recently. (Not my auction!)

Kanata67 posted a thread here and in the old forums listing the heights for the various Matchbox mecha toys including battlepods, destroids, and Zentradi powered armor. Although the measuring points are a bit ambiguous (and how should you pose the legs on a battlepod when taking height measurements?), we came to the conclusion that the Glaug officer's pod was a smaller scale than the Regult tactical battle pod. Glaug was about 1/60-1/65, while the Regult was about 1/55. I don't have a Regult (yet) but I think the Glaug looks pretty good facing off a 1/60 Valkyrie. If we're right about the Regult, its closest scale match is obviously the 1/55 Takatoku/Bandai Valks (and bootlegs thereof). BUT for photo-dioramas, you can play around with scale and forced perspective. Edit: I've been thinking about this, so I'll throw out a couple of ideas. In a photo, our main cues for distance and scale are (1) relative size (2) perspective (objects shrink and appear closer to the center of view the farther away they are) (3) focus. Item (3) is often forgotten. When you focus on closeup objects, you generally have a narrow depth of field--only the object you're focusing on, and objects near it, are in focus. When you focus on faraway objects, depth of field is greater, so everything is in focus. From a practical point of view, this means you may get better results by putting the camera farther away and using a zoom lens. But this introduces a second complication: when you zoom from far away, you "flatten" the perspective, reducing the effect of objects "shrinking" as they are farther way. So to correct for this, you probably should use larger scale models for the near objects and/or you should place the far objects much farther away than you want them to appear to be. Ideally, you might even have a "continuously distorted" background for the streets and buildings, but that may not be necessary.

Aegis, I still don't see how the evidence from the Chronology tells us that the VF-0 is a parallel program and not a predecessor, even if we set aside for the moment the fact that Egan Loo has reported that "the VF-0 pre-dates the VF-1 Valkyrie in both development and deployment." We know when the VF-1 was developed, and we know from the Chronology that the prototypes began flight tests in February, 2007. Both the Chronology and the VF-1 entry at the Compendium also say that VF-1A production started in November, 2008, with the maiden flight of a production model on November 29. We don't know when the VF-0 was originally designed. It incorporates Overtechnology, so it postdates July 17, 1999, when the ASS-1 fell to earth. It predates the Mayan incident in September, 2008. Can you explain to me what prevents the VF-0 from having been designed and produced in small numbers prior to February, 2007, to test technology which would be in the VF-1? It could later have been made in a small production run as a stopgap when the VF-1 wasn't ready for combat and the UN got wind of the SV-51 program. Either initially or later it could also have served as a stopgap training vehicle so that a cadre of pilots could develop variable fighter tactics while they waited for the VF-1 to go into production. The dates given in the piece which WJ posted at Nanashi's don't even agree with the current Chronology, so I don't see how they can be advanced as evidence. Furthermore, the piece dates the accidental discovery of Gerwalk mode to February, 2009, after the Mayan incident. Yet we see Gerwalks being used throughout M0. So while WJ and his colleagues have done a wonderful job and made a great contribution to Macross lore, I'm afraid the "Valkyrie Development History" is old material that has been superseded by new decisions on the part of Kawamori. At this point, I think the main thing you have going for your theory is the advanced displays in the VF-0. Even that may be explained as a feature that was left out of the VF-1--or it may be an oversight or minor continuity glitch. Which again, Kawamori has said would not trouble him greatly. Another thing that might lend support to your theory is the fact that the Compendium's listing for the VF-0 calls it a "Northrop Grumman/Stonewell/Shinsei VF-0" while the VF-1 was made by Stonewell/Bellcom. But Shinsei wasn't formed by the merger of Shinnakasu Heavy Industry and Stonewell Bellcom until 2012. (As noted in the VF-5000 listing.) So we might suppose that the VF-0 was maintained by Stonewell and Shinsei as a testbed for future technology past the VF-1 even after SW1. (The design could have survived even if none of the aircraft did.) However, on the whole, I don't see any evidence which would outweigh the comments of Kawamori himself and other indications that the VF-0 is a predecessor to the VF-1 and generally not more advanced technologically.

I would recommend watching in the order they were produced: http://macross.anime.net/production/animat...tion/index.html Note that the last two items on the list haven't been produced yet (and probably never will). The 20th anniversary collection can also be left off since it doesn't have any story, just footage of interest to collectors. You could instead watch in "chronological order", using these as a guide: http://macross.anime.net/story/chronology/...hort/index.html http://www.steelfalcon.com/Macross/continuity.shtml But if you do that, you'll have to wait for Macross Zero to finish production before you start watching anything. And as a prequel, I think M0 will give greater enjoyment if you're already familiar with at least SDF Macross (the TV series).

In a nonpartisan vein, I'll comment on the few Arnold movies I've seen. Terminator--liked it; a good example of early 80's scifi done with what would probably be considered a minuscule budget these days (even adjusted for inflation). Put it in the same class as Alien and The Thing (but I'd say The Thing was the best of the lot). T2--good sequel, this time with a blockbuster budget. Kindergarten Cop--liked it, especially with Arnold, surrounded by kids, his eyes bulging, yelling at them to be quiet. Total Recall--probably my favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, even though Phillip K. Dick fans may be offended by the way the main character was changed. Actually manages to be somewhat cerebral.

Good advice all around. Another thing you can try is to bypass your house's internal wiring. There may be an external box with a modular connector where the phone lines enter your house. Plug a phone line into that and run it directly to your modem. If that helps, you've probably got an internal wiring problem. A great place to learn and ask questions about connection issues is http://www.dslreports.com/ or http://www.broadbandreports.com/ In spite of the name, it covers all forms of broadband and dialup. A little tricky to navigate, but lots of good information and helpful people.

...the Academy Award, since this isn't a political thread.

We talked about that a little in this thread. It depends a little on how much of M7 you want to incorporate in your analysis. From M7, we gather that the Supervision Army had miclones in it at one time, since that's why the Zentradi initially were handicapped by the directive about not fighting miclones. From SDF Macross, we gather that the Supervision Army had giants in it, both because the architecture of the Macross includes giant-sized doors and because of what is said "Satan's Dolls". (Summary from mahq.net since I don't have that episode in the Animeigo set yet.) I think in the interrogation by Britai, Bodolza, and Exedore in "First Contact", it's also made clear that the Zentradi didn't expect to find miclones on a Supervision Army (sometimes translated Inspection Army) ship. (That's in addition to their surprise at the miclones' mixing of sexes and sexual reproduction.) So it seems that at some point, all the miclones in the SA disappeared or were converted into giants; the miclone form was still readily available to the Zentradi (and probably the SA), but nobody, it would seem, actually lived in that form on a day-to-day basis.

Well, yes but even if Aliens 3 weren't crap, the bit with Newt would still have been stupid. Another sequel that in addition to being crap on its own, also managed to spit on the main theme of predecessor's story within the first 10 minutes, was The Fly II.

Thanks for the answers! WJ, those big pictures are great. I agree that the model's "legs" look a little big; the line drawing seems more believable when compared to the lineart for the SDF-1 (TV show) and what appears to be a painting of the damaged ASS-1 right before it entered the atmosphere on p. 203 of Macross Perfect Memory.

Heh. Real Life's a biotch like that sometimes, though, isn't it? Yes, it is, but it's not just a matter of how things turn out; it's also a question of how the story is told, how our emotions and expectations are manipulated. One of the things that was good about Aliens was how it made us care about Newt and empathize with Ripley's desire to save her. If Aliens was a news report, that wouldn't be necessary, and I wouldn't have felt betrayed by the opening of Aliens 3. Since Aliens was a work of fiction, the opening of Aliens 3 ruins an important aspect of Aliens in my eyes.

The compendium has an interesting color picture of the ASS-1 prior to its entry into earth atmosphere. Click here for the picture. The Macross Mecha Designs site also has this picture (attributed to the Compendium) and identifies it as a model. Does anyone know where it came from originally?

I watched it, and you have a point. But in GotF, they not only tell you the ending at the beginning, but the pathetic struggle for survival is a theme hanging over the story. If Kawamori et. al. continue to develop the impending destruction as a theme through foreshadowing, and show the characters dealing with it, I think that will work. I'm going to have to go back and watch M0 eps. 1-2 with more than just cool transforming airplanes on my mind. Edit: but let me give you an example of how not to handle a doomed character: Newt in Aliens/Aliens 3. Admittedly, we're not dealing with a prequel, so it's not a perfect analogy, but the way that one of the key themes of Aliens was just swept aside at the beginning of Aliens 3 was terrible.

Well, Macross 7 Trash has been released in France by Glénat and in Germany by Planet Manga. Edit: Also in Italy by Planet Manga.

Hey, Whiskey, good for you! There's nothing wrong with a little debt, even for occasional expenses, as long as you learn to manage it wisely. And as long as you've got that 401k (hopefully diversified! not all in your company's stock) you're doing some automatic saving without having to think about it.

Yes, it's pretty depressing to think that everyone on the island is going to die. From a story point of view, that is--how can we care about the struggles of characters who we already know are doomed? This makes me think that, indeed, some of them are going to make it aboard the Macross, or else they'll benefit from some kind of "mystical" protection or escape to another dimension. Another thing I wonder about is the repeated bird/humanoid imagery in the story, from the myth of the birdman to the AFOS to the variable fighters. It makes me wonder if Kawamori is going to come up with some sort of crazy story about the human(oid) form itself being somehow special, which might somehow explain, finally, why the Macross's transformed state looks like a giant robot.

Good for you re: the Reserves. (And here's hoping you stay safe.) If I may suggest something--the firstplace you should be putting your money is paying off your CC debts. Even before the piggy bank. Even before the 401K. It all comes down to interest rates. Unless you've got an incredible rate on your credit cards, you're paying much higher interest on that debt than you're likely to earn in savings or investments. Dare I say it--you should pay off your CC bills even before you put any more money into hobbies. Just look at how much interest you pay in a year and how much your savings and disposable income (for the latter, read: money for hobbies) will increase if you get rid of that debt.

You're right, they are useless. Oh well. I voted for M&M as the most likely ones I'd buy out of that list. But since I'm not even planning on getting the 1/48 VF-1J Hikaru, I highly doubt I'll get a 1/48 M or M.

Now where are you getting that info from ? I haven't seen that info in either the OVAs nor the Compendium ...It's OK to speculate , which is mostly what everyone is doing , but to invent such nonsense is just ridiculous. Aegis, let me preface this by asking that you treat my comments with the same respect that I treat yours. I take offense at being accused of "inventing nonsense". Now it is true that I am speculating, which I thought should be clear from the context. I'm only trying to fill in the gaps, ambiguities, and contradictions in the existing facts. If you would care to lay out your version of the facts, and then show how you draw inferences and conclusions from them, I'm all ears. But I think everything is already out there. We have: 1) The Chronology, which you take very seriously. Others do not, because it's not part of the animation and because Kawamori has said he won't worry if some of the continuity is upset by his new story (or something to that effect). 2) The description of the VF-0 as being a "trial production model and testbed for advanced jet engines and Overtechnology designed for future variable fighters." By itself this is ambiguous. Only if you take the Chronology as set in stone does it become significant. 3) The description of the VF-0 by Kawamori as being a predecessor or prototype. Unfortunately, the exact quote is inaccessible because the old forums are down. Interestingly, the Compendium does have this from Egan Loo (bold added by me): Some of this may be inference by Egan but the indirect quote of Kawamori is fairly definitive. 4) The general fact that M0 is a prequel, from which we can make general inferences based on theories about prequels and audience expectations and understanding. I don't consider such inferences compelling, but I do believe they weigh on the side of the VF-0 being a predecessor or prototype, not a parallel development which is more advanced. Your argument comes from points (1) and (2) above, and depends on the immutability of the Chronology and a particular interpretation of point (2). My argument considers the possibility that the Chronology can be revised, that the description in point (2) is subject to multiple interpretations--depending on how rigidly we apply the Chronology, and that the creator of the series has himself commented that the VF-0 is a predecessor or prototype of the VF-1. Well, he has. Mike has addressed your point about the pinpoint barrier system. Mike has also done a good job of answering your other points, so I won't repeat them here.

Given the amount of interest expressed, I'll bet that if Yamato doesn't come through, one of our resident recasters/makers of custom parts will do something about it.

I think we've reached the stage where we're best off converting the discussion into a friendly wager. However, the answer to your point is that the VF-0 was used to test overtechnology that is currently in the VF-1. Its usefulness as a technology test craft is virtually over. But since it does have the technology in it, in a form that's usable now, it's being produced in a limited run to meet the current exigency. I don't think anyone is ignoring what you've said; we simply find it more likely that the Chronology is going to be revised. If you forget about the Chronology, the VF-0 doesn't have to be a "prototype" per se; it can just be a test aircraft or a side development. Back in the 40's & 50's, the US was developing all kinds of new fighters and producing them in small runs before we settled on a few major frontline types.

Bottom line is, video wise, AnimEigo could only use what HG handed them, and unfortunately those weren't included. Apologies to Animeigo then, and boo to HG... Edit: thanks to Vinny for posting those screencaps! I think the Perfect Memory tape does have the Macross Special eyecatch after all, but I forget exactly how it differs from the standard eyecatch.

1st and last lines don't seem to match what yellowlightman posted. The others look like: 2nd line: ABCDEI 3rd line: 1234 IxxQxx (x = I can't make out the character)