VFTF1

I remember seeing/reading/hearing...dreaming?... that Kaiyodo has made an updated Revoltech Asuka based on EVA 2.0 - I'm hoping that the hair will now be mobile so her head isn't perpetually looking down like the original Fraulein. The only EVA figures I have (of people) are the Revoltech Frauleins. I agree with you that there are tons of them. I like the Kotobukiya plug suit girls that came out last year too - but not enough to own them. This Asuka however - she made me fall in love with the girl for the first time since I've known about NGE - which is a pretty big deal! Up until now - I haven't been able to fall for Asuka because she has been either a) talking or b) pushing her breasts and thighs out in a mega-attempt to show how sex she is. I guess character wise she's the ultimate, albeit unwitting, loli. "Kaji san! Kaji san! Look at me! Look at the bikini I'm getting! Shinji Shinji! mite! mite! are my breats expanding?" Not sexy. But this statue is special because I get the feeling it simply captures Asuka turning while running. NOT Asuka TRYING to be sexy - just Asuka being her natural self - and then - man - she is sexy! It's like Asuka is liberated from her overbearing character in this one statue and is just a beautiful girl. which is why I like it - and her now Pete

To quote my sig: kinsoku jikō des Actually though - this information can be revealed: So...chalk up the failure of the human race to progress to...Robotech.com Pete

The newest cover to my Epic Super Saga Baseball Battle Fighter ongoing features two characters near and dear to all Gurren Lagann fans! Behold: Bouncey Left and Bouncey Right! Boing Boing! Pete

This brings us back to the issue of Memo not blacklisting himself for posting at this place Pete

Would this be the place for me to proclaim that Aizu 1/6 Asuka Langley that is coming up this year to be the hottest thing in the universe!? Seriously - I usually have a brief "shiny! must have!" moment with most new offerings of anything...but they fade. But this Asuka...I have a feeling I'm gonna want to have her on my shelf next to my two Yokos. She's dreamy! And I'm not usually a "fan" of Asuka - in the sense that neither she nor Rei really turn me on...at least not like Miss glug-glug-glug-glug-yyyyyeeeaahh!! Katsugar-san who is by far the hottest of the EVA girls...still...there's just something about this sculpt which makes my jaw drop YUM!! Pete

Depends on the angle you approach it with For me - threads like these are interesting for the following reasons: 1) They give a good sample of what people are buying (aka what is in real demand, as opposed to "fake demand" i.e. - 'oooh! shiney! must have!' 2) They give a good sample of the frequency with which people buy 3) fans can share their joyous anticipation with the whole world... I mainly lurk here for reasons 1 and 2, and post only when there is something truly monumental and earthshattering coming my way (like the Haruhi Suzumiya Danchou armband)... Naturally - if this isn't interesting to someone - then it's not interesting Pete

Deja Vu? Clearly they must have changed something in the Matrix... Pete

The concept is appealing, what with the wing thing - but the mecha itself needs work. Pete

Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. SDF Macross and DYRL were closed entities all the way up until it was decided that PLus would be about Macross rather than two random guys and two unconnected mecha. Sure, there was flashback 2012 and Macross II, but the former was a brief reminiscence and the latter was later concined to oblivion and in and of its' self certainly did not satisfy any "fan desire" to learn the fate of the Megaroad 1. In fact - NONE of the subsequent Macross stories have shed any light on this subject or been a direct continuation. Yet nobody is pissed at Kawamorii. Why? Well - here's some reasons: a) he explicitly tells the truth about Macross - that his philosophy of story telling is to have a closed book, and that his view of cannon is that these stories exist in the ether and the anime are just visual representations of them. Plus, judging from the books Gubaba has translated - it seems that Kawamorii likes to revel in the process and share the artistic process with fans. He makes a great story, but he constantly reminds us - it's a story guys. b) The actual anime that come out are great, and despite not being direct continuations, they also are not repleat with retcons, nor do they contradict established lore - they simply push onward with a new cast and setting and build on what came before, while maintaining a traditional Macross framework (singers, music, transforming mecha, love triangle etc) Meanwhile... HG explicitly advertises Robotech as co-equal to Star Wars and Star Trek in terms of popculture impact (a stupid and laughable claim), they TELL YOU that this is epic and amazing and perfectly woven and that it's all planned out and holds together perfectly. They set you up with all these expectations, and then don't meet them. The MO is in stark contrast here. Kawamori: Hello - this is my fun story. I was thinking to make a parody, but this is what came out. I hope you like. ....(ten years later)...Oh...hello...I have made a continuation of my fun story...I hope you like it.... HG: THIS IS THE GREATEST STORY EVER! OR IT WILL BE WHEN WE MAKE IT! JUST WAIT! IT'S COMING! WHAT? "WHEN?" YOU ASK?! BAAAAAAAAAAAAANFFFUUUUCCKKER!!!!!!!!! Pete

WELL THAT GOOD. I TAKE YOU OFF BAD BOY LIST THEN Besides - it has been demonstrated that Data Transfer is the most efficient form of travel. Your body need not move faster than the speed of light in order to warp to a far off galaxy or dimmension. In fact, given that the physical body cannot stand the duress of the light-speed "bend" - the solution offered by Haruhi Suzumiya is the only feasable form of inter-stellar travel: Namely - since the future exists, but we can't get to it yet physically - then we need t obeam our minds at the speed of light into space and telepathically take over our bodies in the future, where we'll be able to travel in space ships...without having to build them here. That is unless there isn't ANY future in which there are space ships piloted by humans - mathematically impossible, since there must be at least one, or a portion of one, given probability. The real question then becomes: how do we target the "correct" future? What if we beam our minds into a future in which there is no space travel? Or - more to the point: Why haven't people from the future with space travel technology beamed their minds into the past to make it? Questions like these need answers. Pete it's 1 am - I really should go to bed...

Generally, when they require screw adjustment - that's not a good thing. In my experience, most of them have very specific screw parameters that, if you stick within the established framework, they will stay tight yet also agile enough to respond to your needs, depending on what position you want them in. So...I dunno...when you get to the point that they need screw adjustment - then that's just a bad sign... Pete

Not really Pete shutting up

Is that closure I smell? Then again - I freely admit I have no idea what this is about, and it very well might be about the latest Sci-fi/anime related...um...thing Pete

Uh...why not? What other kind of way is there other than a Haruhi Suzumiya kind of way?? As for the second part of your sentence - you know... I like to notice that the vast majority of twentieth century science fiction focused on space travel, traveling at light speed, warp speed, beaming people up down and around, creating vast mamoth Death Stars, Star Cruisers, star fighters, star ships bla bla bla and yet in terms of communication technology - they basically never got passed the two way radio. Tomino's Mobile Suit Gundam is perhaps the most amazingly awesome example of this insofar as it illustrates this fact so literallly. The White Base is this amazing super duper space ship...but Captain Bright talks to people on a 70s hand held cord telephone.... But even without the phone, the way people in science fiction literature communicated was ridiculous. I still remember laughing at Isaac Asimov's "Robots of Dawn" from the Foundation Series, when Elijah Baley is stuck in the car, the rain (which he is unaccustomed to and therefore scared of) is pouring, his car has been sabatoged, he's sent his robots away for their own safety, and other robots are out to get him, and he makes a run for it but panics in the rain and falls.... oh the drama! Maybe sending a text message to Gladia would have helped? "Gladia! Robots are after me and it's raining! Send Help!" Hell - even just being able to call her would help. They have all of these elaborate ways of traversing the stars - but they can't send a text message. Point? We really shouldn't make this artificial distinction between what people are doing scientifically and what they "should be" doing. I would LOVE it if we could travel through the galaxy on space ships. But really - so long as there's no pressing economic benefit from doing so - it's not going to happen. A good first step would be colonizing the moon and putting the resources there to some sort of good use. But you won't get scientific progress by stifling the progress that is being made - and by categorizing it as less important than... This is where scientists fail to understand economics. They view things as a matter of funding for their experiments and discoveries which will pay off in the long run in ways unknown. But private corporations also fund R&D which will pay off in the long run in ways unknown. The thing is - technically, with limited resources, funding can't be infinite, and resources need to be economized. Corporations have a knack for balancing R&D funding with other priorities and making sure that R&D doesn't become a black hole that money is pumped into without any results. Another point to be made is that the pie is not fixed. That is to say - resources are limited only insofar as they are not infinitely available in infinite quantities at no cost in time. However, better productivity and economic growth help grow the pie, so to speak, and so this situation where you think you need to made a trade off between, say, cell phones and space travel - is actually artificial. You don't. We'll see where things progress to. But in general... I think that if you try to hamper the development of market driven technologies in favor of some prefered scientific goal (say, space travel), then you will not advance the goal of space travel - but you will regress the advancement of other technologies which would have occured had it not been inhibited. Patience Oh - and - the best option is to find a cute girl and dress her up in aluminum foil. Stick two chopsticks in her hair and make them protrude vertically. Maybe make her wear a green winter hat and green panties. Hey presto: a space alien. Then get that Simon Says game from the eighties - the one with the flashing lights. Hey presto: space ship control computer Then, find yourself some underlings to do things like navigate or repeat the computer (nod to Galaxy Quest) In other words - go the way of Haruhi Suzumiya! I often wonder to myself thus: Why haven't alien races emailed us or text messaged us? Um...Macross 7 .... is great. Pete

Update: Well - I didn't close shop after all However - I did open an EnRish Corner on my website www.dyrl.pl, so now it'll function as both a store for people in Poland as well as having a section featuring my horrible photoshoping skills and a really bad story starring SOS-brigade, a plethora of Super Robots and more! Thanks to the one person who responded to the plea - other than Gubaba - and if you do ever get around to making a good video - I'll be happy to feature it on my website! As for anybody else - the plea still stands. If you want to write something up, do a review, or have anything remotely interesting to contribute - sound off Pete

You know - this is another example of how Bigbadtoystore has an organizational leg up. The solution to problems like these is simple - and BBTS does it. If you ever recieve anything from them, you will notice that on the bill which lists your goods there's a series of STAMPS. Usually (and I'm paraphrasing here) the stamps say: PACKED BY BOB or PACKED BY JOHN or PACKED BY JANE. And then - if someone has a complaint like yours - BBTS can go to Bob and say "Bob - have you been ripping the tabs off of Macross boxes and putting them into other Macross boxes again? And Bob can say "sorry boss, you know how lonely I get sometimes" And the problem is dealt with. This way - it's a mystery. What HLJ need to do is institute this system because then they will know who packed what. And if Bob says "I swear they were MISB when I packed them" - then I would chalk it up to customs. Sometimes, goods do come in damaged and in less than steller shape. Sometimes this IS on account of minor crushing during transport or damage done while packing... I dunno. Your situation is wierd that's for sure. It's just way to complex for either customs or anyone else. Actually - it looks like someone tried to STEAL your items. Ever thought about that? Here's my scenario (Activate Detective Mode): Somebody opened the box with your goods and ripped the side tabs off in the hopes of stealing the figures. This someone might have worked at the post office, in customs - where ever. That someone's boss or superior or colleague or other person saw it, the dude was fired - but to avoid any problems - they just slipped the ripped tabs into one of the boxes and shipped it on its' merry way. Likely customs - since customs are the only ones to open the box. USUALLY customs officers have to seal the box with special tape that says "Opened for Cusotms purposes" or something. But maybe they didn't this time around? That - or aliens did it. Beats me. Pete

There will always be another one for 200 bucks just around the corner, so - don't worry.... Pete

Everything about the fashion in Generation is so 90s though. I don't like that look. I like modern retro...if that makes any sense... like Minmey's polka dot dress - Mikimoto does it justice and despite (or perhaps because of) its' 70s bangs nostalgia...I like it! Um..that said...Generations was made in the 90s...right? I've said it before and I'll say it again: fashion in the 90s was too conscious of the dawn of the 21st century and therefore blindly and chaotically trying to be "futuristic" and "not 20th century" rather than just...you know...tasteful, classy, elegent, sharp...and any other host of positive adjectives associated with fashion. Pete fashion expert at least on the weekends or after he's done his laundry or once in a while when he puts something clean on or at least not kind of un-clean you know like...pick up...smell it...doesn't stink...wear it... I'm doing some laundry now actually did most of it yesterday still got some hand washing to do today nice zipper sweater I go while in Berlin um yeah.

Yoda voice: That is why you fail (on Robotech.com) Kevin and Tommy need to take this entire phenomena and write it up as a sitcom. It'll be bigger than Seinfeld. Seriously. I understand what you're saying, but I don't fully agree with it. I think the trend and tendency (did I just repeat myself?) are towards a world where direct interaction with the fans of various franchises is making the situation you describe remote. People are more and more in touch via the internet and any company that doesn't somehow foster interaction with its' fans/clients/customers is loosing out. Yes - it has its' bad sides - but it's just the way that the world is moving thanks to the internet. So actually - it is tragic for Robotech that their website is run by CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK and their biggest NUMBER ONE FAN can't spell. Seriously - it DOES impact how people view the franchise and the DVDs and everything else. Before I encountered Robotech.com I had a MUCH better view of Robotech. I read the novels with interest, I thought the RPGs were well thought out. I didn't much like what I saw of the show - at least not the bootlegged version - but I did think Sentinels had potential. Now, after having incowntert the numbr won fan of Robotech ant GOTTEN TO KNOW THE WEBSTIE AND TEH LOGIC OF DEBATING ARGUMENTS COURT YOU MY IS WRONG... what can I say? These experiences will color how I view Robotech media for a long loooooooong time. I bought the Scott Bernard Alpha way back when and got the Masterpiece VF-1S Roy for free from BBTS as compensation for something they owed me. I also got the Yamato VE-1 back then. Then...the last bit of Robotech I bought was the Shadow Alpha. why? Because I got Yamato's 1/48 VF-1S. No going back after that. I don't understand people who handle a Yamato and still buy Toynami. Why? Abstracting from Robotech vs. Macross for a moment - the Yamato is clearly superior. I am a lover of fine built figures, toys etc - and seriously - I would happily buy Toynami if they made better stuff. But they don't. I also have the 1/100s. Ick. Those were horrible. A big mistake because I thought - at that point "maybe this is going to be the cheaper route - and they'll still be great"... They weren't. Pete

This is the big question, isn't it? See - on Macrossworld we have some folks who are/were Robotech fans but are not delusional. Case in point: glane - the dude who actually did the art for the Robotech comics which is really cool, hangs out here. Lots of people with some Robotech history hang out here. The Mospedea thread looks pretty big and I'm sure some of those folks were at one point (or still are) somewhat enthusiastic about Robotech? The real problem are people like Pizza the Hut, Memo, Doug Bendo and other similar inhabitants of RT.com They are..... strange. And look - I know I'm not one to talk. I don't feel good saying this about anyone - because I'm not exactly Mr. Mainstream myself - but dag...I mean...I just don't understand these guys.... they never NEVER EVER talk about anything concrete. They NEVER EVER actually talk about the story in Robotech. They just use vague generalizations and hurl wild accusations. Macross Frontier sucks because it's child porn, Robotech is a great story - but we won't tell you what's great about it .... actually - that's pretty much the extent of the arguments I picked up. The rest of it is just EITHER THIS OR maiby tihs becuz i has 9 thousadns lessoners.... That is to say... I think the guys at Robotech.com are actually not Robotech fans. WE are Robotech fans - because we are interested enough in the medium to be critical toward in while acknowledging its' place in anime history -and that's not said as some kind of catch phrase or talking point -most of us...at least me - have real, tangible fond memories of the thing from the 80s... ah whatever -I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into words this year.... Bottom line is that Robotech fans at RT.com are wierd. One guy comes here and goes on and on and on while ignoring Seto's arguments, refusing to face them head on. Another dude comes on here and spells like a ...well...actually....I don't know any children who spell that badly... then there's Captain Size Matters who won't talk about Robotech, but would love to talk about how we all hurt his feelings... yawn... I think I need to go to sleeep... pete

Doesn't bug me either. I think the problem with the latter examples you give is that they mostly spring from ignorance - from people not recognizing the differences between Robotech and Macross. The former, however, is just an example of people using their imaginations.... although... I dunno... I'm trying to think whether I could play a Robotech role playing game nowadays? I do admit that I miss my paladium Robotech RPGs. I loved reading those things - they were great. And they were exciting. The problem is - they were exciting in the 1980s when there was no internet, and the stuff we had on TV was IT. Now, when I have the option to watch a whole bunco of original anime, Robotech just doesn't really do much for me. But the RPGs were, at the time, alongside the novels, well thought out and certainly had a level of complexity and intelligence that surpassed your run of the mill crap that was on the market back then. Man... HG really don't do themselves any favors I tell ya. I would be a big Robotech fan if not for the way they've handled themselves recently in matter which I've harped on a million times and others have expounded on in depth... Because yeah - sure - I have nothing against admiting that I played the RPGs and thought they were damn good, or that when I read the Zendradi Rebellion in a book store while waiting for my mom to finish some shopping, I was really pulled into it and thought it was a great great story. HG is ruining thoe fond memories by pretending they were something more than they were and by endeavoring to keep Robotech alive... yaaaaaaawn... bedtime... Pete

Jumpingh from: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...mp;#entry818667 Ok - so - while discussing Macross Generations in the Character Appreciation thread, Gubaba mentioned that Shinji Ikari from NGE was voiced by a woman, and he elaborated on this for me in the NGE thread, and it was at this point that I had taken my THIRD look at his avatar. ...And made a shocking discovery! Namely: Do I spy a Protoculture Addict??!! Could it be that Misa Hayese has been spending too much time with the Flower of Life? LOOK at her eyes! Aren't they just like Dr. Langs!? Doesn't this prove once and for all that Robotech came first and Macross was just a cheap immitation? I refuse to believe that this is a convention of Japanese animation or something like that - an art style if you will. Besides - Gubaba is, by his own account, RICKHUNTER 101. So it makes sense that out of all the beautiful Misa pictures he'd choose for his avatar, RICKHUNTER 101 would slyly chose the one picture which evokes Protoculture Addiction! Pete Inventor of Forum Thread Hoping

Ok... thanks for that! Now I'll see you in the Robotech/HG thread Pete

In tems of the VF-25 - the models are where it's at. I hated the DX when it came out, then kind of sort of fell a tad bit in love with it, but the battroid mode is just horrible. Strangley enough... the fighter mode is ok...relatively speaking...but the hips on the battroid mode are terrible because they don't fully transform. The model actually has a more complex and full transformation than the chogokin...that thing doesn't deserve the name "chogokin" really... As for the VF-1 and other valkyrie produced by Yamato - I think those are the best you can get of anything anywhere, and the only good reason for building Hasegawas is to take extreme pleasure out of one mode. I'm looking to finally maybe dive into Hasegawa Macross models myself. But for now - get a Bandai VF-25 or the new Lucifer VF-27 in 1:72 scale. Oh - and be sure to grab some SMS stands too! No stands means your model will not be able to achieve its' full potential. if you have zero modeling experience, however, then maybe you're better off starting with some HG Gundams to get a feel for snap fit. But yeah - get into the models - they are great and well worth it! Pete

Regarding: http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?...mp;#entry818663 So - some questions: 1. Was this VA choice made specifically for Shinji Ikari - that is to say, not just the voice, but the gender of the actor - was he played by a woman to underline his womanliness or as a kind of injoke playing off of the usually very heroic "manly" main character...whereas Shinji is, by his own admission a coward who doesn't want to risk himself and sees no point in it? 2. Or should I not read anything into this, because it's common for women to voice act male characters in anime? Is it? Any other legendary male characters voiced by women? 3. This sure gives a comedic twist to that one episode (the shadow angel) where Shinji says "this is a man's job!" Pete