Dio

This guy was the best man at my wedding, and obviously has way more courage than I do (that took 7.5 hours just to outline)

Gubaba seems to just be in tune with Mylene's emotions in general. In many cases, he's even more honest about how she's feeling than she is, like some kind of "mood pet." Definitely a psychic connection, and probably innate to the species he belongs to ( ). What I liked about this episode is that we're starting to see Mylene singing in the face of adversity, to try and motivate other people. It's the lesson Basara's been trying to teach her all along, though he's quite horrible at explaining that to her and instead just berates her for not getting it (yet also displays a very high level of faith in her when she's not around). I still feel like she's progressing as a character despite Basara, not inspired by him, while the real irony is that Gamlin is starting to (begrudgingly) show a bit of understanding for Basara's singing.

Let me know if you start to lose hope on the Bludgeon and want me to pick one up for you. I see them pretty regularly, though never in large numbers.

Ditto for me... I'm getting worried this may be the best distribution we see for her. Are Mindwipe and Skystalker exclusives of any kind? I've never seen either, granted my Walmart is kind of backward.

I misremembered, and now stand corrected. My bad.

I dunno, I'm not one to normally complain about show accuracy, but that one screams more to me "Valk Girl" and less "Klan as she appeared with armor packs." She had a more simplified look with boosters & backpack straps, not the entire VF-27G Super Pack set.

MP Grimlock is good news. Also, the power core combiners are pretty compelling, even with the botless limb drones... sort of like a mixture of regular gestalt teams with the new Devastator, and they'll probably have a lower price point as a result. And elbows, which have been sorely lacking but for the efforts of FansProjects Which brings me to my theory - Is Hasbro tending toward the smaller figures now as a way to manage with the economy? Notice we won't see any WFC toys above deluxe-ish class. MP figures in general have only been the result of grass-roots clamor for domestic releases by fans (and really have only been purchased by those same fans, not impulse buys for kids). We're seeing more Voyager equivalents to figures which were previously Leader-class, and likewise with Deluxe-from-Voyager. Maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there, or just getting older or something, but I'm really interested to figure out what Hasbro's big-picture approach is to managing a business in a down economy. I don't mind in the least that they're having to adapt a little bit, because that also helps to keep the franchise vibrant and fresh - who would have thought to take the Armada concept (tack on a mini-con) and actually make the mini-cons into new limbs, or features bigger than just a hand-held weapon, of a larger figure?

That's kinda funny, because just this week it has been going horribly slow for me, and prior to that everything was working fine. Everything's loading slowly for me right now, in fact.

Likewise, thanks to all who posted vids and pictures... I unfortunately put a few small stress marks in my Gamlin VF-22S before throwing my hands in the air and coming here for help, but the two things that helped me most were the "pinhole in the knee" discussion and the video showing the cockpit sliding into Battloid configuration (what I was doing to try and get the Battroid head transformed before seeing that vid, I think several members around here would have me flogged over). Now my Gammy is solid in all modes, and while I am incredibly pleased with it in general I wish the instructions were a little less vague (they get about a 90% in my book, but seem to leave out the little things I had trouble with) and I also wish the valk was a little more... tolerant of noobs? Whenever I get around to buying a VF-11C I hope it's a little more user-friendly and simple... and this is coming from a guy with an advanced engineering degree

No sign of Animated Arcee in my region either, it's sort of depressing. Preordered the Bruticus upgrade sets and am hoping they'll look good with the original Energon figures, because I didn't get the RotF version.

Dangit you beat me by like half an hour And who can forget the sheer awesomeness of Ruby Rhod?!

Thankfully, the delay for the VF-11C made my mind up as to which one of my next valk purchases would be. VF-22 GAMLIN on his way! Of course, the choice between the 11C and a VF-27 will be a hard one, though I'm having a M7 renaissance right now and will probably go for the 11C (that, and the potential for one day having some armor parts to put on that baby).

I'm not as convinced on the Basara-Minmei-connection, as I think this was more of a developmental moment for Mylene. She's beginning to understand how determined Basara is (and Minmei was), and maybe also learning the kind of passion she needs to put into her own singing. If anything, I'd say it's the establishment of a link from Mylene to Minmei, using Basara as a sort of bridge between the two. Also, the enemy craft are heavily modified versions of the exploratory mission's valkyries. It seems the Protodeviln are much more than beasts with human exteriors, they actually possess a high degree of technical skill - not just for Spiritia extraction (though that's a primary goal), but also just a generally advanced science which surpasses that of humans. This is also evidenced by their seeming ability to fold instantly, though that's probably just more for show convenience, so that Gigil can turn tail and retreat abruptly (do Protodeviln ever have dramatic last-second escape folds?).

Bought mine at Wal Mart (N. Central Texas) two days ago. There are reports of it being found in retail all over the US, not sure about international availability.

One thing I never really noticed in earlier viewings that has become clear in this re-watch is that Gepelnitch seems... almost tired of being what he is. He has sort of an other-worldly lament toward the practice of having to hunt down and kill prey for spiritia, and it shows in his analytical "testing" of the humans for their abilities to regenerate spiritia energy. Then again, it could just be in the interest of self-preservation since if I recall correctly, and he doesn't seem much interested in human welfare beyond their capacity as a renewable resource. Still, it'd be interesting to think he's got at least a little bit of an open mind to a mutually beneficial solution, since he hasn't put forth the effort yet to just capture the fleet and test the humans in a controlled environment, and is instead using small raids of Elgerzorenes to sneak in his agents for internal testing. Gigil, on the other hand, is much more of a sadist at this point, but his constant disappointment with Gepelnitch does sort of put him in an awkward place. He's a fightin' dog, but keeps being held back on the leash and is forced to follow orders he disagrees with. I never noticed the general rebelliousness before, I always thought it was because of , but it really does make the character seem deeper. Thanks to you guys I'm starting to piece together "Operation M" and what it means in relation to the series. That anwers one of a few things I had just written off as requisites for suspension of disbelief, such as "just how DID Basara get that VF-19 Kai?" This has to probably be the most attention I've paid while watching Macross 7, but it seems like every time there's some small subtlety I didn't notice before that makes it seem that much more enjoyable. Quick question -is there anything in Japanese (either linguistically or just a quirk of their naming conventions) that might have dissuaded them from using the full word "Woodpecker" when naming Ray's old squadron? I can't see much difficulty in something like "Pinku Wudopeka," unless abbreviating it to "Peka" just made it fit better with the alliteration.

Anyone up for generating some comedy fan subs for this series? Might as well take it as seriously as the show itself does

I was doing that exact same thing yesterday, and came to the realization... is there any way to play Fire Bomber music without having it at LOUD volume? You either hate it, or must ROCK OUT to it, there seems to be no middle ground. I also average 5mph faster with that CD in...

Looks like Chronoforce from Megaman ZX Advent.

Am I in the minority in saying that I'd like to see this and buy the toys from it?

I've said the exact same thing - the live action movie is a chance to take Robotech and make it something new and quasi-original despite its origins. If Robotech could finally sever its ties to Macross and turn into an enjoyable (heck, even "cheesy but watchable") franchise all its own, then maybe we'd see this all come to an end and leave with two series to enjoy instead of one to love and another to deride. Yes, I am shamelessly optimistic. I have to be, as I'm a tech support person at work I do agree though, my post was more geared toward dealing with fans than it was on the topic of HG and their legal wranglings. The legal stuff seems to make up half of this discussion, while the other half seems to be about the fan warfare that results from it.

I'm just going to theorize that the hard-core (and thereby most entertaining) RT fans that are frequently referenced in this thread are probably more the result of a persecution complex than they are childish or dealing with attachment issues as posted earlier. Recall, info resources weren't back then (during the RT original broadcast) what they are today... I didn't even realize Robotech was partly composed of the Macross series until sometime in the mid-90's, circa Macross Plus. Sure, I'd seen Macross II by then, but didn't really make the connection since I was just a teenager and didn't care too much. Macross Plus, some Protoculture Addicts magazines (oh how I miss those), and the Palladium RPG's with the "Japanimation Side Notes" were pretty much my first exposure to Macross as Macross. The fans have got their series that they love, and at some point had to make a choice - when something you're passionate about is essentially exposed to you as a bastardization of something else, how do you process that sort of thing? Do you roll with it, do you try to deny it? Do you get defensive when someone else of differing opinion talks down to you about it? It gets even more complicated and dramatic when it gets involved financially for HG, and some fans feel the need to support their source, not just their series anymore, because that source appears to be reaching out to them (via the RT.com site, conventions, etc). If I felt I could make a contribution to Transformers, I don't doubt that I would jump at the opportunity, even in the face of naysayers who might accuse Hasbro of blowing smoke at me. Fans who feel involved in the creative process (even if it's hopeless) are going to be much more vehement in their support and feelings of importance - just look at the disaster that was the Don Murphy forum for the first Transformers live-action movie, now the Transformers fandom seems to be factioned out with groups like "Geewunners" and "Michael Bay Kool-Aid Drinkers" (a primary reason why I have nearly left that fandom). Honestly, if you're looking for a good way to deal with the extremist fans, the best thing you can do is just understand that they feel not just a fan's normal appreciation of a series, but they honestly feel like they're part of the creative process that is keeping it alive. Delusional as it may be, especially in light of the complete and total lack of anything coming from the franchise's source, they still live on the hope that, if they love it enough, it will give them something back in return. HG's sin in this is perpetuating that feeling among their fandom. Just to throw in a moral to my long-winded rant - above all, just remember that civility can be much more powerful than confrontation if you want to open minds.

Looks like a mix between Cybertron Soundwave (Stealthy... Spacy... Bomber... thing) and Animated Blitzwing. Bot mode is neat though, and I'm liking what they say about giving him something of an origin story. I am eagerly awaiting all the trappings that WFC brings to the table. Hell, I might even buy a next-gen console because of it.

I think what sets the two movies apart in terms of how the messages were perceived (admittedly, both movies were quite Anvilicious), is that District 9's anti-racism message is much less controversial in the current times, compared to Avatar's environmental message. If D9 had been made 30 years ago, you'd probably see a slightly different reception from audiences. What I get a kick out of is how the main antagonist (Quaritch? Forgot his rank and don't feel like googlin' for it) is ending up as one of the most favorite characters by fans... out of nothing more than sheer badassery, even in spite of his being a complete Malevolent Bastard. Hopefully this trend will continue in Hollywood

Interesting discussion! You'll have to let us know what formats of solid models can be created with the hardware once you get it. I'd be ecstatic to be involved in a MW-exclusive valk design project someday

Another contribution to the thread... this time from Chocolate, something of a successor to Ong Bak, but starring a female lead. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHNskK6x8Ko