Starship Troopers 3 toys.

[wraith1701]

I believe Heinlein refers to it as looking like an "armored gorilla."

That image of the design from the movie looks a little better, but still not great. If it's powered suit-sized, I can't see how somebody's legs would fit into it. Maybe it's much bigger and the pilot sits in the chest.

Here's a link for the Japanese trailer for the film. The Mech appears in the last scene of the trailer. I was mistaken about it being powered armor; looks like it is an out-and-out mecha. It looks like the thing is maybe 12 to 20 meters tall? I'm basing this on the shadow cast by the thing as Rico looks up at it.

http://io9.com/5012424/starship-troopers-3...eapons-new-toys

I'd guess about as tall as 2 votoms scopedog mechs stacked on top of each other, or about the size of a first generation Valkyrie?

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

What's with Hollywood robots and pistons? First Matrix, then Transformers, then the Iron Monger and now ST. One would think that by the time we engage other species on their home planets we'd be using chemical muscles at the very least.

I'll never understand that fascination of the american people for industrial looking mecha. Maybe it's a Detroit nostalgia thing but I don't see much difference between this and Robot Jox. That's why I'm such an anime fan.

[Vermillion21]

Here's a link for the Japanese trailer for the film.

http://io9.com/5012424/starship-troopers-3...eapons-new-toys

Thanks for posting this - shows more new scenes anyways. So is this movie going to theaters or straight to video/DVD like ST2?

[Bowen]

From what I've read it's going straight to DVD.

[Roger]

What's with Hollywood robots and pistons? First Matrix, then Transformers, then the Iron Monger and now ST. One would think that by the time we engage other species on their home planets we'd be using chemical muscles at the very least.

I'll never understand that fascination of the american people for industrial looking mecha. Maybe it's a Detroit nostalgia thing but I don't see much difference between this and Robot Jox. That's why I'm such an anime fan.

There are plenty of anime mecha that use pistons. Look at the designs from Patlabor and Gasaraki, the cutaways of the Scopedog and even the Studio Nue version of the Starship Troopers powered suit.

And you don't think mecha in anime have an "industrial" look to them? Maybe if you're judging by Mazinger-Z.

The troopers in the Starship Troopers movies still use bullets. I don't see a problem with them using hydraulics.

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

There are plenty of anime mecha that use pistons. Look at the designs from Patlabor and Gasaraki, the cutaways of the Scopedog and even the Studio Nue version of the Starship Troopers powered suit.

And you don't think mecha in anime have an "industrial" look to them? Maybe if you're judging by Mazinger-Z.

The troopers in the Starship Troopers movies still use bullets. I don't see a problem with them using hydraulics.

The main problem with hydraulics is the time of response. If you want a powered suit with the speed of a Caterpillar (Aliens Powerloader), then hydraulics is your thing.

Gasaraki mecha uses chemical muscles. Check the intro. Shirow's Landmates and armsuits use them too, and I don't think that the concept was even born when the Scopedog was designed. Patlabor is an old series too.

And I don't have anything against bullets in science fiction, as long as there's nothing that turns them irrefutably obsolete.

Edit: I think most anime mecha have a sleek and organic look to them BTW.

Edited June 19, 2008 by Lonely Soldier Boy

[bigkid24]

Did you know that there was a Starship Troopers 3 movie coming? Did you know that there are going to be powered suits in it? Did you know that there are going to be toys of them?

Yup, I knew there was ST3 coming. I probably would have known about the powered suits if I had finished reading the script. Didn't know about toys. The movie is going straight to video though.

Is that Jolene Blalock? It is her according to IMDB. Now seeing the trailer, it is more goofy than action. I mean you can see the overacting... Casper is back? Worse than the ghost itself.

Yup that's Casper and Jolene Blalock.

[Roger]

Edit: I think most anime mecha have a sleek and organic look to them BTW.

I don't like the ones that do. I prefer the ones that look like human-manufactured military machines. To me, that's what makes them mecha.

[M'Kyuun]

Don't sell hydraulics short..it's my specialty. Computer controlled servo-actuators have amazing response times and aren't herky-jerky like a piece of construction equipment. There are all sorts of snubbers and regulators built in, as well as computer controlled metering valves that control the speed and range of motion precisely. And, some servos are designed to move very fast, esp those attached to stability surfaces, such as the SMCS vanes on the B-1 bomber's nose...they move so fast they're just a blur. Any near future large machane is relegated to the use of hydraulics because, to date, there's nothing else more efficient, economical, or physically feasible to produce the forces required to move a large mass with fluidity and precision.

Trust me, I'll be happy when a cleaner alternative comes along...I've been soaked in f**king hydro more times than I'd care to remember..it's nasty, smells bad, and it's a known carcinogen.

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

Don't sell hydraulics short..it's my specialty. Computer controlled servo-actuators have amazing response times and aren't herky-jerky like a piece of construction equipment. There are all sorts of snubbers and regulators built in, as well as computer controlled metering valves that control the speed and range of motion precisely. And, some servos are designed to move very fast, esp those attached to stability surfaces, such as the SMCS vanes on the B-1 bomber's nose...they move so fast they're just a blur. Any near future large machane is relegated to the use of hydraulics because, to date, there's nothing else more efficient, economical, or physically feasible to produce the forces required to move a large mass with fluidity and precision.

Trust me, I'll be happy when a cleaner alternative comes along...I've been soaked in f**king hydro more times than I'd care to remember..it's nasty, smells bad, and it's a known carcinogen.

Damn! Sorry to hear that.

I stand corrected, then. Thanks for the heads up, 'M'Kyuun. That's really helpful for me.

[M'Kyuun]

Damn! Sorry to hear that.

I stand corrected, then. Thanks for the heads up, 'M'Kyuun. That's really helpful for me.

No prob. I'd say the majority of people think of lumbering construction equipment and low riders when hydraulics is mentioned. The sophistication of modern hydraulic systems and materials is pretty impressive, and all the rapid movements and acrobatics of modern fighters is accomplished by computer controlled hydraulic systems. Slow fliers, like the C-17, also employ state of the art hydraulic systems for exceptional stability and handling, as do commercial aircraft. Manufacturing robots also employ the same technologies used in aircraft, albeit programmed for a vast array of motions and speeds, forces, etc. Now, there are electrically operated actuators, valves, etc, that can generate a decent amount of force, but they are usually employed for secondary functions, at least on aircraft, i.e. trim tabs and such. "Chemical muscles", while cool in theory, to my knowledge, have no factual basis. I know that there are artificial materials that react to electrical stimulus, but the degree to which these are functional, and indeed employable, I am not educated enough to say. I'll concede that materials like this will most likely find limited use in the future, but I doubt that hydraulic systems will fall out of use within the next hundred years.

And, those chromed cylinders just look so damned cool on a mech...sorry, i had to say it.

Edited June 20, 2008 by M'Kyuun

[Lonely Soldier Boy]

It's okay. It's a matter of taste I guess. My view of future robotics goes more along the lines of I Robot (the movie) and Asimo. I dislike the Transformers style, but as you point out, those might work just as well in real life.

Maybe in the near future, the battlefield will be filled with industrial looking US mechs (with pistons, rivets and hoses showing everywhere) fighting against sleek and organic japanese made mechs Kind of like a humanoid Fat Boy against a Hayabusa

[Roger]

Look on the left:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29105935@N04/2719742087/

The figure is going to be a Best Buy exclusive.

[Uxi]

8-3 to 8-9? Then it's already out? Anyone got it? I heard the movie is pretty horrible... if that fig is decently articulated I might get it just to laugh at, though.

[Roger]

8-3 to 8-9? Then it's already out? Anyone got it? I heard the movie is pretty horrible... if that fig is decently articulated I might get it just to laugh at, though.

What's so funny about articulation?

[Uxi]

Laugh at the movie, not the articulation.

[crasis]

I saw the toy today in Best Buy when I stopped in to pick up Gurren Lagann Vol 2 and the new Faint album. It looked like a brick to me, with a very basic paint job and little articulation. To be fair, though, I only gave it a 30-second glance. Since you had to buy the movies with it (it was a box set) for $39.99, I put it down.

[baronv]

$40? whoah. Saw the dvd, ok movie, really super-low budget effects and campy story line. The sfx isn't even as good as the original movie and that came out 10 years ago. Plus the power suit were only seen in like a 5 minute span and barely moved.

[Hikuro]

gotta say, 5 minutes into the film and I'm already bored of it.

Effects are just so bad.

Ill always like the first film, second bored me to death, this one might make me hang myelf.

[VF5SS]

I think the real heart and soul of the movie was that one guy getting speared by a shovel.

[Hikuro]

Yeah wtf was up with that? the shovel.....digging trenches, it's WWI all over again.

I thought, better then the second film, it made up for that tragic piece of crap. But still no where near as cool as the first in terms of gore and effects.

[Vermillion21]

Watched this last night, better than #2, but not as good as the original. Plot was ok, with a semi-twist at the end, but it had a slightly hokey religious preachy tone. FX were ok IMHO ... again, much better than #2. In fact, seems like they had more money to work with for this flick than #2. Some of the scenes seemed to be more grand in scale and shot on location in South Africa. Worth a rental if you like the series concept.

[Alpha OTS]

Watched it last night. It wasn't a waste of time, but I doubt I'll ever watch it again. I never had the misfortune to watch the second one. Most of the problem is budget, but they do make the most out of what they have. Lots of gore happens off screen or in shadows during the first part of the movie. Nothing feels quite as massive as it did in the first film either. Most of the action fx shots take place planet side so there's nothing in the movie anywhere close to the two full fleet planetary assaults we saw in the first film. The Marauders of the title also unfortunately suffer. It's a cool bit when they show up on screen, but it's also short lived.

Secondary problem is acting. I forgot Jolene Blalock was a poor man's Angelina Jolie She was good in this though. Most of the main actors were good, it was the secondary cast that seemed a bit hokey. Heh, I'm actually surprised Denise Richards wasn't begging to be re-cast.

Third problem is the script, which while not bad in concept needed a little tightening up plus fixing of some plot holes. They went a little overboard with the fascist state bit. It wasn't so blatant in the first movie, which is part of the reason the satire worked. Here they go a little too far with it(with the unnecessary and frequent hangings) and it comes off as more silly than satire. Don't listen to the state or your superior? HANGING! Dix's character is affected by it too since his actions also come off as silly and that's shortly after he's introduced. He's the main character who connects the whole story too. They kind of did the same thing with the religion bit. I could see where they wanted to go with it, but it was delivered in such a heavy handed way that by the time the punchline was delivered in the commercial bit at the end I was tired of hearing about it. They had good ideas. They just needed to dial it back a notch. They did pull off the news media/propaganda bits as they were probably the best part of the movie.

It was worth the time to watch if you were a fan of the first flick. A bigger budget might not have helped the plot, characters and casting, but it would have made the fx a bit more grandiose. Some parts did feel a lot like the first movie. I did burst out laughing at the "Maybe you live right next door to a big fat reward!" bit, and the kiss at the end was worth a snicker.

[McHenry]

This movie suffered from a serious lack of funding. If the money was there I bet it would of been a lot better. It wasn't bad all in all, just needed better effects. I loved the last part of it.

"The Federation agrees that there is a God and that he is on our side!"

Edited August 16, 2008 by McHenry