Robotech Academy - You want a new Robotech series...?

[Seto Kaiba]

I donated $30, don't hate. I like what HG is doing here and its better than some corporate media company that could of just repackaged Robotech into something lame and unrecognizable.

Burn the heretic! (Just kidding )

While I applaud your optimism, I can't help but feel a little bad that you're likely to get it in the shorts if this thing actually ends up getting made. With amateurs and idiots behind it, the quality is going to be pretty awful. Worse than RTSC for sure. Also, to be entirely fair, every Robotech sequel except Robotech 3000 has been repackaging Robotech into something lame and unrecognizable. Robotech: the Movie repackaged Megazone 23 into something painful to watch, even just visually, because the spliced in footage was on smaller film stock. Robotech II: the Sentinels tried to repackage Robotech as equal parts Star Trek and Lost in Space led by a cast of expies of Macross characters. Robotech: the Shadow Chronicles tried to repackage Robotech as a mixture of Macross: Do You Remember Love? and Battlestar Galactica, and Robotech: Love Live Alive was just a mangled version of MOSPEADA: Love Live Alive

They could of been better. Shadow Chronicles had lots of potential but HG listens to the fans and that matters to me. I know Robotech is the Frankenstein monster of the anime community but I love Macek's vision for it. I had the opportunity of meeting him when I was about 12 in 1986, damn I'm old , and I think there is potential. If I'm wrong then its only $30 lost, I can live with that.

I dunno man, the Shadow Chronicles was a pretty limited concept since the idea was to plunge humanity right into a fourth war as soon as the third one was done so they could play bait-and-switch with "Rick Hunter", and using him as the draw was the whole reason they made the thing at all. As far as "Macek's vision"... well, there's a lot less actual vision there than most folks credit him with (a lot of decisions were forced on the project by simple necessity or by Revell), but at least that's a damn sight more respect than he's getting from Harmony Gold right now.

At least you're being rational about the backing of the pilot, I can't imagine how PO'd the people who threw five grand at it would be when it doesn't get picked up.

And apparently MEMO is moderator there or something. I didn't stick around long enough to find out, but it's a bit like being in bizarro world.

Yeah, MEMO is a moderator there... he's one of two chiefly responsible for the place being a ghost town.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Seto Kaiba

[Old_Nash]

I donated $30, don't hate. I like what HG is doing here and its better than some corporate media company that could of just repackaged Robotech into something lame and unrecognizable.

We found the spy here XD

[VF-15 Banshee]

Although I will say this, Sentinels' wedding scene was pretty interesting to watch since I think all we got from the Macross end of that was some Mikimoto art.

[UN_MARINE]

That ??? Kibblemaster is a mess, just blatant cut/copy/paste.

It kinda makes sense? In-universe, the technology seems to decline as they progress further in time.

I guess eventually, they forget how to make giant transforming robots and it'll lead to... Robotech 3000?

[Seto Kaiba]

Although I will say this, Sentinels' wedding scene was pretty interesting to watch since I think all we got from the Macross end of that was some Mikimoto art.

Yeah, but we had to endure Robotech-Minmei's caterwauling like a canary being given a barbed wire enema as punishment for it.

That ??? Kibblemaster is a mess, just blatant cut/copy/paste.

It kinda makes sense? In-universe, the technology seems to decline as they progress further in time.

I guess eventually, they forget how to make giant transforming robots and it'll lead to... Robotech 3000?

Just my take on it, as someone who's actually had to go over the Shadow Chronicles production materials once or twice, but to me it looks like a conscious effort to make something roughly analogous to the Macross Quarter-class carrier from Macross Frontier... but with an aesthetic that combines traits from the Oberth-class from Macross and the Shimakaze-class gunships from Robotech: the Shadow Chronicles. To me, the end result came up looking like the unholy lovechild of the METEOR system out of Gundam SEED and the Roger Young from the Starship Troopers OVA that Studio Nue did.

The problem is that, by trying to meld those aesthetics, they've come up with something absolutely hideous that looks like it was hacked together by Orks.

[Agent ONE]

Was it meant to simply look cool? That didn't happen.

Was it meant to be a plausibly functional design? That didn't happen.

Was it meant to have a unified style? That didn't happen.

Was it meant to look like anime? Like western mecha? That didn't happen.

Was it meant to look like military hardware? That kinda happened

Was it meant to look near-future? Far-future? Can't tell what happened.

Was it meant to be angular? Smooth? Neither? Both? Who really knows what happened?

...

+1

Also,

Was Robotech 3000 a fan made thing?

[UN_MARINE]

Just my take on it, as someone who's actually had to go over the Shadow Chronicles production materials once or twice, but to me it looks like a conscious effort to make something roughly analogous to the Macross Quarter-class carrier from Macross Frontier... but with an aesthetic that combines traits from the Oberth-class from Macross and the Shimakaze-class gunships from Robotech: the Shadow Chronicles. To me, the end result came up looking like the unholy lovechild of the METEOR system out of Gundam SEED and the Roger Young from the Starship Troopers OVA that Studio Nue did.

The problem is that, by trying to meld those aesthetics, they've come up with something absolutely hideous that looks like it was hacked together by Orks.

I think "unholy" is still a nice way to put it. Better creative talent could have made those elements work together, if not something pleasantly inspired & unique.

The funny thing is, even Orks can cobble stuff together with a unified style & aesthetic.

[coronadlux]

Ok, this Academy is supposed to happen after the macross saga and before the masters. So, why are they creating mecha, shops, what have you, that doesn't resemble anything from either shows? Kills the continuity of the mecha design.

Even macross 2 had some sort of similarities in their mecha.

Btw, memo, Kevin, and mav. Are they really had much of bad guys, or just hard core fans that are loyal to "infinity and beyond"

[azrael]

Btw, memo, Kevin, and mav. Are they really had much of bad guys, or just hard core fans that are loyal to "infinity and beyond"

Memo and Mav are fans-turned RT.com moderators. Kevin is Kevin Mckeever, the marketing guy at RT.com. As for how bad they are? Dunno. Never met anyone of them in real-life. But we had to ban all 3 cuz the trolling from them was annoying enough. Look at the pinned Licensing thread. You'll find their posts in the archives.

[Old_Nash]

I will gonna immortalized in Robotech Academy XD

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1381502542/robotech-academy/posts/911931

Where's I put my wallet^^

[Seto Kaiba]

I think "unholy" is still a nice way to put it. Better creative talent could have made those elements work together, if not something pleasantly inspired & unique.

The funny thing is, even Orks can cobble stuff together with a unified style & aesthetic.

I dunno, this does look like something an Ork speed freek cult would knock together, starship-wise. Pound for pound, it's looks to be principally engine... all it's missing is the red paintjob, because we all know red 'uns go faster!

Ok, this Academy is supposed to happen after the macross saga and before the masters. So, why are they creating mecha, shops, what have you, that doesn't resemble anything from either shows? Kills the continuity of the mecha design.

Because they have to stay away from making anything too obviously derivative of any designs owned, in part or in full, by Big West... and Big West was involved in both Macross and Southern Cross. It's a distressingly literal application of "damned if you do, damned if you don't", but clearly they're smart enough to realize that it's NOT better to ask forgiveness than permission if the retribution comes in the form of a career-ending lawsuit.

Even macross 2 had some sort of similarities in their mecha.

Macross II: Lovers Again was developed under the sponsorship of Macross co-owner Big West, meaning they could freely make derivative designs based on the stuff that was designed for Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Macross: Do You Remember Love?, and Macross: Flashback 2012.

It had some minor limitations on what could be done, according to creator interviews, but it wasn't anything like the kind of epic no-touch list that Harmony Gold has to contend with for Robotech.

Btw, memo, Kevin, and mav. Are they really had much of bad guys, or just hard core fans that are loyal to "infinity and beyond"

What makes you assume those two things are mutually exclusive?

The most passionate, devoted Robotech fans are typically the ones who are the most fanatical and in the deepest denial about its failings and limitations. That zealous devotion leads them to act like complete bellends. So, yes... they ARE bad guys, but they're a-holes because they're loyal to "infinity and beyond" and have no patience or tolerance for anyone who isn't as deeply in denial as they are or who dares to question their rose-tinted, heavily warped view of reality. If you stay the hell away from the subject of Robotech, some of them are almost inoffensive.

There are some who undeservingly get tarred with the same brush. Tommy Yune's actually an OK guy if you talk to him away from the convention panels and crap like that, and even Steve Yun's not bad. Tom Bateman was far and away the most personable one of them, though.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Seto Kaiba

[coronadlux]

Thanks for the input Seto.

It's a shame done bridges were burned along the way with the original production companies.

What if Big West lets by gone be by gone and agrees to make some amendments to the original contract with HG. Would that sorta patch some holes between macross and the hard core robotech fans?

I like em both. Robotech is a cartoon series all on its own using other cartoons. Macross rocks and holds it's own above the other super dimensional series.

I'm still not inclined to back the KS. I don't think established companies should use KS for their own gain. I always had the impression that it was created for the little guy. The ones who had ideas, but couldn't get investors to help out because of the potential risks involved.

[Duke Togo]

Thanks for the input Seto.

It's a shame done bridges were burned along the way with the original production companies.

What if Big West lets by gone be by gone and agrees to make some amendments to the original contract with HG. Would that sorta patch some holes between macross and the hard core robotech fans?

I like em both. Robotech is a cartoon series all on its own using other cartoons. Macross rocks and holds it's own above the other super dimensional series.

I'm still not inclined to back the KS. I don't think established companies should use KS for their own gain. I always had the impression that it was created for the little guy. The ones who had ideas, but couldn't get investors to help out because of the potential risks involved.

Read the licensing thread to understand the legal situation. It's nothing like what you appear to think it is. And it's so easy to get Macross products now HG is irrelevant to our concerns (unless, I suppose, you're looking for a dub).

And I agree--HG shouldn't be using a KS to fund this project. They have the finances to support this internally. Apparently, HG doesn't think very much of Robotech if they're leaving their people to beg for financing online.

[Seto Kaiba]

+1

Also,

Was Robotech 3000 a fan made thing?

No... it's an attempt Harmony Gold made at an all-original Robotech series that suffered from such monumentally incompetent planning and execution that even Harmony Gold can't (and doesn't!) defend it as anything other than a MASSIVE mistake. It's lasting proof that, among other things, Carl Macek's "creative vision" was in dire need of some corrective lenses. That was his baby, and it threw some harsh light on the way that he was actually kind of rubbish when he wasn't leaning on someone else's intellectual property.

The Shadow Chronicles art book has, in its foreword, what amounted to an apology for it being such a wretchedly awful idea...

Thanks for the input Seto.

It's a shame done bridges were burned along the way with the original production companies.

What if Big West lets by gone be by gone and agrees to make some amendments to the original contract with HG. Would that sorta patch some holes between macross and the hard core robotech fans?

I like em both. Robotech is a cartoon series all on its own using other cartoons. Macross rocks and holds it's own above the other super dimensional series.

I'm still not inclined to back the KS. I don't think established companies should use KS for their own gain. I always had the impression that it was created for the little guy. The ones who had ideas, but couldn't get investors to help out because of the potential risks involved.

Not wishing to derail this thread by getting into the heavy matters of the actual troublemakers there, it's not Big West who did the bridge burning. Harmony Gold did a lot of scummy and questionably legal and ethical things to keep Macross out of the US, and it's come back to bite them in the ass time and time again. The deadlocked situation's only really going to be resolved when the Robotech franchise finally implodes.

And I agree--HG shouldn't be using a KS to fund this project. They have the finances to support this internally. Apparently, HG doesn't think very much of Robotech if they're leaving their people to beg for financing online.

That's the reason a lot of Robotech fans are giving for not backing the Kickstarter... they feel that Harmony Gold using Kickstarter to beg the fans to fund Robotech Academy's development because the series concept is so surpassingly awful that they couldn't even successfully pitch it to their own management. Even among the faithful, there's the sense that if this doesn't take off it'll end up being Robotech's last gasp before its long-overdue end.

[terry the lone wolf]

Due to the lawsuit HG can't make derivatives based on the Mikimoto character designs or the original Studio Nue's mech designs. Fine create new character and mecha designs and use the Robotech: The Macross Saga names (Rick, Max Sterling, Lynn Kyle, etc.). Big West doesn't own the names that HG used in Robotech like Veritech or SDF 3..

[CoreyD]

Possible. But even if this ends up being the end for Robotech, it doesn't mean that suddenly there will be macross readily available in the US.

[Duke Togo]

Possible. But even if this ends up being the end for Robotech, it doesn't mean that suddenly there will be macross readily available in the US.

I dunno, it's pretty readily available. Hell, I watched every episode of Frontier as it was broadcast live, streaming it from Japan. And the internet allows you to easily order whatever you want from overseas retailers. TV or movies? Check. Toys? Check. Games? Check. HG is irrelevant to Macross fans.

[CoreyD]

Hah true. Narrow mindedly, I think I just want my dyrl blu ray with subtitles

[Seto Kaiba]

Due to the lawsuit HG can't make derivatives based on the Mikimoto character designs or the original Studio Nue's mech designs. Fine create new character and mecha designs and use the Robotech: The Macross Saga names (Rick, Max Sterling, Lynn Kyle, etc.). Big West doesn't own the names that HG used in Robotech like Veritech or SDF 3..

Harmony Gold couldn't do it before the lawsuit either, as pointed out (amusingly enough) by Carl Macek himself as one of the main reasons for redesigning every character in Robotech II: the Sentinels in an interview he did in 1995.

Looking back at that, these people used to be capable of basic honesty back before 1999-2001... I wonder what changed.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Seto Kaiba

[Duke Togo]

Looking back at that, these people used to be capable of basic honesty back before 1999-2001... I wonder what changed.

The internet

[technoblue]

+1

Also,

Was Robotech 3000 a fan made thing?

<snip>

Thanks for the post, Agent One. That's the first I've heard of Robotech 3000. At first glance, it reminds me of the many pure CGI series that were broadcast from the mid to late 1990s.

Edited July 15, 2014 by technoblue

[akt_m]

Lol, I uploaded in 2009 some 3d models for free at turbosquid.com, and one of them was the Ghost X-9.

Look what I got from HarmonyTurd recently, a takedown notice for Robotech and Macross content:

why so desperate?

Nevermind, i didn't even remember i had this account.

Edited July 15, 2014 by akt_m

[azrael]

Here's a question a donor can bring to SDCC:

Tom Bateman mentions a couple of times that Shadow Chronicles did successfully, IHHO. Enough to warrant a sequel.

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=33067&p=886898

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=33067&p=909996

Yet, nothing was produced. Love, Live, Alive was pretty much bought and paid for via the Mospeada license. Now factor in DVD boxset sales over the years, you would would think they have enough money. Yet here we are on Kickstarter. As a donor, you can ask that question. Did all those funds go into releasing DVD boxsets or other merchandise? Where did those funds go? How were they invested since you got them? Now, I know the peanut gallery here will try to answer that, to which I say, DON'T. Don't even think about posting your answer cuz that's not who donors should be hearing from and you don't have the answer. You only have a theory. One that can be easily brushed off coming from this forum. The project creators are the ones that should be answering this question. And by signing onto Kickstarter, they have opened themselves to this scrutiny. Kickstarter encourages project creators to be open about their projects to encourage donors. I consider it fair game to ask about their previous works.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

I think I just want my dyrl blu ray with subtitles

+1

[Duke Togo]

Az, during my brief foray into the Robotech forums I came across a discussion in which the staff essentially said that Tom Bateman was full of shite in regards to what he said during his appearance on the Podcast. Any question put to them regarding anything Tom has said is not likely to be responded to with a kind answer.

Hah true. Narrow mindedly, I think I just want my dyrl blu ray with subtitles

Are we talking about the Lucas-like new edition of DYRL? I'd rather burn a blu with the last good release with custom subs. Edited July 15, 2014 by Duke Togo

[Einherjar]

Az, during my brief foray into the Robotech forums I came across a discussion in which the staff essentially said that Tom Bateman was full of shite in regards to what he said during his appearance on the Podcast. Any question put to them regarding anything Tom has said is not likely to be responded to with a kind answer.

It's not official until there's an incoherent rebuttal on a talkshoe podcast with copious amounts of "We own everything in Robotech."

Besides, there will probably be too many distractions prepared for SSDC that people won't care to ask those and other actual important questions. Hell, there's still about a month left to entice backers with more crazy promises leading up to it.

Edited July 15, 2014 by Einherjar

[technoblue]

Thanks for linking to the RTSC discussion with Tom Bateman, azrael. I missed that the first time around.

Now I'll go catch up on some overdue reading...

[azrael]

Az, during my brief foray into the Robotech forums I came across a discussion in which the staff essentially said that Tom Bateman was full of shite in regards to what he said during his appearance on the Podcast. Any question put to them regarding anything Tom has said is not likely to be responded to with a kind answer.

So if Bateman is a lying, then Shadow Chronicles did poorly and doing this Kickstarter is such a great idea especially because it comes from the same group that did the unsuccessful Shadow Chronicles. What about LLA? Was that a failure as well? What about those collector sets and boxsets? Those a failure as well? And now they expect people to get it right the 3rd, or 4th time around?

See how easy I can do this? That's all donors have to do. They don't need to yell or use harsh language.

[skullmilitia]

Yes, Bateman used the Macross Pod Casts globally dominating news reports to openly lie about Harmony Golds insufficiency at production. He did this so he could write a book called "how the biggest corporate giant in the world hates me".

I don't get it, are they that unable to realize their own failures?

That's just more bad signs.

[coronadlux]

A new name... Bateman... Lol. Can't things be much more simple.

Now, I'm debating if I should contribute $1.00 just to say "I'd buy that for a dollar" hahaha.

[Hoptimus]

And this is where the crazy RT fans (MEMO HEHEHEHEHEHE and MavLSC) are so caught up in their worship of the current HG they can't see the forest for the trees. Sad.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

A new name... Bateman... Lol. Can't things be much more simple.

Now, I'm debating if I should contribute $1.00 just to say "I'd buy that for a dollar" hahaha.

why? you can by a lot with a dollar. giving to them is like throwing a dollar out of a car window in the middle of the highway.

[JB0]

I wish I could chip in one single cent. Just to cost them the processing fees.

[Agent ONE]

...THEN PAY US!!!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1381502542/robotech-academy?ref=discovery

I just re-looked at the thread start post. "

You want a new Robotech series...? then pay us???"

Does this irritate anyone? Is it incredibly in poor taste? Not "please help us fund our project" but "pay us" Its like a homeless person screaming at you to give him $20. The thread starter really needs to take a marketing class.

[Agent ONE]

I wish I could chip in one single cent. Just to cost them the processing fees.

We could do another Kickstarter to fund a campaign to fund renting the building next door from HG headquarters, and playing the below audio at 500 decibels 24 hours a day.