"RIP Carl Macek"

From Robotech.com:

Carl Macek (1951-2010)
Robotech's original producer Carl Macek passes away on Saturday, April 17th.
Author: Tommy Yune

"Carl F. Macek passed away on Saturday, April 17, 2010 of a heart attack.

From his early days at California State University Fullerton, where he served as a librarian of popular culture, Carl was set on a course to make his mark on the anime industry in the United States. Fans know him as the producer who originally weaved together the Robotech saga out of separate anime series when faced with broadcast syndication hurdles in 1985. The result was a science fiction phenomenon that launched popular lines of novels, comics, videos, toys, and other memorabilia that continue to be coveted collectibles to this day. Sure, Robotech had its ups and downs over the years, but Carl relished its longevity and resurgence.

Carl later went on to found Streamline Pictures, which was known for releasing major anime titles such as Akira and Vampire Hunter D. He was also directly involved in the first English adaptations of many of Hayao Miyazake's classics such as Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Lupin III: Castle of Cagliostro, My Neighbor Totoro. Recently, Carl had worked on the adaptation of many of the episodes of the hit anime series Bleach. Outside of anime, Carl had also written many books, from The Art of Heavy Metal to the novel War Eagles, an epic adventure which he also adapted into a screenplay for a film in development.

Carl was delighted to get involved again in the Robotech universe for its 25th anniversary, not to mention the widespread anticipation over a live action movie on the horizon.

Carl Macek spent the past Saturday, April 17th as he often did, enjoying life to its fullest at a concert with his beloved wife Svea. Then a massive heart attack took him away from all of us. It was a bitter pill to swallow. This did not seem fair. He was still so full of creative energy. However, with the amazing legacy of his work, Carl has left us much to remember him by, and in this way, he has truly become immortal."

Thanks for bringing Robotech to us, Carl. RIP.

"Genesis Climber Mospeada!"

Mospeada was adapted as the 3rd arc of Robotech, but recently I'm watching the original Mospeada in Japanese... Gosh, it's like a different series altogether! Here's the original song opening... brings back memories as a kid~~ :D

and the sad end theme, perfectly capturing the mood~~



I also found out that there's an OVA (Original Video Animation) released to just cap things off. It's called Love Live Alive, showing flashbacks.. Yellow in concert... and what happens after the last episode. It still leaves that sad feeling at the end, truly classic series.

"CM's Brave Gohkin 1/18 Ride Armor ~ Bartley type!"

I saw this at RobotMaster @ Queensbay and they had 5% discount for it as well. After thinking long and hard for 3 days.... just grab it! I always like Fuke/Rook Bartley's ride armor because of the striking red scheme.

The major attraction to this pack is the alternate head included for Fuke AND the Annie/Mint figure!



Posing with the Dark Mospeada.



and contrasting nicely with the Legioss & Tread's blue scheme...

This is RM280 before discount, which is considerably less expensive than my recent other investments :P However, the ride armor is really small, no bigger than a Star Wars 3.75 inch figure, although collectibility-wise, this is as good as it gets :)

"Macross: VF-1A!!!"

And here it is, Yamato's "VF-1A with Super & Strike parts" 1/60 scale from Macross:Do You Remember Love! Yeah, just had to buy it, especially with Christmas sale :D

This version is Hikaru Ichijyo's (Rick Hunter in Robotech). The VF-1A has 3 modes:

Fighter




Guardian


and Battroid

The transformation is complicated, especially from Guardian to Battroid, but the core pieces are made of metal so there's not much worry of breaking it. There's also a damn thick manual that shows you how to transform properly (trust me, you'll need it!) The material used is also PVC, very strong and pretty heavy too. The moment you hold it, you know it's not kids stuff!

And the best part about this 1/60 scale (1/60 of the actual plane size) version is that it comes with the Super & Strike parts! If you get the 1/48 scale version, it's sold separately and obviously at a very high price (RM1k++). I managed to get this for about RM400.

Every section snaps in place perfectly, no loose parts or anything dangling. That's the beauty of Yamato's engineering, which I feel is better than CMS' Mospeada.

And, based on the final scene in the movie Macross:DYRL!

You'll want one too! :D The missiles on the wings are interchangeable; there are 3 pairs included! Actually, if I had a choice, I would've preferred to get VF-1S, Roy Fokker's version as Skull Leader, but these things are released in very small quantity. So here's to hoping that they re-release it again! :P

"Macross: Do you remember love?"

Robotech is made up of 3 unrelated Japanese anime, with the first arc being adapted from Macross. Unfortunately when they converted it into Robotech, they converted the Japanese songs into English as well. After listening to both versions, I think the Japanese version is by far the more superior!

Macross opening song:



Bet you remember this: "My boyfriend is a Pilot"!



And from the 1984 movie "Macross: Do You Remember Love", the epic final battle! This movie is a condensed version of the entire series.



The studio version of the song :)



And Macross ending song...~~~



Next: Another Macross post! ;)

"Mospeada: Legioss & Tread!"

Ok, after the Cyclone, lets look at CMS' Mospeada: Legioss & Tread! The Robotech name for this is the Alpha & Beta Fighter. It comes in 3 colors (Blue, Red and Green). I chose Blue because its Scott Bernard's.



Legioss. The Alpha fighter, which can change into 3 modes:


Fighter

Guardian

Battroid

Transformation is reasonably complicated, but once again, the ABS/PVC and die-cast material feels really sturdy and helps prevent breakage.


And it comes with mini Scott Bernard on his Cyclone in several modes!

Tread. The Beta fighter which Scott's team discovered towards the end of their mission.

Fighter mode. The metal connector bar is removable.

Robot mode

Loaded with missles!

And finally, Legioss & Tread - yeah, the main reason I chose CMS' version (Mospeada license is given to several companies: Toynami, CMS, MegaHouse), coz it comes with both Legioss & Tread together and you can join them to become:



wow... ain't it cool? It's like a dream come true :D


It can also hold Legioss in Battroid mode...... drooling.........



And a family photo of the Mospeada collection. Legioss & Tread now has the honour of becoming the single "Most Expensive Item" in my collection. Can you guess how much this costs??

RM948!!!





...but I got a 15% discount, so that comes out to RM805!

It replaces the Millenium Falcon (RM749.90) and AT-AT Walker (RM499.90) as the most expensive item in my collection. Yeah, Gf would've killed me if she knew I went to buy this :P Actually, she did freak out when she saw it... hahahaha.... siggg

"Mospeada Ride Armor: 'Dark Bartley & Dark Mospeada'!"

I haven't done collection reviews in awhile. For some time now the collection has moved beyond Star Wars into some of the other stuff that I really like, like this one: CMS' Mospeada Ride Armor: 'Dark Bartley & Dark Mospeada'.

Mospeada is the Japanese anime adapted as the 3rd arc of Robotech, named The Next Generation, telling the story of Scott Bernard and his band of freedom fighters on their quest to liberate Earth from the Invid.

'Dark Bartley & Dark Mospeada' is actually the Shadow version of the famous Cyclone bikes used in the series. Too bad I started collecting these late, I would have preferred Scott Bernard's Cyclone, but hey, this itself is a great piece, retailing at RM245 after 5% discount.






Yeah, the Cyclone bike converts into the armour for the rider! The conversion is fairly complicated, but luckily the model is made of ABS/PVC with Die-cast metal parts so they don't break easily. Which also explains the hefty price for such a small item! This guy is about the same size as a Star Wars basic figure...

"Robotech!"

My new hobby~~! Ever since rewatching the Robotech series last year, I always wanted the Valkyrie fighter.... but Yamato's 1:48 scaled model cost RM6xx and the 1:60 model costs RM4xx, way too expensive to collect alongside the ever present Star Wars. But last week stumbled upon the Ban Dai's build-it-yourself model kit, cost only RM99.90. Oh, what the heck, buy some UHU super-glue, get the blade sharpened... and start assembling!


Fighter mode

Guardian mode

Battroid mode

And posing with the box!

At this point, it's pretty obvious something is missing with the model: NO COLOUR!! Yes, some more I didn't know how to use the decals provided (thought they were some stickers or something, but not!)... so have to paint it... :-S Sorry la, not really into painting...! But assembling the model from scratch was pretty fun. I spent 2 days to finish it, with glue all over my hands and several 'accidents'!

Sooo... yesterday went to buy the other one I was interested in...


The SDF-1!

This one cannot transform, and it's a 1:8000 scale, so it was pretty small and far easier to assemble! Hurray..... and only RM29.90 :P

But I also saw the Yamato's 1:60 model, fully transformable, painted, and inclusive of the Super Strike Parts selling for RM468. Hmm........... should I?:D