Stuff & Things ...

As I type this, my pal Derick and a bunch more lucky ROBOTECH and mecha anime fans are watching Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles down in Lafayette, Louisiana at the first public screening of the film in North America. At least, I'm pretty sure Derick made it down there ... I'd hate to get a phone call in about an hour's time and hear that he got stuck at the dealer's table and had to miss it because nobody would take his spot ...

Noted at several spots on the web, Japanese voice actor Hirotaka Suzuoki, who played Yellow Belmont in Mospeada and Lynn Kaifun in Macross, died August 6 of lung cancer. He was best known for his portrayal of Captain Bright Noa in Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, and Gundam: Char's Counterattack, as well as numerous modern video games based on the franchise. That sound you hear is thousands of Gundam fanboys across Japan openly weeping.

Robotech.com finally has the $80 Hikaru Ichijyo doll, limited to 3,000 pieces, in stock. Not that you could tell from the main page -- they don't even have it up on the little "new store items" bar that nobody looks at. Back at the New York Toy Fair, Toynami said they planned to do Max next, though no phototography of such a thing has been shown anywhere -- are they waiting to see how this does before they even get a head sculpt ready?