ROBOBLOG III Archives

4.24.2007

Do we have a Japanese language expert in the house?

Reader Mark Munoz found an intriguing Mospeada-related image on the Macross World forums and sent it along. Unfortunately, I'm not the Japanese language expert in the family -- that would be my sister -- so I have no worldly clue what this is. He suggested maybe Mospeada 2 designs, or something Tatsunoko did for Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles 2, but it doesn't look official to me -- more like a game of "what if" or "redesign the mecha" being played in an issue of Hobby Japan or something. Notice that for some reason the TLEAD/Tread is being referred to as a DREAD, which suggests a lack of familiarity with the material, and that the large image of the redesign looks AWFULLY rough and lop-sided. I would think something designed to give us a taste of a new series would be a little sharper and more polished.

What do YOU think? Or better, if you know for sure what we're looking at here, please share!

Labels:

posted by Captain JLS at 23:46

10 Comments:

  • Oh man!! Our Japanese translators' project ended a few weeks ago, so would have asked them to take a look at it. ...they owned me one.

    Very cool stuff I think you might be right about this being a what if, but what is that 2 up there all about. However it could be for Robotech: Shadow chronicles 2 or even concept art work for Shadow Chronicles. ...Too bad those where not new mecha they grabbed at the end of SC. The Dread and Dread II are some great looking mecha. Maybe they are replacement for the TLEAD/Tread/Beta.
    Bryan "Odyn"

    By Blogger Unknown, at 25 April, 2007 09:20  

  • It's not a sequel or a prequel, just a walk down memory lane with Hideki Kakinuma, who created new art to go with the interview. Thanks to Matt Alt who gave me the rundown:

    He said that because there were no toy sponsors for the Invid he had a totally free hand, and originally wanted 16 different types. These are some that never got used.

    Interesting: the original Inbit concept was "powered suits for insect creatures," but evolved into giant insect-creatures themselves. He also says that the concept was that they'd encounter more "primitive" versions farther out (from Reflex Point, I assume) that would gradually grow more and more sophisticated and eventually humanoid at the center. But: "Alas...."

    Also: Originally, he wanted to portray the Inbit as formless, ethereal creatures that came to Earth, sampled and experienced the local environment, and then left, but he couldn't quite flesh out the approach and so abandoned it during the planning stages."

    By Blogger Roger, at 25 April, 2007 10:04  

  • As for the Dread/Tread issue. Under 'DREAD1' from translations seems to have been taken from the word 'Dreadnaught'(most likely which after being shortened to Dread was turned into Tread), and that the picture underneath it is probably one of the original roughdrafts from 1983. Some of the words are hard to see so I can't quite make it out but it mentions a design of or from "Alien's (maybe a reference to the movie) Nosu/North Romo Shuttle".

    A big thing they talk about here is the 'Invasion stripes' seen on the wings, which is why the Mustang and Hornet are shown. First lines for the Hornet are, "I think it was 1994 that the American Army had their D-Day 50th anniversary and the F-18 flew with the Invasion stripes painted on!".

    This coincides with the Legioss as it mentions under Legioss that for Mars Military landing on Earth was their 'Normandy' (for those who have or have seen Shadow Chronicles you'll note that the mecha have 3 stipes to signify the third invasion wave, Scott's had two for the second with Lancer only one).

    I can't quite make out the kanji for the first sentence in Legioss 2007 but I think it's something along the lines that the 2007 version would probably be like that. Third sentence is, "Much the same as the original, it will have a gimmick that it changes to a robot (probably...)".

    As for a sequel, I should note that in the image with the Inbit at the bottom right is translated as, "There is potential in doing a Mospeada remake! Someone please do a remake..."

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 25 April, 2007 13:18  

  • After seeing these designes, especially for the DREAD1 and 2 Harmony Gold should hire Hideki Kakinuma as a mech designer for Shadow Chronicles follow up.

    M

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 25 April, 2007 19:19  

  • yeah, it says "More designs Harmony Gold can lift so they don't need to come up with new ones!"

    buh-dum-dum!

    By Blogger Darkwater, at 26 April, 2007 00:10  

  • All I can say Darkwater, is that at least it would be VASTLY better than what we've seen so far :P

    Sad but true, I mean after 20 years of waiting for a continuation of Robotech, we go from VF-1s, Alphas, to Haydonite mech!

    The Mech bloodline in Robotech could use some new design :P

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 26 April, 2007 01:02  

  • Ah, a design Alpha fighter design I could work with...

    By Blogger ChrisK, at 26 April, 2007 06:51  

  • If I'm not mistaken, there's also a pic from the same mag that shows conjectural 'organic' Invid mechs, a retcon of Iiga Scout, Gurab Shocktrooper & Gosu Battloid.

    Just scrolled down a bit to a MW forummer known as Shaggydog & clicked the small img tumbnail.
    http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=22156&st=180

    BTW, the retcon Legioss 2007 fighter shares the similarity with the pre-production art of Gamma fighter as shown here:

    http://robotechresearch.com/rpg/mecha/ref/veritech/xvf_15_gamma/gamma_fighter.gif

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 27 April, 2007 23:33  

  • About the retcon Invid design from the said mag ... here is the direct link:

    http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=42151

    It shows how a 'centipede'-like Invid grub evolved to a 4 legged Iiga & to a Gurab trooper & finally a humanoid Gosu.

    The retcon Invid shows a nasty departure from a slug-driven exo-skeleton Inbit mechs to a Zerg-like or Aliens-Xenomorphs or to the ST-Arachnids.

    I kinda like these new 'organic' conjectured insectoid Inbit.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 27 April, 2007 23:47  

  • Thanks PC! It's annoying though that you haven't mailed me your fanfic yet, so sadly, I'll be looking for other fanfic writers to help me... :(

    Why??? Why have you forsaken me?!

    By Blogger ChrisK, at 28 April, 2007 07:22  

Post a Comment

<< Home