During the gunpla boom of the early ’80s, giant robots were everywhere… even safety campaigns for kids. Meet Japan National Railways’ Gundam doppelganger, Railway Crossing Warrior Shadan.
Kamen Rider: Behind the Mask
Most people don’t know that Kamen Rider’s inception was the result of a long and troubled pre-production stage; months of shifting ideas marred by disputes over budgetary constraints and industry politics. This is the origin of Kamen Rider seldom spoken of, the secrets from behind the scenes and behind the mask.
In Pursuit of the Powered Suit: The Class of ‘83
Parallel to the development of giant robot anime in the 1970s, Studio Nue’s revolutionary renderings of Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers powered suit changed the game, and in turn lead to smaller, more “realistic” powered suits appearing in the pages of manga weeklies and hobby magazines.
Max-imum Ma.K Technique: The Chromatic Painting Style of Max Watanabe
kvltworx returns with another painting tutorial, this time diving into the unique lacquer hand brush techniques of master modeler Max Watanabe.
The Sony HiTBiT F1 Game Robot: When Gall Force Sold Computers
Sony’s marketing campaigns for their MSX computers involved everyone from Syd Mead to Seiko Matsuda, but their most memorable bit of advertising may have been a print ad featuring a scratch-built powered suit to advertise their HiTBiT HB-F1 MSX2 machine.
A Festival of our Own: The Urusei Yatsura/Project A-Ko Connection
Project A-Ko’s origins in the adult anime series Cream Lemon are well documented, less so the influence and shared staff between the iconic OVA and the legendary TV show, Urusei Yatsura.
Macross, Too: Shoji Kawamori’s Return to Macross
After years of swearing off sequels, Shoji Kawamori returned to Macross with not one, but two new Macross projects in simultaneous production.
Another Shelved Gainax Project: Olympia
During the studio’s lean years after Nadia, Gainax briefly developed a new animated sci-fi project. While little information on it has been shared publicly, there’s evidence to suggest Olympia’s troubled production left a lasting impact on the studio.
Patlabor 2 and The Graf Zeppelin
A super brief look at a bit of history that may have influenced Mamoru Oshii’s Patlabor 2.
Before Megazone 23: The Early Mecha & Character Designs of Omega City 23
A brief look at some of the early design work created by ARTMIC artists for Omega City 23 while it was still planned as a television series.