Has anyone seen this anime movie?

[Dizzyfugu]

Sanka kits are impossible to track down (tried that for several years now, with no success). The Skyly is slightly better, but even that is hard and rather expensive.

Beyond that there are some other nice designs that were inspired by real aircraft (F4U, Bf 110 and Do 335 come to mind, and there was a wonderful twin-boom Ju-188-style night fighter!), but these were not offered as kits.
Some were scratched, though, IIRC (at least that Ju 188 thing).

I did a Sky Crawlers tribute build some time ago - the Fafnir (pics taken on movie screenshots as BG) : http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,35485.0/highlight,fafnir.html

As a side note - Macross Plus contains one of the most wonderful rendition of aerobatics, not only animation-wise, but the classic ballet soundtrack underneath takes the sequence to a really high level.

Another highly recommended anime movie is Patlabor 2 - it is rather an animated political thriller than mecha action; you should be a bit familiar with the respective TV series (because the figures are not really introduced), and the first movie ain't bad, too.

[Librarian]

Oh, I do like the Fafnir. I remember when she appeared. What was the one that looked like a cross between a Bronco, Pucara and A-10...based in South America; pretty sure that was one of yours (apologies if not).

[pyro-manic]

http://www.whatifmodelers.com/index.php/topic,21630.0.html

I'm taking it as read that these kits sold badly as having put what I assume are large sums into producing these kits they then quickly discontinued them. No further releases...

ChernayaAkula is spot on. Most movie tie in kits from companies like Hasegawa will be produced in a limited run, of however many they can expect to sell off the back of the movie release. If the demand is there they may then do another release, or do a modified version (different colour scheme, for example) down the line. This may coincide with, for example, a dvd/Blu-ray release, a sequel, or an anniversary. There was a flurry of releases and re-releases for the Macross 30th anniversary, for example, and the same is done with other big names like Gundam.

[Weaver]

Surprisingly adult and downbeat story

This is the thing people can't get past. Animated =/= for kids. Particularly not when it originates in Japan.

If you liked Sky Crawlers (which I found a bit lacking tbh), try Porco Rosso.

I didn't expect it to be childish. I supose that with the amounts of obvious aircraft-love that went into the designs, I was expecting/dreading that it would be very gung-ho and over-enthusiastic. I think they did a very good job of capturing atmospheres and "nothing happening but significantly". There's a peculiar "unsettled" quality to a windswept airbase for example, which I think they nailed very well.

I keep my eyes open for Porco Rosso.

[rickshaw]

Porco is far better than Skycrawlers IMHO in all departments, except perhaps the dogfight sequences.   Wings of Hornease is also better than Skycrawlers in it's storyline and of course the aircraft and vehicles are delightfully so different you have to wonder at the them.  Skycrawlers' aircraft are good but somehow they just don't look as different IMHO, from real life ones, whereas the Hornease ones are.

Porco for entertainment.
Hornease to make you think.
Crawlers to make you go, "slow and pretty dull".

[maxmwill]

I looked for Hornease and Porco in youtube to see if there are any trailers, because I never heard of either one.

Found a trailer for Porco, along with two other movies on the same DVD, but not Hornease.

Is there a link to a trailer for this?

[Librarian]

I looked for Hornease and Porco in youtube to see if there are any trailers, because I never heard of either one.

Found a trailer for Porco, along with two other movies on the same DVD, but not Hornease.

Is there a link to a trailer for this?

Wings of Honneamise...also known as Royal Space Force. The DVD quality is somewhat dodgy so if you can, the Blu ray is streets ahead.

[Dizzyfugu]

Two excerpts from Wings of Honneamise:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3l3yEGblTj8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drq9wvRX18w

It is IMHO one of the must-see anime movies - not only because of the mecha design, but for its overall execution and the story plot and development.

[maxmwill]

Wow.

I liked the canard bomber(?) in the first clip that was flying when the clip started.

Having just finished a Black Cross book on the Ju 288/388/488, I was almost immediately struck by the thought of what might have happened if one of the Gunter Brothers(Seigfried Gunter had been instrumental in such designs as the He70, 111, and the 119, among others, his signature was the semi-elliptical wing) had been ordered to take a Ju388 and turn it into a canard bomber with swept wings.

But I do have one question: How efficient would those props have actually been in the 2nd clip?

The reason I asked was because the blades looked severely bent in ways that, had I been working at an FBO, and saw something like that on the ramp, I'd've starting asking questions.