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--- Let's talk about G-Town... (http://www.gatchamania.net/threadid.php?threadid=2416)
Posted by tatsunokofan on 28-03-2009 at 01:45:
Hi all!
G-Town uses engineering systems developed by I.S.O. scientist Bill Douglas.
G-Town moves by floating above the ground.
G-Town also has the ability to surface (Episode #39).
It must do in order to lauch the New God Phoenix into space (Episode #8).
Additional rockets are also stored there, which can also be used for space travel (Episode #45).
The top portion of G-Town can also be used as a runway for launching the Eagle Sharp (Episode #31).
G-Town was manned by a crew of 300 (Episode #47), including scientists and engineers.
It even has a Rescue Squad that can be sent out for special duties (Episode #33).
The Rescue Squad in action
There are several different styles of submarines that dock at G-Town, which allow individuals or small groups of people to depart for shore (Episode #'s 38, 47).
Large submarine departing G-Town
Large submarine
Small submarine docked inside G-Town
Small subarine departing G-Town
Small submarine
There are also a number of small Operations Submarines that perform work outside and around G-Town (Episode #20).
Operations Submarine
Like Crescent Coral Reef before it, G-Town moved regularly to avoid being attacked by Gallactor forces. Gallactor did manage to mount an attack on G-Town twice. The first time was by once using infiltration of a spy and an attack by Gallactor Frogmen (Episode #20).
The second was by using the Gallacon to invade G-Town (Episode #47).
While both efforts caused damage to G-Town, neither were successful in destroying the structure. When last seen, G-Town was safe and sound as the New God Phoenix launched to join in the final battle against Governor X (Episode #51).
When Tatsunoko was creating the Planning Establishment for "Gatchaman Fighter," they mention that Dr. Nambu is "Sending commands from their G-Town base..." to the Ninja Team in Gatchaman Base, indicating that they had intended for Nambu to continue to use G-Town as his base of operations. Alas, this never happened during the show itself, which had Nambu operating out of the I.S.O. Headquarters instead.
While never seen in the series itself, a pair of early drafts of the story for the first episode of "Gatchaman II" did address the question of how the Ninja Team reached G-Town.
In the story as aired, we see Nambu ordering the Science Ninja Team to come together (As though they can hear him calling out from inside the I.S.O. Headquarters). This is followed by a montage of introductory shots showing Ken, Jun, Jinpei, and Ryu riding in their new vehicles, followed by a quick introduction to G-Town with the Ninja Team gathered inside their Control Room with everyone's favorite live-action fish swimming outside.
In the first story draft, Nambu is in G-Town talking into a microphone when he orders the Ninja Team to assemble. Ken is dashing along a suburban road in the Carboat 1 when he responds with a basic, "Roger." Jun is shown on a highway in Carboat 3 when she does the same. Jinpei is on a path in a park, hurrying in Carboat 4 when he gets the call, and Ryu is driving the Carboat 5 on a coastal road when he receives the summons. All four of the carboats jump into the ocean, and when the cockpits are shielded by a transparent cover, they dive underwater. In the ocean before them moves G-Town. They enter their individual Carboat hatches and surface inside their hanger pools, where the Ninja Team members spring from their vehicles and run through a passageway and into the Transformation Dome. There, as the Ninja Team members pass through, their civilian clothes automatically change to Bird Style. No fuss, no muss, no "Bird Go!," no Batpoles. Just walk in and Presto, youre changed! The four properly attired Ninja Team members then ride an elevator up to the Control Room, where they are greeted by Nambu, who is holding a stopwatch. Nambu then commends then for taking only 7 minutes, 32 seconds to assemble, which Jinpei credits to their continued training.
The second story draft did things a little differently. Rather than riding in the Carboats in their civilian clothes, the members of the Science Ninja Team are already in uniform, traveling in their individual G-Mecha along the same suburban road, highway, and park path as in Scenario A, though Ryu is now also on a suburban road. Since this used almost a cut-and-paste approach for the descriptions for where the Ninja Team members were, it almost reads like the Eagle Sharp was driving along the suburban road rather than flying over it, but I assume it would have been shown in the air instead of on the ground. Anyway, the Narrator uses this chance to introduce the vehicles by name, and the four move to a coastal highway where the New God Phoenix flies along and picks them all up, in a scene very reminiscent of the docking sequence from the first series. With all the vehicles on board, the New God Phoenix dives into the ocean, where it is greeted by G-Town. After the New God Phoenix enters a hatch into G-Town, the four Ninja Team members then ride an elevator up to the Control Room, where they are greeted by Nambu, who is holding a stopwatch. Nambu then commends then for taking only 7 minutes, 32 seconds to assemble, which Jinpei credits to their continued training.
From there the action in both story drafts duplicates what we eventually saw, as Dr. Nambu begin to inform the Ninja Team of Gallactor's return, and how they are likely to be brainwashing the people they are kidnapping to make them work for Gallactor.
While neither of these scenes were ever used, it is nice to know that the staff had given it some thought.
There is a single cutaway shot of G-Town that appears in the series (Episode #47).
Surprisingly, this shot was taken from artwork that was created for the June, 1979 issue of "TV-kun" magazine. The magazine article does provide a couple other small bits of information regarding G-Town that, while not appearing in the Planning or the series itself, can be taken as "semi-official," since Tatsunoko worked closely with Shogakukan to create the material. In it, they state that G-Town is 2,860 meters long (9,383 and 1/4 feet) and 900 meters high (2952 and 3/4 feet), and includes hovercraft engines and underwater lasers for defense.
I hope this helps to fill in some gaps regarding the Science Ninja Team's second Headquarters!
James
Posted by gatchgirl on 28-03-2009 at 01:57:
Nice information James!
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Posted by lborgia88 on 28-03-2009 at 04:07:
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I should say so! Thank you so much, James, for putting all this together.
Posted by Transmute Jun on 28-03-2009 at 04:31:
Thanks for the terrific information, James, as well as all of those great screencaps!
One question though... is it really only a personnel compliment of 25? I think you'd need that many people just to maintain the place. It's huge!!!!
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Posted by tatsunokofan on 28-03-2009 at 06:13:
Hi all!
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No, there's a crew of 300. 25 was only in the Planning, but as I said, in the series itself they stated 300.
James
Posted by Metaliant on 28-03-2009 at 08:14:
Wow......just wow.
I am glad you are here James to give us all these pics and information on the tech, mechs and bases and such like. I think we wiould be absoutely lost without you.
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Posted by tatsunokofan on 28-03-2009 at 22:58:
Hi all!
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There's a big clue as to where this hangar is located in the establishing shot that pans down the cliffside.
You see that building at the top of the cliff? Does it remind you of anything? It may not look exactly like it did in the first series, but my immediate thought when first seeing it was "Oh, that's Nambu's home."
As it turns out, my gut response was correct. I recently got the scenario for that particular episode, and, sure enough, it lists the location of that scene as taking place at "Nambu's Villa."
So, Nambu literally kept the God Phoenix close to home. Maybe he took it out for a spin on the weekends...
James
Posted by Metaliant on 28-03-2009 at 23:26:
That's what I thought as soon as I scrolled down the screen and saw the house, before scrolling down to see the rest of the pic and read your comment.
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Posted by Transmute Jun on 29-03-2009 at 02:24:
But I thought Nambu's villa was destroyed?
In any case, I am 
at the idea of Dr. Nambu taking the God Phoenix out for a spin...
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Posted by tatsunokofan on 29-03-2009 at 03:39:
Hi all!
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I might have had a hole torn in the roof in Gatchaman #102, but it wasn't destroyed. They were seen inside it in both episode #'s 103 and 104.
Besides, even if it had been destroyed, he certainly had time to rebuild it.
James
Posted by lborgia88 on 29-03-2009 at 04:30:
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Oh, that is so cool!
Can we assume this secret hangar for the God Phoenix might have been there in the first series too (even if it wasn't shown)?
I'm trying to remember where they kept the God Phoenix in the first series, particularly before the Crescent Base was constructed in episode 8 (I will check the "God Phoenix" thread). I think there was at least one episode that showed it being kept under water at Ryu's marina, when not needed for missions, but maybe it wasn't always there...
Posted by Transmute Jun on 29-03-2009 at 04:55:
I know in the OAVs the God Phoenix was underneath Ryu's marina. He had to don some kind of mask to swim down to it.
James... I meant that I thought Nambu's villa was destroyed in episode 3. But you're right that he would have had time to rebuild it since then.
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Posted by tatsunokofan on 29-03-2009 at 08:18:
Hi all!
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Actually, he simply held his breath as he grabbed hold of some device that pulled him down to where the God Phoenix was located.
Exactly where the God Phoenix was kept during the TV series was never explicitly stated, but it was implied that it was kept underwater next to the yacht harbor Ryu ran. The OAV simply used this as its foundation.
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That was what was intended when the series Planning Establishment was written, but they didn't follow through with it once the series went into production. The way things ended up, episode #3 was the Mummy Giant story, while the "Dr. Nambu Assassination Plan" story got pushed back. It eventually became episode #31, minus any scenes with Nambu's villa being destroyed.
James
Posted by Ebonyswanne on 29-03-2009 at 08:45:
I didn't tink it got destroyed (Nambu's villa) since they end up there after the Crescent Coral base was destroyed... and I saw no indications during anything I've read about the other two series... (but then I've been wrong before.)
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