gatch72
Honoured Member
I am a Berg Katse.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 20-07-2004
Posts: 114
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18-03-2010 02:06
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Madilayn
Mistress of Ebil
I am a Swan.
24 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 01-02-2006
Posts: 3589
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Madman in Australia (the best sets to get) has them all except Collection 1.
You can also find them on ebay.com.au
I'm keeping an eye out for Collection 1 - if one comes up I'll post it on the board here.
As for age - I was 12 and fell in love with it from the start! For some reason, though, I never saw the whole series in one it - it took me two showings to see all the episodes.
Funnily enough, some years later when it was shown again on Aussie telly and I was working (this would be about 1985) I saw the episode "The Fierce Flowers". Went to work - and the quote on the desk calendar was "When all else is lost, the future still remains". For some reason, that really resonated with me with that episode - and with the followiong "Destructin of Space Centre" ones as well.
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"When I'm old, I don't want them to say of me, "She's so charming." I want them to say, "Be careful, I think she's armed." -G. Stoddart
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by Madilayn on 18-03-2010 at 02:40.
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18-03-2010 02:36
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gatch72
Honoured Member
I am a Berg Katse.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 20-07-2004
Posts: 114
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18-03-2010 12:29
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tatsunokofan
Gatch Guru
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 03-12-2006
Posts: 1513
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Hi all!
Perhaps I should point out that my comment regarding being old was not so much in regards to chronological age as it was in regards to years spent active in this hobby, which is what WadeInLincoln, amethyst, and clouddancer were commenting on just prior to my post. In that regards, I am fairly old. Most of you watched the show as kids, moved onto other things when it left the air, then rediscovered it years later when you were adults. For me, it's been a solid run as a fan that starts with my watching the premiere of BotP in September of 1978 and continues unbroken to the present. That's a heck of a lot longer than the 10 years as a fan that WadeInLincoln used as a scale in the hobby.
In regards to his comment that the hobby began exploding about 10 years ago, he's not too far off, at least from a non-Japanese perspective. On December 4, 2000, the first volume of "Battle of the Planets" was released on home video in the U.K.. This was the first piece of official BotP merchandise to be released since the 1980s, and was the start of the wave of merchandising that followed over the next few years. That run hit its peak in the summer of 2002, and slowly abated over the next couple of years. Now it enjoys momentary bumps in popularity that coincides with things like the ADV DVD release, the announcement of the movie by Imagi, and the release of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom.
In Japan, Gatchaman hit its peak during the original runs of the three series, which is sort of a given. Even during the period between the first and second series, Gatchaman merchandise was still available with some regularity (Some of these were new items, while others were reissues of older items that continued to sell well). Once Gatchaman Fighter left the air in 1980, new Gatchaman items all but dried up for a while.
It wasn't until the mid-1980s that Gatchaman merchandise began creeping back out, marketed mostly for nostalgia purposes aimed at teen and young adults who had enjoyed the series as kids (This included things like pencil boards, cassette labels, and telephone cards). This trend grew and hit is peak in the mid-to-late 1990s, when Gatchaman joined the ranks of many older anime series as being "retro-cool." This led to items aimed at adults who remembered the show (Such as Zippo lighters), and at teens who found the nostalgia wave to be fashionable (And who would but the exclusive Gatchaman apparel at the trendy As Know As clothing store in Harajuku).
This was also the time when anime series of the 1960s and 1970s were being tapped as themes for prizes in the extremely popular crane game machines, leading to a slew of Gatchaman and/or Tatsunoko character merchandise.
And, of course, the home video market exploded onto the scene, allowing fans to buy the three series numerous times over in laser disc and DVD formats (As well as scattered episodes from the first series that were available on VHS at different points). A Blu-ray release hasn't been announced yet, but you know it's just a matter of time.
The amount new Gatchaman merchandise in Japan has slowed down quite a bit from what it was like 10~15 years ago, but there are still new items appearing, like the crane game Ken and Joe figures, the Boomerang memory stick, and the cell phone chargers that Taito released last year, and items released in conjunction with both releases of Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom. Yes, these are mostly aimed at a nostalgia market, but it's still not bad for a show that wrapped production 30 years ago.
(Yes, I know I'm leaving out the OAVs. But, frankly, they did almost nothing to raise interest in the series)
James
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18-03-2010 17:48
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WadeInLincoln
Junior Member
I am a Condor.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 11-03-2010
Posts: 50
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Thanks James!!!
That was a real cool Cliff-Notes version of the last 30 years. No, wait.... that was "retro-cool". I've never heard that phrase before but I love it!!!
Cell phone chargers??? Really??? 
Amethyst, I appreicate it.
But I think got everything comic wise.... Battle Book, 1/2 - 12, Mark/Jason one shots, Magna 1-3, Witchblade, Thundercats, Sketch Book, and Princess 1-6 [getting #6 was a pain in the...].
I still need... the Guide Book (which I've learned is called the Hofius Book here), Pin-Up Book, the Classic Issues Volume (original 1979 Gold Key comics 1-10) , and there's a couple different Art/Graffitti Books I've been eye-balling.
I've been collecting comics off and on for years. Unfortunately I was "off" during the whole Top Cow era. Ran across a Top Cow looking thru some back issues at the local comic book store a couple of months back AND THAT's WHEN IT ALL HIT ME. 
Hey 72, might have to call you up on that Aussie set someday. I did find the 85 BotP on Veoh but eventually I'm gonna want to get the discs. It's too late for my kid (she's Gatch all the way) but if I ever get that grandchild (please let it be at least another 15 years) I'll probably want to start them up with BotP first..... "These are the cartoons grandpa used to watch"
Yeah right, like am I ever going to grow up. 35? I remember 35 like it was 5 years ago (hint, hint) 
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Bird Go!!!
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19-03-2010 04:41
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tatsunokofan
Gatch Guru
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 03-12-2006
Posts: 1513
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Hi all!
| quote: | | Cell phone chargers??? Really??? |
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Yes, really. There were three different designs.
They all came with a pair of connectors that work with two of the most popular cell phone models in Japan (The au type and the Soft Bank FOMA type connectors)
From all appearances, they weren't a big draw in the crane game machine prize market. The figures and the memory sticks were far more popular.
| quote: | | (which I've learned is called the Hofius Book here) |
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More like nicknamed that, but there's no hard-and-fast rule in calling it that. Sadly, this book is now out of print. The publisher had a great sale on them last year, and I believe they sold their few remaining copies at the San Diego Comic Con last summer. It can still be found on Amazon, though.
| quote: | | there's a couple different Art/Graffitti Books I've been eye-balling. |
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If you have any questions about specific books, feel free to ask.
And, just to make sure, you do know that there are two BotP Thundercats crossover comics, right? One is listed as "Battle of the planets/Thundercats," and the other is "Thundercats/Battle of the Planets." The two issues feature unrelated standalone stories.
James
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19-03-2010 22:08
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Thanks a lot for that superb info!