MD Geist

Heartbreaker said:

Okay fans...

After 4 months I can honestly say that I have done it.  I have reconstructed the original 1986 "Robotech: The Movie" using the following sources...

Megazone 23-Part 1 (DVD) - this is the majority of the film.

Robotech: The Complete Series - Disc #4: The Robotech Archives (DVD) - this contains the 30 minutes of Southern Cross footage with the original movie audio and also the original movie's complete opening and closing credits.

Megazone 23: Blue Garland-Limited Edition (PlayStation 3 video game) - this is bundled with a bonus DVD that has the alternate ending of "Megazone 23-Part 1" which was used as the ending for the Robotech movie.  This is tougher to come by.  This bonus disc is exclusive included only within this special bundle which is an exclusive import from Japan.

Robotech: The Movie (VHS) - this movie was released only in Europe and is EXTREMELY difficult to obtain!  All European VHS tapes are in PAL format.  You will need a PAL to NTSC converter in order to play this tape in North America.  I don't have one myself, but a friend of mine was able to convert it for me.  The tape, being over 25-years-old, wasn't in the best shape, but it served several uses: 1.) it's a guide to place which scenes where and for how long.  This is especially helpful regarding the hideously mixed up Megazone 23 footage.  2.) It is currently the complete audio source for the entire film.  

I did some major editing on my Nero Vision software and while the end result isn't perfect, it's a solid B+ grade.  Probably an 8.75 out of 10 as far as quality goes.  If anyone is interested in further details, let me know and I'll enter more posts on this major project that made up a bulk of my summer vacation.

I would love to hear more about how you did this. Also, B+ quality has to be WAY better than what we have now.

Kushami said:

MD Geist:

That's very helpful! Went ahead and ordered it. Does the original ending segment animation exist there as well? Or does that count as a 'Megazone' segment?

There're, like, two shots of the ending segment on the DVD. It's from right after Mark and Becky embrace. It's the shot of the airfield (or wherever they were) wrecked and smoldering after the battle. Then we see another shot of the ruined airfield before the credits. The only thing is the credits differ slightly from the copy that's be floating around the internet.

In the VHS rip that I have (and I assume the OP is getting the audio from), the screen goes black and the credits roll as "The Future Is Now" plays. The DVD version, however, goes to a shot of the earth as the credits roll and eventually goes black, and the credits continue to roll over that. It's minor, but it's noteworthy.

Still, this DVD provides a higher quality version of the opening and ending credits than I've ever seen online. They clearly aren't remastered, but they look better than what's been available until now.

As for finding the ending in high quality, there's a YouTube user who might be able to help. He reconstructed the ending here. He might be a great authority on Robotech in general since he has the LaserDisc release of the movie from Belgium. Not to mention a bunch of other Robotech the Movie rarities.

Hopefully this helps.

The "generic starfield/cosmos footage from the beginning of the movie" is original, I believe. Actually, a fairly high quality version of it exists on DVD. A heavily truncated version of Robotech the Movie exists on A&E Home Video's Robotech: The Complete Series. Basically, it's a 30 or so minute version of the film with all of the Megazone footage cut out. You might check it out.

I hope that helps. Good luck.