Mr March

I love the theme of mass destruction they had in the original series. They really wanted to blow the hell out of everything. It was great

That is one bizarre looking mecha.

Just saw the film. The best way I could describe the film succinctly would be to call it wonderfully absurd. The plot integrity is tenuous at best and the science is ludicrous, but you rarely give a crap because all the other cylinders in this engine are firing on full. The casting is near perfect, the characterizations are spot on, the acting is up to the challenge, the humor offers real laughs, the special effects are exciting and there is rarely a moment when you're not entertained. Intelligent movie making this is not, but Star Trek works as pure fluff entertainment; more Iron Man than The Dark Knight. I will say that what the movie lacks in brains it makes up for with guts. The writers drag the characters through hell and don't let up. While the finale is satisfying, this is one Star Trek story that irrevocably shakes the foundation of it's own fictional universe. Same old Trek but new rules. I'd give it a 4 out of 5. I know it's become cliche to compare every blockbuster to The Dark Knight, but the fact is Trek will be measured against that modern benchmark. It cannot take the crown, but Star Trek delivers as promised the best it can.

Yeah that's the one. I thought it was issue 22. Oh well.

Yep. The AMM-1 missiles have recessed fins.

Issue 22. In the link. They have a spread on the VF-11 Protect Armor.

Honestly, I'm not seeing much. Perhaps vague coincidental similarities, at best. I wouldn't call it strong influence or homage. The only strong link I've noticed between the franchises has been the Banshees from Halo and the Battle Pod (Commander Type) from Macross II. I discussed this once with Seto. Not only do the two share many similar hull shapes (especially the whole dorsal fuselage), but they also share similar color schemes and the method of pilot entrance/egress is nearly identical.

I see what looks like a detailed missile count for the VF-11 Protect Armor. *passes out*

I fail to see how a transformation jam on a VF-25 Messiah is somehow more severe than a transformation jam on VF-1 Valkyrie. The end result is the same. And more mechanisms means more complexity which means more things can go wrong. Digressing to the point I was making, the VF-25 Messiah (and most of the later valkyrie transformations) are actually less complex than the VF-1. Yet the VF-1 is still held by some as the model of transformation simplicity when it just isn't true. By far, the YF-21 is the simplest transforming valkyrie Kawamori has ever made. The VF-9 Cutlass is the most complex.

Agreed, energy conversion armor has nothing to do with transformation. And it's already been officially stated that linear actuators are faster, more reliable and result in a stronger battroid that traditional transformation systems. Linear actuators also reduce reliance on fragile mechanisms to transform. But all this was never in question. As for akt_m's animation, it shows the transformation, nothing more. Clipping errors of the animation itself don't impact the VF-25 transformation anymore than the VF-1's amazing shrinking wings. We're still talking transformation simplicity and we can still count the articulating mechanisms, just like we do without benefit of animation when we examine the line art. Since we don't have transformation line art for the VF-25, it makes absolute accuracy impossible. For my part, I've come up with this: Number of articulated mechanisms required to transform VF-1 Valkyrie (total 26) Head – angle and rotate (2) Backpack (1) Vertical Stabilizers (2) Legs – displacement mechanisms (2) Legs – upper leg joints (2) Legs – hip joints (2) Arms – sliding rails (2) Arms – repositioning mechanisms (2) Arms – rotation joints (2) Fuselage – Slide (1) Fuselage – Dorsal hatch for head (1) Fuselage – fold over (2) Fuselage – heat shield (1) Nose – hip joint inserts (2) Wings (2) VF-25 Messiah (total 18) Head (1) Fuselage – forks/leading edge extensions (3) Fuselage – nose (3) Fuselage – rear (1) Arms – shoulders (2) Arms – rotation joints (2) Legs – Hips (2) Wings – fold down (2) Wings – fold back (2) Note, these are the bare minimum articulating mechanisms required to change modes. These lists do not include hands, feet, antenna, flaps, stabilizers or cosmetic articulating mechanisms not related to what is absolutely necessary to transform the variable fighter between modes.

Do what you can. That's all anyone can ask of our volunteer work for the Macross fandom. And know that we do appreciate your efforts.

The way I look at it, as good as this new film could be, it doesn't erase 20 years of crap entertainment. If I enjoy this new Star Trek film (and most indications are it may well be the ONLY enjoyable blockbuster this summer) Paramount will have finally earned some goodwill. They better use it well before they lose it again

I doubt this lawsuit will go anywhere. Sounds like a PR stunt to get Batman (the hamlet) on the map. They said oil, so maybe Batman (the hamlet) is having a problem attracting buyers because of it's virtual anonymity. This news would certainly get word out about their industry at a time when they probably need the money.

An unfortunate reality. I know portions of my website are already on file sharing websites against my wishes. Many fans have brought it to my attention. It is the nature of the internet that abuses will happen. All I can ask is that people don't do it, but not much else. I wouldn't be surprised if someone has scanned each issue of the Chronicle and uploaded it on some file sharing site right now. 4chan is a good example.

papabear and Roy Focker I'm really glad to hear that you're enjoying the Zentradi page. It was a great deal of work to color all those characters and I'm really pleased that fans are enjoying the results. Ignacio Ocamica You're welcome. Enjoy and keep visiting! edwin3060 I'm actually not sure. They maybe able to accommodate rocket pods, but I can say with any certainty. RedWolf Ah, interesting. The games are always really difficult to cover. Virtually no information is readily available for them and I've never played them. Which is why the Macross G&A section is so sparse Prime Hehehe, so you like the site? Just kidding, enjoy.

That's good to hear. Ideally, Klan should be in the 10 m range. She probably will be, once the Chronicle covers her. In which case I'll be allowed to give her a more reasonable height in the chart with official numbers to back me up

To my mind, why care about damage? For that matter, why be concerned with comparing a static robot vs. a transforming robot/jet? The greatest defense in warfare has been and always will be "avoid being shot." To my mind, the valkyries of Macross are the very best at that philosophy in almost any mecha show I've ever seen. They are among the lightest of the large mecha in most anime shows and some of the fastest. In a weight vs. firepower comparison, the valkyries always appear to offer the most punch per ton of weight. There are stronger and more powerful mecha, but few of them as efficient or as scalable and versatile as a variable fighter. A valkyrie can be armor, fighter and attack helicopter in equally competent measure and can embrace almost any role from ELINT, to strike, to anti-warship. The valkyrie is a military commander's wet dream And if you need a heavy mecha with heavy armor and heavy weaponry in Macross, that's what the armored valkyries are for. Or just rely on a heavily armed fire support unit, like the VB-6 Konig or the VF-25G Sniper variant.

In the case of Trek, I won't blame anyone for believing this new flick was going to be anything but utter crap. Especially the geeks. Trek has been so awfully poor and so blatantly exploited for so long, it was the poster child for bloated, homogenized and mediocre entertainment. Paramount's handling of the property didn't earn any benefit of the doubt from fans or casual audiences alike. As far as I am concerned, open season on the franchise was well deserved and then some. In fact, I'd be so bold as to say the harsh criticism leveled at Trek by non-fans undoubtedly helped shape the very decisions that lead to this reboot and just might make this new film worth while.

I still think it's a great idea, but we have to respect the wishes of other fans. Many fans have asked to use certain materials from my website and they have all have respected my conditions. It's only fair to return the courtesy. I agree that it's perhaps something worth revisiting after the publishing run of the Chronicle.

Watch akt_m's animation and you'll find the VF-25 transformation ridiculously simple. Watch it several times. It's amazing.

I don't see the analogy applying. For all intents and purposes (and ignoring the obvious anachronistic answer), the Cheyenne I and II appear to be of a near identical tech level. In fact, if we didn't know better, could any of us honestly say the Cheyenne looks less advanced that the Cheyenne II or vice versa? No we couldn't. After all, the VF-1 isn't nearly as advanced as the VF-25, but the VF-1 is clearly not a bi-plane. Both craft are within the same magnitude of technological advancement. A more apt analogy for comparing Cheyenne to the Cheyenne II is to compare the Leopard I to the Challenger II. This is a good analysis and makes sense. But we should remember that reaction warheads are not nuclear fission bombs. They are something more exotic, but at least some of the principles you've examined might hold true. It is true that any high-energy WMD has much farther reaching destructive effects in an liquid medium (atmosphere) than in a vacuum. I'm not really sure if radiation would have all that much effect upon the bio-mechanical nature of the Vajra. For one, they have a much more dense exterior than a carbon creature like a human, the V-type virus might be an effective method of radiation prevention and finally they have been described as operating in high radiation areas (dead stars). Plus it makes sense that if they can adapt to harsh conditions, they have long since adapted to dangerous radiation in space.

Well, damn. I'm convinced. The emotional blackmail must be working Do you want a real answer why no one is taking you seriously? Or are your posts strictly indirect insults and rhetorical questions?

Go Seto!

Because they aren't "super-complex." In fact, many of the later valkyries have transformation systems that are simpler than the VF-1 and require far fewer moving parts.

The AMM-1 missiles were not used in the DYRL? film. Those were used in SDF Macross only. Here's all the line art I have on them.