Mr March

LOL No, that definitely worked for me

Thanks TheLoneWolf. Much appreciated. So SpideyJerusalem was the Macross fan that bit back. I always wondered who that was. Time to copy and paste this into a perm file.

LOL Some guy started a legal fund against HG and then ran off with the money? I never heard that one. Is it true or just some urban legend?

I could add the Macross 11 to the Macross Frontier section. I don't think the Macross 1 would justify a whole new profile, but I could add the screen shot I have to the NMC main profile in the Macross 7 section. There are some scans of the Macross Galaxy floating around, but they are very small and poor. I've been hoping for better, higher resolution scans (at least something as good as all the other Frontier scans I have on the M3), but it looks like I'll have to wait for the Chronicle.

Yeah, this doesn't sound like another legal storm. All this sounds like is Toynami strong-arming one of the few e-tailers over which they know they have an advantage. Toynami probably sells a lot through Big Bad Toy Store, so when forced with an ultimatum, the BBTS owners figure they can afford to lose Yamato sales a lot easier than they can lose Toynami sales. Regardless, I bet this pisses off BBTS, since no matter what they choose, Toynami just costed BBTS a bunch of money in an already difficult time. Why now? I'd guess the reason is the economic downturn. Toynami staff have probably been given a kick in the backside and told to find/secure revenue where ever they can. Now would be the time to squeeze every last penny out of every conceivable source. If that means ruining import options for hundreds of Yamato fans in the desperate hope that a lack of Yamato products will mean a small fraction of consumers turn to Toynami products, then that's what Toynami will do.

True, but if Big West was interested in promoting Macross internationally, the M3 would never have been created As for my coloring, some of it is quite good, some of it is not so good at all I'm no professional. Ideally, Big West would have professional artists who are really good color all the stuff, like they are slowly doing with the Macross Chronicle.

TheLoneWolf Well, there is broadening exposure and then there is knowing your audience. The M3 is a mecha fan website, so it's only going to appeal to mecha fans, Macross mecha fans most of all. Any "Encyclopedia" or "Guide" or "Manual" or "Jane's All The Universe's Fighting Battroids" doesn't literally imply a physical book when you click on the link. But I think the vast majority of internet users know that, so I'm sure the name is safe. Plus, Macross Mecha Manual is catchy Thanks for the correction about the source of the digital photos. I think I was told that before, but I forgot. I'll have to note that in the links. (makes mental note to add description). sketchley Well, even though we don't have official numbers as yet, I could add the performance comparison to the description in vague terms. Maybe a UNS Analyst line, cause those are fun But let's wait to see what the Chronicle says and then decide from there. Dante74 Don't think it would work. Even though Big West releases pictures into public domain when they wish (Macross Frontier Official Website, for example), the images are technically their images to do with as they please. If they want to release them on the net, they do so. Egan can only post images on an official site like the Compendium if the images are sanctioned by Big West for that purpose. The Macross Mecha Manual uses the line art to showcase original creative content and analysis in line with Canadian Fair Dealing (ie, the coloring and shading, which is all created by me as an interpretation of what appears in the anime, transformation guides, original written descriptions, etc). There is also the fact that as good as the M3 is, it's still only a fan site with fan-colored images, fan-written content, fan-analysis, etc. Big West would no doubt only want official colored art on the Macross Compendium, if at all.

Update Addendum Okay, I could have sworn I updated the Factory Satellite, but it appears I did not. I have now done so. Taking direction from the Factory Satellite picture in the Macross Chronicle issue #5, I also updated my Factory Satellite colored line art with my own version done in a similar style. Also, I forgot to add the Macross 7 fleet count numbers from issue #3 into the New Macross Class Colonization Ship profile, but I've now done so. Lastly, with an official size for the Macross 7 fleet, we can now determine the size of Chlore's Meltran fleet from Macross 7 Encore: Fleet of the Strongest Women. I've added the trivia to the profiles for both the Queadluun-Rau Chlore Fleet and the Meltran Gunboat Chlore Fleet. Here are direct links (make sure to REFRESH your browsers if the changes don't appear immediately): Factory Satellite (new color art and Chronicle trivia) New Macross Class Colonization Ship (new Chronicle trivia) Q-Rau "Chlore Fleet" (new Chronicle trivia) Meltran Gunboat "Chlore Fleet" (new Chronicle trivia) Gubaba That's true, but from what I can tell, the Macross Compendium is far off the radar, which probably makes it quite safe. People here on MW seem to know about it, but every time I link to the site somewhere else, everyone reacts as if they've never seen it (both old and new Compendium links). Even fewer are actually aware the Compendium is officially endorsed by the Macross owners. So they probably don't have to worry that much because traffic is light. Still, you might have a point. Our sites probably aren't popular enough to warrant a lot of vandalism. TheLoneWolf It's not exactly a scientific process. I monitor the website traffic and interact with fans on new forums I join to promote my website. Just based on what people are referencing when they discuss Macross, it appears the Robotech sites, the Steelfalcon/Macross Mecha Designs site and the Wikipedia (the most popular destination with non-MW fans) are used as reference for Macross, despite my website now being up for almost 2 years. Granted some of that is simply ignorance of Macross by Robotech fans, but a good percentage are actual Macross fans who are still somehow unaware of my website until I mention it and provide a link. The M3 is even advertised on nearly all the Wikipedia pages for Macross, but doesn't seem to get much traffic from that site. Obviously, I could increase exposure and I tend to look at a wiki as part of the solution. Dante74 LOL The name wouldn't change. Like the Macross Compendium, I'd just adopt a wiki format, but the website name would remain the same. Sketchley Great catch. I had confirmation in the newest photos I obtained and didn't even know it From what I understand, the digital photos I posted in this latest update were taken from the Flashback 2012 Graffiti book. They are the missing pages which are not found in that PDF file that's been on the net for years. So if those fuselage sections are actually ramjet engines, then via the process of elimination, that means the two dorsal mounted rear nozzles must be the rocket engines. So, the VF-4 really does have 6 engines. How bizarre Come on Chronicle, give us some thrust ratings. Please!

Is the M3 booklet the one with line art of the that "modified" Factory Satellite? Or is that another Macross video game I'm thinking of?

LOL Nah, the Compendium is okay. It's got Egan and Azrael keeping watch and it's worked out well.

Darkhawk I could see adding an EX-Gear profile. Just need some good line art. SchizoMC "Terminator: I love you too, sweetheart" edwin That's one of the reasons for going to a wiki interface, because the majority of current internet users are younger people that aren't big on html sites anymore. And with anime franchises like Macross, they always cater to younger audiences, so I feel perhaps the fansites should do so as well. yellowlightman Like I said, the move to a wiki would be to gain traffic simply via the format, not for any open content advantages. Most end users simply prefer a familiar interface; people are people and they go with what they know, what's popular, what's easy. There are plenty of wikis that are staff only editing; it's just odd to have a staff of one. Most internet users visit wikis just out of habit now because they are the standard and they don't even contribute. It's just the way the internet has evolved. So despite a lack of user editing, there is still much to gain from a wiki simply via format. Sulendil Ang That's the problem; the M3 is only reaching a small portion of the fans. Those that prefer html are in the older minority and if I want to increase visibility of the M3, the solution is a wiki. But as I said, even if I do move the M3 to a wiki, I'd maintain the permanent html site indefinitely on the same server. I wouldn't want to lose all the graphics, buttons, menu bars and layout that I myself prefer. I'd want to gain everything and lose nothing with the move. I'm greedy that way Actually, a hilarious exercise would be to open the M3-wiki version for editing to anyone while leaving the M3-html online and see what happens

This is not surprising. The Macross Chronicle failed to mention the Mark Twain when providing a count for the Macross 7 fleet. But we do know at least one Three Star Factory Ship was in the Macross 5 fleet, since it's seen landing along with the rest of the fleet on Rax.

I'm not sure I can help much with actual dimensions of the various warheads. They've never been given figures as far as I know. It may be possible to determine the size of the ARMD Anti-Ship missiles by somehow scaling the launch hatch to the known size of the ARMD itself. Since the anti-ship missiles are nearly as large as the launch hatch itself, that would give an accurate figure for the dimensions of the missile. As for pictures, here is slightly larger, clearer line art of the SDF-1 Launchers: As for the others, here's some screen shots from the Macross 7 remastered DVDs:

I agree there are points for and against the idea. Trust me, I have been weighing the advantages vs. disadvantages of a wiki-style M3. It's not something I would jump into without thinking it through. I'm glad to hear that it's at least possible to make a secure wiki-style M3, since that would ultimately be the primary concern. Regardless, a wiki version of the M3 is just a thought at this point. Despite what I decide to do, I don't see any reason to abandon the html version of the M3, especially after all the work that's been put into it. But even the M3 is just a standardized layout itself, a format I adopted from Burke Rukes excellent Mecha Domain (which became ChrisG's improved MAHQ). One solution I did have was to adopt a wiki format M3, yet maintain the html version as a choice of format for any website visitors. The wiki and html versions would both be maintained, a relatively easy task given that 99% of the website content is now permanent and the majority of the Macross franchise has now been covered. At any rate, I'm glad to hear all the opinions and wants of the loyal visitors. Whether the M3 changes or not, I'll ensure the html version will remain online indefinitely.

There's nothing inherently wrong or anything that I dislike about my site format. I'm actually happy with it. But I do get the sense that the M3 would be more accessible by adopting an interface that most internet users love. That interface appears to be a Wikipedia style format. It's just like anything; people want a standardized system that's easy to use. Standardized home video, standardized operating systems, standardized everything. The Wikipedia is the standardized format for information websites and nearly every fandom has a dedicated wiki, from big franchises like Battlestar Galactica to small franchises like Fallout. The main reason to switch the M3 to a wiki format would be to gain more visitors simply due to a popular interface that is more familiar to internet users and more likely to keep them coming back.

Glad to hear everyone is enjoying this newest update. It was a lot of fun building it. The next step for the M3 is the addition of a little Macross Zero content and some more Macross II stuff. Hopefully more information and material becomes available from the Macross Chronicle so other statistics and trivia can be added to the website as well. New material is very slow to appear, so it may take quite some time for updates to appear. Just in case most haven't figured it out already, this is probably as good as time as any to spell out that the Macross Mecha Manual has pretty much reached it's final form. The majority of the franchise has been covered and much of the material I've wanted to add since I first built the site has already been added. There is still some small amount of Macross II, Macross Zero and Macross Frontier material (and perhaps a Macross G&A profile or two) yet to appear, but compared to the content already on the M3, that's small potatoes. Much like the largest portion of this latest update, revisions/corrections will likely dominate future updates. There has been discussion about adopting a Wiki interface to broaden the M3's appeal, but I'd consider that option only if all my content could be secured and remain unedited except when I alone wished to change it. I've no wish to make the M3's content open source; my motivation would be to seize advantage of the popularity of the wiki format. People seem to turn to wikis for 99% of the information they want online and I can see the advantage of increased traffic and visibility simply by using a Wiki format. But it's just a thought, and again I reiterate, any potential Wiki version of the M3 would have to be "content closed" to everyone except myself (and perhaps a few other contributors, like Dante74, briscojr84, and so forth). The M3 is my fansite; if some don't like it, they can make their own, but I will never allow just anyone to edit mine. The actual Wikipedia articles on Macross are disaster zones and I would never want to see the M3 content end up like that. So all those having a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of an M3 wiki, relax and rest assured that if it ever came to be, it would be a secured site or not at all

Okay, corrections have been made to all the VF-19 Color Code guides. Make sure to REFRESH your browser when visiting. Thanks again valk1j. I also updated the VF-1D html file so you can actually see the schematics now

Oh, that looks so damn good. I'd love to watch DYRL in that quality.

Whoops! Yup, I made a mistake on those. That's an easy fix though. I'll correct them tonight. Actually, it's much more noticeable on the VF-19 Custom, since one can see the hinges and the beveled edges of the top rear torso Thanks valk1j.

Thanks all. I'm glad you're enjoying the new material. Regarding the color code guides, it's a balancing act building them. They aren't meant to cover everything. I want users to be enticed to think about the transformations by looking at the guides and once they do, they should be able to figure them out. I think they are good enough as is. On another note, it appears the VF-1D htm file wasn't updated along with everything else, so visitors are unable to view the schematics. When I get home from work today, I'll correct this error. For now, here are direct links to the VF-1D schematics: http://www.new-un-spacy.com/sdfmacross/vf-...ematic-vf1d.gif http://www.new-un-spacy.com/sdfmacross/vf-...tic-vf1dtop.gif Enjoy

That whole area was hard to figure out. It becomes a little clearer when you look at the Full Detail drawings of the VF-17S Nightmare. I'm not sure if it's absolutely correct, but below I've attached a picture which I believe is the way the arm joint transforms:

December 10, 2008 Major Update - Ride The Lightning! This update to the Macross Mecha Manual features plenty of new content to be found site-wide, including many additions to the For Fans Only Section. The new content includes Size Comparison Charts, new Color Code Transformation Guides and new Schematic Diagrams added to the various profiles. Most of these latest additions (particularly the Battroid size comparison chart) have been a dream project of mine since I first built the Macross Mecha Manual. It is my hope this new content provides insightful analysis and answers many fan questions about the mechanical creations of Macross. The highlight of this update is a major revision of the VF-4 Lightning III variable fighter. Both the roughly sketched Battroid art and the somewhat limited colors were a less than ideal presentation of the initial VF-4 profile. Thus I spent two days applying my meager artistic skills into finalizing the VF-4 line art. While not perfect, the result greatly improves the VF-4 Battroid. In addition, I have recolored both Battroid and Fighter modes in a more pleasing stylized motif, I've revised the Flashback 2012 Index Button accordingly and added colored schematics to the VF-4 profile. Additional electrifying goodness can be found in the Game & Advanced Valkyrie Section featuring the Max and Milia variants of the VF-4G Lightning III. I have also added purple colored text to a few profiles which denotes newly translated Macross Chronicle Information. Lastly, I am sending out a THANK YOU to Dante74 of the Macross World forums; yet again he has assisted me in building more content for the M3. Dante74 worked to add titles, backgrounds, borders and scales lines to the size comparison charts and turned a good concept into a great final result. This update includes only 8 new profiles. Macross Frontier Section Dulfim Deneb Class Battleship V-9 Ghost Fighter Game & Advanced Valkyrie Section VF-4G Lightning III (Macross M3 Version) VB-6 Konig Monster "Alternate Colors" For Fans Only Section VF-1A Low Visibility VF-11B Strigon YF-21 Blue Macross Chronicle Information Fan Racer updated Oberth Class Destroyer updated Factory Satellite updated Macross Cannon updated Megaroad-01 updated Additions/Corrections Added 7 new Size Comparison Charts (Size Comparison Chart Macross Battroids, Size Comparison Chart Macross Fighters, Size Comparison Chart VF-1 Valkyries, Size Comparison Chart SDF Macross - VF-1J & Quel-Quallie, Size Comparison Chart SDF Macross era (AD 2012) Meltran/Zentran Space Craft, Size Comparison Chart Macross II) Added 24 new Schematic Diagrams (VF-0A Phoenix, SV-51, VF-1A Valkyrie, VF-1D Valkyrie, VF-1J Valkyrie, VF-1S Valkyrie, VF-1S Super Valkyrie, VF-1S Strike Valkyrie, VT-1 Ostrich, ARMD Class (Film Version), VF-4 Lightning III, VF-5000B Star Mirage, VF-5000B Star Mirage (Macross Plus Version), VF-11B Thunderbolt, VF-11B Super Thunderbolt, VF-17D Nightmare, VF-17T Nightmare Custom, YF-19, YF-21, Drone Fighter, X-9 Ghost, Fz-109F Elgerzorene, Saratoga II, VF-2SS Valkyrie II SAP Added 27 new Color Code Transformation Guides (SV-51, VA-3C Invader, VB-6 Konig Monster, VF-1A Valkyrie, VF-1J Valkyrie, VF-1S Valkyrie, VF-4 Lightning III, VF-5000B Star Mirage, VF-5000G Star Mirage, VF-9 Cutlass, VF-3000 Crusader, VF-11B Thunderbolt, VF-14 Vampire, VF-17D Nightmare, VF-17S Nightmare, VF-19F Excalibur, VF-19S Excalibur, VF-19P Excalibur, VF-19 Custom Excalibur, VF-22 Sturmvogel II, YF-19, YF-21, Az-130A Panzerzorene, FBz-99G Saubergeran, Fz-109A Elgerzorene, Fz-109F Elgerzorene, VF-2SS Valkyrie II) Added 20 new Macropedia entries (Anti-Armor Bayonet, Artificial Intelligence, Assault Knife, Caliber, Cybernetic Conspiracy, Faster-than-light, Fold Quartz, Fold Wave, g-force (g), ISC (Inertia Store Converter), Judah System, Light-Year, MDE, Sniper Rifle, Speed of light, Super Fold Booster, Vajra, Vajra Queen, Vajra War, V-Type Virus) Revised the Acknowledgements Revised the FAQ Revised the Macross Plus Banner Revised the Flashback 2012 Index Button Revised the Macross Game & Advanced Banner Revised the Macross Game & Advanced Index Button Revised the Master List of Macross Mecha Revised the Macross Frontier Index Page Revised VF-1J Valkyrie to move Styled Battroid and Dorsal Schematic to a variant profile Revised Einstein Research Experimental Ship profile Revised Sunnyflower Agricultural Ship profile Revised West Point Class Macro-Training Base Ship profile Revised Vajra Warship profile into Vajra Carrier profile Revised Macross Class SDFN 04 Global Revised ALL VF-25 Messiah profiles Revised VF-171 Nightmare Plus profile Revised VF-27 Lucifer profile Line Art Added to VF-1A Valkyrie (transformation fighter-to-battroid leg details) Line Art Added to SDF-2 (bridge details) Line Art Added to VF-4 Lightning III (styled Battroid and Fighter color art, 4 digital photos and transformation art) Line Art Added to VB-6 Konig Monster (auxillary guns line art) Line Art Added to VF-25F Messiah (internal machinery) Line Art Added to VF-25S Messiah (dimensions) Line Art Added to VF-2SS Valkyrie II (Auto-Attack Bits/Squires) Line Art Update VF-0A Phoenix (All modes, color) Line Art Update VF-0A Phoenix Angel (Color) Line Art Update Destroid Defender (line art) Line Art Update Destroid Monster (cockpit line art) Line Art Update Destroid Spartan (line art) Line Art Update Destroid Tomahawk (Color, line art) Line Art Update Macross Class SDF-1 (line art) Line Art Update Macross Class SDF-2 (Color, aft view, size comparison) Line Art Update LVT Avenger II (line art) Line Art Update Glamor ES-11D Cats Eye (color and line art) Line Art Update QF-3000E Ghost (color and line art) Line Art Update Spider Bug (line art) Line Art Update Star Goose (color and line art) Line Art Update VC-27 Tunny (all color and line art) Line Art Update ARMD (Film Version; line art) Line Art Update Macross-Class SDF-1 (Film Version; line art) Line Art Update VF-5000B and VF-5000B (Macross Plus (Color Fighter/Battroid) Line Art Update VF-11B Thunderbolt (ALL Color) Line Art Update YF-19, YF-19 FAST Pack, YF-19 Fold Booster (ALL Fighter mode Color) Line Art Update to YF-21, YF-21 FAST Pack, YF-21 Fold Booster (ALL Color) Line Art Update Drone Fighter (line art) Line Art Update X-9 Ghost (line art) Line Art Update VF-22 Sturmvogel II, Gamlin, Max, Milia (ALL Color) Line Art Update VF-19 Custom (Gun Pod Color) Line Art Update FBz-99G Saubergeran (Battroid and Bomber Color) Line Art Update VF-22 Sturmvogel II VF-X2 (ALL Color) Line Art Update Saratoga II (Color, aft/front/dorsal/side views) Line Art Update VC-079 Civilian Valkyrie (ALL Color, cockpit line art) As always, please enjoy

That, and the economy. Being what it is, the studios are probably looking to squeeze every dollar they can from the public to sustain the coming storm.

I like several films from Wong Kar-Wai and Park Chan-wook. I also like a film or two from Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, John Woo, Ang Lee and Zhang Yimou.

It would be really nice if the Macross Chronicle finally accounts for those two nozzles mounted on the top rear section of the VF-4 engines. I'd love to know what they are and the thrust rating for both. I'm keeping my fingers crossed