Mr March

Some critical humor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMoJRLStD9c

Well, that's very interesting. I guess the "SDF" acronym is back. SDFN. Hmmm, SDF "New"? SDF "Navy"? SDF "Nincompoop"?

I think the YF-11/VFX-11 is good as a silhouette, since we don't have line art of the canard-less Thunderbolt. The ones on my website are just VF-11B fighters in Max and Milia colors, thouhg I admit these two YF-11/VFX-11 fighters appear on my website in exactly the same way as they appear in the M3 video game manuals. So I suppose we could use them since that's what has been officially published, but I'd just as soon stick with the silhouette.

Not sure how that would work, since the freelancers and HG are clearly taking from Macross terminology and trivia with this new publication ("Valkyrie", for example). Still, I agree the whole thing is rather messy and I do mirror bsu's criticism about the source material for Robotech; they really need to build more of the RT franchise rather than selling the scraps of a 25 year old anime as "new product".

Yeah, I saw that Looks like more than a few fans may be getting an education in the dubious credentials of "freelancers" In all seriousness, I can sympathize with the "freelancers" point of view; fans do nitpick the crap out of everything and are well known for making a big deal out of what is essentially trivial. And MOST IMPORTANTLY, it's the freelancers who actually DO THE WORK. There's definitely more qualified people than those Palladium chose for this project, but they are they willing to do the work? Of course, all this nitpicking is an occupational hazard (especially in the sci-fi genre) and I'm really shocked to find these "freelancers" basically losing their cool over something they should have long since come to expect. I will say this; it is an RPG they are discussing and the "requires multiple crew to operate realistically" defense is pure BS when the Valkyries are all single pilot machines of greater complexity than a Destroid. And from an GAMING perspective, a mecha requiring more than one person to pilot is much more of a big deal than it would be as just "trivia for a 25 year old anime" Plus the freelancer's "research" obviously didn't include a five minute Google search to find the Macross Compendium and all the official English research they would ever need. An entertaining read

I think the SDP-1 Stampede is more a variant of the VF-1. Since the chart doesn't include stuff like the VF-1D/J/S, Supers/Strikes, VT-1 Ostrich and VE-1 Elint, it doesn't make much sense to include the SDP-1 Stampede either. VF-3 Star Crusader sounds like another variable craft that could be included, but I'm not sure where.

Weird. I've re-categorized the VF-X-4 into the mecha section. Must have got confused with the VF-X, which was non-variable. Although Kawamori had drawn the Neo Glaug first and then drawn the Variable Glaug based upon that Neo Glaug, as I understand it the events of M3 video game take place BEFORE the events of the Macross Plus video game. Thus in-universe chronology goes Variable Glaug followed by the Neo Glaug. I made a little FAQ entry included on the M3 for the VF-4/VF-5000 issue as I understood it. It's as follows: Morpheus Yeah, I realized that while I was typing. The other valkyries will just clutter the chart up and since they have little-to-no information, there's not point in adding them. The only problem is the black arrow over top the written "VF-14". I like that you've included both VF-14 versions; it looks great. Also, is it possible to place the red arrows on the top layer of the chart? Some of the red arrows are copied over by the black lines/black borders and look awkward. This is getting close to complete. Well done!

You're welcome. It's looks good. I'm not sure how you want to fit the VF-14 Vampire (M3 Version) in there. Kawamori has called it the "finalized design" for the VF-14 Vampire, but maybe you could put them both side by side since technically both designs are canon. I've got it included on my website in the VF-14 Vampire (M3 Version). There is a VF-X-3. Speaking of which, one question I do have is how do all the miscellaneous valkyries fit into the chart? Like the following: VF-X-2 VF-X-3 VF-5 VF-6 VF-7 VF-15 VF-16 And could the VF-X-4 fit in there somewhere, because we have line art for it? Perhaps these miscellaneous variable fighters aren't that important and would just fill the chart with blank silhouettes that don't add anything. It was just a thought. But I think the VF-X-4 should be included simply because we see Hikaru playing with a model of it in SDF Macross.

Mixed bag. + Plenty of action, some solid performances and some good fun to be had - Excessive plot, weak villain and not a lot of anything new Le Chiffre, come back! We miss you!

It wouldn't be designated a "YF" if it were designated at all, but SchizMC is correct that it is a Macross design, not Robotech.

New chart is looking great. Sorry about the long wait in getting back to you, I was busy. I sent you the pics in a PM.

I'm generally a real robot fan myself, but there is reason to enjoy super robot shows, especially since many real robot shows use many of the same conventions as their super robot predecessors. There are also some really good shows out there that blur the line between real robot and super robot (like Five Star Stories). For real robot shows, I can definitely recommend some Gundam or Patlabor if you're looking for more real robot goodness. Specifically, Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket is my favorite Gundam anime of all time and a great 6 episode OVA with solid animation. Patlabor Movie 1 and Movie 2 are slower, more seriously dramatic real robot shows, but first rate stories. Both have excellent characters, great looking mecha and compelling stories. While not a mecha anime, the Ghost In the Shell Stand Alone Complex series has some mecha in it. Aside from Macross Frontier, I hear a lot of talk about the shows Gurren Lagann, Code Geass and Gundam 00. I've not seen them yet myself, but they are new shows that are getting attention, so try them out and see what happens.

IMO, the VF-19A Excalibur is fine since it's the first mass production model of the YF-19. Choosing the A also matches the other choices you've made, like the VF-0A, the VF-1A Valkyrie, and so forth. You've probably already noticed this error already, but it should read YF-21 rather than YV-21. Btw, I've revised line art for several valkyries. Since I've not yet made an update, later this evening I'll upload them and provide you with links so they can be included in your chart. The revised pictures are for the VF-0A, the VF-4, the VF-5000B, the VF-11B, the YF-21 and the VF-22.

As I understand it, the VA-14 has never had any line art created nor assigned to it. Some have suggested applying the VF-14 Vampire (M7PLUS Version) to the VA-14 designation, but I don't want to do that. I prefer to feature both versions of the VF-14 for reference (differentiating them by designation as either in the M7 anime or the M3 video game) and the VA-14 will remain without any line art.

That is disappointing that they apply the SDF-2 length of 1,600 meters to what is clearly the Megaroad-01 silhouette. And as RedWolf has stated, the Megaroad is even larger than the Nupetiet-Vergnitzs Fleet Command Battleship (which is 4,000 meters itself). I think I've actually noted a disturbing trend with the Chronicle to apply really bizarre numbers to some of the ships. The Factory Satellite is given some 500 kilometer figure for it's size (still haven't had it translated, so I don't know what it means). But the 3,000 kilometer figure has been around forever and it certainly makes sense that the Zentradi would need some kind of extremely large factory to build something like Bodolzaa's Fulbtzs-Berrentzs Fleet Flagship (which is 1,400 km tall). I can't really complain, since I like the Chronicle, but these are some rather unfortunate errors/alterations.

As long as this doesn't affect the release of more Macross or the Alien figure, I'm happy But it sounds like all the best lines are going. This is bad.

LOL I was just talking to azrael about this very same idea The chart looks great. I can't wait to see more.

Interesting. Not the greatest designs, but they are a Macross curiosity with some interesting weapons. I too like that VF-4 front view. Definitely a piece of art I've not seen before. Thanks for sharing!

Good catch azrael. I'll have to make note of that and I think correct my site. This discussion actually focuses upon an interesting need: we should build a chart (modifiable, of course) that visually tracks the progression of the variaous variable fighter through the various UN Forces branches (UNAF (U.N. Air Force), UNN (U.N. Navy), UNS (U.N. Spacy), UNSAF (U.N. Spacy Air Force) and the UNSM (U.N. Spacy Marines). It would be quite useful.

Finally, the VF-25 Messiah appears at last. Naturally, we'll have to go through another VF-1-style process as they devote an issue to one variant at a time Here's the ship they mention: Queadol-Magdomilla Class Fleet Command Battleship

VERY NICE! What a great concert that would be. Thank you kresphy

An in-universe reason for the absence of the VF-19 Excalibur hasn't been provided. Production wise, Kawamori stated the VF-19 was too similar to the VF-25 Messiah and was substituted with the much more distinct VF-171 to avoid audience confusion.

I suppose, but some of the questions don't really have answers and like many have said on these boards before, not even Shoji Kawamori himself put that much thought into all the various aspects of Macross. Such can be said of all fiction, so there is no satisfactory answer to a lot of these questions. Personally, I've always felt it more constructive to rationalize how a technology "would work" rather than why a technology "doesn't work." After all, the act of making Macross was creation, not deconstruction. As far as I know, the VF-17 was the first production variable fighter able to achieve orbit unassisted.

I think some of us are getting a bit hung up on current conventional technology as it applies to Macross. Perhaps it's natural to pick apart the Macross technology from the mindset of current technology. Critical analysis may even become more common over time as Macross is now 25 year-old fiction, some parts of which are no doubt outdated by real advances in technology. But we can all come up with a thousand reasons why the Macross technology DOESN'T work. That's not the challenge. We're supposed to assume the Macross technology is practical and then we attempt to determine "why" it works. Wouldn't we say malfunctioning internal weapon bays are a rather superfluous concern given we are talking about fictional machines that actually transform their entire structure with a wide array of mechanisms? Obviously the potential unreliability of a single hinge is not as great a concern with OverTechnology as it is from our own real world perspective. In Macross, the "fictional status quo" is a military force that has been operating "field reliable" transforming fighters for nearly 60 years now. If the variable fighters were so unreliable as to fail on the fault of a single hinge, the UN Spacy/New UN Spacy wouldn't be using them now would they? I don't remember reading the examples I provided. I apologize if I did. I've no doubt the sophisticated computers of the Valkyries (like the YF-19's Super AI avionics) can track literally hundreds of targets simultaneously. I just meant that someone has to tell the automated targeting systems to activate and that would be the pilot. The eye tracking system would also enable the pilot to quickly prioritize which incoming missiles he would like to target. Once targets are selected or prioritized, the automated systems would take care of the rest. At least, that's my going theory, but who really knows.

I think the rear-firing head turrets we see in both Macross Plus and Macross Frontier are simply "activated" by the pilot, but not "aimed" by the pilot. We don't really see any action on behalf of the pilot other than pressing the button to fire (or in the case of Isamu in the YF-19, simply moving his thumb over the motion sensor to activate the head turret). I think at most, there may be some eye motion tracking, but nothing much beyond that. Focker seemed to track incoming missiles in his VF-0 via the eye tracking system but the aiming itself appeared automated.