Mr March

We don't have much in the way of figures for the sizes of the Macross Frontier ships. About the only fact we know is the Macross Quarter is supposed to be roughly 400 meters long. If that's the case, your Vajra warship looks a little too small, since the Macross Quarter was shown as much smaller than the Vajra warship in Macross Frontier episode #7. In fact the Macross Quarter half-fit in between the two forward booms of the Vajra warship main gun. While this is all just a guess, I get the feeling the Vajra warships are around the 800+ meter mark, making them just over half the length of the New Macross Class.

WOW! That is a fantastic picture. One of the best I've ever seen. I gotta remember to stay up to date on this thread.

Are you kidding me? The roll in Casino Royale was one of the best car rolls in movie history. I hope Bond rolls two cars in the QoS

That is beauty at it's most grotesque Wow! That sculpt is unbelievably amazing. It's a near perfect replication of the original suit; telltale translucency and all. I second the query about joints; where the heck are they? I suppose the shoulder joints could be hidden, but what about the knees, elbows and wrists. The only joints I think I can see are the ankles. Perhaps this is only the sculpt itself, before the pieces are molded for joints. If I follow IXTL's links, a larger photo shows the same figure in a Kaiyodo Revoltech display, so it's definitely a figure and not a statue. Well, I knew I was going to get one, I just didn't know it was going to be THE Revoltech figure to own.

As the kids say these days, this point is epic fail

I couldn't resist, mate

I am happy that these color code guides help you. I agree that spatial relationships in drawn artwork is a reason for building these color coded guides. I've encountered some Macross fans, like Ganbare and yourself, who have trouble with the spatial perceptions that other fans take for granted. The transformations can seem like magic to some. So I figure these guides can assist such fans and maybe even teach something to other fans who already know the process, including me! In building the color code guide, I've learned a few things about the SV-51 transformation that I didn't know before. I've also gained a new appreciation for the SV-51 transformation I don't think coloring the insert is really worth it, for the reasons I listed above, but also for the time spent doing so. I've only built 3 guides so far and there are 15 more to do. So it's considerable work even to do all these simple guides. Yes, the reason I included the brown color code on the "knees" of the SV-51's legs was so the viewer looking at the guide would realize the legs must rotate at some point in the transformation process so they face front foot forward in Battroid mode.

Not sure yet. Still a bit of work to do and I'm coordinating some new material with other fans. It won't be a huge update, but it'll have worthwhile content.

Could it be more empathic than telepathic? Since Macross concentrates so much on the emotional message and power of music, I would think that the transmission/reception of emotions is more what is happening rather than telepathy. I know that's really a nitpick given the absurd unreality of the subject, but I think it may fit a little better in Macross. The events between Isamu and Myung in Macross Plus was an open radio communications channel, likely the same way Sharon Apple was transmitting herself.

Here is a look at a chart I'm working on for my website. Enjoy

Ah, the pest is back Thanks for the feedback, Sulendil Ang. Here's what I think: 1. I'm using light colors to avoid obscuring the line art itself, so that limits the available colors. It's also important to highlight the most important areas, not "all" areas. Those valkyries with transformations systems that process more parts than others (such as the SV-51) could be broken into dozens of colors, but that would defeat the purpose of a quick reference guide. So I think the SV-51 is good enough without the head separated. 2. I'd like to avoid fully coloring the insert. The point of the insert is to focus attention upon the one part that cannot be highlighted/compared in the regular three-view. Fill the insert with colors and the point of the insert is lost. Also, the insert is not needed for the other colors since those parts can already be seen in the three-view drawings. Keep in mind, the color code pictures are an aid meant to entice fans to ponder the transformations. I'm actually worried these color code guides might be too detailed, spoiling the fun of deciphering the transformations. But I figure I'm safe, since most of these shows have long past their spoiler dates I have a color code guide for the VF-1J Valkyrie as well, but I'm going to leave it and the rest of the guides for the update of my website. The lift fans on the upper back of the SV-51 Battroid come from the same magenta colored area of the fighter mode, shown in the insert. The pair of polygonal shaped ports on the lower back are actually a panel; notice the hinge. In Battroid mode, the panel flips down and exposes the two lift fans underneath.

It's definitely fan art, but good fan art. We've seen portions of this posted at other websites, but not the whole set. Not a bad find. Though, the profile schematic of the VF-25 Messiah really shows the proportions are off and the Battroid mode front torso doesn't look right.

I'm receiving the IPS driven error, getting it like clockwork at 9:00 am eastern. Been happening without fail for the last three days. I've read Hurin's post, so I understand the situation, but I just thought it'd help to let the owners know. I can't provide a specific time range beyond that, but I hope that helps Shawn.

Well, this sounds like it's going to be a hit, so I'll do more. I've updated the SV-51 in the first post with an insert picture. I've also used the same insert concept for the VF-4 Lightning III. Here it is:

Oh yeah, that's definitely a near shot for shot grab. A very good find l_b.

What are you talking about? I can read that. It reads: "Welcome to the jungle, it gets worse here everyday..."

I blame EXO!

Due to fan demand (let's be honest, it's Sulendil Ang's constant abuse of me, hahaha) I'm building some colored coded transformation guides for the Macross valkyries. The idea was originally conceived by Kelsain for the VF-25S from Macross Frontier and it seems like an excellent way to help visually aid fans in deciphering the transformation systems of the variable fighter. Now keep in mind the color code guides are not replacements for transformation line art, but they work well as additional visual guides and should entice fans to think through the transformation process. At the very least the color code guides should create more appreciation for all the transformation sequences. I plan to create a color code guide for every valkyrie that has sufficient line art. For now, here is an example of the "Color Code Transformation Guide: SV-51"

Nice work Talos. You're such a VF-4 fan. You're going to the next update to my website

Not yet, I'll likely have to watch it later today when I finish work.

Fair enough. I agree a lot of what the Chronicles has printed is just recycled information. In fact, Egan's website may be much more definitive than what is being offered in the Chronicles, since Egan included so many facts from dozens of different Macross publications to fill out each description. I'm not sure if the Chronicles are being researched as thoroughly as the Compendium has been. But even in spite of those reasons, I have noticed valuable facts in English from the Chronicles that appear new to us and the Compendium. For example, the Oberth Class Destroyer is given an official length of 200 meters (I'll correct my website in the next update) and I believe Hikaru's Fan Racer is given a weight of 0.6 tons. There is also some weird statistic for a dimension on 500 km for the Factory Satellite (not sure yet what it means). And I believe it was sketchley who pointed out the ship counts for the Macross 7 fleet. While these are not major revelations, from my perspective, these are very valuable facts for mecha profiles. Such information helps fill the profiles with more complete information, which is very important since Macross lacks a lot of detail for the vehicle descriptions.

I've not seen the Hepburn film, but it sounds like parallels are there. Especially the character of Mash, who seems to have little purpose beyond being the character to cut Ishtar's hair, which would be necessary to a plot mimicking said film. While I can't say for certain whether this is a definite parallel, it's certainly sounds possible. Hell, Macross Frontier carries numerous influences from Sergio Leone's Once Upon A Time In The West.

If one source lists a date of 2001 but another source says 2002, include them both with a footnote for each source. It's easy, simple and headache free. Those problems can always be worked out later and if you've already identified the error, posting it up might encourage readers to comment and/or offer information to correct it.

Hehehe, not bad. Actually, I can see the Vajra singing "Welcome To The Jungle"

Fellow MW member cyde01, who has done about a dozen translations for my website, has agreed to give a shot at some Chronicle work, as his time permits. I've given him the SNN Valkyrie page to translate. Look at it this way, it has to start somewhere. The Macross Mecha Manual wasn't built in a day Even if all the fans who can translate Japanese produce only what amounts to the translation of one page in English per issue, we should consider that a major achievement. Don't daunt yourselves with visions of the work load. Just prioritize what you think is most important and translate that. Use some discretion. No one can expect any more from this than what we ultimately get. I'm certainly happy with every word; it's one more we didn't have before. Since we're on the subject, and if anyone knows, what is the position of the Macross Compendium regarding the translation of newly published Macross materials, such as the Macross Chronicle? Will Egan be adding more content? Azrael, any word on this?