Mr March

JB0 That's not bad, but then I suppose the question becomes was the factory satellite stretched to the limit because of the limitations of the fold system or because the system has suffered so much damage from Supervision Army attacks for hundreds of thousands of years. MisaForever Very punny

The scene in Macross Zero is probably an extremely stylized and overly dramatic version of gun pod transfer, but it may be accurate for most Valkyries. The VF-17 in Macross 7 practically fires it's gun pod out of the leg and the Battroid catches it in the manipulator.

OMG! Want that issue! Want it!

I'm lost on the criticism as well. Macross Frontier has so far been a rare treat in both cel and CG animation. As a complete package and as an anime television series, this is probably one of, if not THE, most visually impressive anime television series I've ever seen. Better still, I find Macross Frontier the first anime with CG elements that look better than the cel shaded CG effects of shows like Ghost in the Shell: SAC (which previously was my preferred method of anime CG work). The character animation and CG work is flawlessly integrated, both in style and the way the CG appears photo realistic yet cartoon-like at the same time This is a good question. The fold booster provide a good small-scale range, but I'd be curious about the larger ships as well. Perhaps fold are only limited by the power of the reaction engine. This seems to be the case in many aspects of OverTechnology. In the case of the Vajra, they can fire anti-ship weapons and fold on their own running on just the internal reactor.

Valkyrie addict Well, I always assumed the engines were in the lower legs, not the intake section. The cutaway diagrams of the VF-1 show the main reaction engines sit inside the lower legs. I assume there's little reason or interior space to place them anywhere else. eugimon Nah, I like playing hard to get

Those are some great numbers. Nice work Batou. The Macross Frontier fleet really is quite extraordinary. And to think, that 177 sq km Island 1 is just one of many colony ships that are part of the Macross 25. As for moving the thing, well, if sci-fi can have a Death Star flying around, I suppose they can move anything OverTechnology is always the best excuse Actually this bring something to mind that I've been thinking about on and off since we learned about the fleet; the Macross Frontier fleet is so huge with such a massive number of colonists, I wonder why they don't just park in orbit or in some solar system and simply call it a colony. Why even bother colonizing a planet at that point? If we assume that all those Island's attached to the Frontier were built en route to a habitable system, why not just keep building them? I mean people have got to be living in space habitats and space stations in the Macross universe already. The NMC colonization ships actually seem like ideal space colonies themselves since they have all the amenities of a planet. And once a safe solar system is found with plenty of resources, why even bother going through all the trouble of terraforming a planet and transplanting plants/animals? There are several advantages to having a space-based colony. Since anything can be space folded in the Macross universe, even something larger than a moon (The Factory Satellite), any potential space colony can be moved when necessary, due to natural space disasters or attacks. Hey, we're under attack by another fleet of 5 million Zentradi ships! Let's just fold all 10 million people inside our mobile colony to the safety of a nearby UNG fleet! It's also clear that the NMC colonization ships are so safe and viable that colonists can live for years aboard them with no long term problems. And as the population grows, simply build more habitable areas.

Yes, Zinjo's interpretation of my post is correct (as is the fact that the YF-21 does not have engines in it's legs). I was discussing legs in the context of the reaction engines, as Noyhauser pointed out. Speaking of which, I had forgotten that Kinryu's VF-11C had lost a leg during the attack on the Varauta warship in episode 26. However, we notice that his VF-11C does suffer from a temporary loss of power. Alto's VF-25 on the other hand lost a leg (read: reaction engine) and continued to fly without any interruption in power or thrust. Anyway, I just found it a rather (nearly) unique occurrence. I guess that's what makes the variable fighters so robust, lose one engine and they have another

Speaking of legs (LOL ), is Macross Frontier the first time we see a Valkyrie lose a leg and still operate? The majority of Valkyries hold the reaction engines in their legs and the VF-25 is obviously the same. So when Alto lost a leg in his battle against big, red and ugly in episode 4, I think this was the first time we saw a Valkyrie functioning with that kind of damage.

Glad you agree I felt it just unifes the known facts so much better, not to mention it also works thematically. Besides, we know Protoculture OverTechnology can control gravity and we know the Protoculture possessed all kinds of incredibly advanced biotechnology. It was probably the AFOS that influenced the mayan natives to create their belief system in the way they did. Sara appeared connected with the AFOS on many concious/unconscious levels and the AFOS reacting to her in turn affected events on the island. This theory also has the added benefit of explaining virtually all the supernatural visions/powers/events in the show, it explains why the AFOS connected with Sara and it explains why Sara stayed with the AFOS when it departed Earth.

Who says the fighter is the most vulnerable mode? I don't agree with that perception. Official facts or not, the Battroid and GERWALK modes are shown being destroyed by the same levels of firepower as the Fighter mode. Outside of enemy fire, the Fighter mode seems as robust, if not more so, than the Battroid or GERWALK modes. Again, I reference my many examples in previous posts. Personally, I'm sticking with ECA as the trivia de jure. It's the simplest way to explain all the Valkyrie events of the many Macross anime shows in one stroke. There may have been ECA limitations in the VF-0 but once the VF-1 came into production with OT reaction engines I don't see why the ECA couldn't be active in all modes. This explanation is simple, it uses as much canon as possible and it unifies nicely. Comickaze They state the Vajra have the same Energy Converting Armor as the Valkyries, though the Vajra are powered by a much more powerful OverTechnology reactor allowing them to fire that big gun, to space fold on their own and obviously granting them much stronger armor.

Fantastic. That's cool and very easy to remember. It must be the same in Macross Frontier then, because I beleive episode 2 had a scene in which Ozuma transforms his VF-25 the exact same way.

Oh, we do indeed. Island 1 is described as 15 kilometers long while City 7 is only 7 kilometers. Frontier is roughly double in size. Island 1 on the Macross Compendium

*raises hand* I damaged it a bit, for the Macross Mecha Manual. Actually, the my Gold Book survived relatively unscathed. My Macross Perfect Memory however took a bit of a beating. It's all in one piece and no pages have fallen out, but the poor spine will never recover. But I'm never selling it so I figured a little sacrifice was worth the website Besides, there's always the Macross Chronicle. Once it's released, it might prove to be more definitive.

This victory strengthened the soul of...Zinjo! (bit of Soul Calibur humor there) Well, if you need something definitive via a process of elimination and a unification of known facts, we can do that. For example, the VF-0 has a space metal frame but a hull made from a titanium/carbon composite. So if we accept only known facts and carry them through all of Macross, the Valkyries use Energy Converting Armor and have titanium/carbon composite hulls. Since such a conventional hull material would easily yield under the stresses many of the Valkyries found themselves in the examples I provided, that pretty much leaves the ECA as the only canon technology which can account for the exceptional hull strength of a Valkyrie's Fighter and GERWALK modes. I agree the explanation isn't sexy, but it works eugimon You've hit the nail on the head. If anything the GERWALK and Battroid modes would require far more power to operate than the Fighter mode; the GERWALK and Battroid modes are the least aerodynamic and feature the most moving parts requiring the most power.

Yes indeed. That's what would fall under "AI control systems" and "automated control schemes" that I mentioned. I bet a lot of the actions of the Valkyries in Battroid mode are autonomous functions to help smooth out operation. Of course, close combat fighting and flying kicks is where suspension of disbelief becomes a little stretched

You're welcome The DYRL? block 6 cockpit controls seem even easier to follow. There are four tapets on the interior of both control grips so I'm not sure why you're confused. You can't actually see the tapets in either the TV series or the DYRL controls (remember, that drawing I provided just shows the interior cross-section of the control stick, like a cutaway diagram). Maybe later today I can do a Photoshop picture and help explain. I'm not certain if the stick controller position determines mode in DYRL?, but that's not a bad assumption. I think I know which scene you have in mind. I'm not sure how it would work exactly. Perhaps one twist on the control switches to GERWALK and two twists switches to Battroid, or something. I'm just guessing here. The cockpit question is an easy one The Fighter/GERWALK cockpit in the VF-1 remains in the same place in Battroid mode. There is only one cockpit, no changes. The only difference is the cockpit seat and cockpit instruments rotate 90 degrees so the pilot is sitting upright when the Battroid is standing (and of course the heat shield covers the cockpit in Battroid mode, so the pilot needs monitors to see outside the Valkyrie).

We could speculate about materials, but why not use what trivia is at hand to explain it? The ECA could explain these events and it's official trivia, so why not go with it? The only fictional material mentioned in the construction of a Macross Valkyrie is "space metal" (which is never explained) and it specifically states it's the frame only. There is hypercarbon mentioned in DYRL?, but we don't know if it was used in the Valkyries (and hypercarbon may = space metal for all we know).

It's long been a conceit of all the Real Robot shows (and some Super Robot shows) that one person controls everything. Quite simply, humanoid robot mecha would be far too complicated for just a single person to control using things as simple as control sticks and conventional computer technology. It's anime, what can you say? Having said that and understanding that we're dealing with unreality here, I think Macross actually does better than most anime shows showing how the Valkyrie is controlled. Here's a picture of the controls showing B, G, and F levers for configuration (Battroid, GERWALK and Fighter): VF-1 transformation levers The process can be handled either automatically OR manually. Manual likely means manual only in the sense that the operator is controlling the procedure rather than a computer. But the mechanical process remains the same. Controlling a Valkyrie is somewhat vague. We know the hands are controlled via the main control sticks. If you follow the link above, you'll notice a cross-section drawing on the right side showing pressure switches and levers inside the stick controller; thses are used to manipulate the fingers of the Battroid/GERWALK hands. The legs are controlled via foot pedals which you can see in the Battroid cockpit (but they are also available in Fighter and GERWALK modes). VF-1 Battroid cockpit Now, later Macross sequels added all kinds of helpful technologies for controlling the Valkyries. For example, in DYRL? the VF-1 cockpits made extensive use of advanced holographic OverTechnology in the Block 6 systems. The Valkyries also rely on AI control systems and cockpit laser sensors to significantly reduce pilot workload. Isamu's motion sensitive controls in the YF-19 and Roy's eye-tracking target acquisition in the VF-0S are two examples of the kind of hands-off HMI (Human-Machine Interface) that allows conventional control of complex humanoid mecha. You'll also note in Macross that almost all the HOTAS controls are themselves movable. Each grip is set upon a moving mount, which is itself an additional control. These movable mounts are particularly visible in the film Macross: Do You Remember Love? and the Macross Plus film as well as Macross Zero. Also, make sure to watch Macross Frontier episode #2 very closely. They revisit the control scheme again. Alto is shown using the finger controls as well as the positive/negative resistance foot pedals in the VF-25. Granted, the EX-Gear changes the way Valkyries are controlled to a certain extent, but the principles remain mostly the same. There is also speculation that much of the control of a Valkyrie might be motion and voice activated. With a sufficiently advanced control computer, the cockpit itself could monitor the pilot's movements and activate certain automated control schemes. This would certainly help the pilot more easily control the craft and would make it far more efficient.

I guess. I'd just like some way to reconcile the VF-1 Valkyrie's capabilties during the events in SDF Macross and DYRL (and the VF-11 in Macross Plus) and the easiest way to do that is to assume the ECA is used in all modes. The VF-1 in Fighter Mode is falling into the ground at high speed unharmed, in GERWALK mode it's crashing through bridges without a scratch, in mid-transformation it's plowing through buildings relatively unscathed. Even in Macross Plus Isamu's nose dive into the Eden desert in GERWALK mode finds the VF-11 all in one piece and relatively undamaged (even the cockpit facedown against the rocky terrain at high speed doesn't break the glass). The space metal frame could help explain why the Valkyries remain in one piece, but the ECA would be what ensures the exterior remains undamaged in these instances. Anyway, just thinking out loud

I'd agree that the reactor probably is the key factor in the Vajra technology. That thing is pumping out all kinds of power, folding on it's own and firing that big gun that can blow up entire warships. With that kind of power, it's no wonder the Energy Converting Armor on that thing is so tough. Also, do we know for sure ECA can only be used in Battroid mode? My impression (speculation) is that the specifics of Energy Converting Armor technology described in Macross Zero were limitations only for the early VF-0/SV-51 variable fighters still powered by overtuned but conventional engines. The official statistics note specifically in the VF-0 profile that future variable fighters will utilize similar technology, but not necessarily identical nor as limited. When the VF-1 was made with reaction engines, obviously it's going to have far more surplus power than the VF-0 ever did. By 2059, ECA is likely to have already been used in all modes for many fighter generations and the most modern advances in ECA efficiency may have supplanted the need for pin-point barrier systems.

I've scanned some portions of the line art section from the gold book for the vehicle and mecha art used on my website, but there is 400 pages of stuff in the book! That's way too much to scan, IMO. It is a great book, no doubt about it. My website has a basic description of what is inside the book. You can find it in the book section here: Books Section (on the Macross Mecha Manual) Hope that helps.

I was always under the impression Sara's signing affected the AFOS and it was AFOS which in turn affected the Island of Maya. The two were connected. Later in the series we see the AFOS lifting all kinds of things all around the island with its gravity control technology (such as the naval ships of the UN and Anti-UN Forces).

Missed that detail

to heron, I agree it's small, but like I said it could be a scout craft of some kind or a transport. It could be like the small RC-4E Rabbit, carrying only a few people and mostly used for reconnaissance. I'm not seeing weapons, so I'm just guessing at this point.

Aha, looks like kronnang beat me to my own website In addition to the above pictures from my website, you should check out Macross Dynamite 7, which shows some brief but good pictures of the cockpit inside the black/green VF-22 fighter that Gamlin pilots. I know for sure there's a shot that shows the colors specifically, including the holographics on the main monitor (seen in episode 4). THis is a poor video, but watch this at time index 1:50 and you'll see the interior cockpit colors. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJUPvERKOuY&NR=1 There's probably a better version out there on the internet, if you don't feel like downloading the episode.