Nekko Basara

Great photo. I was baffled by those faired-over intakes and had to google around until I learned that it was just done to conceal the new intake design (versus the XF-104 that didn't have/need shock cones).

How so? If we're talking about production/release dates, then we're golden because the references to the YF-29's data supposedly being used in development of the VF-27 come from works published months after Macross Frontier: Sayonara no Tsubasa's theatrical release.

Well, the VF-27 appears in both the TV series and the movies, so we cannot reconcile the info about YF-29 data contributing to its development with the TV series where the YF-29 never existed, or to real life, where the production timeline suggests the VF-27 was designed first.

I'm just saying it has to be a retcon applicable only to the movie universe, and not indicating anything about an intention to include the YF-29 in the show.

Didn't we see a bird with like "large canards" or something flying around? Or was that on Ragna?

Ragna had a thing that looked like a seagull with a pair of long tailfeathers like a lyrebird - is that what you are thinking of?

I wonder if that's just artistic license in the heraldry, or if Windermere actually has six-limbed, four-winged native animals.

If the in-canon explanation for the YF-29 is that it is an attempt to incorporate the capabilities of the Tornado pack into the core airframe of the VF-25, I think it's parsimonious to assume that Kawamori's own design process followed the same logic (i.e. he didn't retroactively design the Tornado pack that appears in movie 1 as a precursor to the YF-29 that would appear in movie 2). That would mean that the YF-29 was designed last in the real world - after the VF-25 was finalized, as shown by the concept sketch - which makes it less likely that the YF-29 was already on the table for the original series. That does make its alleged in-canon connection to the VF-27 problematic, though.

At least you can be sure it will return!

As for the shield maybe Bandai takes inspiration from the SoC line and just add a replacement piece without hinges that can be pegged in instead of the perfect transformation shield.

That's the approach Bandai took with the horn on the MG Gundam Unicorn as well; you get a transforming version that doesn't lock together very cleanly, but you also get solid open and closed versions that can be swapped out. It's not ideal, but thin parts that split in half are just very hard to pull off well.

I may be in the minority, but I feel like a valk design whose shield doesn't magically relocate itself is worth a few tradeoffs in the toy.

I hope there's at least one repaint of the commander-type. Actual pure black with gold would be nice.

I'm imagining Escaflowne colors. Off-white and gray with some strategically positioned expanses of red. And the sensors all in green or pink gem colors.

I don't have a good in-story reason, but it wouldn't look out of place on a variable fighter. Would probably work better as a tribute on the SV-262Ba, though, given the head shape.

As mentioned, heat doesn't really work like that. Heat can be re-purposed for added power, but it doesn't actually get rid of the heat (it could even make more). Heat in space has to be eventually removed or the spacecraft will turn into an oven and all the squishies inside will have a really bad time.

Now I'm imagining every valkyrie having a bread oven fitted behind the cockpit, and the pilot is expected to spend any spare time producing batch after batch of fresh rolls and baguettes. Then he tosses them into space, I guess...

Don't worry about those people. Let's enjoy new Macross!

I'm bumming about the lack of aqua-kitties in episode 4. I hope the creators realize they've struck gold here!

Am I seeing things, or are the -262's wings backwards in Gerwalk mode (trailing edge facing forward)?

I'm not an engineer, but I don't think the distance between paired engines significantly affects their thrust. In real aircraft, the criteria affecting how two engines are arranged are things like controllability in a one-engine scenario, ease of maintenance, and the likelihood of damage to one engine affecting the other.

I don't think heat dissipation has much to do with it, either. It's an interesting idea, but my uneducated guess why most valks have widely separated engine bays is that Kawamori was thinking about the transformation scheme and not the risk of them melting their feet off.

Now that I've had a good look at the Battroid mode, the SV-262 is a sexy machine. My question, is it still a twin engine design?

The engines are still in the legs in the traditional way, so I think they must be paired. They just sit close together in fighter mode and the feet arrange themselves into what looks like a single exhaust.

Now that I've got a better look at the battroid, I think the head is another win for the standard Drakken. The "nose face" of the lead machine is a daring departure from prior valk heads, but I just think the less shocking "conehead" design looks better.

Don't get me wrong - the Drakken looks awesome in either version. But for every detail that differs between the standard and leader versions, I prefer the former.

Not only do the drones have a layout like the various the lifting body test vehicles and the Dream Chaser (and the unbuilt Dyna-Soar), but the SV-262 itself has a somewhat similar shape when its wings are in the folded position. And, as mentioned, we actually get to see the -262 make a lifting body-style atmospheric entry in this configuration.

My wife - who has enjoyed the first three episodes with me - walked over just as I clicked on that gif, and she made such a sour face!

which basically means they're seals with ears.

Speaking of cats Zola has marsupial cats. Zentradi tend to bond with big cats compared to miclones that is. Veffidas had a black panther as a companion when she was still a martial artist on some frontier planet. Hydra are treated like domestic cats by giant Zentradi.

The Protoculture ruin planet of New Asia has a Sphinx in M3's intro but we never saw the face if it is man or a cat.

Nice collection of cats!

I'm pretty sure the Hydra is a pokemon, though. I found this list of cat pokemon and it isn't included, so I think it must be more of a dog-type. Silly Zentraedi!

Catfish is already a different animal though

If you want to be Earth-ist about it, sure. But maybe the Ragnans would disagree about which is the "real" catfish.

I must insist on the term "catfish," because putting "cat" in second place to anything is unacceptable.

As any cat will tell you, it's all about me...ow.

just had a closer look at those pics nel2012 posted and I noticed the two SV-262 differ from one another enough to be significant! That's the most differences in variants of any one Valkyrie type I have seen correct me if im wrong.. remember I had a big bump to the head recently..

and I have to admit the variant that looks to be a more standard or cannon fodder type sparks my interest a great deal more than the others! Im really struggling with the more fancy schmancy types especially in Delta..

SV-262 2.jpg

I'm with you in preferring the "plain" SV-262 versus the fancy version. Although I think the design is exciting overall, I absolutely hate the giant dogtooth triangles that Kawamori added to the outer wings of the fancy version. Not only does the plain one lack this deviation from the Saab 35's profile, but it gets a more interesting wing-folding shape as a result. Whereas the fancy version's outer wings seem to simply fold upwards, the plain version has a cut inboard of the hinge that causes part of the wing to fold down, giving the effect of fins both above and below the wingtip. Much cooler!

I'm just hopeful that the -262 will feature some way to display it with a proper canopy, as the VF-27 did. No matter how much sense it makes to abandon traditional clear canopies, valks just don't look right to me without them.

I doubt that it's an intentional connection, but the first thing that Mikumo pose calls to my mind (in Macross) is Sivil in her coma state.

Aircraft guns are bore-sighted to converge(if multi-gunned) and hit at a certain point. I think I heard 1500ft for an F-4.

Not that it's relevant to valks, but in WW2-era aircraft with more than 2 guns, there were a variety of standards for convergence that might be applied on a unit-level or even specified by the individual pilot. For example, I have read that some P-47 and P-51 units liked to have each pair of wing guns converge at a different range to give the best spread, while others favored concentrating all 6 or 8 guns at a single range. I also think I recall that certain pilots like Marseille, who favored shooting at very close range, would have their convergence set differently than the norm for their unit.

Having said that, I think it's totally plausible that in Macross technology the guns could be linked to the targeting system and dynamically adjust their convergence.

If you are interested in the nose profiles. Raised the contrast to make the lines a bit more visible.

Wow, thank you. I'm amazed to see how much nose droop the -31 redesign of the -30 was able to incorporate, and I think it looks great. The Su-27-ish swan neck of the VF-25 and kin is one of my favorite things about them. I love the -30, but I'm adding this to my list of things the -31 seems to do even better.

On a related note, does anyone else feel the way I do that the position and shape of the canopy has the biggest effect on how friendly or aggressive a valk looks? For example, I feel like the more forward-set and bulged canopy on the VF-0 makes it look less dangerous than the VF-1, and the VF-19's short nose gives it a downright adorable appearance. The VF-25 and SV-51, by contrast, look like deadly hunters. Anyone else feel that way, and what do you make of the -31?