cheemingwan1234

So, are there official walking/running speed stats for later model VFs? I can picture the later models outrunning a VF-1

I really wish that there was a VF-22 style canopy option for the DX YF-21 included so that you can have a 'what if?' version of the VF-22's early prototype*. That and a canopy cover that fits on the inside of the cockpit or pilot compartment to hide the pilot.*

*Bandai included an option for a conventional cockpit with their VF-27 and SV-262hs toys.

*Seriously, none of the toys of the YF-21 that are perfect transformation include an option to cover the pilot up?

Okay, the YF-21 introduced a lot of technologies, many of which such as the BDI/BDS had to be toned down or in the case of it's composite material wing, abandoned....but the idea of   the legs being separate from the engines was an idea that was'nt pursued further after the YF-21/VF-22. Why is it so?

Especially since it makes it more resilient to damage that way since in more traditional VFs (such as the VF-19) , take out the legs and you can screw over the pilot a lot. As seen with the YF-21 against the Ghost X-9, it was still able to fly and fight (and it was helped by Guld disabling the safety systems of his VF to keep up with the Ghost at the cost of his life)  when it's limbs were shot off thanks to the legs being independent of it's engines

Surely the additional durability of keeping the legs separate from the engines that the YF-21 pioneered would be something worth developing for future Variable Fighters? 

So, how does manufacturing and copyright work in Macross with the colony ships and planets? I can see some colonies with detuned VF-19s and others with VF-31As or tuned up VF-11s and SV-52s due to schematics provided by differing manufacturers.

8 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

It hasn't been described as an issue that I'm aware...

The YF-21's airframe is somewhat larger than that of the YF-19 because of its unconventional transformation but it was engineered to prioritize passive stealth performance above almost all other considerations.  It can take the same standard weapons pallets the YF-19 can, and its internal bays are roomy enough to accommodate even larger weaponry like the latest model thermonuclear reaction missile as seen in Macross 7. 

Variable Fighter Master File does depict provisions for conformal and pylon mountings of additional weaponry on the YF-21/VF-22, but it's primarily body mountings instead of using underwing pylons.

EDIT: The chart does show the option to attach pylons, though because the wings fold there are relatively few options for those stations.

Even if the palletes and bays are roomy enough.....well, there's gonna be issues with space compared to just hanging bombs on the centerline/underwing.

And speaking of which, I wonder if the YF-21 has issues with ordinance options compared to the YF-19, since well, it has that morphing wing which would cause issues with underwing pylons and well, the only place to put stuff like bombs and rocket pods would be the belly....which is also the place to place the gunpods and the FAST Packs.... meaning.. either ordinance and gun pods , FAST Packs with gun pods or gun pods on that belly. Possibly the reason for why the VF-22 does not have the morphing wing besides cost. Since the VF-22 is a strike fighter, having the option to hang underwing stores like bombs might be a good idea when stealth is not required.

At least the YF-19 can hang underwing ordinance which would make it another winning point for it in Project Super Nova.

Okay, if I remember correctly, the YF-21 has a caseless gun pod (2 of em), but why does it seem to be protrayed as a energy weapon in Macross Plus rather than having a conventional muzzle flash

Did the animators get their wires crossed?

Hmm, given how organic Zentraedi tech is, are they grown a la Yuuzhan Vong? And if so, I wonder if radiation can screw with the process?

So, what's the maximum lifespan of a Zentraedi? What do the Zentraedi fleets do with Zentraedi too old/ worn out to fight?

(Shuddering at the implications especially with that quote from the Human Hive in Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri when you develop recycling tanks)

Okay, do Zentraedi/Meltrandi suffer from genetic degradation issues a la Warframe's Grineers? I think it might be a possibility in some Factory Satellites, given how the Zentraedi do not know how to repair them and they also rely on them for cloning.

Also, do different fleets have their own dialects of the Zentraedi language given the distances of the fleets plus millions of years ? How do they prevent language drift?

I know that in real life, the reason for why the VF-1 looks a bit like a F-14 is because Shoji Kawamori used the F-14's empty space between the engines to place the arms for a more aerodynamically convincing fighter mode but in universe, the VF-0 and it's VF-1 descendants are mentioned to inherit the F-14 development group, indicating that the F-14 Tomcat was used as a experimental base that was selected to be developed into the VF-1 Valkyrie. Why select the F-14 over other fighters like the F-15 to develop a variable fighter from?  

25 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

Polka, for one.

Good for Oktoberfests...now with Variable Fighters

I wonder what music genres that Macross does not cover. I think the idea for an classical /symphonic metal style orchestra for the idols would sound good for a future series. 

8 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

That or, as @JB0 pointed out, ejecting the cockpit block as a single unit.

For various reasons, the VF-1 Valkyrie came equipped with at least four separate ejection system operating modes.  One for subsonic flight, one for supersonic flight that deployed an additional bit of decking below the chair to shield the pilot from the supersonic airflow, one for space flight that ejects the entire aircraft nose, and then battroid that pops off the VF's head and allows the seat to eject out the neck.  

TTC ejection is mainly a British thing for low-altitude aircraft.  Most aircraft just pop the entire canopy off.  Esp. American aircraft, and the VF-1 Valkyrie is an American-designed plane.

 

If the fighter's blowing up around you, exiting the aircraft by the most expeditious means possible is generally recommended for your continued health and safety.

At no point will the stewardess tell you to please wait until the aircraft has finished exploding to disembark.

Actually, the A-6 Intruder and it's variants use it as well together with the A-10

Then again, I wonder how much dummies the UN Spacy went through before deciding on the most suitable way to eject people out of VFs in all modes.

9 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

There's no caveat on it... they just say TTC ejection is not possible because of the material strength of the OTM materials used in the canopy.

Based on what's said about the strength of Overtechnology Materials used elsewhere in the Valkyrie's design I'd assume that any blast strong enough to break the canopy from the inside would probably kill, or at least severely injure, the pilot.

Drat, guess that rocket ejection for canopy is the only option for ejecting from a VF.

7 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

There is flood control, but it's not that strict... it's measured in minutes, not days.

 

It's been noted in a few books going back as far as the old Sky Angels book that TTC ejection is not possible on a Variable Fighter.

The reason is simple... despite being only 10mm thick (on the VF-1), the OTM material used in the canopy's construction is much too strong for the ejection seat to be capable of breaking the canopy during an ejection sequence.  It's said that the canopy is not glass or a plasticized composite, but rather is a transparent metal (possibly the same Herculite used in starship windows).  To work around the problem, in Fighter and GERWALK mode ejections the canopy is ejected with rocket motors to ensure that it clears the seat's own flight path during an ejection.

What about running a detcord throgh the canopy to shatter/weaken  it during ejection? The F-35 uses it.

Okay, we know that in Macross, before Frontier, VFs have conventional bullet spitting autocannons as their gun pods, but later on with the VF-27, they switched to beams. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using conventional projectile gunpods and beam gunpods?

Over 24 hours....

Given that Gerwalk operates at low attitudes....would a canopy destruct system be needed for a Variable Fighter? I think it is necessary if something goes wrong at the attitudes that Gerwalk operates, there might not be enough time for the canopy to jettison if something goes wrong with a VF in Gerwalk mode. 

On 11/19/2022 at 4:40 AM, TehPW said:

There is an unspoken reason why costs would be prohibitive to field the VF-22 in large numbers: Proprietary technology that requires specialized (Private Contractors) technicians to do certain tasks. In RL examples, modern Farming Equipment (and some big rig trucks) are examples of how people curse the products they own because they themselves aint allowed to fix their gear. The F-35 JSF or the infamous LCS Freedom and Independence-class ships are also examples of that plot twist (I'm so glad I retired before the transition of legacy Hornets to Lightnings occurred as I heard horror stories about F-35 Peculiar Support Equipment).

Training is going to specific, not matter what platform the location requires (and unless it's proven that its economical to ship trainees across worlds/systems for training on the end-type of unit they will work on, each world or colony will do their own thing for training (likely following what happens on Earth for example of procedure first before deviations). It's not gonna matter if AD3 Jones on Macross Butthead is trained to put A into B using the C tool and AD3 Maxipad on the planet Beavis is trained to put A into B using his face. Both Jetmechs are gonna do it their training, originally based on Earth but adapted to their unique location.

here's a random thought: Fasanomics. Some sick &^%$ should create a list NECs (Navy Enlisted Codes*) for each Valkyrie engine currently or previously in production. Would that require 4 or 5 digits?

* NECs are arguable the same as MOS's but ridiculous more specific (closer to the AF than anything) but day to day, you're still AD3 (or Petty Officer) Jones and Maxipad, when being mustered at 7am. Example, I held like 6 or 7 NECs in my career, being trained on *deep breath* Cyrogenics, Shore GPUs, Shore Hydraulics, Sea GPUs, Shore Towing and Pushbacks and Sea Crash Cranes (both CV and LH).

By the way, differing proceedures from standard is how you start an accident, eventually.

*Gestures to that one airliner accident (Flight 191) where the maintenance crew did not replace the engines of that airplane involved in the accident as according to the instructions, resulting in premature cracking that leads to eventual structual damage in flight.

55 minutes ago, azrael said:

Transformation has nothing to do with it. It's an inherit cost of a variable fighter.

The YF-21 was significantly more expensive than the YF-19. The BDI/BCS primary control system was buggy and expensive. The morphing control surfaces was always intended to be a test and was not for final submission. The YF-21 was more expensive to maintain with its much more complicated systems. In order for the VF-22 to be accepted, the YF-21 had to be simplified to bring the costs down.

But it does factor into increased costs since the YF-21's design compared to other VFs, including its competitor, the YF-19 is quite different in configuration from other more conventional designed VFs in layout  since I'm pretty sure that mechanics might have trouble unlearning and then relearning how to service components such as the engines and the legs.* Not to mention more newer jigs for maintenance that cannot be used for legacy VFs compared to the YF-19

*Especially since in the YF-21, the engines and legs are separate from each other unlike other VF designs.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but was one of the reasons for why the YF-21 was passed over for the YF-19 (ignoring BDI/BDS) was that the way the YF-21 transforms makes it a maintenance nightmare* despite the fact that it was the most combat effective when compared to a traditional VF since it can fight with it's limbs blown off?

*Imagine having to unlearn your muscle memory and re-learn it again since the YF-21 transforms so differently from a typical UN/NUN variable fighter.

Do you think that the NUNS will eventually break up into smaller successor governments, judging from the events of Delta and Frontier?

50 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

They order a new one from the SpaceMall cata-glaug in their seatback pocket, naturally. 😛 

Up to a certain level among the rank-and-file they just promote based on performance.  Past that point, where commanders are a separate class of Zentradi, they go get a replacement from one of the factory satellites that produces the clone soldiers for the fleet.

So, let me get this straight, there is a Commanders R'Us  factory satellite somewhere. Which gives me a mental image.

"Special delivery, one lieutenant for your main fleet'

Complete with a deliveryman wheeling in a replacement Zentraedi clone for some random Zentraedi main fleet.

8 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Probably worth noting at this point that Zentradi body armor is made of the same stuff VF armor is... which has excellent heat resistance. 

 

"Asskicking equals authority"?

Having a clear chain of command is very important for maintaining unit cohesion, especially across such a large force.  Making the unit commander harder to kill necessarily means the valuable resources that go into making them are less likely to be lost and the chain of command is less likely to be disrupted.  Not to mention the obvious advantages of having a commander who can literally wade in and knock heads together if the grunts get rowdy in order to remind everyone who's the boss.  Having a commander who refuses to stay down is probably pretty good for morale in a pinch too.

Of course, if humanity inherited the Protoculture's foibles as much as the series sometimes suggests, there may be a more mundane reason like "being tall makes you look more like a leader".

Okay, so how do Zentraedi replace leaders then? Do they have some sort of dueling system between commander type Zentraedi or just ring up a factory satellite to get a new leader?

32 minutes ago, pengbuzz said:

Do you have any video of "regular" Zentraedi being burned by jet blasts?

Considering that Breetai was able to shrug off a VF going kaboom point blank without armor whereas another subordinate further away from the kaboom in full armor was killed and survive being spaced for a limited period of time without a spacesuit, well a regular Zentraedi might be harmed by jet blasts from a VF.

And what's the logic of the Protoculture making their commander Zentraedi tougher that the 'regular' Zentraedi. What's the point if in a battle, when the commanders generally get personally involved it means that the battle is lost?