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sketchley

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Everything posted by sketchley

  1. sketchley
    Let's also keep in mind that it is a chunk of armour with significant weight. Maybe it's something that just can't be tacked on to Valkyries that have been designed around a transparent canopy because it throws off their weight balance.
  2. sketchley
    Star Wars is best when one doesn't think too deeply about it...
  3. sketchley
    **spoiler warning** The Skywalker family (Luke and Kylo) overcome their self-doubts, seduction by the Dark Side, etc. and 'rise up' to overcome the threat of the Palpatine lineage—the resurrected Emperor among others. Rey is revealed to be Palpatine's granddaughter, and in rejecting her ancestry, basically adopts the Skywalker name because she fell in love with Kylo or something. Background: Dir. JJ Abrams rolled back most of the changes Dir. Rian Johnson made in The Last Jedi, and told a story full of nostalgia and fan service, without taking the series in any new directions.* So, we ended up with a convoluted mess of a film that tried to shove 3 movies worth of story into one film. Personally, I tend to ignore/forget those 3 sequels, and only really consider Solo and Rogue One worthy as being pseudo-sequels/prequels that embellish the movies when George Lucas helmed the franchise. * in his defence, his hands were tied and the story was creatively limited to a certain extent by the untimely death of Carrie Fisher.
  4. sketchley
    If memory serves, the "last message" was created before the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy was discovered/confirmed. I think there was also some "lost in translation" going on, as the word I used (dark) can also be translated as black, but it's written in totally different words than what the Japanese use for "black hole".
  5. sketchley
    Here's the translation of the last message: http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/OTother/MinmeiLastMessage.php
  6. sketchley
    If memory serves, the ones with tails are essentially "swimming". They do this by emitting something like a gravity field, and deflecting themselves off of that. Presumably the larger ones just emit a gravity field—implying that they have organs reminiscent of "engines" akin to the gravity drive in the USS Sulaco from Aliens.
  7. sketchley
    That's a possibility. It might also be that he's busy with other commitments, and the tight deadlines have stretched his creativity too far. One of my hobbies is designing transforming jets. I've found that whenever I try to "break the mould" and do something new, it takes months: 1/2 a year or more. For example the engine thrusters/feet on the FaMH-07 Orca here: https://www.deviantart.com/studiootaking/art/CFs-Generation-3a-Master-File-Chronicle-767383491 However, once I have the transformation worked out and the 'design language' established, making variants is comparatively quick (1–2 months for the FaMH-08/CF-130 Black Fish). That said, inspiration does hit like lightning, and some things that really break into new territory are hammered out in around a month (the FaMH-09 Skookumchuck... it only took that long because I was lazy getting around to finalizing the drawings!) If memory serves, this happened with Kawamori-san when he was designing the VF-19: it took him many months (6 or 8 or more?) to finalize the YF-19, but in the meantime he completed the VF-11 in 1–2 months. I'm probably simplifying circumstances too much, but that is the fundamental reason why we have scores upon scores of variants, multiple *new* Valkyries that borrow design elements from their predecessors, and relatively few that truly break the mould and do something completely original. As for this latest *new* design, it could be Kawamori-san's 2020 revision of the VF-X-4 (from SDFM), refined with about 40 years of Valkyrie design experience and the Frontier/Delta visual language tacked on. As for your kitbashing: it's OK to revisit the same old ground. The trick is to disguise it with new shapes (silhouettes as Kawamori-san dubs it) and greebles. Like how the VF-25, VF-27, and VF-29 are all the same, but have been changed enough that they're visually distinct.
  8. sketchley
    Yes. the only thing that's clear is that the next series will be unlike any previous Macross series.* * with the 3 pillars of Macross: Valkyries, songs, & a love triangle.
  9. sketchley
    Aren't those tribbles?
  10. sketchley
    Money greases many wheels. CW were already on BW's radar, and all that was stopping the money train was a thorn... that was subsequently pruned.
  11. sketchley
    Well, this ties directly into the "why" the VF-171 appeared as the main fighter in Frontier (when all signs indicated that the main fighter should have been the VF-19): Kawamori-san and his visual design sensibilities. Kawamori-san likes to create hero VFs with a certain look to them (VF-19, VF-25, VF-31). To help the casual viewer quickly visually distinguish between the "hero" and the "ally", he chooses something that is visually distinct. In Macross 7, that was the "white" VF-11 vs. the colourful Sound Force Valkyries (red, green, and pink) and other semi-hero Valkyries (blue Emerald Force, dark blue-grey Diamond Force). With the advent of CG Valkyries and their rainbow hued paint schemes, he's double-downed on Studio Nue's stock and trade: visually distinct silhouettes. Which is how we ended up with the triangle shaped VF-171 being the main fighter, and the anything but triangular VF-25 (and later the VF-31) being the hero Valkyries. So, unless Kawamori-san gives the next hero Valkyrie a triangular silhouette, I doubt that we've seen the last of the VF-171. ※ This, of course, doesn't even address the cost of developing a new CG model asset. If the next series is done on the cheap—which some have argued Delta was—it's another strong reason why the VF-171 will reappear. (Like the Cheyenne in Macross 0 reappearing more-or-less unchanged as the Cheyenne II in Frontier and Delta.)
  12. sketchley
    Macross itself has some specific words for the different types of vehicles: Human side: Battroid (mainly the humanoid form of the Variable Fighters) Destroids (humanoid walking tanks) Zentrādi side: Battlesuits (humanoid shaped pods) Pods (everything not a Battlesuit) Mobile Weapons (all of the above) So, going back to the OP, the Kerukaria [Quel-Quallie] and Recovery Pod can be referred to as "(Zentrādi) mecha", "(Zentrādi) Mobile Weapons", or "Zentrādi Pods".
  13. sketchley
    Quadoran-Rea development (TV ver.): "Although it was the New Unified Forces that continues the Quadoran series by producing the Rhea series, as its complex structure wasn't suited for mass production from the start, the production number of this aircraft can be assessed as not being as many as the number of VF series aircraft. Also, as its manoeuvrability is united with its firepower and its performance is suitable for special missions, such as reconnaissance-in-force, its initial deployment was mainly to Marine Corps that were composed of Zentraadi soldiers. This aircraft was the same as its archetypal aircraft, and if seen from the entirety of the Unified Forces, then it was an extremely unusual aircraft." http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/MCRmechanic/Fsms07aQuadoran-Rhea.php Quadoran-Rea development (movie ver.): "The Quadorah Rhea is a reproduced type of Roh that has had improvements with the latest technologies applied to it. The latest type, the "Rhea/56", is, in addition to S.M.S.'s Pixy Squadron, extensively deployed." http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/MCRmechanic/TFsms05aQrheaVB6Monster.php ※ from the movie ver. data, we can infer that it is a General Galaxy production. As for the lineage: Quadoran-Rō* → Quadoran-Aruma → Quadoran-Kiruka → Quadoran-Rea * and Quadoran-Nona sub-variant ※ while it's not clearly indicated, the large beam gun on the VBP-1/VA-110 Neo-Gurāji *may* have influenced the development and addition of the shoulder gun on the Quadoran-Rea. The "enemy Battle Suit" from Macross Plus *may* also have influenced the Quadoran-Rea's development, too.
  14. sketchley
    Again: you're conflating 2 distinct MM launchers. I could go into detail citing examples, but as the OP's question has already been answered...
  15. sketchley
    Uhm, you seem to be conflating 2 separate and distinct types of MM launchers. The ones I mentioned on the YF-29 and Sv-252 are ported MM launchers that also open up "clamshell" style (able to fire single missiles or missile spams). Those others you mention are NOT the same type (only able to missile spam). Only the shoulder launchers on the YF-29 are the same type, and they weren't included in my figures. Also, while the Sv-252's leg pods are optional "super packs", the ones on the YF-29 are built into the airframe—like the arms or nose cone—and not external packs.
  16. sketchley
    That is true. However, it was pointed out to me that the MM payload in the VF-1's Super Pack's launchers were double (or more) in the officially approved Yamato products (someone who collects the toys will have to confirm). If we consider the Yamato version to be the 2030's version, that gives us: SDFM era (2009): 3 MM per launcher DYRL filming era (2031): 6 MM per launcher MF era (2059): ~15 MM per launcher Delta era (2067): 15+~21 MM per launcher So, the figure of 12 MM per launcher in the VF-22 posted earlier is arguably a higher estimate. However, it's not exactly outside of the progression of payload increases. valk1j - I think anything from 8 to 12 MM per launcher could be considered "plausible". You could give the '17 8 MM per launcher, and the '22 10 MM per launcher to keep the one player from overwhelming the other.
  17. sketchley
    The YF-29 is where Kawamori-san himself starts to get... excessive. Of the 12 micro-missile (MM) launcher systems, we are shown a breakdown of the relative missile loads of 8 of those launchers on "Macross Variable Fighter Designer Notes" Pg 242: 2x calf MM launchers: 4 rows of 6 + 1 row of 5 (29 for the pair [58 for both legs]) 2x ankle MM launchers: 4 rows of 6 +1 row of 5 (29 for the pair [58 for both legs]) There's also the concealed shoulder MM launchers with 15 missiles (30 for both shoulders) Which gives us 146 (!) missiles. And that's not even including the 4 MM launchers on the wing engine pods! That's 15.5 MM per MM launcher and uneven allocation (not including the shoulder pods, nor the wing engine pod MM launchers). That trend gets worse with the Sv-262—each wing MM pod has 2 MM launchers and 5 rows of 6 (plastic model*) or 7 rows of 6 ("Macross Shoji Kawamori Designer's Note" Pg 622). That's a whopping 30 to 42 MM per pod, 120 to 168 MM total... not including the 4 MM launchers in each Lil Drakken mounted on the wingtips. Here we have 15 to 21 MM per MM launcher (not including the Lil Drakken MM launchers). I think it's fairly safe to say that by the time of Frontier, MM launchers are pushing 15 missiles per launcher. With Delta, it's pushed past 15. Substantially. * due to how the kit is assembled, some MM have been removed from the part. It's unclear how many. So, accurately speaking, it should be "more than 30".
  18. sketchley
    Only if one is speaking the Kansai dialect (where the u vowel is /u/). In Tokyo, the u is pronounced /ɯ/, which makes "Grab" closer to what's being said by the voice actors, right?
  19. sketchley
    I'm not disagreeing. However, official sources state that there are both micro-missiles and gun pods in there. Just like the wing-root MM launchers, I suspect that there's more than a bit of anime-magic going on. Heck, one can argue that the people behind Macross have always been playing fast and loose with MM launchers and how many missiles they can dish out. They're almost like the unlimited ammo clips® seen in live-action action movies!
  20. sketchley
    Keep in mind that that publisher treats those micro-missile launchers as two- or three-ports in the front, and the rest is rows upon rows of missiles. Nevermind the mechanism to transfer the missiles from the "stowed" position to the "firing" position at the port. They gave the VF-25's FAST Packs the same treatment... It should also be noted that the B-21A Pallet are the tapered triangle things on the belly of the VF-22 (etc.) It appears that they can be loaded with either a gun pod or micro-missiles. So, that's the obscene 160 MM, or a more reasonable amount (?equivalent to what's in the wing MM launchers?) AND a gun pod. RPGers have speculated that there are up to 12 micro-missiles in each launcher, giving the VF-22 4x12 (wings) +4x12 (pallets) [96 total]. It's a rather large amount, but as the YF-21/VF-22 is based on the Quadoran-Ro (officially has 126 missiles), it's not exactly an unprecedented development in Macross... ※ if memory serves, the magic number of 12 comes from the VF-1's Super Packs. Something officially released, so it's also not something pulled out of thin air (like the VFMF publishers apparently did ).
  21. sketchley
    If memory serves, the release order was: "Deculture Ver." in the 25th anniversary special 3 months before the series started. In short, it's a teaser, and the plot ends earlier than in the other versions. "Broadcast Ver." essentially the "Deculture Ver." with the proper episode ending (where it smoothly connects with Eps. 2). It has everything you need to follow the story in the subsequent episodes. "Yakh Deculture Ver." a re-edit of the "Broadcast Ver." with some additional footage that was cut from the "Deculture Ver." to make the "Broadcast Ver." Personally, I prefer the "Broadcast Ver." edit and musical choices. But either that or the "Yakh Deculture Ver." is fit for purpose. In fact, I humbly suggest watching all 3 versions at one point or another!
  22. sketchley
    Quick note: a couple of things to keep in mind about the postal situation in Japan: there is direct competition for mail (Yamato Takyubin, etc.) that tends to keep prices down, and Japanese investors tend to play the long game (long story short: they're generally more interested in long-term viability than making a quick-buck in the short term).
  23. sketchley
    For starters, if one thinks that all Japanese words are uncountable (ie: no plural forms) would make the differences easiest to understand. They also count things differently. One would have to use the correct "counting word" for the thing being counted. So, two cars would be something like "kuruma 2-dai", but 2 houses would be "ie 2-ken", and 2 sheets of paper is "kami 2-mai". Paper is a good example for why they use different counting words. Consider the difference in English between: 2 pieces of paper vs. 2 sheets of paper vs. 2 reams of paper. So, going back to the OP, it would be "Legioss 2-ki" (counter for aircraft) in Japanese. However, in English it's merely "2 Legioss".
  24. sketchley
    Talk about Flashback 2012 2021! Here's the MW writeup (with moar pictures) of my Christmasy version of the 1/144 Nujadera Ga:
  25. sketchley
    As I use the light layout, thank you for explaining what happened. Reverted to Light, and so far it's business as usual (E.g. my custom search still works)—no bugs.
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