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sketchley

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  1. sketchley
    Alright... just spent the past 45 min to 1 hour debugging my site... just to learn that the host doesn't allow "Sharon Apple Incident" (I think it's more like "Apple Incident"). So, dear readers, please inform me if any translations are still unavailable, and don't mind the "Sharon Apple Insident" misspelling...
  2. sketchley
    Passive stealthiness is just one aspect to consider. There's also: - protection (from micrometeorites, random bullets, etc.) in the Super Parts in space - better flight performance (stuff mounted under the wings has significant drag, among other things) in atmosphere The kicker is that Kawamori-san even designed a stealthy underwing weapon pod for the VF-11 during the design phase for the VF-11 (Shoji Kawamori Macross Design Works Pg 076). The idea ending up being reused in the VF-0 (though that begs the question of what inspired him? For example: the F-18 International Roadmap has a centerline-mounted Enclosed Weapon Pod.)
  3. sketchley
    It's not part of the official setting, but if memory serves on my scanlation, it was created for recon purposes on planets with Vajra, because the Vajra detect the thermonuclear reaction engines, but not whatever is powering the propellers. When push comes to shove, those extra "Super" parts can be purged, and the VF-25 performs as normal.
  4. sketchley
    I understand that, and that's not what I'm critiquing: only the acting and the pacing (the temp track is also lacklustre, but...)
  5. sketchley
    Agreed that they had plenty of opportunities. I can appreciate why they cut the scene, though: it massively slows down the pace of the movie, right when it's gearing up toward its conclusion. Also, the acting is a little flat. Yes, Gwendoline Christie has only an eye to emote with on screen, but she doesn't have a look of desperation... and John Boyega is... ... well, it's easier to just say that the version that ended up in the movie fits better overall into the pacing of the movie, and the emoting - as little of it as there is - works better. As for the physics and reality of it... the end of the movie sums up who this movie is for (everyone talking nonchalantly on the Millennium Falcon like they're at a party, despite just barely making it out alive AND losing most of their comrades, and the kid using his Force abilities on the broom). ... so yeah, if you want realism in your Sci Fi, I recommend "Interstellar". Actually, that would be interesting. I can almost see someone echoing Austin Power's "Why won't you die?" scene!
  6. sketchley
    Personally, I think the reason why he created Active Stealth was a way to get around the bland shapes that stealthiness entails, and create dynamic looking fighters/Battroids. As someone who designs his own transforming fighter jets, I can personally attest to the difficulty of trying to create a flat underside of an aircraft, but also having ankle and knee guards in Battroid - you know, the stuff that makes them look dynamic. Let's also be thankful that Kawamori-san never went down the road of shardism (like the live action Transformer movies). Here's a batch of them (and I'm only posting this to give you an idea of what a tilt-rotor/helicopter might look like): https://studiootaking.deviantart.com/art/CFs-Generation-2B-Master-File-Chronicle-708803627
  7. sketchley
    Maybe he just got too busy/overwhelmed? Or he rubber stamped the stuff that he didn't care much about to be able to focus on the stuff that he does care about? Without knowing the full circumstances, it's hard to get into the mindset. It could just be: "Mr. Kawamori, the (vocal) fans in our target demographic like this." "OK, give them more of it".
  8. sketchley
    Thanks for the shoutout. Truth be told, I've been using a homebrew (housemods, whatever) version of the rules for about two decades now (has it been that long? ). Anyhow, I'm basing it in the Palladium system from a combination of that being the main one that everyone appears to be using, and the devil you know. That said (and this isn't directed at anyone in particular), I'm surprised at the anger coming from the backers. All I can say to potential investors (for future projects): do your research. If I've known about Palladium Book's (the company, not any individual per se) inability to meet deadlines and inability to keep all marketing promises in the early '90's, how can it be a surprise in the late 2010's?
  9. sketchley
    We have to keep in mind the context of when the show was "Americanized". It was what? 30+ years ago? Well before things like cultural appropriation entered the zeitgeist. Given that, I think your statement is misleading, as it implies a lot of negative things about his personal character. My impression of him -rightly or wrongly- is that he was a businessman, and making those changes was a business decision to maximize sales (just like combining 3 different series into one, for syndication purposes). I'm not saying what he did is right, just that we have to keep context in mind when looking back on the past - especially the further back we go.
  10. sketchley
    I'm in the middle of watching Frasier, so this is especially... heartbreaking. He was and is an inspiration.
  11. sketchley
    That practice of making things new for the sake of making new things is... well, different from the rule of cool (you could say it's the antithesis...). I agree with Dynaman - the offset cockpit also gives a different (better?) perspective when docking to load cargo through the maw. As far as the Falcon being a cargo ship goes - I've only really considered the Falcon to be like a sports car (hot rod might be better?). So, if a cigar boat can be used to transport contraband (erm... cargo), so too can the Falcon.
  12. sketchley
    Erm... I think you misread his post. The offset cockpit is the 'rule of cool'. That other design (the so-called 'mash-up') looks uncool, so it was rejected by the original artist.
  13. sketchley

    SDF-1 PaperCraft

    sketchley replied to fenrir72's topic in Toys

    You can't transform it once built. During the building process, you choose which version you want to display it in. I've kind of 'cheated', as I scanned the pages after cutting them out, and printed them on 135 kg manga paper, so I can make both versions. :wink:
  14. sketchley

    SDF-1 PaperCraft

    sketchley replied to fenrir72's topic in Toys

    I'm still in the process of building this. I think I stopped from the frustration of packing tissues into all the large spaces, and gluing the large parts (funny how it's not the small ones, eh).
  15. sketchley
    Correction: VF-X2 He's Timothy Daldanton (romanized as "Timoshie Daldanton" in one of the books). He's the leader of the Black Rainbow terrorist group, and pilots the Pheios Valkyrie (just peaking into view behind him in the picture). More info: http://monkeybacon.mywebcommunity.org/MCRglossary/Glossary15a.php#reverse
  16. sketchley
    Not just TLJ, but all SW movies... E.g.: when I asked my adult students about SW at the English school I teach at in Japan about a decade ago, they only remember "the cute little boy" in SW1. On the same token, when I asked about Macross, they invariably said "Minmei/Mari Ijima"!
  17. sketchley
    In short, yes. Mind you, there are some improvements in the VF-22 (e.g. improved stealthiness by carrying the gun pods internally in dorsally mounted weapon pallets). So, it's not exactly a downgraded version.
  18. sketchley
    As Seto said... there's A LOT! Glossary that I use in translations (far, far from complete, but contains disambiguation - as different translators have used different words for the same thing over the years): http://monkeybacon.mywebcommunity.org/Glossary.php TOC for the aforementioned Macross Chronicle glossary (some explanations translated, all terms in English; NO disambiguation): http://monkeybacon.mywebcommunity.org/MCRglossary/MCRglossary.php Enjoy your 'lite' reading!
  19. sketchley
    The only thing that I'd like to add to Seto's reply to your question is: In universe, GERWALK is considered to be akin to an attack helicopter. So, if you consider Valkyries to be like the Macross version of civilian helicopters, it helps get over the "why are high powered jet fighters being sold to..." disbelief. Anyhow, in the spirit of civilian used Valkyries, I came up with a variant myself - a logging VF: https://studiootaking.deviantart.com/art/VT-1CS-Silviculture-Valkyrie-603579148
  20. sketchley
    Let's also not forget that she comes from a desert planet, where water is for, like, drinking.
  21. sketchley
    Both questions can be answered by looking at real world fighter aircraft. The advantage of completely internalized weapons is an increase in stealthiness (as can be seen with the F-22 et al), and the true aerodynamic performance of the fuselage - all the doodads strapped to the bottom of the aircraft and its wings increases drag (F-18 pilots, among others, are on record for preferring the fighter in a 'clean' (unequipped) form, as it performs much better). Forward swept wings are not only aerodynamic, but they give the aircraft much more manoeuvrable than rear-swept wings. However, without some serious computer processing in the avionics for fine tuning the control surfaces, the aircraft cannot fly as effectively - as the wings are inherently unstable. But the same holds true for pretty much every aircraft after the F-16... (see X-29, Su-47). ManhattanProject972 beat me to the punch explaining why they are so rare in the real world.
  22. sketchley
    I've collated what little official setting info there is on it here: http://monkeybacon.mywebcommunity.org/Stats/Statistics/ARMD/ARMDalt.php#front While it doesn't exactly say one way or the other, the gist of the passage I understood when translating is that it's based on the ARMD class. Now is that creatively based on it (implying that we can consider it a prototype), or merely being used for illustrative purposes? I'm tempted to go with the prototype angle, because the mass production of equipment is the one thing that the original SDF Macross has consistently portrayed. As for the ARMD-00 Constitution... it's entirely possible that it is a rebuild of that space platform - as the L5 station survived the war. And based on the precedent of the SDF-2 becoming the Megaroad-01 (among other things), it's consistent that it was given a conversion into a full-blown ARMD while it was being repaired. In that situation, it's still a prototype of sorts, but not the first of its class (unless if it turned into the DYRL version. In that case, it just gets really confusing! )
  23. sketchley
    You have a much better memory than I do of that movie! Nevertheless, "Soldier" cemented itself as my low bar - when it comes to what's depicted in a movie trailer, and what isn't in the film. While the trailer for "Rogue One" had differing shots, the epic battle on a tropical island that the trailer promised was still in the film.
  24. sketchley
    Thanks. Off to do that right now (it's still winter holiday for most of us in Japan).
  25. sketchley
    (throws hands up in air) Personally I think you guys are reading too much into a line of dialogue... Now, I won't mention such things like living in Japan and personally trying to teach English to a few of the Japanese anime otaku consumers. Nope. just going to stick to the nationally broadcast news show. How can one explain a major mistake in English there? Well, aside from the average viewer in Japan being a non-speaker, and most remembering only a smattering of words from public education. It's definitely not a show run by otaku, using NATO code words.
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