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sketchley

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  1. sketchley
    It's fascinating to see behind the curtain at the inner working of TV/movie/etc. productions, isn't it? Alas, powerless episodic directors seems to be par for the course. How many directors was it that the MCU replaced because of 'conflicting' visions? I'm sure one could find other examples, but that's what comes to mind first.
  2. sketchley
    Thanks! I just wish that there was more information on Delta. Not so much on the Valkyries and spaceships, but on the character equipment side. SDFM, M7, and MF have pages upon pages of stuff on things from wristwatches to fashion and hair accessories. However, Delta only has smartphones and Freya's portable music player! 😢 Even with crew suits, Delta doesn't give us any new vacuum suits. At best we get Chaos's 'regular work uniforms' for when they're inside the pressurized hangars or groundside! 😭 (third section down, far right) http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/Stats/Statistics/Uniforms/MacrossUniforms.php#MD
  3. sketchley
    Who'd have thought that 'what's lying on my desktop' would end up on the 'workbench'. 😊 Please refer to the other links under 'Clothes & Equipment' for more ideas on such things as flight suits, uniforms, and equipment to round them out (E.g. Hikaru's SDFM Hand Light: http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/Stats/Statistics/personal/ClothesRadiosCampingSurvivalEquipment.php#SDFhandLight ) Fixed! Kazutaka Miyatake's design for that suit is both the most realistic, and the least like the other crew suits seen before and after it appeared—in short, it doesn't have EVA thrusters at the bottom of the backpacks, like all the other crew suits do. I really like how Miyatake-san added all the floating straps to help sell the idea that the person is working in a vacuum in zero gravity. However, it was only designed for a single shot (maybe two) for the opening animation of Digital Mission VF-X, which is why it is so much more complex then the other suits.
  4. sketchley
    Arguably, the VF-14 and its derivatives pick up some of its design elements—namely the engine nacelles and arms on outboard pods. If memory serves, apparently Kawamori-san once said that he doesn't like the VF-4 design.* So there's that. * No, he didn't elaborate on why he doesn't like it. However, one can surmise that it stems from the complicated transformation mechanism and the shoulder thing (whether or not they rotate, etc.) As he's visited the trimaran form multiple times (VF-14, Fz-109, Az-130A, arguably the VF-27, etc.), it's not the shape in fighter form that he doesn't like per se.
  5. sketchley
    The question should be "did the VF-4 use a gun pod?" And the answer is yes and no. No when it is outside of an atmosphere (mainly due to the effectiveness of the beam guns in outer space), and yes in an atmosphere. As for which gun pod (when one is used): the GU-11 is mostly used. Namely because later gun pods have replaceable ammo clips with smaller payloads, and the VF-4 has no place to carry spare ammo clips. Note: there is no information on whether each gun pod uses a specialized hardpoint (specific to each gun pod) or a general 'one-size-fits-all' hardpoint. Arguably, the VF-4 could carry any gun pod (except for ones that require a large external power source, a la the VF-27's beam gun pod).
  6. sketchley
    Elaborating on this: the Battle Class main gun was depicted at one point as having a "rapid fire" mode, in addition to the 'regular' giant-shot mode. Even if the 'regular' mode has exactly the same output as the one in the SDF-1, the "rapid fire" mode and having the big gun mounted in a smaller ship that can separate and fly independently of the larger ship makes the Battle Class version infinitely more versatile.
  7. sketchley
    It appears so. (notes the wrap around stickers on the tails and rear stabilizers, and the slight misalignment of the ones in the top intakes.)
  8. sketchley
    It would be nice if Macross Chronicle was picked up by another publisher and re-re-released with additional Delta content. But—given a multitude of reasons—that's a pipe dream at best.
  9. sketchley
    Chiming in on the general consensus: What Shawn said. I'd also like to add a bit on the "why" side: to get more things printed. If publishers are continually getting ripped off, they're not going to publish as much, and we all lose out. As there are less and less Macross books being published, I think this unwritten rule is even more vital then say 10 or even 5 years ago, when we were getting a glut of Macross F related publications. This issue is also one of the reasons why on my Macross translation's website I have the line: '(We) strongly encourage readers to purchase a legitimate copy (...)'.
  10. sketchley
    That's completely understandable. However, are you keeping a list of what you have (for personal use)? Just to keep from buying doubles, etc. (← speaking from personal experience, when life started getting too busy... )
  11. sketchley
    The only solution I had* was "paint it". So your red marker idea will not look worse. In fact, it'll probably turn out heads and shoulders better. And long term—you won't have to worry about the stickers half popping off! (← happened to me with the stickers for the wingtip running lights on the Bandai transforming VF-1 kits.) * Macross Delta VF-31 mini kits and their flat sticker that goes over the round cockpit.
  12. sketchley
    SDF-1: 1,200 m long Megaroad-01: 1,770 m long Given the size of the cityscape in front, the Megaroad-01 is a bit on the large size. However, the SDF-1 is way too small in that Flashback 2012 scene. Chalk it up to artistic licence to emphasize the scale of the Megaroad-01?
  13. sketchley
    That's similar to the technique used by Japanese modellers to put stickers on: using tweezers, touch the sticky side on water (to pick up a couple of small droplets) place the sticker in the right place roll out (and suck up) the excess water with a Q-tip, releasing the tweezers in the process when the sticker is sufficiently affixed.
  14. sketchley
    Three examples come to mind: 1) SDFM: Max vs Miria battle (where the battle progresses from over the ocean to inside the SDF)—it's literally blink or you miss it. 2) Macross Plus (OVA edition): opening battle in the asteroid belt. 3) Macross Frontier first episode: Vajra(!) use countermeasures to stop missiles (admittedly not a VF, but it was stopping VF-launched missiles. ) The frustrating truth is that by and large, flares/chaff/decoys are not focused on when used, and are literally blink-and-you-miss-it. Nevertheless, all VFs come with a full set of them. The VF-0 also comes with a tow-able decoy (the AN/ALE-55 FOTD [Fiber-optic Towed Decoy]). Not that we ever see it in action, though.
  15. sketchley
    I think you are reading things into it that aren't there. Let me try to explain it in different terms: When English speakers translate Macross terminology, some translate "軍" as 'army' and others as 'armed forces'. Why? Because that's the common term that is used in their respective cultures and countries. There is no political bias, cultural baggage, agenda, or anything else going on other than that's the word used by people from where they are from for that particular concept. The same holds true for the people who created Macross and their choice of the term "empire".
  16. sketchley
    The short answer: SDFM (1982) was created after the release of both SW Eps 1 (1977) and Eps 2 (1980) by relatively youthful creators. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that the creators of Macross were cognizant that they were emulating Star Wars. Simply put, the Empire of Japan existed from 1868–1947, and the arguable top of the Japanese government has been an emperor since 660 BC (and still is). So, if one combines "a galaxy spanning civilization" with "what did we learn in social studies about our history", it's quite easy to get to "galactic empire". Again, it's a slippery slope, as cultural cross-pollination does happen, but often times that occurs at a subconscious level through the filters of one's own culture. The other thing is we have to be careful about misconstruing "publication date" as "creation date". E.g. Kawamori-san purportedly lamented that Dir. Spielberg was the first to publish the concept of a boy riding a bicycle in space, even though Kawamori-san independently came up with the idea long before E.T. was released! Regarding 3): The neighbours of Japan are the "Republic of Korea" (South), the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" (North), the "Republic of China" (Taiwan), and the "People's Republic of China" (mainland China). They appear quite regularly in the news.
  17. sketchley
    As others have said: it's an impossible question to answer. However, I would err on the "no" side, simply because SDFM does A LOT of world building, and MD doesn't (it establishes new worlds, but they are all built on an established setting). Case in point: SDFM goes into great detail explaining why Valkyries exist. MD's addition is "they haven't been replaced by drone fighters because they're also used as background dancers"*. * this is not a snide or snarky statement. Kawamori-san has continually gone to great lengths to justify the existence of manned Variable Fighters to the casual viewer. The above is the justification he came up with for MD. My guess is that it's due to real-world developments trending towards unmanned drones.
  18. sketchley
    I think Adam Savage summed the argument up right when he said offbrand bricks just "don't sound right" (when clattering with real Lego bricks).
  19. sketchley
    I would mark the increased costs due to mechanics relearning and acquiring newer jigs as negligible, as that's something that still has to be done with similar models. For a real world example, refer to the retraining required for pilots and maintenance personal for newer models of the Boeing 737 (E.g. the 737-900 to the 737-MAX]. Re: Engines If anything, the YF-21's are arguably easier to service and remove, simply because they are placed in a single large component—compared to the VF-1/11/19 (etc.) where they are squeezed inside the relatively tight airframe that composes the engine nacelles/legs and requires a lot more heavy-duty reinforcement!
  20. sketchley
    Fellow old timer here: Long story short, Delta is aimed at an entirely different demographic than us. They took all the things that (apparently) made Frontier popular with the youth, and built from there. My daughter likes it a lot. She also likes Vocaloid, as well as some hyper-kinetic Youtubers that talk a mile-a-minute ... which sounds pretty similar to your synopsis of Delta.
  21. sketchley
    It looks beautiful. But... all those repetitive detail elements! 😵
  22. sketchley
    The smallest alt. build is still quite sizeable. Here it is next to the spaceships from 70821, and 70841. I'm pretty sure that the ship in 70821 is the Galaxy Explorer, and I have a hunch that the mini ship in 70841 is also based on the 918 Space Transport (inspiration of the smaller alt. build—which is gigantic in comparison!)
  23. sketchley
    10497 is a nice set. Alas, all three builds (main, and 2 alternatives) require many of the same parts. So despite the oodles of excess parts with the smallest alt build, it seems that one would need 3 sets... ↑ the coffee mug is full of parts, too.
  24. sketchley
    Elaborating on safer: I read somewhere that there were concerns about the way the YF-23 carried missiles internally and how it deployed them (was it in a rotary launcher?) In short: despite the far, far greater payload, there were concerns that a single missile jam would prevent the rest from being used. Thus the "safer" bet on the YF-22 where a single jam would not stop the other internal weapons from being deployed (despite the much smaller amount carried!)
  25. sketchley
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