T.V.

I'm guessing it's single shot only, given the nature of the weapon. (Thought exercise: Why would only he be the one to have the benefit of a dual use cannon pod?) Also the "cross" seems to indeed be extendable cooling rods for the barrel. Firing in full auto would shake the Valk to pieces or at least make it difficult to aim given the recoil. Next, I can't imagine the barrel taking the continued build up of heat, based on its portrayal in the sharpshooting scene. Of course, that remains to be seen though, but I don't foresee M:F disregarding common sense in this regard. I believe the hip guns (mounted on the side of the intakes on the sides of the LERX) are the full-auto close-in weapons for each Valk. The rapid fire cannon pod provides increased weight of fire, while the sniper cannon provides extended range and pentration at the expense of decreased weight of fire.

If it turns out mediocre it'll be nothing but Mehcross..

I was mistaken and mixed Lockon mentioning his real name instead of revealing his brother. Lockon doesn't mention his brother to her, though he can be seen in the beginning when he visits parent's grave. His brother seems to be an identical twin. It happens during episode 9.

He does mention the future belongs to him.. That's why I think Lyle has a role to play in S2. We don't know much about his past (if anything), but it wouldn't be implausible to assume that they were seperated during most of their lives for whatever reason. Illegitimate child perhaps, or another special condition. The way he spoke about him to Feldt some episodes ago make it seem as if he wasn't a 'typical' brother, i.e. being part of his normal everyday youth. I reckon Lockon didn't use the Trans-Am system because he wanted to spare Dynames (or rather its GN Drive) even though he knew he could buy the farm. He was desperate, but not foolhardily reckless, giving CB the best chance of success to carry on. 00 has strayed a fair bit from some notable Gundam clichés, so I doubt they'll pull a Fukuda and make the impossible possible.. GN-X count: 17 down, 12 to go. (1 disassembled for a Graham Acre GN-Flag custom, of course)

Thanks! Saved it for posterity now.

ROFL! Too bad the pic is now missing! Bandai and Macross: Lovers again..

He'd have to play a broom/racket/bat while hissing humming the tune for that to be even remotely possible. Nice performance if I have to say. Anybody having the song stuck in their head? Can't get the "Moeteke!"- part to stop spooking my mind..

You could turn that question around. Who says it is indeed only a mere hunch? Isn't it possible that NUNS has their (justifiable) reasons for sending 2 entire colonization fleets, which simply aren't divulged as of yet? After all, it's so early in the game you can't rule it out if not confirm it as fact.

Naturally. I think you misunderstood me on the VF-25. I didn't mean it was a secret VF. Rather a "black" program with a "white" front. The VF-25 is public knowledge, slated to the next gen VF. However, neither its true capabilities nor it's true intended role (designed with the limited secret info that was available on the Varja) are public knowledge as of yet. Likewise, the VF-1 was public knowledge, except for its -then secret- transforming ability designed to better counter giant sized enemies. The events surrounding Sheryl's appearance in Frontier make it seem as if she was specifically sent for (perhaps even she's in the dark about NUNS' real intent) under the guise of her galactic concert tour. She was seemingly regarded an asset by the chain of command, and not merely a VIP. All three are cases of hiding something in plain sight. As I said before, this is based on conjecture on my part and not to be taken as truth or proof. I simply connect dots where I see them, but the picture is still far from complete. Though I think a general outline can be seen with some squinting. P.S. I don't expect/wish for the original Macross (cast) to play a significant part in Frontier, except for perhaps a Minmay tribute and perhaps a Megaroad's fleet log recording or last note transmission sent to the UN. More like Megaroad's great dissapearing act being tied to a plotpoint in Frontier. Perhaps Misa will have sent a last ditch warning to humanity to "remember the love."

Especially the full body suits. Then there's also the fluid based G-suit, which makes sustained 12 G turns possible. In all fairness, humans (even the most fit ones) won't be able to sustain a lot more than 15 G during instantaneous turns. Although (some) people may survive up to 40 G for a fraction of a second, it won't have any pratical usage, because of the severe trauma involved. Anything above 15 Gs for a couple of seconds or longer will lead to (possibly deadly) injuries. Going from bruises to internal hemmeraging (sp?). Unless anti-grav technology will become available, manned craft would be limited to around 15 G for safety standards. Given that, the main limitation that will sort the aces from the duds, will be information processing capacity. Pilots with the highest situational awareness will be most sought after. Also, the screening of pilot canditates will likely have become more stringent as is ever the case (war time emergency nothwithstanding). The mental, rather than the physical, abilities will be key for the cream to rise above the crop. Regarding the SMS's and the VF-25's status it's currently just a wait and see game. My suspicion is that the SMS is a Blackwater-meets-NASA civilian run test and evaluation team, not unlike current Private Financing Initiatives that will lease out the future training of RAF pilots to civillian contractors. SMS pay is likely to be higher than NUN Spacy's, plus NUNS may suffer from poor reputation and cost cutting measures. A second reason might be that SMS was a secretly funded initiative specially set up to deal with the, as it appears to be, foreseeable new threat. The NUN, being redically restructured from UN to it's current from, may simply have been an unwielding aparatus to trust this mission with. One which secrecy was paramount, because it deals with the disappearance of Megaroad-01, which probably would have caused a lot of upheaval in the populous. The VF-25 is a new design, not yet accepted by the military, designed specifically to deal with this new (and secret) threat. Doing so it's mirroring the VF-1's origin making Macross come full circle during it's 25th anniversary. People who knew Megaroad's, may have been untrusting of the UN's ability to effectively deal with this new threat. Enter Macross Frontier and the SMS. The Frontier is being steered directly towards the Megaroad's last position (hidden from its populace) and the SMS is the secret contingency plan in effect. This is just speculation on my part of course, but I base this on the hints we've been fed in the opening episode, such as: - Macross Frontier and Galaxy changing direction towards Megaroad's last know position (2:18 in the ep). - The president being aware of the threat existing beforehand. - Sheryl being secretly brought in by the military. - The Varja taking note of Lanka's (future singing idol) Spiritia/aura, etc. - The Varja being cued in to a strong spiritia's existence (reason why it infiltrated the island). - Sheryl being scurried away, acknowledging she may be targeted by this 'new' enemy. - SMS squadron getting a specific mission they've expected. Only not this soon (Again based on the proximity to Megaroad's last known location?). I'm probably too far off topic already, so I'll keep it at that.

Perhaps there's room for a secondary VF-25 CF squad.. F-104. Great idea. Not so great in practice.. Still one of the better looking planes out of that decade IMO.

Given the subject of past aircraft names, I'm rather suprised these didn't turn up: VF-25 Starfighter II VF-25 Starfire II VF-25 Shooting Star II Perhaps a little too obvious to think of.. They're also very '50s B-movie-ish, but I like them. Probably because I have a soft spot for Kelly Johnson's designs, and the F-104 in particular. Even if it's for Gits and Shiggles, keep us posted whenever you do.

VF-25 "Hory Froating Head"?.. Keeping within the in-joke/nod/tribute theme: VF-25 Nue VF-25 Shonen/Shoujo Ace... Depending on the alleged gender of the pilot of course. Very original and great suggestion. However.. my beer impeded mind immediately distorts it into VF-25 "(Wood)-pecker"...

Well, for one thing, technological evolution doesn't have to have a steady linear pace. Infact, it's rarely linear over a prolonged time period, because requirements and resources are constantly in flux. To put it more concretely, changing political and economical developments have a big impact on the fielding of new designs. For example, during WWII the pace of military equipment development was greatly accelerated. Aircraft roughly doubled performance in 5 years time and tanks grew from 5.000 to >50.000 kg. Never before, or again, did technology for war-time use evolve at such a rapid pace. During the Cold War, developments slowed a bit due to changing spending priorities. After the Cold War, the peace dividend resulted in a massive drop in defense expenditure, slowing down the evolutionary pace and changing its direction. Additionally, program costs mounted due to the increased technical complexity and developmental overhead needed for each subsequent replacement generation. Platforms have to have a longer lifespan and replace a plethora of older models to remain economical sustainable when budgets don't rise proportionally. All in all it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to believe that technological developments in the Macross universe are also thusly affected, resulting in changing paces and direction regarding VF evolution. The "we need new shiny from Kawamori to make the toys sell better" angle isn't all that different from war-time developmental needs. Both require an accelerated developmental pace sustained over a limited time period, be it for war or an anime supported by merchandise. Art imitates life. Sometimes even unintentionally. Edit: Mr. March responded already before I knew it.