T.V.

You could argue, all sillyness aside, that the VF-0 is sort of an YF-22 made ready for combat, while the VF-1 is more like the F-22, with the VF-X and VF-X-1 being subsequent F-22 EMD machines. It's like the VF-1 was being planned with future technological breakthroughs in mind - just as happens with current aviation programs such as the X-35 -> F-35 - only to find out that certain elements of the technology weren't ready when needed. Instead, they drew up plans for an interim solution, based on the technology that was already available from the VF-X project. They kept the resulting VF-0 as close as possible as could be to the VF-1, while incorperation elements of less advanced nature. This may sound crazy, but this actually does happen in the real world as well, albeit in a less exxagerated fashion. For example, the F-35B program ran into serious trouble, because the aircraft unexpectedly grew beyond the target weight and/or put too much stress on the vertical lift system. This forced Lockheed Martin to give the F-35 a diet, putting the programme somewhat behind schedule. It's simply difficult to manage and oversee future engineering solutions, even though you may want to incorporate then in a project. Another analogy is the Chinese J-10 fighter. This aircraft relies pretty much on proven aluminun structures, instead of the more common exotic composite materials typically found in 4th and 5th generation Western combat aircraft. Infact, the Isreali Lavi programme of the '80s, which has influenced the J-10 significantly, made use of said composite materials, enabling to build a smaller and lighter airframe. Of course, the roles of the Lavi and J-10 are somewhat different, but the J-10 is significantly bigger partly because it has to mate a similar aerodynamic configuration with older and less advanced construction techniques.

The problem with FAST packs in atmospheric conditions is that they cause drag, so that makes them not particularly useful planetside. You could make the aircraft bigger, thus heavier and having a higher Cw value, but that would make a fighter uneccesarely heavier and give poorer atmospheric performance, because you're dragging along a host of non mission specific equipment. Optional FAST packs could be the a way to 'tune' the air-/spacecraft to the optimum for each specific mission. Well, that's just trying to find an in continuity explanation rather than saying they look cool. I have to say though, I don't particularly care for the FAST packs. Often they mess up the clean lines of the VF in question and do little to make them look better.

"Elfenlied" is german for Elf's song. Just like Evangelion, the series is filled with german language based references. Even the art from the opening credits is based on art from a famous german painter, whose name elludes me at the moment. Edit: I TOTALLY missed the humouring jabs first time around. Elf liedjes... lol.

This is an impressive undertaking! Having studied aerospace engineering for a couple of years, I have respect for you to be able to make a controlable flight worthy model plane out of a fantasy design. What did Kawamori say about it?

Well, if The Matrix is anything to go by, I think that GitS has a very good chance to come out good. Afterall, The Matrix was heavily inspired by GitS and the Wachowski Bros. even used the '95 GitS movie as pitching material.

Pave Lows are typically middle grey and not blueish. The colours are a mix between the colourscheme of a Pave Low and G1 Soundwave.

The script has changed. Oh, and Megs is likely to get an Earth style reformat, unlike the leaked feb '06 script suggested.

Oh, I didn't mean to imply I'd like you to change it into the MAHQ format, Mr. March. I've got no problem with the left side being for the drawings and the right side for the text. What I wanted to suggest, was breaking up the "General and Technical Data" colum up into several colums that are either vertically and/or horizontally stacked on the right side of the page. For the vertical stacking it's more like adding a line of blank space between the size, the performance data and design features subsections. For the rest I have no issues with it and it looks every part of becoming the definite online Macross mecha database.

That Starscream figure looks no bigger than Cyb Soundwave or even Cyb Thundercracker. So I'll doubt it he's any bigger than an Ultra. Ultimate Bumblebee will be $90. He's said to be insanely detailed - there you go, David - and features a voice activation gimmick of some kind. I keep thinking of it as an MP class toy with some AIBO features. The latest pictures of Starscream, Prime, Ironhide and Jazz, all pertain the Action Battlers. Quick change TF that have even more simplified transformations than the regular toys will have.

There actually will be a scene somewhat similar to that in the movie.

The problem is mainly with the layout of the General and Technical Data sections. For example, the technical data on the MAHQ profiles are a bit easier to read, because they're more vertically stacked (narrower colums), and use vertical spacing between detail groups (general data, dimensions and performance in various modes, etc.). A solution might be to break the data up in several colums, instead of just one. Also, would you be able to add 3-view schematics to your profiles? Those would really enhance that Janes feel. Besides, it is just useful for getting a more thorough indication of the layout and proportions, which images drawn in perspective often may not yield. That's why Janes and other profile publications use them too. I hope it helps you any bit.

Nice! I dub thee March' All The World Macross Combat Mecha. *bookmarked* There are some teething problems, but others have pointed them out already. The only thing I have to add is that you might want to space certain portions of text a bit, so that it doesn't become a wall of text. Adding som space between the specifications and paragraphing descriptions more destinctly would be welcome, for example.

It is, because it's basically the sound of any powered Gatling-type rapid fire canon. Any Gatling gun with a firing rate of more than +/- 1000 rds/min sounds like a fart or zipper when firing, due to the rapid succession of shots. A-10 cannon test (Audio distorted due to poor quality.)

Or.. Formerly Known As MiG-29M2. Those Russian still love to throw around designations. Though, this plane is actually very promising. It makes the Fulcrum design relevant again, and is a reasonably cost-effective alternative to the Typhoon and Rafale. And with the OVT system it's a killer dogfighter, endurance and combat persistence notwithstanding.

It appears we have a missunderstanding. That's only true for traditional jet turbine engines, but not for a thermonuclear reaction engine. There's no chemical reaction taking place in the airstream, and thus no addition of chemical energy, nor reaction mass from adding fuel to the air. It doesn't combust a mix of fuel and air, but simply heats the air with the energy from a nuclear reactor using a heating element in the airstream. It's more like a ducted fan engine, with a heating rod expanding the air to provide a lot of additional pressure. It's nothing more than a fancy blowdryer, really. No I'm not. I'm simply saying that a single heating chamber is more effective than 2 seperate heating chambers for heating the same amount of gas. It's better to have a slightly bigger heater stage and less bypass air, then using two seperate stages with one of them heating the bypass air, because there isn't any combustion involved but merely heating through heating elements in both stages. See. Even you agree.

Possibly. What comes then to mind though, would be a Space War I based sidestory, OVA or otherwise, coïnciding with the events of the first series. Not unlike those UC sidestories in Gundam, I guess. I seriously hope that there's some animated feature planned to celebrate the release, but I don't hold my breath up after hearing about Kawamori being rather busy and heavily involved with Kiss Dum. Though, it would dissapoint me a bit if they don't honor the 25th birthday of Macross with a new anime. Be it a movie or series. Even a movie re-edit of Macross Zero, like done with M+ would be nice.

Hi there, I'm new to the forum and I just thought I could chime in the debate. Haven't read it all, so I might be retreading some points made by others already. Nice discussion btw, though I suggest using the more diplomatic brittish term of "reheat" instead of afterburner. That's more ambiguous and can be explained as designating both an "afterburner" or "afterheater" and sounds better IMO. On the original question about the slits, they maybe gass flow regulators, much like a diffusor on the back end of the underside of a race car. It keeps the gas flowing straight down, preventing it from bleeding too much out the sides through the V-shaped openings between the toes/main thrust vector vanes. It could be a sign of a lack of of an exhaust driven compressor stage as well, but more on that later. I don't know why the change between slits and more traditional turbine engine exhaust rings took place, but it could've been mere artistic license rather than well thought out fantasy engine design. Disregarding that the engines in the variable fighters are entirely impractical from an aerodynamic standpoint alone, the engines shouldn't give an instantanious response if they have a centrifugal engine core. By virtue of the inertia and centrifugal forces of fast spooling fan discs in the compressor stage, there always will be some lag in throttle response, as opposed to rocket engines, internal combustion engines and other engines not using a rotating expansion chamber elements. A FADEC system regulates throttle response, so that you can't "choke" a jet engine, dumping in too much fuel for it's own good. It needs to be gradual in order for the compressor stage to catch up, because the compressor is driven by the exhaust gasses - causing yet more lag - just like a turbo on an internal combustion engine in a car. The total lag can be reduced, but never eliminated. You can think of FADEC much like fly-by-wire. It regulates your commands so you don't damage the equipment yet can maintain easy control of it. Engine thrust depends on mass flow: The amount of mass the engine spews out of the back over a period of time. You can either push a lot of mass at a slow speed or a tiny amount of mass at a high speed, and the amount of thrust will be the same. Top speed won't be the same though, since the speed of the aircraft can never exceed the exhaust speed. Therefore, pure jet engined aircraft can go faster than turbofan or propellor driven craft, even though their thrust-to-weight ratio, or more importantly thrust-drag curve might be similar, because the exhaust speed of pure turbine jet engines is faster. In regard of the thermonuclear reaction engines supposedly fitting the Macross VF series, they simply take in air from the front, add heat (read: energy) with a heat exchanger element, causing it to expand rapidly out of the back, producing a thrusting force. But with an thermonuclear fuel source, there's no need for combustion inside the compressor stage, so the reaction mass is only the enviromental air. The compressor could either be driven by exhaust fans or by the thermonuclear reactor, but I don't know the specifics of that. I reckon that if the compressor is driven directly by the reactor, the lag would be severely lower than if driven by the exhaust gasses and be less dependable on the mass flow in the exhaust stage. For example, the chance for compressor stall to occur due to disruption of the exhaust flow, will be non existent. However, using exhaust fans leads to an overall better energy effiencency, since you recycle some of the expelled energy.It would also be less complex engine, that's possibly lighter and more compact to build. The direct-drive system would be more akin to a supercharger compressor, and the other more to a classic turbine compressor. Since the engine has to operate both in gasious and vacuüm enviroments such as space, it cannot depend on enviromental gas alone as the reaction mass. Therefore it has to have internally stored reaction mass it can expell. The engine would probably some hybrid of the previously mentioned enviromental gas compressor and plasma ejecting (rocket) engine, ejecting plasma at very hign velocities. Of course, this leads to severe radiation issues, but I'm not sure of there would be a safer and still practical enough engine hybrid type. Maybe the ejected mass is being fed additional radiation absorbant material, but that would it give a rather short operating time. However, the up side of space is that you don't have to use prolonged bursts, apart for momentum changing manoeuvres. The FAST packs, obviously store extra fuel and possible RA material. The hybrid rocket mode could be engaged to provide a temporary extra "overboost" in atmospheric conditions as well. Practically, when the rocket element isn't used, such engines wouldn't lead to the gratious and nice looking afterburner plumes as seen in the anime, but artistic license is good to have at times. To only 'lightshow' would possibly be the lighting up of released plasma particles and heat distortion. The sound of a continuous combustion jet engine would certainly not be heard, though a compressor whine would probably still be very noticable. A so called "afterheater" wouldn't make much sense, since the thrust is already derived from heating air and not combusting a fuel. It makes as much sense as using multiple ovens to bake a single bread. What an afterburner does, is using the excess oxygen in the exhaust flow - that always passes through an engine and otherwise it would stall - and use that for a secondary combustion stage by dumping a lot of extra fuel in the already heated exhaust flow. An afterheater could not do the same, nor reach the same effeciency levels, because it can't practically add release more usable energy to the airflow than a single stage heater would. It's more efficient to use a large single stage heater, than using to or more seperate heaters down the airstream which have the same total thermal energy out put. The single stage heater would also be lighter and more compact, resulting in a far better thrust-to-weight and size-to-weight ratio, while also being less complex, more durable and cheaper to make. Using an afterheater to exclusively heat the bypass airflow would also be less practical and efficient than simply using a bigger single stage heater, for both structural and aerodynamic reasons. On a side note, in space, even moreso than in an atmosphere, thermal management is a real problem, due to only being able to dispense heat through radiation rather than releasing it to the (flowing) air, since there pretty much is none. Therefore it's actually more difficult to get rid of excess heat rather then becoming too cold. I hope that provides some useful insight in the workings of a fictional engine. Cheers, Thom Vermazeren. Edit: Oi.. That turned out to be more longwinded than I expected.