Talos

About the red vf1: If it's a 1D, maybe it's Ozma or some other pilot (in Basara's colors) taking Ranka to Gallia IV

It's not, it's a Super VF-1J. You can see the single-seat canopy and the shadow of the head lasers. It's also armed with a gunpod, according to the shadow.

Since I finally got my copy as well, I thought I would jot a couple thoughts down. Gubaba and sketchley covered most of the stuff I would, but there's a few things I would point out.

Ver 1.0 FAST pack. It's a trimmed down set of leg pods and the arm pods with no boosters. The funny part is that from the front, it has a profile reminiscant of the CFTs on the F-15.

One of the Armored Valkyrie color schemes is marked "VF-1JA", which I initially thought to be a typo until Seto pointed out it's not. Still reminds me of the VF-2JA from Macross II.

I love the detail in the "flight manual" section. The cover reminds me of several TOs and Dash 1s I have. UNWEPS T.O. 01-VF-1A-4 JOFTOPS Flight Manual for U.N.S. Models Varia(b)le fighter VF-1A, B, and J Block 4 Vol. 1. Dated 1 November, 2008.

VF-1X/P. Some interesting new panel line details on them, such as the angular radome edge. The new canopy is a bit odd-looking, still, since it sticks out more on top of the plane. Intakes remind me now of the TIA: M+ VF-5000 side view (more on that below).

Weapons. 9 different variations of the AAM-1 Arrow, including an extended-range one with a booster stage and an enhanced maneuverability one. Oddly enough there's a TV one too. GBU-28/B Paveway III and GBU-28/S Space-Paveway III LGBs.... An inertial strike penetrator based on a GBU-28 warhead, a TV-guided GBU-27/S Space-Paveway IV, and a Stealth-JSOW. Odd, but interesting. The GBU-28/B would be a little large to carry on such a small fighter... New gunpod as well, the GU-11D. Looks like it has a second barrel under the regular ones.

Insurrection of Fitz Roy. Good WWII reference since Fitzroy was there. Looks like a fully-armed Super VF-1A with radome and VE/VT-1 boosters.

VF Geneaology. Reuse of the VF-4 and VF-5000 side views from the This is Animation: Macross Plus book, as well as Kawamori's draft profile from his Design Works book, except the 3k and VF-4 have less detail and were squashed vertically about as much as the VF-5000 already was in that book. Horrible side view and I wish they had redone it (like I am, actually). I mean, the shape is nothing like the VF-5000 really is. The head is completely missing, there are random wing-mounted beam guns we never see anywhere else (they look cool, if a bit Decepticon-ish, though), and the intakes and nose are way too shallow. Unfortunately they did that to the VF-4's engine pods and the entire VF-3000, plus simplifying the design of the latter. I love the cover of the hypothetical book and I would love to see that come out too, but I am not impressed with the drawings in this chapter.

Color schemes. I love the VF-1A on page 122, the one from SVF-56. It's painted in the JASDF dark blue-on-blue anti-landing craft scheme that some F-4EJs and all F-2A/Bs wear and looks great. I did a similar paint scheme on one of my VF-4 drawings a couple years ago. The cannon fodder VF-1A from Skull Squadron looked cool too, especially with the toned-down tail.

All in all, it was a neat book. It felt like they didn't have as much content to put in it, at least compared to the VF-19 Excalibur book (which is the high mark of the series so far). I would have liked to see less on the transformation and such and more time on the variants, such as the VT-1 and VE-1. There was a missed opportunity to tackle some of the surplus VF-1s too. Probably my least favorite book so far, but that's not to say it's bad at all.

As I read through Macross the First again yesterday, I couldn't help but feel bad for poor Hyperion. What did that moon ever do to them in the first place?

I also didn't know destroids could do moves like some of the ones Max did. They were certainly quite...impressive. But Kamjin definitely has a reason to warn Milia now, but he hasn't seen the blue fighter yet...

the side view of the vf2ja appears In the ova number 2 or 3.

Oh, I know. I took a screencap of that scene for that exact purpose a couple years ago. Unfortunately it's not the most lineart-accurate side view ever. (The woes of traditionally-drawn and, especially in Macross II's case, cheap animation) I'll draw it myself sometime.

Line art request please:

If anyone may know of or has already done the VF-4 Boosters/Possible Super parts?

All I ever found was this sketch.

I actually did those a few years ago, back during my first round of VF-4 work. It's not very good, so I plan on starting over with my new VF-4 sometime. Actually, the top, bare, plane in that sketch is the main reason I'm doing the center fuselage, since it would be visible without the default rockets and beam cannons mounted.

Will you be adding the VF-2JA Icarus to your chart as well please?

Fighter mode length 15.8 meters

Oh yes, but of course. Just have to draw the side view from scratch....which will take some time. The VF-2JA is already long-planned.

Got my copy too, not a bad volume at all.

Macross the First was epic, as always. Max makes one hell of a destroid pilot. I actually got worried about the Prometheus there for awhile, what with

The VF-1J poster/calendar that came with it is awesome. I love how they melded the DYRL and TV schemes together into a very modern look.

The Plus adaption is worthless. If you're going to do an adaption of an old OVA like that, at least give it new material like Macross the First, or provide decent mechanical art. Ugly!

More details later, I'm looking through the GM book now.

Yeah, well, they brought the non-clear head thingy back in Frontier. But at least they stuck the eye-tracker in there...at least they're visible in the NUNS flight suit lineart.

Yeah, I know.

It wasn't one of the main characters using it (Isamu and Gamlin respectively), so I didn't mention it with the other.

Funny you should ask about the shoulder pads. They are a design element of the flightsuit that I'm not a big fan of, but I've thought a lot about why they have them. None of it's been officially stated, so we are left to our own conclusions.

You can see the pads used as lighting in DYRL, when Hikaru and Minmay are in the bowels of the ship. It would be sensible for a spacesuit to have something like that to aid in SAR efforts. The flightsuit from FB2012 (Seto can fill in the names for me, I don't have them with me at the moment, I'm typing on a phone), has them too, but restricted to a single band over the shoulder, without the massive pads. Why the Zero flightsuit has them, on the other hand, I would guess it is purely aesthetics. The whole "Macross look".

One of the neat things about Macross the First is that the deck gang working on the Prometheus is shown with a new spacesuit that incorporates the glowing bits all over, for visibility on the flightdeck.

I kind of like the touch of the Macross Plus and 7 helmet taking the annoying pointed part on top and making it transparent.

Gah! When is this book being released??? The publisher's homepage says 12.22, others still read 12.25. Now January release is appearing on HMV?!?!

A couple of other sites are consistent, albiet with a new date: 12.28. @.@

/annoyed/

According to HMV, my copy shipped... (have to figure out how to use EMS tracking. They gave me a number)

Also, the 12/28 date has been on a few sites for most of the month already.

That's an interesting way of saying he's a very, very good character artist (as in - he's got an excellent diversity of characters and even portrays the unsettling personalities realistically).

I thought the RGM book was out longer. Even the "newer" MSM-03 Gogg book has been out for a good month or so.

I think you're thinking about the Gakken Mook one. http://www.amazon.co.jp/MOBILE-SUIT-RGM%E2%80%9079%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A0-%E5%8F%8C%E8%91%89%E7%A4%BEMOOK-%E5%8F%8C%E8%91%89%E7%A4%BE%E3%83%A0%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF/dp/4575464511/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1293336212&sr=8-2 The Gogg book is in this series.

I got that too, early this year. The one I'm talking about is this, which came out a few months ago. http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%82%AB%E3%82%A4%E3%83%96-%E3%82%B8%E3%83%A0-MASTER-ARCHIVE-MOBILESUIT-RGM-79GM/dp/4797359048/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293336212&sr=8-1 Same group that publishes Master Files.

Well, he DOES have an interest in teenage girls, and he's easily three times more obnoxious than the rest of the cast...so, yeah...the resemblance is definitely there.

Don't forget the sunglasses!

Funnily enough, both the new episodes of Macross the First and Ecole du Ciel were mostly mecha. Maybe that's how he's managing both series at the same time...

(That said, it looks like Ecole is building to a climax...so maybe it'll be over in a few months...)

That just reminds me that I need to catch up on Ecole.

Huh...I saw the GM book at the bookstore today...I didn't realize it was new.

According to Amazon.jp, it came out in September. I will probably start a thread on it when I get it in the mail unless you grab a copy and do it first. Looks to be interesting.

You know who the blond guy is, right?

And...quite frankly...I don't think Mikimoto is doing the mecha art. I think that's something his assistants are covering.

He's quite obviously a Char. (Yes, I know who he really is, but still...)

I wouldn't be surprised if his assistants were doing the mecha art. He probably does the same thing in École du Ciel.

My copy of Macross Ace #007 (and Master Archive MS RGM-79 GM and Master File VF-1 vol 2) are in the mail and should get here on Monday. Good week.

like i said, the a$$hat was talking for a moment... anyway, that was your cue for insight, Talos. I b*tched, you corrected. (That's &^%$ing Team work!)

It's what I do.

Okay, skipping over the VF-0 debate, I have to thank Mr March for his awesome lineart, yet again, and note how self-serving I am, always doing my yellow-on-grey scheme.

Looks good, Schizo!

Did some work on the VF-11 the past couple days. Mostly cleaned up the forward fuselage and started adding detailing. I also started blocking out the changes for the VF-11D two-seater. Not the Custom Jamming Birds one yet, the regular one. I incorporated the .51m forward fuselage stretch and started shaping the two canopies. They're still very early and rough, so expect changes.

In the scant couple dozen of Vf-0 air frames, probably only 1 or 2 were made. if not for the canards on the engine intake nacelles of the VF-0D (stupid grebble to add to the design imho), then any of the airframes could be made into a Deltawing. The removal of the tailerons on the 0D is even dumber since, in real world terms as a example, the FA-18's tail is filled with fuel too. in a gas guzzler like the 0 series, id keep the tailerons (one less thing to have to remove during any mod between swing-wing & deltawing)...

of course im just talking out of my a$$hat. :/

Umm, no...

While the VF-0 series has tailerons, you seem to be thinking of the vertical tail, which is sometimes filled with fuel. The taileron in the VF-0 is the trailing (rear) edge of the wing, the movable surfaces there. The VF-0C/D has larger ones then the VF-0A/S first of all. Second, the VF-0D does have vertical tail surfaces where the VF-0A/S do, just smaller and shaped differently. The delta wing is the difference, and would have room for a lot more internal fuel then the wings on the VF-0A/S. It also has enlarged ventral fins (on the bottom of the plane), and the addition of large surfaces out on the wingtips too. Much more room for fuel... The other main difference besides the forward fuselage, wing, tail, and ventral fins, is the head, which is a completely different unit.

I haven't watched Zero in a while, but I think I remember seeing 3 VF-0Ds on screen at one time.

anyone has schematics of the vf 0d specially of the wings and could confirm if the vf 0d of one pilot its official or is a custom?

This help any? http://www.macrossworld.com/macross/models/hasegawa/hasevf0d/Has_VF0D_Ins_7.jpg

By single-seater, you must mean the VF-0C. Hasegawa made a model of that a couple years ago. It never appeared in the anime, it is just them adding the single-seat model sprue in with the delta wing. They did the same thing with the VF-0B, adding the two-seat forward fuselage with the regular wing body. It was in a Bandai toy recently (1/250th scale), so who knows.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii87/desyeo03/MISC%20II/VF-0C_1-72_Delta2_VMFAT203_dec2008_.jpg

The only three VF-0s to show up in the anime are the VF-0A, VF-0D, and VF-0S.

YF-19 updates. It's almost finished, just need to finish the wing, intake, and clean up a few spots and it should be good to go.

Apparently it's being released on or after Dec. 24.

Nevertheless, we gots piccies of the cover:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%B4%E3%82%A1%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%83%96%E3%83%AB%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB-VF-1%E3%83%90%E3%83%AB%E3%82%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC-%E5%AE%87%E5%AE%99%E3%81%AE%E7%BF%BC-VF-1%E3%83%90%E3%83%AB%E3%82%AD%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC-Vol-2-GA-Graphic%E7%B7%A8%E9%9B%86%E9%83%A8/dp/4797356944

Very nice looking cover! The other preview pics were pretty nice too.

Hmm, according to Amazon, the new date is 12/28.

It happens in Macross on occasion. The VF-1xRs spring to mind. (VF-1AR, JR, SR) Besides, I know it's not technically an official designation, but don't forget the F-16CJs.

VF-19EF fighter is a dead ringer for Cyclonus. So far I like what I see of the YF-29 in fighter. Still need to see it in all modes and in color before I pass final judgement.

No, no, no, it's definitely this.

I'm not liking it so far, but I'll explain in more detail after I sit down and go over the design in depth again.

I've to agree with Seto on this, sketchley, the image that you provide has two ventral holes and two flash-lights/beacons in both wings, like the M3's VF-X-4 line art

It's also missing the canards. The entire nose shape is that of a VF-X-4. Now how it got the VF-X-7's beam turret is the real question...

Yeah, it does... and I think I might know why. Earlier tonight, I was having a chat with Talos about the VF-171 and how it looks like it should be more than just .02m longer than the VF-17.

More like "I was having a chat with Talos about the VF-171 and how the entire plane was scaled down because Kawamori is the Hory Froating Head and it must be 2cm longer." Took you a bit to come around to my "mistake or typo" camp.

Oh., I would say it should be significantly longer than that.

Graham

I'm working on a VF-171 side view after getting the 1/250 for the 171 and EX yesterday, which led to the discussion after I was researching the two planes. As the TIA:M+ side view has slightly long feet/nozzles, if I keep those, I can probably wedge in the VF-171 nose in about a meter longer length (I would be shortening the VF-171's feet to anime length if I did that). Otherwise, it will probably be a bit longer then that.

Is the VF-2SS really that tiny?

Graham

Yeah, it is. Seto calculated it out for me a while back and came up with the size I'm using there, 13.505m. 2.3m longer then where I have the VF-9, based on info from Mr. March.

The VF-0D is fine. All valk gunpods are gatling guns---if the firing location is the "top" barrel of the gunpod like would make sense for its mounting location, that's the "bottom" of the pod's barrels in fighter mode---and is clear of the head laser.

Actually, I think the laser's actually clear of any barrel position--though far too close for comfort for the closest one if the plane's diving...

True, very true. I had forgotten about that. It's what I get for posting after midnight. Comparing the head to the VF-0B box art painting, the panel line closet to the top of the head should be closer to the kink in the intake. A little shallower then the side view.

Talos, are you certain of the size of the VF-0D's head camera module? not only does it seem huge compared to the VF-0A, but it's size also makes its beam barrel directly in line with the line-of-fire from the GU-9 gunpod. I thought the 0D's camera was basically a variant of the 0A's?

That's an unmodified copy of the Hasegawa VF-0D model kit's side view. Trust me, I've thought the same about the gunpod. I can only assume that the beam barrel raises up when the gunpod fires. When i get around to going back to the VF-0s and modding them to increase detail and such, I'll definitely take a look at the head. A quick glance at the wonderful VF-0B box art seems to show that the head is too deep.

Thanks for pointing that out!

Repost from another thread.

Since I got the 1/250 toy this morning, I decided to start something I've wanted to do for ages, draw the central fuselage of the VF-4 so I can do some of the modular weapons configurations (removed rocket boosters, gatling guns for CAS, etc). It's still rough and undetailed. I need to refine the shapes before I start putting detail work in, but you can get the idea.