Talos

Its a Japanese cartoon "mang", legal age of consent is what 13? Mylene is old news for Basara by age 14.

It's a lot different now, the laws have been updated and many prefectures have much higher ages of consent.

Does it look any different than Hakuna's?

I presume it looks a lot like a normal VF-1, without the cut down tails, the enlarged dorsal strakes, the boosters built into the leg packs, and the additional thrusters on the nose and wing gloves.

Well I mean for "normal" VF-1, Hakuna Aoba's doesn't count since it's heavily customized for racing!

Well, there is the normal VF-1X++ it's based on, supposedly an updated VF-1X made decades after production ended for special forces use, as I recall, with vastly updated technology. Something about them blending in since there are so many VF-1s out there.

As for the pre-91 aircraft, I wonder if things like the Dragon and Sea Sergeant were reserved for ships like the Prometheus. We saw conventional aircraft operating off a normal carrier, while the Asuka II got OTM fighters and destroids in addition to Seahawks and Vikings. Whenever I see the Asuka II name, though, I can't help but think it was from the JMSDF originally. The Asuka is a JMSDF electronics test ship, so it would fit for the Asuka II to be their OTM test ship they donated to the UN.

Yes! That is one of the brilliant things about Frontier. It literally referenced pretty much the entire Macross universe prior to it. Wasn't it released on the 25th anniversary of Macross too? A nice THANK YOU to the fans.

Yes, it was. 25th fleet, VF-25. It was even broadcast at 25:25 on TBS (1:25 the day before, according to those crazy Japanese TV schedules).

Yeah but it seems like the Megaroad-01 stuff came after he was already back into Macross.

I don't really see the big deal anyway. The ultimate fate of the Megaroad-01 is never stated on screen to my knowledge so unless you're digging it's even less of an issue.

One-line cover ups and teh lame

Frontier did have two little references to it, at least. One being Megaroad-01's course in the first episode, ending abruptly, the other being Bilrar's motivations for the entire operation...

TOO SOON! TOO SOON!!

Looks like Master File VF-19 and VF-1 Wings of Space (vol 2) are coming next...

Verdammt! You're right. Shows you how long it's been since I studied German. I think I got overzealous correcting people with Jäger and Kämpher (Gundam, obviously) and mentally connected that with the VF-22.

I think he's asking why is there an English dub on the Japanese DVDs, Keith.

Yes, there are lots of those in anime. In fact, the computer monitor in one of the Frontier episodes displayed a copy-paste from Adobe Lightroom or InDesign manual to stand in for a fictitious Cosmos Nature-article.

Heck, I should tell you about Stargazer Gundam being programmed with Javascript...

In the episode "Northern Cross", when Luca's on the Quarter's monitor, you can see text that includes the directories for Satelight's HIBIKI, who was a motion graphics guy on the show.

"RecentContentDir I:\HIBIKI_works\SAT\FGG\hibiki(it cuts off there)" It's from whatever 3D program they were using.

What I found most interesting is the appearance of Isamu Dyson. Still at Eden! Albeit retired. Great that the 2 Macross F movies (or at least their backstory) flesh out other parts of the Macross universe, too.

IIRC they even promoted him to Major before he retired and joined a certain other organization. He was chief test pilot for that program. At least one other was killed and another injured.

I understand if the vectors are in opposite directions, but if the vector is similar and the velocity is the same - wouldn't the VF have to accelerate faster or manuever to a different approach vector? Either way the use of thrusters would be a visual/thermal signature that could be detected thereby reducing or eliminating the stealthiness inherent in using kinetic penetrators?

Nah, let's say the target is a Zentradi destroyer. You fly out ahead of it at long range, out of it's sensor range, turn towards it, and fire two of them. They light up for a moment to build acceleration, then coast the rest of the way in totally silent, gutting the destroyer without a problem.

Zero friction means zero kinetic energy loss before impact.

I dunno... it just seems like they wanted to fill a page in the book with missiles and were pulling things out of their a$$. E.g.: the description contains mention of non-reaction warhead missiles, but there are none on the page. Instead we get... kinetic penetraters. Remind me how those work in the absence of gravity? [rhetorical question]

GU-11D: engine nacelle FAST pack magazine holder makes a lot of sense (like the VF-0). But alas, their newly created VF-1X/P specific FAST packs don't have them.

Kinetic penetrators work quite well in zero-g. Remember, a chip of paint at orbital velocity can tear through a spaceship like a hot knife through butter. Imagine what a boosted heavy-weight weapon would do

Though the stuff on tactics makes sense, the reason for the branching of the AMM-1 series into multiple types is baffling to me. Wouldn't it make more sense to continue making one missile for all purposes? It could be argued that there weren't enough resources at the time to do that, but then it begs the question: where did the resources for all the alternative guidance types come from?

It's probably a question of capability, I would argue. Would you rather have a pretty good dual-type seeker doing IIR and SARH modes, or two separate ones that are really good at each? There's only so much room in the seeker head of the missile to pack stuff in. The warheads are a pretty varied set, so it's difficult to meld in the best aspects of all of them together.

We might even argue that the AAM-1X is that ultimate balance of seeker head and warhead condensed into one general purpose type.

A bayonet on the GU-11D? Interesting. Very interesting. As for the magazines, if I was doing it I would have them in the leg-parts of the FAST packs.

Not crazy about the paint scheme, but it's nice to see a VF-11D model kit coming out, along with a Macross the Ride one. Interestingly (and probably appropriate for a race plane), it has the VF-11D kai modifications that the Jamming Birds' planes got.

Just a question: Are "Macross Ace" and "Macross The First" the same thing?

No, Macross the First is the serialized manga retelling of the original series. Macross Ace was the (now-cancelled) magazine it was serialized in.

Thanks

EDIT: due to that, google-foo resulted in this piece of clarifying awesomeness: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/navyserials.html

Glad I could help.

Yeah, that's a good site. I've used it as a source trying to track down the BuNos of a few specific aircraft before.

Anyhow, question for y'all: what does Bu. Number (or Bu.No.) mean? My google-foo isn't turning up anything close to describing what it is. Just giving the impression that it's a fighter's serial number. >.<

It means Bureau Number and is the Navy equivalent to serial numbers. They were called that because they were assigned to the plane from the US Navy Bureau of Aeronautics.

You're doing it wrong... you have to say my name three times, like in Beetlejuice.

Bah, I did it twice!

Sadly, there don't appear to be any plan views of the VF-2JA out there. I assure you that if there were, I would've made sure of their inclusion in the Macross Mecha Manual's Macross II coverage. It's a minor background mecha, so it doesn't really get much in the way of coverage... whereas the Valkyrie II has plan views both with and without its Super Armed Pack.

That's not /entirely/ true, there is one small snippet of one, a partial side view, mostly of the forward fuselage.

http://www.macross2.net/m3/macross2/vf-2ja/vf-2ja-transformation1.gif

Admittedly, some of the toys and models don't do a great job of matching the official information... my personal (least) favorite is the 1/250 collection's VF-2SS, which lists the fighter mode length as 15.2m, a figure that doesn't match the animation materials. That size comparison shows a fighter-mode length (w/ Super Armed Pack) of 14m on the nose... which jives with the official data. The line art shows the fighter itself is slightly shorter than the length with the SAP barrel, and computes out to 13.505m when you work from the size comparison. Macross Chronicle declines to list a size for it in the stats block on its mechanic sheet, but its own size comparison shows the Valkyrie II at about the same size as a VF-1. (Admittedly, Macross Chronicle's coverage of Macross II was spotty and inaccurate to say the least...)

Yeah, that's the number I used, 13.505m. Still bigger then the VF-9...

Thanks for the pics Talos, damn I never realized how small the VF-2SS is! It really is the sexy sports car of Valkyries!

Yeah, it totally is. I didn't believe it either when I scaled it to the numbers Seto provided, based on that top view valhary posted above. Like most sports cars, it's a rather wide design too. I might have emphasized the shortness of it by putting it next to the insanely-long SV-51 though...

grapetang, I'll see if I can get Seto Kaiba over here, he's the guy to go to for Macross II info, especially background stuff.

I dont remember where I found the pics (many years searching) and the size of the vf 2ja in 1/60 scale is bigger than the vf 2ss which is in turn very similar in size in the 3 modes to the vf 1 so I belive the 1/60 scale is very appropriate for good toy

In fighter mode the VF-2SS is actually quite a bit smaller then the VF-1 in length (but quite wide). I included a (still undetailed) side view in my size chart I've been working on.

Has a VF-11D that wasn't Jamming Birds ever been depicted?

No, but we know a few things about it based on the description of the mods for the Jamming Birds model. A basic, military VF-11D will have the smaller VF-11B/C canard and lack the additional VF-19-style verniers behind the cockpit, according to the Compendium.

sort of, The VF-X-7's head pops up vertically behind the cockpit so that it can act as a turret.

Yeah, I know. The details are different, but the installation is pretty much the same.

The turret's from the VF-X-7, if I remember.

Blows dust off topic.

Got around to translating the descriptions of the VF-1D, 1G and 1N.

Not much to get excited about, but I like that we get some hard data on the VEFR-1... er, VF-1G's radome's capabilities.

As much as I don't like the gross mis-assumptions and bold errors present in the VFMF:VF-19 and VF-25 books, I think the 2 VFMF:VF-1 books have quite a bit more relevancy. Though, there are still the occasional oddities... such as the tendency to try and incorporate everything into a unified model progression; especially when previous sources deliberately didn't.

For example:

The VF-1G is so obviously the VEFR-1. Why the name change? Especially with VFMF:VF-1 stating that only a few were made?

Why the VF-1N? Especially because the description confusingly includes the previously published J+ and S+? Why not continue to refer to it as the Half-S VF-1 update?

At least the VF-1D is unchanged, and it's praiseworthy for actually providing a logical reason why it is only seen at the start of SDFM, and never again.

Good work on those, sketchley.

Just some quick comments for now, I'll add more later when I get the time.

The VF-1G, it's probably renamed because, as you put it, they wanted a more unified system. I like the detail about it being able to use single or two-seat forward fuselages. The VEFR-1 line art shows it with a VF-1D forward fuselage and a plain chest plate.

VF-1N, the name was probably chosen in reference to the McDD F-4N Phantom, which was an update of the earlier Navy F-4B to include new engines and wing mods. I would have rather liked to have seen the VF-1B (Half-S) myself. When I did some VF-1 profile drawings, I used a (Master File block designations) block 13-14 VF-1 with a VF-1S head as a stand-in for the VF-1B, so it has the new panel arrangements, tail, ventral fins, and flat-panel antennas. On an unrelated note, I also did a block 17 VF-1A, using the MF VF-1X/P nose blisters to represent the improved sensors listed in the block 17 description. The J+, S+ (and A+ with a theoretical D+ as well) were just the Block-6 onwards VF-1s anyway, any with the DYRL cockpit, as I recall.

Now for the VF-1D....I hate it when sources write off the VF-1D like that. I think it was in the Macross II/DYRL background info that listed weak engines as the reason for the unpopularity of it, which is an awful reason (especially if they have the same engines as a VF-1A!). It always reminded me more of the two-seat combat capable planes like the B/D models of the F-15, F-16, and F-18 in addition to training duties, while the VT-1 normally is more unarmed and like the Hawk trainers. Two different functions.

I don't have too much to add to this. The VF-4 was one of my first Macross profile works, so I've gone back to the TIA Macross Plus Movie Edition version, which I like better, proportionally, and tweaking the shape and details to better fit the original design. I've updated it since then, but this is the newest one I had on hand. I've since done a new cockpit interior, moved the forward fuselage missiles back some, and started tweaking the tail shape, since I intend to do both the original swept one as well as the TIA straighter one. I also intend to do the VF-4xL versions, with lacked arms, and draw the boosters and alternate weapons pods, so I had to draw the inner wing areas (still unfinished here).

I can't really comment on the battroid mode that much, but if there's any help I can offer in the fighter mode, I'm more then happy to comment. So much more left for me to do to finish my line art...