Hey everyone, been a while since I've been back here, but since the announcement of Macross Frontier, I couldn't help myself to revisit this forum.
Anyways, if this series takes place 80 years after Macross 7, then why would VF-17s still be used? Unless I got the years wrong...but I'm a bit disappointed to see we're not getting any VF-22 or VF-19 love. Considering how popular they were in M+ and M7, they really should've given a better treatment than merely having their designs incorporated into the retro-looking (IMO) VF-25. Look wise, it almost looks like a step back.
Judging from the energy surging between the parts during transformers, it would appear that certain parts of the VF actually completely separate from the plane itself temporarily, which is necessary for the electro magnetism (or whatever it's using) to keep it close by for reattachment.
And yes, I'm disappointed that SK chose CG animation again over 2D animation. The CG in M0 lacked the life and artistic feeling that M+ provided. If they could've used Full Metal Panic-styled 2D animation for the battles, that would've been more than modern enough.