1st Border Red Devil

i'm with Roger on this one though, that does sound like too much wishful thinking

Its not wishful thinking because I know that Tommy Yune wouldn't think that way because its from Southern Cross. He may like to claim otherwise, but he has never gone out of his way not to hose the middle chapter of Robotech. I guarantee that any new iteration of The Sentinels that he would be at the helm of would have every trace of Southern Cross influence removed because 'thats The Army of the Southern Cross's gear, not the REF's', eventhough its rather explicitly stated in the series scripts that The Army of the Southern Cross is the ground combat command of the REF and there is more than enough visual evidence showing the numerous pieces of gear the ASC use in Robotech as being part of the REF arsenal.

i for one wouldn't want HG anywhere near my designs. knowing how they do things, they're likely to sue me for a completely original design,

while they claim it's part or derivative of their dubious IP.

Considering the Shadow Dancer Cyclone made it into the Invasion videogame, which was a design from the old Protoculture Addicts fanzine when it was still solely about Robotech, I think you're mistaken.

i'd prefer approaching Hasbro/TakaTomy instead. however unlikely, there's a better future there.

::sighs::

You don't get it, as usual. The only people that will have ANY say in a future for the Southern Cross designs are Harmony Gold and Tatsunoko. Given the ambivalence of the Japanese towards the series, any new iteration would have to come from Harmony Gold.

So what you're saying is that you'll just hand over the work that you and Greg Lane did on your variable fighter design to Harmony Gold for free? So that they in turn can hand it over to a movie studio, who will then use the design in the movie and license toys, models, etc. based on it? And that both of you will promise never to ask for one cent? That's awfully generous.

Which they own the copyright for to begin with. They could just as easily sue my ass into oblivion since my 'work' is a derivative of their IP.

Harmony Gold already has access to a totally uncontested variable fighter design, but its unlikely they will use it: the Sylphide. Sure, its from Southern Cross, but it g&ddamn sure isn't going to attract a herd of lawyers threatening to sue them for its use. Its Battloid Mode would look sufficiently enough like that of a VF-1, while its Guardian Mode would resemble that of the Alpha, thus making it the perfect springboard. All it requires is thinking outside the box, because the arms form the bottom nacelles while the legs form the top (the back half of the mecha would do a 180 degree flip when transitioning from Fighter to either Guardian or Battloid).

VF_7_Sylphide__03_.BMP

VF_7_Sylphide__07_.BMP

VF_7_Sylphide__08_.BMP

VF_7_Sylphide__09_.BMP

VF_7_Sylphide__12_.BMP

Its from this book:

and the Auroran did appear in all its 3 modes.

Sorry, but you are mistaken. The Auroran never appeared in the series outside of its Crusader (Fighter) and CosmoSniper (Battloid) modes. It would likely have been seen in the Cross Fighter mode (Helicopter) had the series continued to its '2nd season', somewhere between eps. 24 and 36. The only thing that exists for the Auroran's Cross Fighter is lineart from This is Animation Special #10 (that I am aware of), though there is probably some wireframe lineart of it somewhere.

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - Arthur C. Clarke, a visionary science fiction writer who won worldwide acclaim with more than 100 books on space, science and the future, died Wednesday in his adopted home of Sri Lanka, an aide said. He was 90.

Clarke, who had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome since the 1960s and sometimes used a wheelchair, died at 1:30 a.m. after suffering breathing problems, aide Rohan De Silva said.

I loved 2010: Oddysey 2 as well as The Songs of Distant Earth. He will be greatly missed.

AP Article (Yahoo News)

It just occured to me a short while ago that there is no visible means of ingress or egress for the pilot of the 'Super Condor'. There is no canopy, no means of visual detection. It would be like flying a submarine, something I doubt you could get very many pilots to want to do. Also, the leg, chest and upper arm assembly's are different from that of the Condor. Sort of like how the Shadow Drone is different from the Shadow Fighter. So, why wouldn't it make sense for Mars Base to deploy a Drone version of their Condor? They had to know they could never reach parity with the Invid in terms of numbers unless they had AI-controlled mecha.

Godspeed, Col_Pladoh.

I have some interesting Southern Cross concept art, but I'll look for more Mospeada.

Thanks for showing us that Jasonc. Some of those pics I've seen either in Animec, Out or My Anime magazines as well as the Mospeada Mecha Grafiti (I think the Satan Squadron one especially). I would certainly be interested in seeing more, especially any Southern Cross stuff ya might have. By the by, do you know if the stuff you have for SC is the early concept, when it was still Futuristic Feudal Japan in Space or stuff that was actually closer to the SC iteration we saw?

Here is the pic from the comic. Where it fits into mecha continuity, only Tommy Yune knows

I believe the Mospeada 'Destroids' are either supposed to completely replace The Sentinels upgraded Destroids (Excaliber, Gladiator, Little Monster, Catapult/Raider and Shark), or else supplant them in the TO&E of the UEEF. Basically, if the old Sentinels models survive the continuity hatchet, they will likely be pushed back in terms of development/deployment to about (if I had to guess) 2013/2014 and then phased out starting in 2031/2032 in favour of the Tiger, Boxer, Jaguar and Cougar.

They did in one of the Wildstorm comic books.

Not quite. Tommy put a pair of Tigers in the same frames as the Air Defense variant of the Spartas (which would make it not a Hovertank per se). The artwork for all 3 modes is available and they don't in any form resemble the completed Tiger. There is also the fact that even in Battloid mode, the variant Spartas is somewhere around 4m shorter than the Tiger. The Gladiator mode, with the dual tri-barreled beam cannons, would only be about 4m in height. That is a far cry from the Tiger.

Veritech_Self_Propelled_Artillery__03_.bmp

Thank you 1st Border. It doesn't look particularly variable but it's cool to see another design. I don't suppose you have a pic handy of the regular condor?

Note that there are wings on the back in the exact same position as those on the Legioss, as well as the forearm engines like those on the Armo-Soldier mode Legioss. This, of course, is apparently no longer proof to Tommy Yune that it can transform (no matter that the text of one or more of the OSM entries says the Condor can transform). Of course, it doesn't matter that he has changed his tune on this subject more than once, including in the Robotech: Invasion comic series.

From the old Robotech IRC chat, circa 2004 (courtesy of Craig Sapp/Rtsurfer)

<Tommy> btw, I'll post the cover of RT Invasion #4 this week - Condor action galore

<GIR_Writing> I'd like some close-quarters VHT combat

<Hover_Tanker> VHT!!!

<RyoFire> HT the condor is a destroid so be happy it's in there

<Hover_Tanker> Ryo, sorry, just trying to eek an existance out in the 'Great Flyboy Empire"

<Tommy> ryo - it's a transformable, but not enough room in story to take

advantage of the different modes

<GIR_Writing> can we expect to art of the modes on the site in the infopedia?

<DraQ> Tommy: so Condor is not a battloid, right? it's a full mode veritech fighter?

<Tommy> gir - actually yeah, I showed the guys who cam to January's signing sketches of the Condor's guardian mode

<RyoFire> oh great the condor issue

<Tommy> once these are cleaned up, we'll post the modes in the Infopedia

<ODIN> a condoor is a bird that lives in the mointains

* RyoFire rolls his eyes

Thats a speculative CGI rendering that Matt Willis did for the uRRG a few years back.

Where would we be without completely impractical, poorly-designed, variable vehicles?

Kinda like that 'completely impractical, poorly designed, variable vehicle' called the VB-6 König Monster? Every franchise has something someone else considers extraneous bs.

1) if you told me what the Super Condor was. Is it that thing in the bottom right hand corner of that line art page?

Yes. As for what it is, likely a space-optimized version of the Condor Armo-Fighter geared specifically for Attack. IE - Its not a Fighter per se (has no use as Air/Space Superiority or Interceptor etc).

2) if you provided a picture of what a Super Condor looks like in fighter mode

That would be the image just to the lower left of the Armo-Soldier mode. Failing that, here is Taichi's CGI version....

3) if you like, maybe drew some lines to show me what debris matches with which parts.

4) told me why it mattered if Tommy Yune recognized it or why Paladium, or any Mwer, should care.

Tommy Yune should recognize it so as to give the franchise more designs. That way, no need to poach on other series to get ideas. Plain and simple. No pissing off fans of other animes and maybe making Robotech fans happy with 'more stuff' to market.

Palladium should recognize it since they make their livelihood on role-playing games, specifically ones that add all sorts of stuff to the mix to satisfy their players' thirst for 'more gear'. Anyone who knows about Rifts will understand this sentiment.

As for MWers, there are some Mospeada fans here. Never know if they might like to learn something about a show they love that they didn't know before.

Very cool! Where does that line-art come from?

Animec, can't remember which issue.

Ok,

I've been having an argument with people at Palladium over the AS-C03 Condor. I say it transforms, just like the translated text says as well as the fact that it has wings that fold down just like the Legioss as well as having the Legioss forearm/engines. Why have that on a non-transformable battle mecha? I was searching my screen cap collection for something when I noticed (for the first time) that what I thought was a Condor had a really bizarre looking arm assembly. I checked my lineart and sure enough, not a Condor but a Super Condor! In living color and in one frame from Prelude to the Offensive. Hot damn, yet another transforming fighter!

You can tell its a Super by the chest and upper arm assemblies as well as the 3-shot missile pod.

Taichi's Super Condor CGI Page

A little back of the envelope scribbling for possible stats...

Armo-Soldier Mode

Height: 10m

Breadth: 6m

Depth: 6m

Fighter Mode

Height: 4m

Breadth: 6m

Length: 9m

Weapons Loadout

4 x tri-barreled 80mm beam cannons (2 mounted on each forearm)

3 x 3-shot 190mm Hammerhead Bins (1 set of reloads each) above the fuselage

24 x 190mm Hammerhead Short Range Missiles mounted in 6 leg launchers

1 x internal munitions bay

Now, if only Palladium can get Tommy Yune to recognize this and not ignore it

Or just leave it alone since putting more missiles on it would look stupid and not allow it to transform.

Actually, a pair of Python's replacing each Lightning cluster bomb bin wouldn't inhibit transformation, since the bins are about 1+/- meter longer than Pythons (which are about 2m in length).

As for mounting additional under the fuselage, it would be the same as mounting them on the Logan where you reserve them for Strike missions. They have to be expended (naturally) to transform from Fighter to Battloid, just like the Logan. Presumably, you could also mount an additional pair on each wing, bring you to either 12 or 14 (depending on how many you think can be mounted under the fuselage). For Anti-Capital Ship duty, thats not a bad deal. Of course, its unlikely that many missiles could be mounted on the frame for intra-atmospheric operations of any kind except Helicopter mode.

::shrugs::

Edit: You could also replace the two Lightning medium range missile bins with Hammerhead 190mm short range missiles bins. There is some precedent for missiles like these as we see an Ajax (not likely to have been Marie) use a non cluster bomb missile to take out a Scout Bioroid (Mid Generation Type I) in Clone Chamber (Iron Lady).

WTF is up with that photoshopped Auroran? It only has two missile launchers.

I think it was something Ken Olson came up with a number of years ago to give the Ajax more punch in combat. Personally, if you're gonna Photoshop it to change the armament, I would rather see Python or Cobra missiles on the hardpoints and under the fuselage.

Is there any lineart out there showing how the ride armor is supposed to transform?

Courtesy of Cyclone/Adam Kath

Of course, if there were to be eps 24 and more, the ending will not be like this, but why would we have Jeanne as the antagonist in season 2? She's our heroine~! Or maybe during the conflict with the newly arrived Liberte troops, she somehow managed to shake off her biohumanly controls just like Seifried, and then turn on the Zor. There were 3 Zor looking like older versions of Dess? Could they be the supreme commanders even superior to Dess? They can fill the role of the ultimate 'baddies' to beat.

Heh, when I talk about Jeanne being the antagonist, I'm not really talking about eps. 24 onwards, but a whole new series. Sort of if Southern Cross had been successful enough to have a sequel produced several years later.

As for the second season, I figured it would be mostly ground-based anyway. The Zor losing access to their nigh invincible City-ships would bring the war back down to the personal level, showing the remaining Southern Cross Army units trying to protect what remained of the civilian populace. The Zor, for their part, would have access to the ProtoZor again, but their command structure was mostly in tatters. Sort of evening out the odds.

sorry i couldn't remember many of the names , and the fansite (www.artemisgames.com) don't work now. Any other southern cross / mospeada fansites to recommend?

Zomasu, Zoisamu and Zoramu (?) are the names I'm somehow coming up with, but I think they (all or part) might be wrong.

Perhaps our resident "Southern Cross Army of One" can provide some answers. When I watched the DVD set over 4 years ago I had the impression that the long range result of what happened at the end was going to turn Jeanne and the rest of the humans of Gloria into Zor. Too bad the ending had to be rushed.

Myself, I think the poor colonists were doomed to either become Zor/BioHumans or die in the continued fighting. Basically, the destroyed civilization Jeanne hallucinated about would come to pass. I know Keith takes a different view, based on the ending song, since its more upbeat. However, I took that to be sort of regretful instead of upbeat. I know that several other Southern Cross fans I've talked with (Rob Morgenstern, Latell from Robotech.com) were all in agreement about feeling that the colonists were basically hosed at the end. A far more bleak outcome than its Robotech counterpart.

It would be nice to know for certain what the full series would have been like. You have to wonder exactly what preproduction items we've never seen before that would have appeared in the '2nd season' (eps. 24-36). Certainly the various Powered Armour and other Battle Robots that the Army of the Southern Cross used as well as the 2 unused Bioroids and what for all the world appears to be a Zor 'Frigate'-type fighter.

As a mental excercise, I always imagined a sequel would take place some 10 to 15 years later with an arriving force from Liberte to research what happened to their sister colony. They would find scattered human strongholds, but most of those come across would either be BioHumans or Zor. The main 'bad guy' mecha would be the Generation III Commander only seen in the opening credits (a yellow-khaki colour) piloted by none other than a BioHuman Jeanne! Basically, the force from Liberte would be contrived (somehow) to be stranded and have to deal with the hostiles as best as possible. There is also the fact that, cutting out the Mospeada stuff, it would sort of resemble the novelization form of Robotech II: The Sentinels with regards to the SDF-03 being stuck in orbit around Tirol and having to set down forces to deal with the ground-based situations. But thats neither here nor there (especially considering how much I disliked the Robotech novelizations)

*snap* "Catch you later" duuuude, Roy was the best in blue Thunder.

Heh, another great Scheider f&ck off and die line was 'So long, sport' from 52 Pick-Up.

Roy Scheider, a two-time Oscar nominee best known for his role as a police chief in the blockbuster movie "Jaws," died Sunday. He was 75.

Scheider died at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences hospital in Little Rock, hospital spokesman David Robinson said. The hospital did not release a cause of death.

However, hospital spokeswoman Leslie Taylor said Scheider had been treated for multiple myeloma at the hospital's Myeloma Institute for Research and Therapy for the past two years.

I will always remember him as Dr. Floyd from 2010: Odyssey Two.

Add to that, the fact that I'm an amateur paleontologist, and I get the feeling that I'd be hurling feces at the screen.

Heh, one reason friends wont go to movies like this with me anymore is because I'm somewhat similar. I couldn't sit throught that atrocity called Pathfinder because I've been studying (in my spare time) the Germanic warriors of The Migration Period. They threatened to do grievous harm to me following my unmerciful critiquing of The Two Towers (and I've only watched The Return of the King once....which was more than enough).

What about Southern Cross? It had a fair selection of capital ships didn't it

::points up the thread at his post::

Already taken care of.