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Master Dex

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  1. Master Dex
    I hear ya buddy. Same story.
  2. Master Dex
    I've seen it rationalized as a mix of all those things. The boobytrap did damage various systems to the point where that accident was a result, but I've also read that part of it was folding close to a gravity well which is considered dangerous. More than likely when I heard that the crew's inexperience with the fold system was partly to blame, what was really being said was that because they don't know a lot about the technology yet that means they didn't know to anticipate that the boobytrap may have damaged the system and made it very bad to fold so close to ground. Perhaps normally it might not be as dangerous if the system was undamaged (though I'd still avoid it, the spatial distortion would rip up anything nearby, which is basically what happened. The ship taking South Ataria with it may not be part of the accident ultimately and just a mistake they made being so low).
  3. Master Dex
    I wish I could, but I heard about it too recently to have planned any leave for that. Not that I could have anyway, your friendly neighborhood engineering graduate turned AF jet engine mechanic here has actually been posting from his 'luxury' military deployment in Afghanistan for the past couple months. I won't be stateside again until sometime in November. But I would totally love to meet some of the people here someday at a future con though (I already got plans for being at the Creation Star Trek convention in Vegas next August though if any of you are also Trekkies, heh).
  4. Master Dex
    The fold speakers? They're probably just made to handle it like the rest of the valkyrie. I mean.. a normal aircraft profile isn't exactly efficient for re-entry, the wings especially would tear off in a normal situation at those speeds.. so I attribute almost all of it to the durability and thermal resistance of the hypercarbon.
  5. Master Dex
    Folding in atmospheres is a really bad idea. Besides we've seen at least once that folding close to a gravity well can have unpredictable side effects (though part of that was inept handling by a crew that barely understood the technology at the time). Still ghost is on the right track, folding may or may not transfer for previous momentum but it likely does not automatically put you at the right speed you need on exit so you need to use conventional engines to match orbits. Like he said, planets are also moving, and air around them moves too.. if you fold out while orbiting a planet, at orbital velocity, and fold into an atmosphere where things typically don't move that fast you are gonna have a bad time. The rapid wall of air slamming into you will superheat rapidly and you will cause shock waves that could decimate locals areas. Actually, there is an example of this in Macross 7. In the movie, Basara folds in to a planet close to ground and his valkyrie is immediately sent into a tumble as it crashes into the ground and forcibly ejects him from the cockpit (cause Basara is too cool to wear safety gear). He only survives due to the cushioning of snow. To wit the locals who find him right after even yell at him for being stupid enough to fold in so close to the ground. This says it is known that it is a dangerous thing to do even on a small farming world. As I focused on spacecraft design more than anything in my schooling orbital mechanics is something of an enjoyment for me to think about too. Ghost is again right, you don't need orbital speeds to leave the atmosphere. Fly straight up for 100 km on Earth and you are 'officially' in space. Keep it up to about 500 km and you are past the point of any notable atmospheric effects. Problem is you are not in orbit and you will eventually fall back down unless you are constantly thrusting against gravity. Still this topic started on re-entry I believe? We know that valkyrie hypercarbon frames (and likely the older space metal frames of first and second generation VFs) are really resilient and can probably handle the heat stresses just fine. After all, we see it a lot. Perhaps for an added kick of protection since the engines don't need to be thrusting during an aerobreaking maneuver they could instead go full power to ECA even in fighter mode just until you reach the thermometric and barometric equilibrium in an atmosphere (read: you slow down enough within the air pressure to stop super heating). Also the 4th and 5th gen VFs also have pin point barriers but I suspect that isn't really necessary. We know older generations were able to make planet fall long before that was common technology on VFs.
  6. Master Dex
    Well the real world reasoning is sloppy writing of course and because Kawamori needed the VF-25 to be the hero valk for the hero characters of SMS. If NUNS had it then it wouldn't be special anymore. The fact that he couldn't give a better reason than it being under testing is the proof of the sloppy writing. The in universe explanation is what alludes us. The idea of there being an issue in a contract or a political blockage that caused thing to happen as they did is not that unrealistic though give how such things can get in the real world when it comes to defense contracts. I'd be willing to accept it as an excuse but I'd like SK or anyone involved in the show to say something of the nature basically just to fill in the discrepancy. As for experience with engines, I suppose I count for that. I was merely just using my knowledge of how engineering design process works to come to that conclusion earlier. That being said, I also work as a jet engine mechanic so I do have first hand knowledge in that respect, heh.
  7. Master Dex
    I can't really say whether or not there was an issue with the engine or not because there is nothing to suggest that. Like you said, it is a wild guess. Still, comparing it to the VF-31A is kind of pointless as there is basically no relation between them except that they are both children of the YF-24 design family (actually if you think about it the VF-31 is a grandchild since it is derived further from the YF-24 via the YF-30). The thing is that or the date the 31 was made does not make it inherently better than the 25. It is just a different take from a different local fleet/planet/cluster on the same basic design (well.. the simplified basic design). The VF-31A is not required to be better or more advanced than the VF-25, just at least comparable so no one has to ask the engineering design team why they couldn't design something as good as another fleet. That being said, same engine aside, I think the 31A does have some advantages to the 25, among them looking much sexier, lol. I was merely just making a point, not saying the 31 isn't better necessarily. All about design needs, roles, and mission requirements. VF-25 was made to fight Vajra, which it did well enough. VF-31 probably could, but that's not what it is meant to do. So really that the VF-31A uses that same engine, to me as an engineer, that tells me less that the engine had any issues than it says that that particular engine fit the requirements in the RFP (Request for Proposal) in both fighters when the Frontier and Brisingr NUNS originally put in to have them designed. In another way, the fact that the same engine works well for both designs is more of a testament to how well the engine works. So I think I'm going to go ahead and take the stance that there was no issue with the VF-25 engine. Explaining then why Frontier NUNS still didn't go ahead and produce VF-25s instead of retrofitting the VF-171s might be a far more complicated thing though than any single explanation. For all we know it could be a matter of politics. Maybe some idiot in the Frontier government agreed to a clause in the SMS VF-25 testing contract that as long as SMS was testing the fighter NUNS couldn't move ahead to produce them. Though that would just open up the question of why they didn't repo them like Seto said to void out that contract, or even why the wartime agreement didn't nullify that. Like said, whatever the reason is, it is going to have to be pretty complicated.
  8. Master Dex
    True, not like they are hurting for production facilities or capability. Macross 7 fleet could build a whole new Battle 7 in about a year, and they seemed to never run out of VF-11s despite them getting blown up so much the stock footage started making sense. We know not all the pilots could handle 17s and 19s so that is why 7 didn't produce them en masse probably (like you said, the 19 was hard to fly basically for the average pilot). But in Frontier, the 25 was going to be the main line fighter... and it was something average pilots could use with basic training (I mean.. Alto figured it out and he was just a flight student, and Hayate got the hang of a 31 despite having no flight experience). Frontier is also way more massive and built up than 7, so... they could afford to make a bunch of VF-25As at least to give to the NUNS forces. At least you could argue the various Brisingr worlds might not be able to afford churning out VF-31s on their own right away... since they seemed a bit less capable somehow.
  9. Master Dex
    Good points, no argument here. I certainly do remember the NUNS kicking some ass here and there, such as the ever popular Machida punch in Frontier (which I consider the spiritual successor to 'Gamlin Kick!' lol). But like you note, there is too much focus on PMCs and in reality PMCs are not that great really (which makes Xaos somewhat more realistic than SMS, heh). SDFM had only its main forces so of course they were the heroes so really the best comparison is Macross 7 where the military was both heroes and punching bags. You had some real pros and aces with Diamond Force and Emerald Force, not to mention sometimes Max and Milia got in there, plus it was made clear the first time Battle 7 transforms and fires its cannon, at 80% charge, that it can still wipe out most of an attacking fleet with ease. Really the only reason they seemed to be doing bad is because the VF-11Cs were being held together by string apparently. However they were an older model, much like the VF-171 in the later shows, so I guess it is kind of the same thing. Those VF-11 pilots aren't incompetent, they just can't match the Varuta fighters (which as far as I can gather, despite being based on the Gen 3 VF-14, are upgraded beyond that level somehow). Luckily the military also had more limited stock of VF-17Ds, VF-19s, and a few VF-22s. Not even mentioning Sound Force because they didn't really fight of course. So if anything, the problem with NUNS representation is that they've given up all of their good stuff to local PMCs just to save money on testing and maybe skirt some safety regulations, heh. My only guess why they didn't repo the VF-25s was because of the contract clause where SMS was basically rolled into NUNS command once the war started. So even though NUNS pilots weren't using them, they still had control over their deployment (while still legally being able to ignore casualties, heh).
  10. Master Dex
    Was reading up on this recently about how the Battle class ships are actually 6 ships put together (including the cannon) and can all separate and operate independently. That is a really cool detail... except we've never seen it done. It seems almost an afterthought, and except for the cannon it isn't really obvious. I wonder why decide that if nothing is ever going to be shown of it. This kind of leads me back to the thought that I want a next series or OVA to be once again more focused on the NUNS (colony or Federal, but I'd love to see the modern day Federal forces) where they aren't just the low skilled screw ups the past two shows have implied them to be (or, conversely, all evil and corrupt). I get Kawamori seems to have developed a love affair with PMCs because it is easier for him to the kind of hero characters he wants there than in a proper military organization... but I still want better representation on that side.
  11. Master Dex
    It might be though, we know he is an avid surfer.
  12. Master Dex

    Bandai DX VF-31

    Master Dex replied to UN Spacy's topic in Toys

    I want to go for Messer's if only for the color and the head.. I wanted Keith but my internet went out the day of the PO. On the other hand.. eventually the 31A will happen... that realistic color scheme looks soooo good on it... and I like the YF-30 style delta wings more (though I do have a YF-30 at least).
  13. Master Dex
    Oh of course not, I never meant to imply Kawamori developed the idea of that at all. I'm a hardcore Trekkie too, but the idea of any inertial damping, cancelling, or buffering is definitely way older than even that. All I was saying is that the specific term ISC likely started with Frontier, and certainly wasn't in Gundam first.
  14. Master Dex
    We've never seen it transform, nor is there any art for it that I am aware of, but the name was given in background materials for the Sv-262 (either in the model kits or on the blu-rays).
  15. Master Dex
    While amusing it is worth noting the ISC first appeared in Macross Frontier, which aired in 2008. IBO first aired in 2015. So unless the ISC has a mention in any older Gundam shows, especially any predating Frontier, it is more like they got the idea from Kawamori, heh.
  16. Master Dex
    You know the 104 as you refer to it has an actual in-universe designation now right? It's the Sv-154.
  17. Master Dex
    I wouldn't go that far even. The VF-25 isn't the poster child of the 5th generation of VFs, it is just the poster child for Frontier fleet's 5th generation VFs. Generation 5 VFs all stem from one design, the YF-24. Also, all emigrant fleet designs are based on a reduced spec version of the 24 design (aka monkey model). This is because the Federal NUNS version of the YF-24, and as we often speculate the VF-24 as a result, is way higher spec. It can be estimated that the YF-29 is the only emigrant fleet design that might get close to matching the Federal YF/VF-24 specs, except that the YF-29 is way to expensive to produce (whereas Federal NUNS has nearly unlimited resources). So if anything, the YF-29 is one of the most representative VFs of the 5th Generation. That being said, specs and power aren't necessarily what make a generation. A lot of it also has to do with design methodology, mission parameters, and perhaps more importantly when the design was created. In many ways the levels of progress are steady and marking designs by generation is just an arbitrary thing people like to do to classify them. YF-24 was seen as a new generation due to having quite a fair bit of capability and versatility beyond the mascots of the 4th generation (the VF-19 and 22), but really it is because it was developed later with newer ideas, technology, needs, and knowledge learned from the former designs. To give another perspective on that, the VF-171 is a newer and more recent design than the VF-19, but both are Gen 4, and no one would say the VF-171 is as good or better than the 19. It exists because it is more versatile and less expensive than the 19, which is what was needed at the time. It also uses more modern technology than the VF-17 used (which itself was originally a Gen 3 design, but the 17D is often considered on par with Gen 4) which is what makes it a Gen 4. Similarly, to the original point, that kind of thing is why the YF-29 and VF-25 are definitively both Generation 5.
  18. Master Dex
    YF-29 is still 5th generation btw, as it is descended from the YF-24 design. There is no in-universe 6th generation VF yet.
  19. Master Dex
    I know the stats say that but on M3 you and March admit it might be a mistake and bothered to call it out. I mean look at it, it has the same hip pieces as the 25. The mold looks like it has the guns too. It seems silly to assume that isn't supposed to be there and that the head guns are projectile in contravention to every other design. I prefer to assume it has the weapons as the 25 does personally.
  20. Master Dex
    If the stabilizers are removable, I haven't tried it, so I am not entirely sure. They look like they could be though. The ordinance container can indeed be detached from the arm. The only real use for this is that it might help in transformation (though it doesn't really get in the way either).
  21. Master Dex
    Such a thing is probably inevitable, but likely not before Shinsei or another NUNS funded company has already made something better, or invented the 6th generation fighter or something. Federal NUNS at least is going to stay well ahead of anything for sure.
  22. Master Dex
    The YF-29 also has head cannons in addition to the hip cannons you mentioned, it's gunpod is likely more powerful than the Drakken's is, has a ka-bar in addition to the bayonet, and it's turret is optimized to fire MDE rounds. Counting the Lil Drakkens though is like counting super parts though. To wit, you did mention the YF-29 super parts which basically are just extra missile and fuel containers since it already has the 4 engines. So I'll give you that. Either way, the 29 has more on the subject of weapons though. EDIT: I realized after posting I mentioned the bayonet, which is only applicable to the YF-29B. I typically think of that one though because I own the DX and prefer it to the Alto or other versions. I know the others don't have a bayonet though. The rest of what I said is still valid however.
  23. Master Dex
    Well yeah, but I was going for a simpler answer. I felt it went without saying that YF-29 having 4 engines meant its overall output beat the Sv-262. I didn't mention the YF-30 simply because it was not mentioned in the original question, but true enough that it too is of equal footing with the YF-29 (despite only having two engines) and likely better than the Sv-262. Of course, and this should have been stated before too, engine performance isn't all that matters, just an important part. Armament, maneuverability, defensive systems, etc are all important as well. YF-29 still takes a lot of advantage here over the Sv-262 I think (especially in armament, lol). Sv-262 is no slouch though.
  24. Master Dex
    Well I was going to join in pre-order madness for this but... it was at 11:30am my time and normally I'd have wifi at work I could use to do this.. but of course today or all days the wifi was not working properly and I couldn't load any web pages. I probably wouldn't have gotten it anyway.. but now I'll never know.
  25. Master Dex
    In order, from what I know: I highly doubt it tops the YF-29 since the latter has more engines and was purposefully over designed. Plus it has a fold wave system which is better than the 262s reheat system I'd bet. The 262 is better in that it doesn't break the bank to produce en masse. I doubt it is the strongest, even if it matched the 29, I bet it doesn't match a federal YF/VF-24 which has undisclosed stats believed to be way higher than other 5th gen VFs. It can fold by using a fold booster, riding with a ship or traveling through a fold gate produced by Sigur Valens as seen in the show. It does not have any form of fold drive of its own.
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