hobbes221

Or they were running low on gunpods with a combat loads and he got one of the ones loaded with cheap aluminum cored training rounds

We do see the RVF in the first All That VF, so it just depends on if you take that as canon (and it seems that a fair amount of people here do) but it's up to you. It looks to me to have an aerodynamic shape so I don't think that it would much worse than the drag that comes from the wings, granted that the ELINT fin will not generate any lift. And it might also help to balance out the weight from the radome on the top. Still with all the extras hanging off of the airframe it must take some roll rate and the like away.

I do agree that velocity is important but the mass of the round does count for sometime as well. if I can keep using the 5.56mm and .458 SOCOM rounds as examples, the 5.56 round leaves the gun at around 3,000 feet per second while the .458 round gets going at about 2,000 fps - yet the .458 hits with almost 3,000 foot pounds of energy when the 5.56 has only 1,300 foot pounds. As I am not quite sure (are any of us?) as to how the energy converting armor system of the VF's works maybe more mass is needed to overcome the armor than a lighter, faster round. - not saying that I'm right and you're wrong just tossing out a different idea. I would love to have some hard info on the cannons of the Valkyries, we only got some solid data for the GU-11 as far as I can remember. I do a far amount of shooting myself and can say that the higher the velocity does not mean the more powerful the round will be, it comes down to how well that energy is transferred to the target. So we really need to know more info as I said, but it sure is fun thinking of what it could be in the mean time.

If you want sometime to compare it to RW check out what rounds have been made to work with the AR-15/M-16s. In the pic there are, from left to right- 5.56x45mm NATO, .458 SOCOM, .50 Beowulf and .499 LWR. the last three are designed to give a huge punch when compared to 5.56 round but the trade off is mainly in range (without looking it up IIRC these round are limited to about 200 meters) and magazine count (about 10 rounds in the space that 30 5.56mm would take up) So maybe in the Macross world they feel that close in stopping power is more important that range as edwin3060 says. And the range becomes less of a problem in space without drag to effect the rounds. -can we please take this to the tech thread, I don't want an vakay from an admin

The VF-28 looks great. And no given that the -25 and -27 both have edged weapons I don't have any problem with it at all. Looking at the tech of Macross I don't think that beam sabers and the like are too far out there so run with it.

Outstanding work man! Great update and love the test and evaluation schemes. I'm looking forward to what ever you have next.

I think I need more info on the 'linear actuators' I thought that they were more of the replacement of today's hydraulic systems. I think that anime52k8 is right in that they still have hinge points and the like. And I'm fairly sure that we have seen hardpoints on the wings, at least there looks to be that big one on the wing glove - look at this line art in the upper right and see what you think - If they use hardpoints for the wings I don't see them using something totally different for the gunpod, but that's me

Off topic but I'm not following that. The F-18 can't carry an AIM-54 because IIRC it does not have the support systems built in to do so, and as far as I know that the radar is not set up to work work with the missile ether. The Hornet can pack Mk.82, 2000lbs bombs and the AIM-54 clocks in at just over a thousand. Also the missile does not light on the rail, ( it's not even on a rail IIRC) it drops free and then lights the motor, so a F-18 should be able to carry an AIM-54 as long as the mounting lugs match up. Can it pack a GPU-5/A? - Don't think that it would be a good idea. - info from Wiki I do agree in that the VF-25 seems to have a fair amount of hardpoints for mounting gun pods. I could think of a few reasons for being able to do so, first of in battroid mode with a gun on each leg, one in each hand and a another on an arm mount a single -25 could resupply four other -25s in combat and still have a cannon for itself. Two, it allows the VF to have a greater chance of keeping the gun (again in battroid) and not just tossing the thing away, we saw this early in Frontier when Alto mounted the gun on the leg and quickly pulled the knife in combat over the ocean. I'm sure there could be other reasons as well but it's late, I have to go and I'm just not a fan of thinking that the gun pod could be mounted anywhere like velcro

Someone posted this - somewhere I don't remember where but this is the best I have hope it works for you. (man this seems to be all I'm doing today is posting pics for people, you guys are lucky that some of us save a bunch stuff )

It was posted awhile back and like a packrat I saved it on my HD so here you go.

I'm with everyone else here - it is great, that's the only thing I can say. Oh, that and thanks for sharing!

Man those MACROSS SHIPS are huge! Wait, that was what we were talking about right always love seeing things from sci-fi put to scale with things that are easy for me to relate to. I mean I know how big they are but the pics are nice, thanks.

Great! Thanks a lot guys! Now I have the image of a VF-171 taxing around on deck like a lowrider suck in my head

Looks good, a top view would be great.

I can post these pics, hope they help.

Great designs once again! Man I have been waiting for an update on this and you did not disappoint in the least. Can't wait to see what you have next.

I kinda figured it might come to that point, I was just covering the bases what with things like the ICS of the -25. I think its safe to say that a VF won't be shooting itself in the nose anytime soon.

I'm with the others in thinking that there might be a limiter built into the flight control system as a safe guard, something along the lines if the pilot is pulling the trigger then the VF cannot pitch down at a rate that would cause the rounds to hit the airframe. And it would real hard to do it in the first place due to the speeds involved as well.

I like the whole illuminated cable idea, and on the solid vs broken lines, there could different settings for things like navigation or how much mass is on the line. And if I was towing something in a combat zone I would want the lowest setting I could have if you couldn't override the lights outright, you know not having a big lit up line leading right back to me would be a good thing in my book.

As for the 'minor changes' to the VF-25, it's only for the -25S. The cow's head changes to what it should have been all along - the good old Jolly Rogers!

VE-3/RVA-3? have to say it looks great, and I'm not the biggest fan of the VA-3 in the first place. Can't wait to see more.

That pic is great! But one question, is Nanase doing a 'Dyson Flight Plan' with her hand, or is she slapping her rear?

That one line, by that person, they had hair in that episode, you know the one that things happened in, of that series, that one that had that ending. ...well I guess you would have to had been there, but it was great

Oh I've been meaning to post these pics. As you have listed that the VF is a two-seater like the VF-25 I think that this design for the canopy would work great with what you have already. And it would allow for the mid-air rescues that are always going on in the Macross world -edit- if anyone is wondering it's an EADS Mako

Sweet! Thanks man, that makes my day I foresee a great many paint schemes for your new bird.