Macross Mecha Manual

[yellowlightman]

Got a chance to look the site over a bit more, and I'm really impressed. Content-focused websites like this are always great. The coloring is simple and attractive, really suits the line art well. I'll be looking forward to forthcoming sections.

Great work, guys.

[mister_e]

I really love the site. It's very well put together. Like others have said, the coloring is simple yet very attractive.

Most of all, I really enjoyed the additional line art such as the inside-cockpit views. Also, it was very cool to see the enemy mecha stuff. I don't have any of the Macross art books, so it's really awesome to see this stuff.

If you don't mind a bit of constructive criticism, I think pics of the DYRL Super VF-1A "Brown" aka Cannon Fodder are a bit off.

The things I noticed that are incorrect:

• Arrow on head
• Black stripe across chest
• Black stripes on arms and legs in battroid mode
• Black stripe along fuselage and on wings in fighter mode
• Shoulders should be all white with red arrows
• Skull & crossbones on heatshield/FAST packs

Thanks again for all your hard work.

[Mr March]

As others have said, nice work! I'm liking the site...and ironically enough...reading all the profiles and such for the mecha has me wanting to watch some Macross right now. I'll have to wait till next week unfortunately to do some watching.

I dunno if you want to explain what GERWALK and FAST stand for in your profiles or not.... I guess that'd depend on your targeted audience. Other than that, awesome work. I'm looking forward to seeing more (even some Macross II!!! ).

briscojr84 and myself have discussed a glossary for the website, so we'll most likely just do that. Though I'm loathe to describe that awfuly ugly GERWALK acronym

*shudder*

[Mr March]

EXO

Oh yes, more Macross sites are definitely a good thing IMO. I'm sure Egan'll see it eventually. He's around here so he'll notice.

kensei

I'm trying to keep it tight in the descriptions to avoid any unecessarily long scrolling. But it is a valid criticism. We pride ourselves on a simple, user-friendly interface, so I'm glad fans are finding it useful.

yellowlightman

It was important to make the art look as much like the animation as possible, since that's what most fans love the most. Please come back and see more in the months ahead!

mister e

Rare art was something I really wanted to share with the fans and your response means my effort is working. I suspected a lot of Macross fans may not have access to these rare books so may have missed out on a lot of this line art. There's more to be sure, but the goal is to give technical insight and not just post page per page scans. Presentation counts for a lot

The Super VF-1A Cannon Fodder is just the same line art as the others, so it features the stripes and symbols of the character versions. I honestly did not notice if the list of details were missing from the CF in the very short scene in DYRL?. Maybe if I'm feeling energetic, I'll redraw the art, but for now it'll have to stay put

Thanks for visiting and appreciating the work. It means a lot.

[vf1_soulja]

Very nice work! I've bookmarked it for reference/favorites!

[wldr]

Nice work Mr. March. You have done an excellent job with your site so far. I will be sure to check it out from time to time to watch it progress!

[jigahus]

Wow awesome job! Hope you continue to add to the site. I'm looking forward to seeing more!

[T.V.]

Nice! I dub thee March' All The World Macross Combat Mecha.

*bookmarked*

There are some teething problems, but others have pointed them out already.

The only thing I have to add is that you might want to space certain portions of text a bit, so that it doesn't become a wall of text.

Adding som space between the specifications and paragraphing descriptions more destinctly would be welcome, for example.

[Mr March]

Okay, I'm getting a little concerned here. This is the second time someone has mentioned spacing and paragraphs and I'm afraid I'm not seeing the problem being described to me. On my computer, the spacing is fine and the paragraphs are seperated by one line of space each, making them easily distinguishable from each other.

As I test, I dropped down my computer resolution from 1280x1024 to 1024x768 and looked at the website. The spacing remains intact and the formatting looks good. It never becomes one, unspaced, breakless wall of text.

Am I not able to see a major formatting problem? I'm not sure what the error is. If you could post a screen shot of what you see, maybe that would help. Perhaps there's some formatting issues on different browsers I'm not aware of, or the site doesn't work at certain resolutions.

Just a little confused here.

Edited January 13, 2007 by Mr March

[SpacyAce2012]

Okay, I'm getting a little concerned here. This is the second time someone has mentioned spacing and paragraphs and I'm afraid I'm not seeing the problem being described to me. On my computer, the spacing is fine and the paragraphs are seperated by one line of space each, making them easily distinguishable from each other.

As I test, I dropped down my computer resolution from 1280x1024 to 1024x768 and looked at the website. The spacing remains intact and the formatting looks good. It never becomes one, unspaced, breakless wall of text.

Am I not able to see a major formatting problem? I'm not sure what the error is. If you could post a screen shot of what you see, maybe that would help. Perhaps there's some formatting issues on different browsers I'm not aware of, or the site doesn't work at certain resolutions.

Just a little confused here.

Everything looks good on my end, when visiting the site. The only oddball thing I see is the occasional question mark, in some words, where a letter should be.

[T.V.]

Just a little confused here.

The problem is mainly with the layout of the General and Technical Data sections.

For example, the technical data on the MAHQ profiles are a bit easier to read, because they're more vertically stacked (narrower colums), and use vertical spacing between detail groups (general data, dimensions and performance in various modes, etc.).

A solution might be to break the data up in several colums, instead of just one.

Also, would you be able to add 3-view schematics to your profiles?

Those would really enhance that Janes feel.

Besides, it is just useful for getting a more thorough indication of the layout and proportions, which images drawn in perspective often may not yield.

That's why Janes and other profile publications use them too.

I hope it helps you any bit.

Edited January 13, 2007 by T.V.

[Dante74]

Is the site down? Firefox can't find it.

[briscojr84]

Is the site down? Firefox can't find it.

Nope, sites up.

[Mr March]

The problem is mainly with the layout of the General and Technical Data sections.

For example, the technical data on the MAHQ profiles are a bit easier to read, because they're more vertically stacked (narrower colums), and use vertical spacing between detail groups (general data, dimensions and performance in various modes, etc.).

A solution might be to break the data up in several colums, instead of just one.

Also, would you be able to add 3-view schematics to your profiles?

Those would really enhance that Janes feel.

Besides, it is just useful for getting a more thorough indication of the layout and proportions, which images drawn in perspective often may not yield.

That's why Janes and other profile publications use them too.

I hope it helps you any bit.

Okay, are you talking about lines of space between "headers"? Is that the word you're looking for? Let me run an example just using the message board here and see if this is what you mean...

Example

Northrom VF-1A Valkyrie

-line of space-

*header* General and Technical Data *header*

-line of space-

Equipment Type: all-environment variable fighter and tactical combat battroid

Government: U.N. Spacy, U.N. Navy, U.N. Space Air Force

Manufacturer: Northrom

et cetera...

-line of space-

*header* Technical and Historical Notes *header*

-line of space-

After the crash-landing of the Alien Space Ship-One in July 1999, it is revealed the alien crew was a race of giants, some five times the size of a human

et cetera...

So, is that what you mean by spacing? You want a line of space where I've indicated to seperate the "sections" not the paragraphs. Am I getting this right?

On to your next points, no I will not be formatting the M3 like the MAHQ. I really don't like the narrow columns on the MAHQ nor having the pictures and text all on one column. On resolutions 1024x768 or higher, most of the browser window is empty space and I don't like that, especially for users like myself that run at 1280 or higher. ALso, many of the pages require too much vertical scrolling, so I'm keeping both columns intact to limit that.

Lastly, the two columns are setup for a reason. One column is for art, the other is for text. I think so far most entries are working out brilliantly using the two-column setup and feature a minimum of vertical scrolling.

I'll consider the line spacing, but the format is definitely staying put for now. It's the most efficient way to get the most of any given profile on a single screen without looking messy and I think the site works from as low a resolution as 800x600.

Edited January 13, 2007 by Mr March

[Zinjo]

Considering the content of the site, is it safe to assume it is a Macross Mecha site "according to Studio Nue" not "Big West"?

You may wish to mention that on the front page...

It doesn't appear to me that most Japanese fans seem to care about such a differentiation.

Edited January 15, 2007 by Zinjo

[JB0]

On to your next points, no I will not be formatting the M3 like the MAHQ. I really don't like the narrow columns on the MAHQ nor having the pictures and text all on one column. On resolutions 1024x768 or higher, most of the browser window is empty space and I don't like that, especially for users like myself that run at 1280 or higher. ALso, many of the pages require too much vertical scrolling, so I'm keeping both columns intact to limit that.

Lastly, the two columns are setup for a reason. One column is for art, the other is for text. I think so far most entries are working out brilliantly using the two-column setup and feature a minimum of vertical scrolling.

I'll consider the line spacing, but the format is definitely staying put for now. It's the most efficient way to get the most of any given profile on a single screen without looking messy and I think the site works from as low a resolution as 800x600.

I can confirm the site works nicely at 800*600, for the most part.

I've got 2 screens, and the second maxes at that res. It's also the better one for browser usage, resolution aside(I don't use the browser maximized on the other display anyways, so the actual resolution loss is mostly vertical).

The only issue is that the header bar breaks in 2 at that res.

[attachmentid=39575]

Anyone using an 800-pixel-wide browser window is used to horizontal scrolling(of which there isn't much), and the layout is good.

I have to agree that a blank line between sections would be nice, but it's hardly killing the site.

[T.V.]

Oh, I didn't mean to imply I'd like you to change it into the MAHQ format, Mr. March.

I've got no problem with the left side being for the drawings and the right side for the text.

What I wanted to suggest, was breaking up the "General and Technical Data" colum up into several colums that are either vertically and/or horizontally stacked on the right side of the page.

For the vertical stacking it's more like adding a line of blank space between the size, the performance data and design features subsections.

For the rest I have no issues with it and it looks every part of becoming the definite online Macross mecha database.

[Mr March]

Considering the content of the site, is it safe to assume it is a Macross Mecha site "according to Studio Nue" not "Big West"?

You may wish to mention that on the front page...

It doesn't appear to me that most Japanese fans seem to care about such a differentiation.

I'd like to think of myself as a pretty hardcore Macross fan, but I'm not really sure I know the difference between "Macross according to Studio Nue" versus "Macross ala Big West." Is it something to do with the official explanations that I've created or the whole SDF vs. DYRL? thing?

As for japanese fans, I doubt I'm going to get all that many japanese visitors. Probably just a lot of image pilferers taking my stuff for their own japanese language sites, which thankfully I won't see

[azrael]

Dead link on index page:

http://www.un-spacy-qmtdb.com/Index.htm

*snip*

Anyone using an 800-pixel-wide browser window is used to horizontal scrolling(of which there isn't much), and the layout is good.

I have to agree that a blank line between sections would be nice, but it's hardly killing the site.

Perhaps the best thing to do is to compact the table down to a width of 800. I'm running 1680x1050 (widescreen) and 1280x1024 (at work) so I hardly notice any formatting problems.

A horizontal line to separate the subsections of the technical data would help readability (or just a blank line).

[Mr March]

I can confirm the site works nicely at 800*600, for the most part.

I've got 2 screens, and the second maxes at that res. It's also the better one for browser usage, resolution aside(I don't use the browser maximized on the other display anyways, so the actual resolution loss is mostly vertical).

The only issue is that the header bar breaks in 2 at that res.

[attachmentid=39575]

Anyone using an 800-pixel-wide browser window is used to horizontal scrolling(of which there isn't much), and the layout is good.

I have to agree that a blank line between sections would be nice, but it's hardly killing the site.

We'll see what we can do about the header bar. Doesn't appear to be a big problem. But to be honest, I'm really not concerned how the website will look at 800x600. By now, everyone should be running at 1024 or higher. Even my parents piece of junk is running at 1024x768. I also think the number of users running at higher end resolutions is more now than in the past and should be a bigger consideration than concern for really low end resolutions.

As far as space, yes, I can see that perhaps a few lines might look a little different/better. I suppose it's whatever is preferable. Since several people like the idea of a bit more spacing, I'll go ahead and add a line of spacing inbetween sections. If it looks good, it'll be a simple matter to upgrade the old stuff.

[Mr March]

Oh, I didn't mean to imply I'd like you to change it into the MAHQ format, Mr. March.

I've got no problem with the left side being for the drawings and the right side for the text.

What I wanted to suggest, was breaking up the "General and Technical Data" colum up into several colums that are either vertically and/or horizontally stacked on the right side of the page.

For the vertical stacking it's more like adding a line of blank space between the size, the performance data and design features subsections.

I'll go about doing a line of space between sections, but we won't be formatting further within the sections. Thanks for the feedback.

[Mr March]

Dead link on index page:

The index page is loading fine for me.

[Zinjo]

I'd like to think of myself as a pretty hardcore Macross fan, but I'm not really sure I know the difference between "Macross according to Studio Nue" versus "Macross ala Big West." Is it something to do with the official explanations that I've created or the whole SDF vs. DYRL? thing?

Big West recognizes all the "Macross" productions, including Mac II (ala the "Official Macross Website" includes Macross II), Studio Nue doesn't recognize "Macross II". That is what I am refering to.

[Mr March]

Big West recognizes all the "Macross" productions, including Mac II (ala the "Official Macross Website" includes Macross II), Studio Nue doesn't recognize "Macross II". That is what I am refering to.

Oh, that. It's a good question, so I hope you don't mind if I take a little extra time to answer your question and provide some clarification for anyone interested.

Telling it straight out, there is really no policy for the M3 aside from personal preference. In other words, the Macross mecha I like are the Macross mecha that will be included on the website. That's pretty much it. This is no doubt a controversial position, but keep in mind that there is just one person doing this: me. Though briscojr84 has provided most of the raw scans, I do scanning work myself, I clean ALL the scans, seperate/organize/resize all the pictures, color each picture, and I write each profile. It's no small amount of work and honestly I just don't have the time to do everything. So priorities need to be set and stuff like Macross 7 and Macross II are simply low-priority items...which is a nice way of saying I'm really not interested in them and won't be doing them.

Also, there is the not-at-all-small issue of source material. In order to get these large pictures looking as good as they do, it's necessary to obtain very high resolution scans of the line art in lossless file formats like .tiffs or .pngs. That means 99.99% of the line art on the internet is utterly uselss because A) it's way too damned small and B) nearly all the line art online is in lousy .jpeg formats (which are brutal on line art). So basically, the only option is to scan source material, save it in lossless files like .tiffs, and then work on them in Photoshop CS until such time as they are ready to be re-sized down to 800 and saved as gifs. This also means I'm dependant upon Macross books that I, and others assisting me, own. Right now, I have very little Macross 7 reference, nothing for Macross II and I'm not at all inclined to obtain anything for either. I figure there are more than enough Macross fans that if someone really wants colored line art for M7/MII included on the M3, I can provide primers on how to do the coloring (which is really simple) and they can do the work. MacrossWorld members like grebo guru are a perfect example of a fan who obviously loves Macross 7/Macross II mecha and could submit profiles for the website if he was so inclined.

Now, having said all that (*breathes*), there are "special projects" both in the works and on the horizon. Certain mecha from outside the shows I've chosen will find an entry on the M3 in a special features section. I don't want to be more specific because I really don't want to spoil what is going to be a very pleasant surprise for many different types of fans. Also, the odd mecha from Macross 7 may find it's way onto the M3 just because it's cool and I like it (which, I'm sad to say, will be a rare occurance). Something like the VF-11 Protect Armor or the VF-22 Sturmvogel are two of the only M7 mecha I like, so it's very likely I'm going to be working on those myself. Lastly, some M7/MII mecha might find their way onto a size comparison chart. There are numerous concepts I have for size comparison charts and as long as I can obtain the images I want for these charts, it's possible something like the Battle 7 or Macross Cannon may be included.

Well, I hope that helps you and anyone else curious about the direction of the new site.

Edited January 15, 2007 by Mr March

[scott8539]

thanks mr march,there is a lot of info i've not seen before.needed the vf-1s eye detail and there it was.

[azrael]

The index page is loading fine for me.

Okay, found it.

From here:

http://www.un-spacy-qmtdb.com/SDF%20Macros...ss%20Index.html

The link at the top for Index goes to the the one I posted above which is a 404.

I'm guessing it should go here: http://www.un-spacy-qmtdb.com/M3.html

or here: http://www.un-spacy-qmtdb.com/

[JB0]

We'll see what we can do about the header bar. Doesn't appear to be a big problem. But to be honest, I'm really not concerned how the website will look at 800x600. By now, everyone should be running at 1024 or higher. Even my parents piece of junk is running at 1024x768. I also think the number of users running at higher end resolutions is more now than in the past and should be a bigger consideration than concern for really low end resolutions.

Yeah... my other monitor runs at 1152*864. It can run higher, but it's too small to be useful at higher resolutions in my current setup.

But my 800*600 screen is huge!

If I were designing a site, I'd place 800*600 support towards the bottom of the list too.

I just thought I'd mention it as long as I was there(I didn't even notice it the first few times I looked).

[briscojr84]

Okay, found it.

From here:

http://www.un-spacy-qmtdb.com/SDF%20Macros...ss%20Index.html

The link at the top for Index goes to the the one I posted above which is a 404.

I'm guessing it should go here: http://www.un-spacy-qmtdb.com/M3.html

or here: http://www.un-spacy-qmtdb.com/

The link bars won't be totally functional until towards the end of the SDFM and DYRL sections being complete, at the moment the subsidiary index pages may change file name, so until those sections are more complete the navigation bar will be completed, and will also include, previous and next selections.

[Zinjo]

Well, I hope that helps you and anyone else curious about the direction of the new site.

I respect your honesty and your work.

I have no issues with you creating your website focusing on the designs you appreciate the most.

My only point is that to avoid any mis-understandings, it may be prudent to make a brief statement that the site is a personal project, not necessarily a definitive resource for Macross Mecha.

Something to consider...

[Mr March]

I respect your honesty and your work.

I have no issues with you creating your website focusing on the designs you appreciate the most.

My only point is that to avoid any mis-understandings, it may be prudent to make a brief statement that the site is a personal project, not necessarily a definitive resource for Macross Mecha.

Something to consider...

Does the opening not explicitly state that the site is focused on the five shows mentioned? I think it's pretty clear. Besides, given the intensity of fan opinion, I certainly don't want to turn away any fans by making some blatant anti-M7/MII statement, especially since that isn't my position on the site anyway. The official response is, I will be including some small amount of M7/MII material, I will host any submissions for entries I can't/have little interest in and anything is possible from there. The M3 isn't some official site or defacto resource (though I do appreciate fans who think the quality of my work is certainly worthy of that honor), it's just an attemtp to do good by Macross mecha, something that's lacking on the internet. But I can't do it all myself, so limits need to be set. That's all.

[Zinjo]

Does the opening not explicitly state that the site is focused on the five shows mentioned? I think it's pretty clear.

Doh!

My bad, I missed that when I first saw the site.

Edited January 16, 2007 by Zinjo

[Knight26]

A couple issues I am having, nothing major at this point:

1) Millia's COMPRESSOR STRIPE: Do you have evidence from the animation, or any other medium that the COMPRESSOR STRIPE is painted blue? If not making it blue seems to be a mistake, and then saying it is because of her marriage to max seems doubly so. Those stripes are on every western aircraft out there, though now they are typically toned down. Usually they are painted to show the location of the turbine blades inside the planes engine to warn crews to stand clear in case the turbine fail, though in Macross they seem to be located up near the compressor blades, possibly due to the lighter structure up there being more prone to failure and lack of containment of those blade as compared to the beefier aft leg and turbines. Also if you look all the valkyries do/should have them, though most seem to have them subdued to some degree.

2) Prometheus Mecha Bays: Are you sure that the picture that you have labelled as the Big P's mecha bay is suppossed to be on the P? I do not ever recall seeing Monster's in the P, but there are two or three in the Big D. I just don't see how the P has that much internal hanger space, as oppossed to the D which has that massive canvern for the destroids.

3) DYRL SDF-1: You might just want to put in a single line that the version seen in the movie is the post 2012 refit version of the ship that the UN SPACY allowed for use in the filming of DYRL.

[Mr March]

A couple issues I am having, nothing major at this point:

1) Millia's COMPRESSOR STRIPE: Do you have evidence from the animation, or any other medium that the COMPRESSOR STRIPE is painted blue? If not making it blue seems to be a mistake, and then saying it is because of her marriage to max seems doubly so. Those stripes are on every western aircraft out there, though now they are typically toned down. Usually they are painted to show the location of the turbine blades inside the planes engine to warn crews to stand clear in case the turbine fail, though in Macross they seem to be located up near the compressor blades, possibly due to the lighter structure up there being more prone to failure and lack of containment of those blade as compared to the beefier aft leg and turbines. Also if you look all the valkyries do/should have them, though most seem to have them subdued to some degree.

2) Prometheus Mecha Bays: Are you sure that the picture that you have labelled as the Big P's mecha bay is suppossed to be on the P? I do not ever recall seeing Monster's in the P, but there are two or three in the Big D. I just don't see how the P has that much internal hanger space, as oppossed to the D which has that massive canvern for the destroids.

3) DYRL SDF-1: You might just want to put in a single line that the version seen in the movie is the post 2012 refit version of the ship that the UN SPACY allowed for use in the filming of DYRL.

1) All the colors schemes are created using stills from the anime (non-AnimeFriend episodes, whenever possible). So yes, the colors are official. The description states specifically that the link is just subtle and suggestive and is by no means official trivia.

2) Yes, those are bays from the Prometheus, taken from the prometheus line art page in Macross Perfect Memory.

3) The M3 is trying it's hardest to avoid the continuity errors and questionable official explanations given to reconcile SDFM to DYRL to the Macross sequels. So no explanatory statements regarding SDFM vs. DYRL will be made.

So glad you've no major issues at this point.

[sketchley]

Pg 149? Bottom left?

ダイドロス　デストロイド　格ç´åº«ã€€= Daedalus Destroid Hanger.

Note the similarity with ダイドロス　デストロイド　格ç´åº« (1) on pg 148, 1st picture on the right, just above the CV-101 title.

Edited January 18, 2007 by sketchley

[Mr March]

That is damn bizzare. Every picture on page 149 is for the Prometheus *except* that one, single drawing. Messed up. One of the hazards of working with japanese source material. I'll make a note and get it corrected.