The Newbie and Short Questions thread

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, JB0 said:

Question : do zentradi ships have anything analogous to catapults, or do their mechs just burn reaction mass to get moving towards their targets?

 

Probably should, but that's a really long drive.

And what if the next galaxy's got their own terminally-irresponsible previous residents? Or worse, teminally-irresponsible CURRENT residents!

 

Keep driving.

[sketchley]

2 hours ago, JB0 said:

Question : do zentradi ships have anything analogous to catapults, or do their mechs just burn reaction mass to get moving towards their targets?

 

Aside from the Power-Up Gurāji launcher Seto mentioned, we only get things like

"The Picket Ship is the smallest ship in the Zentrādi Forces, and it bears the burden of such things as supporting the other ships, and controlling the sorties of the Jināru Fighter Pods. It is furnished with a launch port in the center of the stern for vehicles such as the Jināru.

http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/Stats/Statistics/ZentraadiShips/ZentPicket.php

 

However, something described as the "Automated Resupply Craft" (aka: Refueling Tanker) appears in the lineart, and was animated as a background element in the 'medium-sized hangar' (in the episode where they break into Buritai's ship to rescue Misa just after her Cat's Eye is captured).

There is NOTHING written about it.  However, it implies a lot of things about Zentrādi mecha, launch and recover operations, and onboard fuel reserves, doesn't it?

The only pictures readily available on the internet: http://www.robotech-reference-guide.org/AircraftAux/zen_Tanker.html

[pengbuzz]

I get the feeling some of those ships used a gigantic rubber band and several troops to pull the pods back in it....

[aurance]

Do we have any background info on the Zentran language in DYRL? I always liked the sound of it.

[pengbuzz]

2 hours ago, aurance said:

Do we have any background info on the Zentran language in DYRL? I always liked the sound of it.

"Yack deculture!" lol

Seriously, I have no idea. But if anyone knows, either Sketchley or Seto Kaiba would. Maybe a few others here.

[Seto Kaiba]

3 hours ago, aurance said:

Do we have any background info on the Zentran language in DYRL? I always liked the sound of it.

There is a bit in the Macross Chronicle Zentradi world guide sheet, and a few older artbooks have glossaries of words used in the movie.

Not a lot said, tho... the written form of Zentradi is a symbol substitution for plain old English, albeit with some accent marks, and IIRC it's indicated to be a tonal language where the intonation can change the meaning of a word.  It's also said to be derived from the Protoculture's own language.

[RedWolf]

Though similar to Japanese language there is gender substitution. Rak for Yak in Meltran for example. Kinda like how men refer themselves as Ore while women as Atashi. 

[Invid99]

On 1/30/2022 at 7:17 AM, sketchley said:

Aside from the Power-Up Gurāji launcher Seto mentioned, we only get things like

"The Picket Ship is the smallest ship in the Zentrādi Forces, and it bears the burden of such things as supporting the other ships, and controlling the sorties of the Jināru Fighter Pods. It is furnished with a launch port in the center of the stern for vehicles such as the Jināru.

http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/Stats/Statistics/ZentraadiShips/ZentPicket.php

 

However, something described as the "Automated Resupply Craft" (aka: Refueling Tanker) appears in the lineart, and was animated as a background element in the 'medium-sized hangar' (in the episode where they break into Buritai's ship to rescue Misa just after her Cat's Eye is captured).

There is NOTHING written about it.  However, it implies a lot of things about Zentrādi mecha, launch and recover operations, and onboard fuel reserves, doesn't it?

The only pictures readily available on the internet: http://www.robotech-reference-guide.org/AircraftAux/zen_Tanker.html

Do you think the tanker has a slit cyclop eye like the Salvage Ship and Regult/Glaug pods? Because the concept drawing seems to suggest this. I took a screenshot of EP11 and doesn't seem like it. 

 

[sketchley]

10 minutes ago, Invid99 said:

Do you think the tanker has a slit cyclop eye like the Salvage Ship and Regult/Glaug pods? Because the concept drawing seems to suggest this. I took a screenshot of EP11 and doesn't seem like it.

Be careful with attributing too much into that concept drawing, as it was drawn years after a fact by someone not associated with the production in any way.  As skilled an artist as Matt Willis is, he's only extrapolated from what's seen on screen.

Here's the actual concept drawing from the production staff:

http://www.robotech-reference-guide.org/new.images/AircraftAux/hangar1.jpg

[Bolt]

55 minutes ago, sketchley said:

Be careful with attributing too much into that concept drawing, as it was drawn years after a fact by someone not associated with the production in any way.  As skilled an artist as Matt Willis is, he's only extrapolated from what's seen on screen.

Here's the actual concept drawing from the production staff:

http://www.robotech-reference-guide.org/new.images/AircraftAux/hangar1.jpg

Word.

BTW that is one of THE best Zentradi hangar line art drawings I've seen 👍🏼
 

[Seto Kaiba]

4 hours ago, Invid99 said:

Do you think the tanker has a slit cyclop eye like the Salvage Ship and Regult/Glaug pods? Because the concept drawing seems to suggest this. I took a screenshot of EP11 and doesn't seem like it. 

It's never not a bad decision to use materials created by fans of that other show when it comes to Macross, Southern Cross, or MOSPEADA.

It's a background design only, so details are basically nonexistent.

[Invid99]

5 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

It's never not a bad decision to use materials created by fans of that other show when it comes to Macross, Southern Cross, or MOSPEADA.

It's a background design only, so details are basically nonexistent.

Oh the art photo is fanmade? Then I guess we can go for the little we seen of the tanker ship from the episode First Contact. 

[sketchley]

10 hours ago, Bolt said:

Word.

BTW that is one of THE best Zentradi hangar line art drawings I've seen 👍🏼
 

Macross Chronicle describes it as a "medium-sized hangar" in Buritai's ship.  Makes one wonder what a "large" hangar looks like.  To put the scale in context, that hangar has at least 3 Reentry Pods AND 1 Kerukaria Reconnaissance Pod.  The "main" hangar in the Suvāru Saran Standard Battleship can carry a max of 4 Reentry Pods only!*

Anyhow, there's one more lineart picture of the hangar (middle picture in this link): http://www.robotech-reference-guide.org/new.images/AircraftAux/

Alas, it doesn't answer Invid99's question about the eye sensor (I double checked the Memory Perfect book, and while the image in the link is cropped vertically, it isn't horizontally... Miyatake-san neglected to add that detail, or ran out of space when he illustrated the image).

 

* Battleships Of The Galaxy Book 3: Zentrādi Military Vessels (Dojinshi)

Edited February 1, 2022 by sketchley

[Bolt]

I've been doing a lot of hangar studies for an upcoming diorama project. There isn't much of the SDF-1 Macross or Megaroad in terms of line art. Online. If you have any more links for such @sketchley , that would be most helpful !

[sketchley]

15 minutes ago, Bolt said:

I've been doing a lot of hangar studies for an upcoming diorama project. There isn't much of the SDF-1 Macross or Megaroad in terms of line art. Online. If you have any more links for such @sketchley , that would be most helpful !

There's really not that much available.  Those 2 images are more or less all that we got for Zentradi hangars.

As for the Megaroad, there is truly next to nothing.  There is literally only the 4 or 5 images, and they're all of the outside of the ship.

The SDF-1 is a bit more substantial, but, again, not much.

Have you seen March's Macross Mecha Manual?  There are a smattering of hangar illustrations and glimpses of hangars:

• http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/carrier-daedalus.htm
• http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/carrier-prometheus.htm
• http://www.macross2.net/m3/sdfmacross/macross.htm

 

[Bolt]

Yes. Thanks. I've taken to rewatching sdfm and DYRL for (scant) details . Thanks very much for those links !

Edit: I can't remember the name of those books that publish deck plans for various space faring vessels. Though it's fan based and not official, they could provide some insight. Especially considering mine will ultimately be fan based as well. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Bolt

[Seto Kaiba]

4 hours ago, Invid99 said:

Oh the art photo is fanmade? Then I guess we can go for the little we seen of the tanker ship from the episode First Contact. 

Yes, the fan art made by Matt Willis is very clearly not official... though when it comes to sources for that other series, even official material from the creators of Macross et. al. is often mislabeled, misrepresented, or grossly distorted.  Better by far to simply pretend any "resources" for that franchise don't exist.

 

19 minutes ago, Bolt said:

Edit: I can't remember the name of those books that publish deck plans for various space faring vessels. Though it's fan based and not official, they could provide some insight. Especially considering mine will ultimately be fan based as well. 

Battleships of the Galaxy, the doujinshi by Circle FANKY.

[Bolt]

Thanks 👍🏼

[sketchley]

8 hours ago, Bolt said:

Edit: I can't remember the name of those books that publish deck plans for various space faring vessels. Though it's fan based and not official, they could provide some insight. Especially considering mine will ultimately be fan based as well. 

Those Battleships of the Galaxy have next to no images of the interiors of the ships.  It's more an external view (usually the side) and a write up of the ship and some basic stats (length, weapons, mecha, crew, etc.)

This site has images of the covers and samples of the interior pages (the middle 3 books): https://www.doujinshi.org/search/simple/?T=circle&sn=FANKY

 

If you're looking for the internal layout of the ship decks, the only books I'm aware of are:

• Robotech RPG Book 3: Zentraedi: https://www.amazon.com/Zentraedi-Robotech-RPG-Book-3/dp/0916211223
• Macross II Deck Plans Volumes 1, 2, and 3: https://www.amazon.com/Macross-II-Spacecraft-Deck-Plans/dp/0916211665

Of those, the 3 Macross II books are the better choice.  Not only are they complete (the Zentraedi book doesn't have deck plans for the smallest 3 ships), they also include deck plans for the SDF-1 (DYRL ver.)

[Bolt]

Ok. Thanks for following up on that !

I don't need to waste more time looking up stuff that isn't useful. I'll dig into my old collection of rt rpg books. I was already considering those, as I'm quite desperate. Lol. 
Cheers !

[Bolt]

Here's a few noob questions.. So escort vessels for emigrant fleets and Megaroads obviously began kicking into production early on. This includes updated versions of the good ole ARMD and new carrier designs . These escort vessels also begin to include stealth carriers. When did stealth carriers come into production? It looks like they appear during or after the introduction of the YF-19 & YF-21. Were stealth carriers being user in conjunction with the VF-14 or VF-17 prior ?
Another question. What type of other carriers or escort vessels ( besides the ARMD) had reached early production or been online, at the time of the first Megaroad ? It's seems like just modified Zentradi ships and a handful of updated ARMD's are all that had been done , as of the first Megaroad launch. 
I'm trying to get a chronological picture of the history and evolution of Macross escort and long range vessels.

[Seto Kaiba]

26 minutes ago, Bolt said:

When did stealth carriers come into production? It looks like they appear during or after the introduction of the YF-19 & YF-21. Were stealth carriers being user in conjunction with the VF-14 or VF-17 prior ?

So... a firm date has not been given in official material.

The ARMD-class (TV type) and the ARMD II-class (Movie type) were the standard for quite some time after the First Space War, apparently throughout the 2010s and 2020s.  Some of the unofficial material - e.g. Master File - suggest that over two hundred ARMD-class were built in that period.  The Guantanamo-class Advanced ARMD's introduction seems to have been sometime in the late 2020s or very early 2030s given that its carrying capacity is often discussed in terms of the number of VF-11s it can carry and that the Macross 7 fleet used that as their standard type from their departure in 2038.  The Uraga-class escort battle carrier is noted to be newer, more expensive, and fewer in number as a result, though it seems to have also been introduced in that period given that it made up the other portion of the Macross 7 fleet's carriers.

 

26 minutes ago, Bolt said:

Another question. What type of other carriers or escort vessels ( besides the ARMD) had reached early production or been online, at the time of the first Megaroad ? It's seems like just modified Zentradi ships and a handful of updated ARMD's are all that had been done , as of the first Megaroad launch. 
I'm trying to get a chronological picture of the history and evolution of Macross escort and long range vessels.

The only ones we know about are the ARMD-class, ARMD II-class, Oberth-class, and the various types of Zentradi warship.

Shortly after the Megaroad-01's departure the first of the mass production Macross-class ships came off the line.

[sketchley]

53 minutes ago, Bolt said:

I'm trying to get a chronological picture of the history and evolution of Macross escort and long range vessels.

Seto's got the (limited) technical info available covered.

However, the 'why'... in short, it's the Macross series' "great blank (or white) era".*  Stuff happened between SDFM and M+/M7, but Kawamori-san has avoided filling in the details so far.  We've got some hints here and there (Isamu's deployment history in M+, the Macross M3 video game), but that's about all that we've got.

 

* Great Mechanics coined that phrase.  Even Japanese language mecha-fans are frustrated by the lack of detail for this period of time.

[Bolt]

Thanks guys. This is still very helpful ! 
Cheers. ⚡️

[sketchley]

54 minutes ago, Bolt said:

Thanks guys. This is still very helpful ! 
Cheers. ⚡️

No problem.

That reminds me, the Arugenikusu (Algenicus) Space Cruiser appears in the era your referring to: http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/Stats/Statistics/ShipsUG-Escort/AlgenicusCruiser.php

 

As usual, stats and hard details for things that appear in the video games are elusive.  The game instruction book that I lifted the images from basically says "the special forces cruiser that the Max and Mira team (Dancing Skull) boarded.  The crew is small because it is for covert action."

The game is set between 2014 and 2030, thus it is plausible that a handful of this class of ship accompanied the Megaroad-01 (having launched in 2012).

Edited February 6, 2022 by sketchley

[Bolt]

6 minutes ago, sketchley said:

No problem.

That reminds me, the Arugenikusu (Algenicus) Space Cruiser appears in the era your referring to: http://sdfyodogawa.mywebcommunity.org/Stats/Statistics/ShipsUG-Escort/AlgenicusCruiser.php

 

As usual, stats and hard details for things that appear in the video games are elusive.  The game instruction book that I lifted the images from basically says "the special forces cruiser that the Max and Mira team (Dancing Skull) boarded.  The crew is small because it is for covert action."

The game is set between 2014 and 2030, thus it is plausible that a handful of this class of ship accompanied the Megaroad-01 (having launched in 2012).

Good catch ! Would this class of cruiser be a " stealth cruiser " , as is suggested?

[sketchley]

27 minutes ago, Bolt said:

Good catch ! Would this class of cruiser be a " stealth cruiser " , as is suggested?

The writeup on the picture doesn't indicate whether it is stealthy or not.

https://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/topic/33597-macross-translations-and-more/?do=findComment&comment=994397

Nevertheless, it could be, but my guess is that it would be through active stealth, not the passive stealth like is seen on the angular Northampton, etc.

[Bolt]

Thanks again  Aaron 👍🏼

[Seto Kaiba]

14 hours ago, Bolt said:

Good catch ! Would this class of cruiser be a " stealth cruiser " , as is suggested?

As @sketchley noted, that'd depend on how you want to define stealth.

The "stealth" ships in Macross 7 and Macross Frontier are mostly labeled thus because their hulls have been designed for passive stealth with lots of angles intended to deflect an enemy radar wave away at an angle to weaken or eliminate the radar return received by the enemy ship.

A ship equipped with the same kind of active cancellation-based active stealth system could also be called a "stealth" ship, even if the design is not conventionally/passively a stealthy one, because it's using an inverse-phase radar wave to cancel out the amplitude of its radar return so the enemy radar will report seeing nothing despite receiving two radar waves back from the target.

[Dressykamila1]

So I wonder if Macross is happening in the alternate timeline.  According to Macross, Sv-51 alpha wikis were common and belonged to the Anti-UN Forces.  When Macross Zero was created, Poland was not under the influence of Russia and the East for about 10 years. 🤨

[Seto Kaiba]

3 hours ago, Dressykamila1 said:

So I wonder if Macross is happening in the alternate timeline.  

It'd have to be... I'm pretty sure we didn't all die in an orbital bombardment twelve years ago. 😉

The creators have updated the timeline a few times to account for real world changes like the reunification of Germany in 1990 or the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1992.  Older versions of the material made reference to West Germany and the Soviet Union.  Those references were updated to just "Germany" and "Russia" in later versions.

 

3 hours ago, Dressykamila1 said:

According to Macross, Sv-51 alpha wikis were common and belonged to the Anti-UN Forces.  When Macross Zero was created, Poland was not under the influence of Russia and the East for about 10 years. 🤨

Unfortunately, the Macross Fandom Wiki is a very poorly curated Wiki that has a lot of issues with users posting unsourced claims and unfounded speculation as fact.  It's best to not pay it any attention, as it contains a lot of misinformation.

The Macross Compendium Wiki is much better in that regard.

The SV-51 was definitely not a common aircraft by any standard.  Like the VF-0, the SV-51 was an extremely rare limited trial production aircraft with very few units produced.  There were only about 40 SV-51s in existence in 2008 and quite a few of those were destroyed fighting the UN Forces during the Mayan incident.

The Anti-Unification Forces were not tied to any specific region or nation, they were a loose alliance of various regional partisan groups opposed to the formation of the Unification Government.  It's not surprising that the Anti-Unification Forces would have some supporters in Poland, which had only just separated itself from the Soviet Union in 1989, since the Russians were one of the six major powers behind the Unification Government and OTEC (along with the US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan).

[RedWolf]

The Unification War was not a war between countries but a global civil war. Though from the portrayal in Macross Zero it was more of an analog of the War on Terror. The Anti-UN Alliance are very well funded terrorists.  Their extremism is why it didn't last long. The threat of aliens being real the organization collapsed.

According to Macross Chronicle Mechanic: All 01A: VF Masterpieces Seen From Their Development Ancestry (VF-1 Series) the SV-51 was intended right from the beginning to fight other VFs. A legacy carried over by the Sv series such as the Sv-262 by successors to the manufacturers of the SV-51.  

 

 

 

 

  N

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[JB0]

As far as alternate timelines go, I believe Macross is supposed to follow the "real world" up until 1999, when an alien space ship completely failed to crash into Earth-One. At that point, things diverge rapidly.

[Seto Kaiba]

31 minutes ago, JB0 said:

As far as alternate timelines go, I believe Macross is supposed to follow the "real world" up until 1999, when an alien space ship completely failed to crash into Earth-One. At that point, things diverge rapidly.

Yeah, the official timeline is extremely sparse between the fall of the Protoculture and the events of July 17th 1999.

The only event that's not written in extremely vague terms or about the everyday life of a character's inconsequential youth is the completion of a new space station in Earth orbit in 1995.

[Invid99]

Why didn't the Zentraedi use foot soldiers in warfare? It's armour they are wearing right?

 

 

 

Edited February 20, 2022 by Invid99