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Thoughts on Macross II


VF-15 Banshee

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I recently watched that movie. Fundamentally, it's a Trek movie with a decent plot. And watching Christopher "Doc Brown" Lloyd's scenery chewing is a treat.

That said, I kept being pulled out of the movie by the dialogue. The captain of the science ship? Sounds like a retard. Starfleet security referring to Bones as "in the funny farm"? Terrible. Truly terrible writing.

Ah well... the director makes up for it with the yes-no conversation in ST IV.

actually, as of late, i've been working on a long planned effort on purchasing and building up a 2nd copy

of the old, long OOP 1994 1/1000 ERTL U.S.S. EXCELSIOR model kit, after first attempting one back in the early 1990's

and doing a TERRIBLE job on it, and i've been going back to the third movie for reference material,

and it has just hit me too just how BAD the film's scripting actually is.

take, for instance, the EXCELSIOR herself; it stands to reason, even by early 1980's thinking,

that space-fairing vehicles as sophisticated as ST's Starships are, even, nay, ESPECIALLY untried, experimental ones

such as the flagship of the EXCELSIOR class, would have more than sufficient checks and fail-safes

against all number of foreseeable issues, including the sabotage induced by Scotty in the film.

further, the whole sequence of the EXCELSIOR's TRANSWARP faltering out, while viscerally exciting and great for "Laffs" and all that great stuff,

has to be, IMHO, one of THE great groners in all of the TREK saga.

i mean, after all, this IS far into the distant future, is it not? with technology so far advanced that it might seem magical

to anyone from the late 20th century to present day, no?

well then, is the audience to assume that this cutting edge experimental spaceship of the far future

does not have even so much as a halfway sophisicated computer system that would clearly notify the crew

that the TRANSWARP drive system is malfunctional and positively not in any operational condition

BEFORE the crew attempts to crank it up?!?

like i said, great for Laughs, BAD for the cerebrum.

one more little anecdote that sticks in my craw; one would only natually assume that the TRANSWARP system

would have been long since modeled and simulated to death by computer before a prototype testbed tech demonstrator was made,

and yet TREK fans were simply left with the basic canon explanation that TRANSWARP was eventually proven to be a faulty technology.

yes, people, yet one more little piddly detail of the ST univers alone that gets overly anal nerds like me all in bind, god help us all...

Edited by Shaorin
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Yeah because if it is well done enough sure. I bet if we take a poll there would be just enough for maybe a limited release on a specialty resin kit.

There was a resin kit from B-Club. Several kits.

Any poll would only reflect the people who visit this site, not fandom in Japan.

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Yeah but think of the possibilities of a well done valkyrie II

vf-2ss-battroid.gif

vf-2ss-cockpit.gif

like a detailed cockpit!

Fully Transformable couldn't hurt

vf-2ss-transformation1.gif

Asthetically it looks good

vf-2ss-fighter-lineart.gif

Let's not forget the various add ons

vf-2ss-sap-fighter.gif

Dude it certainly has possibilities I mean i have to admit until i thought about it yeah looks good

thanks for pics macross mecha manual. yeah!

Edited by leading edge
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Yeah but think of the possibilities of a well done valkyrie II

So... why not kit bash the model kit from way back when and smooth out the inconsistencies? It's not a bad kit, BTW, aside from some issues with how they did the shoulder joints.

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actually, as of late, i've been working on a long planned effort on purchasing and building up a 2nd copy

of the old, long OOP 1994 1/1000 ERTL U.S.S. EXCELSIOR model kit, after first attempting one back in the early 1990's

and doing a TERRIBLE job on it, and i've been going back to the third movie for reference material,

and it has just hit me too just how BAD the film's scripting actually is.

take, for instance, the EXCELSIOR herself; it stands to reason, even by early 1980's thinking,

that space-fairing vehicles as sophisticated as ST's Starships are, even, nay, ESPECIALLY untried, experimental ones

such as the flagship of the EXCELSIOR class, would have more than sufficient checks and fail-safes

against all number of foreseeable issues, including the sabotage induced by Scotty in the film.

further, the whole sequence of the EXCELSIOR's TRANSWARP faltering out, while viscerally exciting and great for "Laffs" and all that great stuff,

has to be, IMHO, one of THE great groners in all of the TREK saga.

i mean, after all, this IS far into the distant future, is it not? with technology so far advanced that it might seem magical

to anyone from the late 20th century to present day, no?

well then, is the audience to assume that this cutting edge experimental spaceship of the far future

does not have even so much as a halfway sophisicated computer system that would clearly notify the crew

that the TRANSWARP drive system is malfunctional and positively not in any operational condition

BEFORE the crew attempts to crank it up?!?

like i said, great for Laughs, BAD for the cerebrum.

one more little anecdote that sticks in my craw; one would only natually assume that the TRANSWARP system

would have been long since modeled and simulated to death by computer before a prototype testbed tech demonstrator was made,

and yet TREK fans were simply left with the basic canon explanation that TRANSWARP was eventually proven to be a faulty technology.

yes, people, yet one more little piddly detail of the ST univers alone that gets overly anal nerds like me all in bind, god help us all...

Out of curiosity what line of work are you in? As a you're making a lot of assumptions that the project to 1) design transwarp and 2) design/construct the Excelsior were both managed properly and were not riding on the back of some high ranking person/funding/mutual political back scratching that got a project pushed through despite objections it would be a failure. Projects touted as the greatest, slickest thing are touted today. But when they're more ego then anything else, embodied by the personality of the Captain of the Excelsior, they tend to all apart and be giant embarassments (see our wonderfully flawed F-22 for reference.) I'm a software engineer who may or may not make use of government funds for projects from time to time and I can assure you MAJOR gaffs like that happen. Minor issues like a warning light not blinking happen. Doesn't matter what century it's in, if it's built/designed/managed by people screw ups like what was presented in that movie can happen. I've seen it with my own two eyes too many times the past seven years.

I've always really liked the way the 2S looks in Battroid but I've never understood why people like the fighter mode so much.

Edited by Mommar
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It just looks cool honestly there is something in the shape that is appealing I know it is a subjective answer but hey this is the Macross II area I like it just not everything about the series. I find the valkyrie a competent design and appealing just not as much as Kawamori but it doesn't mean I can't appreciate aesthetically( I feel a little shallow saying that ).

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It just looks cool honestly there is something in the shape that is appealing I know it is a subjective answer but hey this is the Macross II area I like it just not everything about the series. I find the valkyrie a competent design and appealing just not as much as Kawamori but it doesn't mean I can't appreciate aesthetically( I feel a little shallow saying that ).

I appreciate the sentiment, but I wish you'd use punctuation. It'd make figuring out what you're saying much easier.

Just sayin'.

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Dude my punctuation on last post wasn't that bad. Anyway what about the plane I mean really think some effort needs to be made in making a serious version of it I think it could be something anyone could be proud of if built.

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Dude, my punctuation on the last post wasn't that bad. Anyway what about the plane? I mean, really... I think some effort needs to be made in making a serious version of it. I think it could be something anyone could be proud of, if built.

FIXED! :D

Edited by Gubaba
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It just looks cool honestly there is something in the shape that is appealing I know it is a subjective answer but hey this is the Macross II area I like it just not everything about the series. I find the valkyrie a competent design and appealing just not as much as Kawamori but it doesn't mean I can't appreciate aesthetically( I feel a little shallow saying that ).

The VF-2SS is one of many reasons why it wouldn't hurt for the Macross franchise to spin off more alternate universe stories. Frankly, I wouldn't mind various different mecha designers trying their hand at "Valkyrie" designs.

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The VF-2SS is one of many reasons why it wouldn't hurt for the Macross franchise to spin off more alternate universe stories. Frankly, I wouldn't mind various different mecha designers trying their hand at "Valkyrie" designs.

Shhh! you'll wake up the drones with that kind of sacrilegous talk!

must... listen... to hoary froating... head.... bzzt! bzzt!

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Not enough intakes

I kno rite what's up with four intakes in a row.

I don't hate the design but I think it is rather indicative of the whole unimaginative bent to the whole production. It's a VF-1 derivative with some 90's styling.

It is not the sheer genius of the VF-19.

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I kno rite what's up with four intakes in a row.

I don't hate the design but I think it is rather indicative of the whole unimaginative bent to the whole production. It's a VF-1 derivative with some 90's styling.

It is not the sheer genius of the VF-19.

it also needs more random bits hanging off it. Sure, it's got that one big ventral fin that does nothing and those boxes that the tail fins sit on top of that also do nothing and sure it has that face flap for its big ass gun, and sure, it has a CB antenna but l just feel like there's some more stuff that could be added.

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some people who shall remain nameless say the VF-2SS is a bridge between the VF-1 and VF-11

not that's the VF-5000 duh

it's the step between the VF-1 and VF-19

first Valkyrie made by a new company called industry

sooo... you're saying all those random bits actually serve a purpose to open up a rift in space and time and send the vf-2 to the past where it gets reverse engineered into yf-19???

That would actually be better than the real plot to MII

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all the same, i've nearly pulled the trigger on a copy of that kit a few times, and i just yet might one of these odd days.

here's to YAMATO somehow managing to pick up the license to produce a 1/60 P. TRANS.

becase, detractors say what you may, this is something that really needs to happen, right alongside a 1/60 VF-2JA!!

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It's nothing more than a stylized version of the VF-1, that's plain to see. In terms of it's figher mode I don't really get why people like it. In terms of Gerwalk and Battroid it's kind of cool in the same way a modern Mustang is kinda cool because it's obviously lifting old aesthetics from the classic cars but still adhering to a modern sensibility. It may not look nearly as good as the original but I'm not necessarily offended by it's derivative nature.

all the same, i've nearly pulled the trigger on a copy of that kit a few times, and i just yet might one of these odd days.

here's to YAMATO somehow managing to pick up the license to produce a 1/60 P. TRANS.

becase, detractors say what you may, this is something that really needs to happen, right alongside a 1/60 VF-2JA!!

I'd buy a 2 and a 2JA if they were made.

Edited by Mommar
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