Bandai DX YF-30 Chronos

[Kanedas Bike]

^

Glad she survived.

-b.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i think i would've went crazy inside (while i smiled at the family)

glad everything was ok

[VF-Zer0S]

Great story and truely shows being optimistic is the best way to go about it. I got my YF-30 with minor QC issues. She looks perfect but I'm so picky

[ChaoticYeti]

Where are these pics from the USS Midway!?

[94medition]

XFJ-01A, that is hilarious! I am glad that Chronos Kun is ok.

Yeah, where's the pictures?

[mog_kupo]

Back on HLJ

http://www.hlj.com/product/BAN986342/Act

[VF-Zer0S]

Nice lol

[Shanban]

and sold out again. But thanks for the heads up!

[94medition]

Missed it again. But thanks!

[spanner]

only lasting damage? So paint scrape off the top of the Gunpod. Now it has a little bit of a worn look now.

you good sir are one lucky man! It could have all ended in tears!

[close313]

Oh cool! So it was your pictures that I saw on instagram.

[Scream Man]

So in-universe does the 30 have any special properties like the 29 does? Or is it just a cool new plane one of the characters builds?

[ChaoticYeti]

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=39877

I figured this belonged here since the YF-30 hasn't been featured in any media since Macross 30... so far. So, enjoy! Hopefully it's reasonably accurate with just a little speculation.

YF-30 Chronos

Advanced Variable Fighter Custom Prototype

Images:

Fighter

GERWALK

Battroid

Background

The YF-30 was designed specially for the Anniversary game Macross 30: Voices Across The Galaxy by Shoji Kawamori. So far that is the only Macross media it has appeared in.

Description

The YF-30 Chronos is part of the YF-24 family of Vakyrie variable fighters, which includes the YF-24 Evolution, VF-25 Messiah, Y/VF-27 Lucifer and YF-29 Durandal. Like the Durandal, the Chronos wasn't meant to be a competitor for a new type of variable fighter as it was a prototype meant to deal with a specific situation, although it's designer, SMS Ouroboros Director Aisha Blanchette did include a few features that she hoped might be featured in future fighters.

The idea for the YF-30 began when Aisha Blanchette determined that a Valkyrie was specifically needed for the unique enviornment of the planet Ouroboros. The planet is surrounded and permeated by strange Space Fold phenomena, causing various effects (such as large rock formations and whole islands floating in the sky). One phenomena, known as The Ourobors Aura, causes the entire planet to be completely cut off from the rest of the galaxy and only a Macross-type ship can get through the planet's atmosphere. To this end, Aisha decided that the YF-29 Durandal, specifically designed to fight the Vajra, wasn't optomized for dealing with Ouroboros.

The Chronos's main airframe greatly resembles its YF-24 predecessor[Link], especially in the delta wing design. It includes the standard three-mode transformation system present since the very first variable fighters, facilitated by linear actuators for non-contact between moving parts. Unlike its sisters, such as the VF-25 or YF-29, the YF-30 includes the Container Weapon System, a unique featured added to the Chronos by Aisha. The CWS is a large pod mounted on the rear centerline of the fuselage in Fighter mode and above the head in Battroid mode. The CWS in the original prototype was fitted with a 36-port micro-missile launcher, capable of unleashing a truly apocalyptic amount of firepower, practically negating the need for the YF-30 to be equipped with any super or armor packs. According to Aisha, the CWS could be equipped with other times of weapons or equipment, such as a large beam cannon (though this was never seen in-game). The CWS can presumably be used in Fighter and GERWALK modes, though only at slow speeds for Fighter (I presume this because the aerodynamic consequences of putting a big horizontal block in the airflow are dubious).

The other unique feature of the Chronos is the Fold Dimensional Resonance System. Derived from the YF-29's Fold Wave System, the FDRS was designed to deal with Ouroboros's unique environment.

Other features are more standard. Due to the Ouroboros Aura and the unpredictability of supplies, plus the fact that the YF-30 was custom-built, many of the parts of the YF-30 are borrowed from other fighters, most especially the VF-25 and YF-29. The cockpit systems and display resemble the VF-25 and also uses the EX-Gear/ISC system present in the VF-25. It is unknown if there is a secondary seat. The battroid head is equipped with a pair of Mauler ROV beam guns, positioned centerline in Fighter Mode. The legs/engine nacelles are equipped with a pair of smaller micro-missile launchers (animation for this can be seen in-game although open doors are not present). The main weapon is the same Howard/LAI HPB-01A Heavy Quantum Beam Gunpod used by the YF-29 Durandal. It can also be equipped with the SSL-9B Dragunov Anti-Armor Sniper Rifle from the VF-25G, though the Chronos lacks the precision targeting sensors. The engines that provide the main source of power for the Chronos are the same Shinsei Industry/P&W/RR FF-3001A Stage II thermonuclear reaction turbine engines used in the VF-25 and YF-29. The Chronos is also equipped with defensive systems includeing a pin-point barrier system, chaff/smoke/flare discharger, active stealth systemand SWAG Energy Converting Armor. Lastly, for CQC purposes, the Chronos carries a Ka-Bar OTEC AK/VF-M9 Assault Knife.

History

SMS Ouroboros Director Aisha Blanchette, a young Meltrandi prodigy, began to build the YF-30 Chronos in a hangar onboard the branch flagship, the Northampton-class frigate Gefion. She was somewhat guarded about it as she didn't let her new friends Leon Sakaki and Mina Forte know about it until much later.

During the Ouroboros Aura of 2060 AD, Leon and Mina traveled to the desert town of Jurgen to look for a certain songstress. Instead they ran into the the legendary test pilot Isamu Alva Dyson, who challenged Leon to a Vanquish Race (to learn more about the Vanquish Races, look up Macross The Ride). Unfortuntely for Leon, his current Valkyrie was outmatched by the power of Isamu's YF-19, suffering an engine overheat. Having a flair for dramatics, Aisha decided that a rematch was the perfect way to show off the capabilities of her new prototype and led Leon to the hangar where the YF-30 Chronos was stored. After showing him the different systems, he launched and challenged Isamu to another race. This time he was more than a match for Dyson, easily outpacing even the highly optimized YF-19. This also turned into the YF-30's combat debut as the pair where bounced by a Valkyrie squadron from the NUNS HAVAMAL task force, led by none other than Brera Sterne in his VF-27 Lucifer and Isamu's old friend/rival Guld Goa Bowman in his YF-21. Leon, in the YF-30, was able to outmaneuver the enemy forces and even shoot some down, but Isamu was hit by Brera and forced down.

Pleased with the impromptu results, Aisha allowed Leon to sortie in the YF-30 on several more occasions to continue to evaluate its combat performance. Its next major battle occured when they attempted to remove the AI Sharon Apple's control of the Vajra, as she was being controlled by the HAVAMAL task force (this should technically be true; the main game only allows you to fly the YF-30 twice: once during the race and again during the Final Chapter. However, the cinematic for the Sharon Apple battle shows Leon's IFF being broadcast from the YF-30). This battle had Leon, SMS Ouroboros and their allies and the Macross Quarter up against a Bishop-class Vajra Mothership under Sharon's control. The YF-30's speed, maneuverability and firepower enabled it to strike mortal blows against the mothership and helped the others to disable Sharon and rescue Myung Lone Fang. Sometime later, Leon had completed a test of the YF-30 when Aisha, whose cybernetic implant had been hijacked by HAVAMAL, kidnapped Mina Forte. Leon, accompanied by the Macross Quarterand the legendary pilots and songstresses of the past, sortied to rescue her. Using the YF-30 and accompanied by Alto Saotome in his YF-29 Durandal, Leon was able to carve up the HAVAMAL defenses and penetrate Glastheim Fortress. They didn't find the girls there, instead they were forced to engage HAVAMAL's second-in-command, Leon's old friend turned rival Rod Baltomar, piloting a YF-29B Perceval. Unfortunately for Baltomar, the YF-30 and its pilot where much more than a match for his modified 29. However, Rod's delaying action gave HAVAMAL leader Ushio Todo enough time to activate the ancient Protoculture weapon they had been researching. Yurva Arga, one of the Protoculture's EVIL-Series bio-weapons had enough power to rewrite history itself (good thing the Protodeviln never got it, eh?) and when activated, encased itself in a protective bubble to hide its true form. Leon attempted to use the YF-30 and its Fold Dimensional Resonance System to penetrate the sphere but the system lost power and Leon became stuck. Just when he lost hope, Basara Nekki arrived in his VF-19Kai and with the Fire Valkyrie's Sound Booster (and a rousing rendition of Totsugeki Love Heart) Leon was able to break through the barrier, the FDRS seemingly generating a bird-like aura around the Chronos. Leon then engaged Yurva Arga and Ushio Todo directly. After slicing into the weapon's body and rescuing Aisha and Mina, he then dealt a final blow to the weapon, destroying it and Todo together.

All in all, the YF-30 proved itself an able combatant and worthy of the legacy of the Valkyries, although it remains to be seen wether the Chronos will be seen in any SMS units off of Ouroboros or wether there will be a VF-30 version.

Tech specs to follow!

Edited August 18, 2014 by ChaoticYeti

[Graham]

Broke the rear attachment point on the gunpod, when trying to attach it in fighter mode last night. I guess I used too much force when trying to push it into the hole in the missile container.

Also one thing that really bugs me it's that in fighter mode with the missile container deployed, there is no way to attach the gunpod

[wm cheng]

I've transformed mine back and forth a bunch of times over the past few days and thus far, haven't found any use for any of the braces. Mine has been holding very well in all modes. It definitely feels like it holds together better than the VF-171 in battroid at the very least. Hopefully it stays that way.

My only gripes for it are:

• There ought to be some sort of tactile indication for when the vertical stabilizers are in the right spot in fighter mode
• The left wing on mine swings up higher and flatter than the right will go by a subtle but still noticeable degree.
• The missile pod doesn't really sit flush with the backplate and leaves kind of an ugly gap on the top of the fighter.

On the plus side, I like how it shares some similarities with the YF-21. Like the very similar wings, how the hands are hidden in pockets, or being able to do the same "high speed mode" as the 21 by folding the wings down and moving the stabilizers inward. It's also nice having another Frontier era valk, aside from the VF-171, that doesn't have a nearly identical transformation as the 25.

That satin finish looks great out of the box as well.

I think I will use the renders of the 30 from the Macross 30 game as reference for the weathering. I noticed that the renders still have a subtle camo pattern that the red/black and black/purple schemes have but didn't translate over to the toy itself (not to be confused with the reflections). That's a shame. I may have to try adding that myself as I like that.

26-macross-30-ginga-o-tsunagu-utagoe-21.jpg

YES! Love how you think... thanks for that clearer render of the YF-30. I do like the two-tone black (lighter black on the leading edge). Can't wait to see what you do with yours!!!

[wm cheng]

Took my YF-30 out to the USS Midway here in san diego over the weekend for an impromptu photoshoot. Felt....RIGHT having it down on the no skid surfaces of the ship and flight deck among all the other classic planes. I'll have to post pics soon.

Lots of Tourists, (mainly chinese and japanese) would stop and watch as I did my thing on the flight deck. Some Japanese tourists even gawked, suprised and wondering how a YF-30 even got here so soon. It was a nice experience,

Then came the inevitable. As I was lining up a shot, A japanese family and their kids were getting their shot taken with the shooter statue on the flight deck and their toddler, bless his heart, wasn't watching where he was going and stepped on Chronos Kun. one rear stabilizer came off it's beg, and it almost looked like it was leaning.

I was shocked at first, as the mother immediately scooped him up and apologized profusely for what happened, (she was one of the few watching me at the time) but I insisted that no harm was done and that it was alright.

I scooped up Chronos Kun almost with a dread, knowing I had led her demise on her first outing, and did a visual once over. And to my surprise, she had shrugged it off like it was nothing. The stabilizer fin, as everyone knows isnt really fastened so that coming off wasn't much of a big deal, the lean wasnt there at all either. Just a litle jostle of the landing gear, (it snapped back in place) and she was good as (relatively) new.

I know bandai hasn't had much of a track record in terms of build quality, which almost makes me want to chalk this one up to blind luck, but the fact that Chronos Kun SURVIVED a toddler trouncing, on a No Skid Surface on less...well that says something...thats for sure.

only lasting damage? So paint scrape off the top of the Gunpod. Now it has a little bit of a worn look now.

What a great story... I love happy endings! Thanks for sharing, can't wait to see the photos.

i think i would've went crazy inside (while i smiled at the family)

glad everything was ok

Exactly what I would have done!

[Saburo]

Took my YF-30 out to the USS Midway here in san diego over the weekend for an impromptu photoshoot. Felt....RIGHT having it down on the no skid surfaces of the ship and flight deck among all the other classic planes. I'll have to post pics soon.

Lots of Tourists, (mainly chinese and japanese) would stop and watch as I did my thing on the flight deck. Some Japanese tourists even gawked, suprised and wondering how a YF-30 even got here so soon. It was a nice experience,

Then came the inevitable. As I was lining up a shot, A japanese family and their kids were getting their shot taken with the shooter statue on the flight deck and their toddler, bless his heart, wasn't watching where he was going and stepped on Chronos Kun. one rear stabilizer came off it's beg, and it almost looked like it was leaning.

I was shocked at first, as the mother immediately scooped him up and apologized profusely for what happened, (she was one of the few watching me at the time) but I insisted that no harm was done and that it was alright.

I scooped up Chronos Kun almost with a dread, knowing I had led her demise on her first outing, and did a visual once over. And to my surprise, she had shrugged it off like it was nothing. The stabilizer fin, as everyone knows isnt really fastened so that coming off wasn't much of a big deal, the lean wasnt there at all either. Just a litle jostle of the landing gear, (it snapped back in place) and she was good as (relatively) new.

I know bandai hasn't had much of a track record in terms of build quality, which almost makes me want to chalk this one up to blind luck, but the fact that Chronos Kun SURVIVED a toddler trouncing, on a No Skid Surface on less...well that says something...thats for sure.

only lasting damage? So paint scrape off the top of the Gunpod. Now it has a little bit of a worn look now.

I saw your shots and they were cool!

Glad you kept your composure and I am happy the damage was minimal to the YF-30. I give you much credit for bringing your Valk out for that photoshoot. My Valks never leave their sanctuary aka my apartment. hahaha

i think i would've went crazy inside (while i smiled at the family)

I would have done the same, then run to the bowels of the ship to cry and my crying would echo through the parts of the ship.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Saburo

[XFJ-01A]

Looks like my pictures made the rounds on twitter. One of my friends shared a post with me from the macrossworld facebook showing the picture I took of my yf30 and vf1s in front of the shooter statue on the flight deck as well as the island of the uss midway. Ill try to post more from the shoot tonight. That is...unless you all saw them elsewhere.

[Mommar]

I've transformed mine back and forth a bunch of times over the past few days and thus far, haven't found any use for any of the braces. Mine has been holding very well in all modes. It definitely feels like it holds together better than the VF-171 in battroid at the very least. Hopefully it stays that way.

My only gripes for it are:

• There ought to be some sort of tactile indication for when the vertical stabilizers are in the right spot in fighter mode
• The left wing on mine swings up higher and flatter than the right will go by a subtle but still noticeable degree.
• The missile pod doesn't really sit flush with the backplate and leaves kind of an ugly gap on the top of the fighter.

On the plus side, I like how it shares some similarities with the YF-21. Like the very similar wings, how the hands are hidden in pockets, or being able to do the same "high speed mode" as the 21 by folding the wings down and moving the stabilizers inward. It's also nice having another Frontier era valk, aside from the VF-171, that doesn't have a nearly identical transformation as the 25.

That satin finish looks great out of the box as well.

I think I will use the renders of the 30 from the Macross 30 game as reference for the weathering. I noticed that the renders still have a subtle camo pattern that the red/black and black/purple schemes have but didn't translate over to the toy itself (not to be confused with the reflections). That's a shame. I may have to try adding that myself as I like that.

26-macross-30-ginga-o-tsunagu-utagoe-21.jpg

The color was going to be one of my various complaints, if I ever got around to making the video. Bandai got lazy (shock!) with something else and didn't do the leading edges in a lighter color.

[Gakken85]

Saw those pics. I would have freaked out at that kid hahaha.

[ChaoticYeti]

Finally got here through SAL shipping. The problem with SAL is not the wait, it is the not knowing.

Fighter to battroid and back again. Battroid does not need brace, on mine atleast. Gerwalk does need the brace if I want to swing the hips down. The YF-30 is very sleek. I smiled when transforming the arms both ways. They are so perfectly integrated. I love how the hand covers seamlessly collapse into the leg when out of fighter mode.

Edited August 18, 2014 by ChaoticYeti

[Raya1823]

:rolleyes: OMG!!! It arrived today, and this one is just amazing!!! I thought nothing would ever replace my YF-19 as my Fav, but this one is close... Maybe if I get one more, lol.

[technoblue]

Mine arrived too---slow but steady shipping--- and it looks fantastic.

[F360]

mine finally shipped, EMS should be speedy enough.

[ULessa]

Got mine and that finish is damn nice. The fuselage however seems to not be centered properly.

[spanner]

I gotta learn to love my 30 a little better..

[Kanedas Bike]

Got mine and that finish is damn nice. The fuselage however seems to not be centered properly.

Re: the fuselage, the same with mine right out of the box and someone else here on the forums. Between that and the bigger canopy it turned me off of Fighter mode for this Valk, but the more I look at it posed in Battroid the more I fall in love. Even with those skinny chicken legs.

-b.

[Astro_BS-AS]

Here in Argentina I may have to wait MONTHS in order for a shipment to be in customs... and there it begins a long burocratic (and quite expensive) road to even retire it ...

It´s a pain in the a** .... Please don´t complain for a week or two.... You all have things very easy for collecting these kind of models

..................

[Jasonc]

Yes, got mine as well. Solid, sturdy, and great tampo all throughout. Not big on the tail fins not locking into place and being so far back attached by only that tiny piece on the wings, but it's still a great toy.

[Scream Man]

http://www.macrossworld.com/mwf/index.php?showtopic=39877

Cheers man

[jenius]

I'm working on putting together the videos now but in the mean time I've got the article up on my site. Let me know if I missed something!

[abbadon]

Cool! I'll check it out! Looking forward to the video review and the transformation guide!

[barurutor]

Excellent review jenius! I like how you took side/rear photos of battroid (which look ridiculous IMHO).

[NoodlesOodles]

[Mommar]

I'm working on putting together the videos now but in the mean time I've got the article up on my site. Let me know if I missed something!

Possible additional note for you to add about Gerwalk/Battroid. The QC is not consistent. Of my two, one was stiff enough out of the box to hold a decent Gerwalk without the brace. However neither of them will hold Battroid without that brace attached.