Seto Kaiba

The development history of the Sv-303 Vivasvat given in Variable Fighter Master File: VF-31AX Kairos Plus - which to date remains the only source to talk about the fighters in the second Macross Delta movie at any reasonable length - describes the Sv-303 as an offshoot/rethink of a series of manned fighter developments that Windermere IV's Chancellor Brehm commissioned from the Epsilon Foundation. According to Master File, the original request (with the working designation Sv-300) was for a new manned fighter to supplement or replace the Sv-262 with better performance than the New UN Forces new VF-31. Both the overtuned FF-2999/FC2 Stage IIG engine and the Twin Quartz Drive system used in the Sv-303 were originally developed for use in the Sv-300. Changing priorities on the customer's (Windermere IV's) side led to the program being abruptly cancelled shortly before Sv-300 prototype No.1 was scheduled to be delivered for testing. Two other related manned fighter programs, Sv-301 and Sv-302, were also cancelled at the same time. Exactly what drove Windermere IV's government to change its mind and cancel the development of manned Valkyries in favor of a next-generation unmanned fighter controlled using newly-developed biological fold wave communications technology is left unstated. Well, the overtuned FF-2999/FC2 engines and Twin Quartz Drive were originally intended for use in a twin-engine VF with performance rivaling or exceeding the VF-31, so that's a big part of it. They reused the existing modified engine design for the unmanned fighter. The rest of it is on the addition of the sub-engines. Windermere IV must have asked for Dian Cecht to design the most balls-to-the-wall bonkers thing they could make if cost wasn't an overriding concern and they had no shortage of high quality fold quartz. For their part, Dian Cecht seems to have used as many high-spec off-the-shelf parts as possible to get the job done quickly. Of course, the substantial weight reduction caused by abolishing the cockpit block and all of its attendant support systems and the de facto replacement of other equipment like radars, radios, energy conversion armor, active stealth system, etc. with the Mirage Package no doubt helped them push that envelope as far as they could.

Watched a few more episodes of Dandadan, because the neighbors are still setting off fireworks like 4th of July wasn't a week ago. 🙃

In a bid to rescue what remains of my fragile sanity after a day of bureaucratic tedium, I took a whack at the section of Variable Fighter Master File: VF-0 Phoenix given over to talking about the VF-3000. Much of what it has to say is the same as what's said in Variable Fighter Master File: VF-1 Valkyrie, such as that the VF-3000 program got its start as an offshoot/continuation of VF-1 program at Stonewell Bellcom before the merger with Shinnakasu Heavy Industry and Shinsei Manufacturing that formed the modern Shinsei Industry in 2012. Unlike the section in the VF-1 Master File, the VF-0 Master File actually discusses the VF-3000's design too. As Master File has it, development of the VF-3000 was a bit of a speedrun on Stonewell Bellcom's part after the First Space War. Stonewell Bellcom's design team deliberately kept its design as conventional as possible, to minimize the number of risks taken during development and to facilitate the reuse of development and test data from the VF-0 and VF-1 in the simulation and practical test phases. Keeping the same basic structure, albeit with a size closer to that of the VF-0, facilitated the inclusion of all kinds of quality-of-life improvements like additional propellant tanks in the legs for space use, expanded life support equipment for space use, larger energy capacitors for the laser weapons, and room for future upgrade hardware of all kinds. The cockpit block was set up as a two-seater by default, at the request of the UN Forces. It was designed to be operated by a single pilot, but it seems the UN Forces considered the VF-3000 a possible candidate for use in interstellar research fleets due to its excess of internal space. The second seat was theoretically earmarked for use by research personnel who would operate any optional research equipment installed on the aircraft. It was also tentatively considered a potential fighter-bomber, with the rear set able to be fitted out with the necessary controls for a RIO. It's said that the first prototype - internally codenamed MD-3000-01 - rolled off the line at L5 in September 2011. MD-3000-02 followed it off the line shortly thereafter, with Unit 01 being used for atmospheric testing and Unit 02 for space testing. Initial evaluations were satisfactory, with its longer operating time/range in space being particularly praised. What the UN Forces weren't entirely pleased with was the longer time required to change modes... being 30% longer than those of the VF-1 Valkyrie. This was considered to be a bit of a deal breaker by the UN Forces, who asked that this be improved if possible and contracted with Stonewell Bellcom for nine prototype aircraft tentatively dubbed VF-3000 Crusader according to Stonewell Bellcom's internal codename for the program. Stonewell Bellcom didn't consider that point to be critical, since the problem was mainly due to the movement needed to store the tail, and ultimately opted not to change the design. The initial type that borrowed part of the VF-1 production line was considered to be VF-3000A. A later refined version that eliminated the problems of the early model with a refined tail, main wing, and auxiliary propulsion system design was designated VF-3000B. The parts are, however, said to be interchangeable and it is possible to mix-and-match. The asymmetrical armament on the monitor turret is described as an attempt to provide a balance of long and short-ranged firepower. The single large-bore pulse laser cannon is meant for long range engagements and the twin laser machineguns are meant for short-range ones. The apparent justification for this is that research fleets were expected to find unknown potential threats and would need every edge. There is also mention of a VF-3000C type, which has symmetrical weapon mounts on the monitor turret, though apparently with the ability to pick either twin pulse lasers or quad laser machineguns rather than having a set configuration. The VF-3000's gunpod is also described as an enlarged version of the GU-11 with greater ammunition capacity. It's noted to have three hardpoints per wing, and to be compatible with all VF-1-era armaments. Hardpoints were also added to the center fuselage to facilitate use as a fighter bomber. There was also apparently a proposal for a delta wing variant, which MD-3000-01 was modified to test in 2013. In terms of service history, Master File asserts that about 40 total VF-3000s were delivered to the UN Forces by the end of 2013, though their deployment destinations and actual numbers are indicated to still be classified. (Presumably this is a reference to their use by Special Forces units like the Dancing Skulls.) It's noted that some remained in our solar system as aggressor training aircraft for escort fleets until 2032. There is mention that some emigrant fleets toyed with the idea of adopting the VF-3000 and conducted tests of their own, though none seem to have adopted it in any numbers. One particularly interesting note is that the VF-3000 is said to have been purchased by some of the early private military companies formed in the wake of the First Space War, as government restrictions prevented them from acquiring the military's latest models (the VF-5000 at the time). It's said that they were produced in small numbers in the 2010s, and that the total number produced is believed to be less than 100. There is also an interesting point all the way back at the beginning of the piece, which talks about how the VF-3000 was for a time a popular choice of stand-in for the VF-0 when war movies were being filmed. Its similarity in size and design apparently made it ideal for the purpose, and on one notable occasion it also doubled for the SV-51 with a simple coat of black paint. It's said that movies that did this have become invaluable historical documents... not for their artistic merit (or lack thereof) but because they contain some of the only footage of this rare aircraft in operation. One squadron operating the VF-3000 is mentioned several times in marginal notes. The SVF-115 Armors transitioned from the VF-1 to VF-3000 in early 2014, and were changed to being a special mission squadron at the same time. They were deployed to a planetary reconnaissance fleet for two years starting in 2015. The Armors are said to have appeared in publicity magazines and regular carrier squadron, and that their status as a special forces unit directly under the New UN Forces Command was not made public until 2038, 10 years after the unit was disbanded.

Caught the second episode of The Water Magician... and if I had to pick a word to describe it, I would have to pick "bland".

Welcome to the Outcast's Restaurant has a new episode and... Apparently I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince got a new season too? Dear god WHY.

Since this season's new offerings have mainly been disappointments, I decided to roll back into my backlog and take a whack at Dan Da Dan. That was certainly a string of things that happened. Not quite Jojo level weird, but it's up there. Lots of people took issue with the series after the timeskip. It became... problematic... in all kinds of ways. Yeah, a lot of folks did take issue with the ending where...

Second episode of Detectives These Days Are Crazy! is out... ... that was certainly something. Not sure what, exactly, but it was definitely something.

They missed one... "Knowing it's unlikely we'll ever get a pair of Star Wars titles this good ever again." Pretty weak article. I have to wonder who it's for... since most people wouldn't go to read a blog post on StarWars.com unless they were Star Wars fans, and to Star Wars fans those points would largely be screechingly obvious. Especially #3, since people watching the rest of Disney Star Wars would already know about Imperial exploitation and crackdowns on Ryloth, Lothal, Lasan, and a dozen others.

Summer 2025 seems to have a bumper crop of isekai slop and isekai-adjacent slop. Scooped Up by an S-Rank Adventurer is yet another painfully unoriginal isekai-adjacent series about a generic protagonist who is arbitrarily kicked out of a narcissistic Hero's party and has to make their own way in the world... a premise so overused it's the third one I've watched this season so far. On writing quality, this might actually be worse than The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses... a strong contender for this season's worst new anime.

Very likely. I am an engineer and an academic... overthinking things is practically my stock in trade! 😜 I do admire everyone else in the story having terribly on-the-nose naming sense though. (Made amusing on a meta level knowing the Naresuan is an Earth culture otaku... he quite intentionally gave his ship what he thought was a Cool and Meaningful Name with symbolic resonance and then probably had to weather a few weeks of "What do you mean it's not awesome?" from his crew.)

Also starting Secrets of the Silent Witch... another series about a protagonist with crippling social anxiety. Is that this season's theme? This one doesn't seem like it's got much going on under the hood. I imagine the jokes about social anxiety are going to get old pretty quickly.

Giving another series a whirl while I wait for some automation processes to finish at work... The Shy Hero and the Assassin Princesses. Y'know, I'm feeling optimistic after Betrothed to My Sister's Ex. This series looks like it's going to be cringe-worthy harem fanservice material but maybe it'll have some substance after all. Aside from feeling like this series needs a counter for how many times the protagonist passes out standing up (the way Excel Saga did for Hyatt dying)... it really feels like an excuse plot wrapped around some fanservice and some barely-there character cliches.

A bunch more episodes dropped today... so I'm starting Betrothed to My Sister's Ex over lunch. NGL, my hopes for this one are not high. Crunchyroll's synopsis makes it sound like it's Legally Distinct Anime Cinderella, so the Walt Disney Corporation doesn't sue. I have a feeling I'm going to like this one. It's very cute and funny.

Very slick, well done! As a fun fact, some of the very oldest Macross setting materials mention a VF-1 Wolfpack in the UN Forces during/after the events of the original Super Dimension Fortress Macross TV series. It's implied to be a continuation of the famous US Navy squadron, which survived the war and was subsequently assigned to ARMD-10 Haruna alongside the VF-2 Bounty Hunters. (There was also a set of Wolfpack decals for the Yamato VF-0 toy, though by that point VF/SVF-1 had since been established to be the Skulls.)

"It ain't that kind of setting, kid." Star Wars doesn't run on that kind of logic. Not yet, anyway. Stories set after the sequel trilogy might have to, but only because The Last Jedi gave the First Order the technology to track a ship through hyperspace. The Rebels in Andor don't have that problem. Knowing a place's name isn't enough to actually get you there, you need coordinates. If your destination is uncharted, you're SOL (as seen in Skeleton Crew, The Bad Batch, etc.). Jumping to hyperspace is a de facto clean getaway. Ships can only be tracked between star systems by spaceport logs (in legit travel) or by installing a physical tracking device on the ship that can be detected, disabled, and/or removed as happens often. All that really needs to be done to keep the location of secret bases or facilities secret is to wipe the navigational computer's memory, a security measure we see implemented several times. (This is also one reason droids get periodic memory wipes.) The way interstellar travel works in Star Wars is massively, MASSIVELY convenient for the rebels. There is one example of the kind of security you're talking about, but it was for an Imperial program even more secret than the Death Star in The Bad Batch, and since the waypoint was fixed the secrecy was compromised fairly easily anyway. That is multiply acknowledged in Andor. Not only is that the reason that Luthen recruits/coopts a key member of her staff to serve as an ad hoc protection detail, it's also why the rebellion needed to urgently extract her from the Senate and get her offworld after her speech. She Knows Too Much and can't be allowed to be arrested by the ISB. I disagree that keeping that secret would mean instant doom. After all, there are plenty of politicians who are privy to classified knowledge about black sites and top secret plans who manage to keep that sh*t under wraps in the real world. Mon Mothma, Bail Organa, et. al. were, as directly acknowledged in-series, basically counting on wealth, status, and public perception of them as upper-class twits offended by the very thought of violence to remain beneath suspicion as anything other than possible rebel sympathizers. Whether those plans could've been studied anywhere is doubtful.