Seto Kaiba

I just wish I had more information on the development of the VF-31 series and Sv-262. Right now, the only sources of tech specs are the Limited Edition Blu-ray liner notes, a couple interviews about the series in Great Mechanics G, and booklets from the TOMYTEC and Bandai model kits. It's all so basic, and gives very little insight into the mecha beyond the bare-bones facts of their major pieces of hardware... and it doesn't help that the text in those kit booklets is contradictory outside of basic tech factoids. Variable Fighter Master File would normally be our port in this particular storm, but it's even worse... contradicting not only canon, but also previous volumes in the series. Personally, I really want a proper official explanation of the SV Works team that produced both the Sv-154 and Sv-262 for Windermere IV. We know they were a pet project of one of the cofounders of General Galaxy, but exactly what they did between the team being founded in the 2010s and its change of ownership to the Epsilon Foundation subsidiary Dian Cecht is a great big blank. They're engineers who specialized in developing VFs designed to fight other VFs, and there are a couple of General Galaxy's projects that feel like they should be one of theirs... like the VF-9 Cutlass and the VF-22 Sturmvogel II.

... ... ... It's moments like this that remind me how very important context can be. Kawamori-sensei, please use more variety in the movie dogfights so we can stop abusing that word!

Started watching the new season of Shokugeki no Souma last night... so far, so good I suppose. I'm just hoping they'll continue to avoid a gecko ending. I've got so many shows to catch up on... just looking at the queue on Crunchyroll is faintly depressing.

Nothing announced, AFAIK... but given that this is your bog-standard Macross compilation flick, I'd say the staff will be mostly the same and that suggests that our only area of genuine concern is its writers. If they're the same writers as the TV series, then pessimism is entirely warranted. That was always supposed to be a duology though, so ending the first one in medias res was kind of intentional. No, realism is what we need... too many folks went into Delta expecting Frontier 2.0 and ended up bitterly disappointed when the series fell far short of Frontier's lofty standard. Blindly hoping for a massive improvement without a reason to suspect that said improvement will occur will only end in disappointment.

A series of modifications made to an aftermarket VF-31A Kairos by Χάος Valkyrie Works, including, but not limited to: Replacement of the stock FF-3001A Stage IIC thermonuclear reaction turbine engines with a detuned version of the YF-30's FF-3001/FC2 engines (a 14% improvement in engine output). Modification of the the Shinsei/LAI TO21C inertia store converter to increase the unit's buffer capacity from 28.0G to 29.5G. Switching the outer wing segment of the delta wing for a forward-swept winglet and overall strengthening of the airframe. Exchange of the stock A-type monitor turret for a custom-built monitor turret (each Siegfried monitor turret is unique). Upgrading the stock ARIEL II+ integrated airframe control AI of the VF-31A to a custom build optimized for close air support of Walkure. Installation of the fold wave system and fold wave amplifiers on the dorsal surface of the VF. Fixed weapons (e.g. the LM-27 railguns) replaced with lower-powered versions than military spec in anticipation of having to operate in close proximity to civilians. Engine nacelle ordnance bays retrofitted into storage and charging racks for 8 MDP-001W Cygnus multidrone plates. Fitted with a custom multipurpose container unit that includes a remote recharger for the Cygnus multidrones. No and No, respectively. Yep. When you think about it, the VF-31 Siegfrieds are essentially the same kind of custom job that Sound Force's VFs were, except they're all customized from the same base aircraft this time. Heck, the operating profile is almost "What if the Jamming Birds stole Fire Bomber's ride?" Not a new theme, mind... Macross 30: Voices Across the Galaxy had most of the placenames and so on for Uroboros drawn from Norse mythology. The only references that aren't are Uroboros and the Chronos, which are both Greek, and the Percival, which is French. Even the bad guys, Havamal, are Norse-inspired. Fun fact... the custom build of ARIEL II that was used by the VF-25 and YF-30 is called "Brunhilde". It wouldn't work nearly as well with the enemy fighters being Draken, which can be translated as "Dragon", though the company operating them DOES have a Greek name and logo... Χάος.

The original design's even by the guy who specializes in malevolent space triangles.

Hm... that's a complex question. Most of the Generation 4.5 VFs in Macross were created either as stopgaps to improve performance enough to fight the Vajra (e.g. VF-171-IIIF and VF-171EX) or as test articles that were intended to evaluate technology intended for use in Generation 5 VFs. (Thinking about this really makes me want to go back and update my old .pdf for thrust-to-weight on all VFs.) It's kind of a skewed picture, when you look at it. Outside of the key areas where there were enormous advances in technology, most of which became the defining traits of the 5th Generation, performance didn't actually improve all that much between the Gen 4.5 and Gen 5 designs. I think you could make a case for saying that those key areas of advance on the Gen 5 designs enabled them to make much better use of what the Gen 4.5 and Gen 4 designs already had. The gulf between them is pretty big, but I think it's mostly built upon the advances in those key areas and without them the Gen 5 designs wouldn't be significantly better aircraft than the Gen 4.5s. Looking at it in terms of flight performance, the disparity is pretty enormous thanks to the improvements in engine technology and the advancements in man/machine interface tech and the introduction of the Inertia Store Converter that rendered them usable. Just in terms of thrust-to-weight ratio you're looking at a bare minimum 2:1 disparity if you compare the highest-end Gen 4 and Gen 4.5 VFs like the VF-19S against a typical Gen 5 VF like the VF-25A, VF-31A, or Sv-262Ba. Against a more typical Gen 4 or Gen 4.5 VF like a Block II VF-171 Nightmare Plus or a VF-19EF Caliburn you're looking at more like anywhere from 2.7:1 to 5.3:1. The more powerful engines also benefits the defensive capabilities, so even though armor material strength hasn't improved by leaps and bounds (barring the very limited introduction of advanced energy conversion armor) they're more durable because the existing armor material is being fed more power... like how the YF-29 achieves 4x the armor strength of a VF-25 by having twice the armor thickness and then supplying it twice the amount of power. (The implication that, within a given armor material, strength has a linear relationship to thickness and power consumption is rather helpful in and of itself.) The introduction of EX-Gear, ARIEL II avionics to capitalize on it, and the ISC also widen the gulf considerably by insulating the pilot from g-forces that would have been game-enders in previous-generation designs, which widens the gulf considerably. Augmentations like the fold wave system or the Draken III's reheat system just improve those already substantial areas of existing improvement even further by supplementing generator output with fold dimensional energy conversion or simply boosting thrust by 25%+. Weapons, sensors, etc. don't seem to actually be all that much better than what the Gen 4 and Gen 4.5 had, barring anti-Vajra equipment like the overkill gunpods, but it's that huge flight performance improvement that really makes the Gen 5s stand head and shoulders above their predecessors because it snowballs into other areas of performance.

Don't forget that these special mushrooms make small things much bigger... like that

Those are Tamiya Corp. Mini 4WD non-remote control racecars... customizable kit cars powered by little battery-driven electric motors. You can find them in many reputable hobby shops. They were fairly popular in America in the late 90's, though they were just referred to as "Tamiya cars" out here. I remember my younger siblings used to build and race those at our local hobby store. I believe the anime you're thinking of is Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!.

So, what you're telling us is the designer was on shrooms?

Given that they're not specifically described as a for-export variant (like the VF-19P) or as a locally-developed monkey model derived from a formal specification, they're almost certainly official New UN Forces variants. They're probably local spec versions of an official variant, so they might really bear a full designation along the lines of VF-19F/NM07 or something like that. (If nothing else, Macross 30: Voices Across the Galaxy gives you a New UN Spacy Havamal Special Forces paintjob for them in New Game+.)

Like I said back on the previous page, a lot of people were hoping for something resembling closure on the whole Windermere conflict. Having the movie be the originally-planned conclusion to the TV series would've given them that. As it is, the Macross Delta series didn't really come to an end, it just sort of... stopped. Once they'd blown up the Star Shrine, Heinz just ordered his troops to take their ball and go home. That's a bit of a first for Macross, not having the conflict end along with the series. So, naturally, since the TV series left its mecha-inclined viewers with great big giant robot blue balls and the original idea that was aired about the movie during planning of the series was for it to be the explosive climax to the series, a lot of people were hoping the movie would wrap up all the show's loose ends and maybe give us a couple of the nice, pretty dogfights the show resolutely refused to give us. Instead, we're getting a compressed version of a story a lot of us felt was lacking in a lot of areas... so there's an understandable lack of excitement. DON'T TEMPT FATE!

There was an internal memo going 'round the Utopia Planitia shipyards about how fidget spinners are huge in the Federation right now... and some shipwright got completely the wrong idea.

Looks like it is now. We need 30 committed buyers (at $300 a kit) for each design. After jorawar_b added your name for the Auroran and Spartas, we currently stand at 16 committed buyers for the Auroran and 15 for the Spartas. So we need another 14 buyers for the Auroran and another 15 for the Spartas. We need to keep spreading the word and hope we can grab s'more support.

I think a lot of us are going to be a bit disappointed with Macross Delta getting a recap movie... we were kind of hoping for some closure in the whole Windermere conflict, since Heinz taking his ball and going home at the end of the series is distinctly unsatisfying.

The VF-19F/S has such monstrous engine output for a 4th Generation VF that I rather suspect the engines weren't derated like the ones on the VF-19P were (allegedly in the name of extending cruising range). The VF-25 and YF-29 lack it, actually. What they have is just an ordinary thrust reverser. (It's labeled as "thrust reverser ring" in the diagrams.)

's kind of an unreasonable standard, isn't it? Barring the Robotech fan art you took exception to dumps of, until the prospect of a Moscato kit for Southern Cross emerged there really wasn't any realistic way to have a "real plan to get [something] done". Even if the companies that remember Southern Cross exists hadn't long since given it up as a lost cause, there isn't enough of a following to get the attention of the companies that already have a stake in related properties (Robotech) like Toynami, Kids Logic, etc., let alone garner the interest of uninvolved third parties like Arcadia, Bandai, and Evolution Toy.1 This kit is the best shot we have at actually getting something out there for Southern Cross... so by all means, support it. Please. Don't be shy. You wanna see something get done, this is your chance.

Voyager might count, given that...

I think editing the original post to remove the useless change.org petition and pruning the Robotech fan art would probably be sufficient.

Tryin' real hard not to be disheartened by this news, and it ain't workin'. I mean, there's a chance for improvement when they redo the story, but the story was such a mess in Macross Delta that I somehow fear that huge amount of room for improvement in the series means that the movie will take the story from "weak" to "passable" instead of from "great" to "fantastic". It'd be real nice if the balance was restored to the story so that it was actually Macross Delta and not Macross Walkure with special guests Delta Flight. From what I saw, the movies were generally quite well-received, particularly with the more balanced love triangle that gave Ranka even time instead of letting Sheryl seize the high ground from day one. Having a resolution to the love triangle seems to have had the usual modern anime problem of upset fans whose ship got sunk being pissed off, but otherwise folks being happy with it...

All right! Got consent from one board's admin. Apparently the lack of available Auroran and Spartas kits makes this an allowable exemption to their "no bootlegs" policy.

Yeah, they're passionate about what they do and they bring it across in their work. It'd be nice if we could reward that passion by getting some unofficial kits out there. We're still about fifteen shy for the Spartas and the Auroran, so spread the word if you can. Has anyone hit up the Vintage Anime Fans group on FB for "volunteers" yet? EDIT: Asked a couple other mecha board admins if it's OK to solicit backers for this project on their boards. Waiting on responses.

Oh, to be a fly on the wall during that little conversation... It's highly probable. The three VF-19s issued to Emerald Force were built locally by the fleet's own Three Star Heavy Industries factory ship after the restrictions were put in place. The one lingering question there would be what systems of the Macross 7 fleet's VF-19s had limiters added so they'd be compliant with the restrictions. (My money's on target acquisition, the same way the VF-19P was hobbled.) Well, "more" vernier thrusters might be a bit debatable... they actually did away with the individual verniers on the engine nacelles in favor of the full circumferential vernier around the "ankle". This apparently improves propellant efficiency in space, according to Master File, as the thruster ring is able act like a thrust reverser and selectively divert exhaust flow from the engine [instead of/in addition to] drawing fuel itself. It seems to have been a feature originally developed by General Galaxy for the VF-14 Vampire, and subsequently found its way into the VF-11MAXL, VF-17, and VF-19 2nd production type. The later VFs seem to have gone back to more traditional individual thrusters, but apparently with more fuel-efficient vernier technology.

According to Macross Chronicle, Isamu originally tried to twist Jan's arm into selling him VF-19 parts under the table... the Shinsei VF-19ADVANCE program that created the VF-19EF/A was Jan's counteroffer, it was written off as a test aircraft to evaluate service life extension possibilities for the VF-19 and paid for with Isamu's life savings.

Mostly. It's indicated that some parts were exchanged for hardware from the VF-19A, and that the fighter's ARIEL integrated airframe control AI software was deliberately downgraded to the original evaluation build delivered for use on the YF-19-3. You could argue that a fair amount of what was done actually constitutes downgrades, albeit ones made with the very specific goal of stripping out the various refinements made for the production models that sacrificed the punishingly unforgiving handling and the resulting excessive agility in favor of greater ease of control. (Essentially, Isamu had Dr. Neumann's team at Shinsei rebuild a VF-19 into the state that killed its widespread adoption by the New UN Forces stone dead... the fighter with such agility that only an exceptional ace pilot could handle it.1) The VF-19P was a monkey model variant derived from the VF-19F2 that was intended for export to emigrant forces and allied powers like the Zolan government. On paper, at least, it's supposedly a "enhanced fixed armaments" model sporting a redesigned monitor turret with a better sensor suite and two additional anti-aircraft laser cannons and the ordnance bays replaced by two micro-missile launchers. In practical terms it's a downgraded model with lower performance. The VF-19EF is used as a Special Forces VF in the Macross Frontier fleet NUNS, since its performance exceeds that of the VF-171 Nightmare Plus. It's used by a Special Forces unit called Round Table, as well as serving as a field test aircraft for technologies going into the YF-25. It's worth remembering that the Frontier New UN Spacy is a local defense force under the direction of the Macross Frontier fleet government. Barring Macross VF-X2 and Macross 30, we haven't really seen the REAL New UN Forces in a Macross series... the ones who operate under the direct authority of the actual New UN Government. What we've been seeing in Macross 7, Macross Frontier, Macross Delta, and so on have been the local defense forces of a given emigrant fleet or planetary government that're operating under the auspices of the New UN Government. It's hard to come up with a good real-world analogy to explain the relationship. The local New UN Forces are kind of like a National Guard reserve. They're nominally part of the New UN Forces but they mainly operate in and around the state that founded and maintains them, answering to state-level authority as well as the federal New UN Government and New UN Forces. They can even be activated by the New UN Government and sent to reinforce other state-level forces, or the federal New UN Forces. The analogy breaks down a bit on the point that each local government basically has a free hand in deciding how to equip and organize its local defense forces. When you include that part, it's a lot more like how the proposed European Union Army would work by having all of their various national militaries operating together under the direction of a supranational military. So... given that each of these emigrant fleet and planetary governments is a semi-autonomous New UN Government member nation, and that these nation-states do sometimes let their conflicts get to the level of actual warfare, it makes a certain amount of sense that the New UN Government would want the federal-level forces overseeing all these local militaries to have better gear. Hence all the monkey models. Isamu and Guld's little stunt in 2040 was apparently the straw that broke the camel's back, scaring the New UN Government enough to start seriously restricting arms exports to the various emigrant governments. Limitations were imposed on the numbers of some types of craft that the emigrants could deploy, exports of some technologies were restricted, and locally built versions of the federal forces mecha had mandated limitations on certain aspects of performance. It's very likely that the only VF-19 we've seen that wasn't a monkey model was Aegis Focker's VF-19A. All of the 5th Gen VFs in Macross Frontier and Macross Delta save perhaps for the Sv-262 are based on what was by any rational standard a monkey model spec3 for the YF-24 Evolution's final prototype. 1. Per Great Mechanics DX.9, one of the key factors that resulted in the New UN Forces halting plans to adopt the VF-19 Excalibur was the control problem... the aircraft's difficult handling resulted in many pilots losing control of the aircraft in training exercises. Other factors included fears of advanced weapons falling into the hands of anti-government forces after the YF-19-2 independently penetrated Earth's orbital defenses, and the enormous per-unit cost. 2. Canonically, per Macross Chronicle ALL Mechanic Sheet 01B. Variable Fighter Master File claims it's a derivative of the VF-19E instead. 3. The version of the YF-24 Evolution spec that was shared to the emigrant fleet and planetary governments had a number of technologies that were withheld by the New UN Government and federal New UN Forces. Consequently, if they were to build a VF-24 based on those plans, their VF-24 would have lower performance than the federal VF-24, ensuring the federal forces would have superior military capability. This has also been observed to work in reverse, with the federal forces applying their superior technology to new designs produced by emigrant governments, producing superior versions of their fighters (e.g. Havamal's YF-29B Percival from Macross 30).