Vf-1 Development And Tactics

[kanedaestes]

I know it was stated in (ahem, prepares for incoming barrage and attacks on my person) Robotech that they didn't want the general public to know about the transforming capabilities because they didn't want the public to know the true height of the aliens. Now i can't remember if that was said in the Almight Super Dimension Fortress Macross series or not. But that is why they had such a contemporary design

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

The question shouldn't be: "why would they hide the fact the aliens were giants?"

It should be: "Why is it so hard to believe that the government would keep detailed knowledge about the aliens a secret?"

To me it just seems obvious: There is no good to come if you panic them and let them know too much to make them scared. You don't want people running around the street screaming: WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE! and telling others to hide in the hills and people going out of control and maybe even losing thier mind. (think of the crazy guy in halo who just encountered those "flood" aliens.)

You want them to remain calm and not think the end of the world is coming and reassure them that everything is ok and that we are in control of the situation. And as for other things: the UN must be ultra paranoid about spies after ivanov defecting and stealing the transformation info and using the weapons against them. So you would expect that there would be some secrets kept close to thier chest for security reasons. Maybe there was no good to come if people knew that they were paying for some "experimental" fighter which transformed into a humanoid form since it would be a waste of money in thier mind, so it has to be kept a black project. But at the same time you don't want to tell them that you are building them to fight giant humanoid aliens either, so you are stuck and better off not telling them everything. Keep in mind it is 20 times more expensive than a non-transforming destroid. And remmeber that part where the mayor was angry at global for not taking the sdf1 off into space because of all the money the tax payer spent into the ship? People want to see that their money is being put to good use. The problem is: You can't tell them about the robot mode, without also telling them this mode is for killing giants, which would cause a panic and make people lose faith that we could actually stand against such a race.

I just rewatched those episodes where hikaru encountered his first giant alien and yep: his reaction was of shock at the sight that something like it could exist. (true he had just been in a plane crash and shot at, but I think the alien was the thing that really spooked him) That kind of thing would send the population into a panic if they were told about it all at once. I know for sure I would be frightened if I saw a giant human. I would just freeze and run for the nearest hiding spot. Try to imagine if it were real: It would be scary as hell. I stick to my opinion that the airshow was only to dmonstrate to the public the manueverability of the new fighters, and not reveal the other features (such as transformation) of the vf-1.

Edited August 11, 2006 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[JB0]

I just rewatched those episodes where hikaru encountered his first giant alien and yep: his reaction was of shock at the sight that something like it could exist. (true he had just been in a plane crash and shot at, but I think the alien was the thing that really spooked him) That kind of thing would send the population into a panic if they were told about it all at once. I know for sure I would be frightened if I saw a giant human. I would just freeze and run for the nearest hiding spot. Try to imagine if it were real: It would be scary as hell. I stick to my opinion that the airshow was only to dmonstrate to the public the manueverability of the new fighters, and not reveal the other features (such as transformation) of the vf-1.

424146[/snapback]

I still read it as less shock that it can exist and more shock that it's still moving after he emptied his gun into it.

To me, a BULLETPROOF* giant alien is infinitely more scary than a giant alien that goes down easy.

*Yes, I know he wasn't really, but that's not what it looked like.

[kanedaestes]

Yes the airshow was just for the demonstation of the new flying capabilities aquired through alien technology. I love that episode, gosh the memories of when i first watched it as a young lad. The episode that started it all.

[kanedaestes]

I want a VF-1D 1/48 toy now with hikaru and minmei, whhhaaaaaa

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I still read it as less shock that it can exist and more shock that it's still moving after he emptied his gun into it.

To me, a BULLETPROOF* giant alien is infinitely more scary than a giant alien that goes down easy.

Yeah but he is saying "this can't be real!" as if to deny that it could possibly be true. (at this point the giant is lying there dead. So he can't be shocked at the danger the giant poses to him at this point) Roy is responding with: "but it IS real". So I figure it's like he has just seen a ghost, is freaked out, and now his mind is doubting what he is seeing despite what his eyes say. If it was just the fact that the giant couldn't be killed he would have commented on that. Something like "holy sh|t, sempai!! These aliens are tough mofos. What are they made out of? I emptied 200 bullets into 1 mecha and it still kept coming." And roy would say: "They were gentically modified zombie variants of the alien which feel no pain. I am not surprised it could still walk even after you ripped a thousand new a$$holes into its mecha."

I want a VF-1D 1/48 toy now with hikaru and minmei, whhhaaaaaa

Yeah me too. But maybe with all the releases coming out this would anger all those people who can barely keep up. Something for the future perhaps?

Edited August 11, 2006 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Briareos9]

Why is the VF-1's fighter mode so contemporary? Granted in the Macross timeline the first variable VF-1 prototype won't have it's first flight until Feb. 2007 so it makes sense it would look like todays fighters, but if U.N. Spacy had the Overtechnology to make a variable fighter you'd think they would also make some major leaps in fighter design.

Because the F-15 is a AF jet, and they're de facto Navy so they're using the world dominator F-14 which was designed to counter a threat that never existed and neutralized the Backfire swarms? The F-14 is still not exactly matched in its design role.

Kawamori doesn't exactly have a crystal ball, does he now?

[Mr March]

I would just like to say, thank god kawamori made the design contemporary and not "futuristic."

Futuristic designs rarely hold up as such and quickly become dated and very specific to the era in which they were designed. Vehicles that are designed that incorporate real world elements and obey laws of physics stand a much better chance of surviving the ravages of father time.

423158[/snapback]

I'd have to say I'm impartial either way. Some science fiction fighters look just as good now as they did when first designed, even those without contemporary aerodynamic considerations. The Starfury/Thunderbolt of Babylon 5 and the TIE Fighters/X-Wings of Star Wars are classic designs standing the test of thime, yet neither examples incorporate much in the way of conventional aerodynamics of their time.

On the flip side, I can see your point with respect to other anime aircraft. IMO, none of the Southern Cross/Mospeda aircraft have aged well and designs like the Core Fighters/G-Fighters/Dopps from Mobile Suit Gundam look absolutely terrible today.