Neat little find: Super Condor in Mospeada

[1st Border Red Devil]

Ok,

I've been having an argument with people at Palladium over the AS-C03 Condor. I say it transforms, just like the translated text says as well as the fact that it has wings that fold down just like the Legioss as well as having the Legioss forearm/engines. Why have that on a non-transformable battle mecha? I was searching my screen cap collection for something when I noticed (for the first time) that what I thought was a Condor had a really bizarre looking arm assembly. I checked my lineart and sure enough, not a Condor but a Super Condor! In living color and in one frame from Prelude to the Offensive. Hot damn, yet another transforming fighter!

You can tell its a Super by the chest and upper arm assemblies as well as the 3-shot missile pod.

Taichi's Super Condor CGI Page

A little back of the envelope scribbling for possible stats...

Armo-Soldier Mode

Height: 10m

Breadth: 6m

Depth: 6m

Fighter Mode

Height: 4m

Breadth: 6m

Length: 9m

Weapons Loadout

4 x tri-barreled 80mm beam cannons (2 mounted on each forearm)

3 x 3-shot 190mm Hammerhead Bins (1 set of reloads each) above the fuselage

24 x 190mm Hammerhead Short Range Missiles mounted in 6 leg launchers

1 x internal munitions bay

Now, if only Palladium can get Tommy Yune to recognize this and not ignore it

[VF5SS]

Man, can't you just leave a dead robot alone?

[jenius]

This argument would be more compelling with a few things:

1) if you told me what the Super Condor was. Is it that thing in the bottom right hand corner of that line art page?

2) if you provided a picture of what a Super Condor looks like in fighter mode

3) if you like, maybe drew some lines to show me what debris matches with which parts.

4) told me why it mattered if Tommy Yune recognized it or why Paladium, or any Mwer, should care.

This is the Internet, where we all want to be spoon fed everything. I'd be interested to see what you found but I don't feel like doing any research just to get to the starting point.

EDIT - I said "two" and prattled off four... oops.

Edited February 21, 2008 by jenius

[CoryHolmes]

Man, can't you just leave a dead robot alone?

What about the YF-1R or the "Funky Chinese"?

[Totoro242]

Very cool! Where does that line-art come from?

Interesting that whoever made that CG S Condor almost got the colors right...

[VF5SS]

What about the YF-1R or the "Funky Chinese"?

You shut your whore mouth.

The YF-1R is stupid. "hay guyz, let's take a vf-1a from one of the shittiest episodes and because it wasn't drawn right NEW VARIANT OMG STATS STATS"

The Funny Chinese is fine. It has some line art, information, and the concept has been repeated in other Valkyries like the VE-1 and VF-11.

[wolfx]

What the...looks like a flying dildo for zentrans.

[JB0]

You shut your whore mouth.

The YF-1R is stupid. "hay guyz, let's take a vf-1a from one of the shittiest episodes and because it wasn't drawn right NEW VARIANT OMG STATS STATS"

The VF-1R isn't even the animation error. The head is an ugly hexagonal mess instead of the broken 1A head from the animation error.

Not that I'm a fan of the 1A head, but the "official" 1R head is just a disaster(Actually, it's an attempt to steal the VF-11 head without getting sued, but that's neither here nor there. Besides, they screwed the 11 head up pretty badly so it's STILL a disaster).

...

At least they haven't adopted the twisted wrecks from episodes like Virgin Road(I WANT to like this episode. I really do.).

Interestingly, Real Macross has adapted that error too. Though they haven't canonized it on the VF-1, the concept got rolled forward... to the future!

http://www.new-un-spacy.com/macross7/vf-19s.htm

That head layout look familiar?

(Woulda been hilarious if they'd done it to a VF-11 head too)

[1st Border Red Devil]

Very cool! Where does that line-art come from?

Animec, can't remember which issue.

[Noyhauser]

This argument would be more compelling with a few things:

1) if you told me what the Super Condor was. Is it that thing in the bottom right hand corner of that line art page?

2) if you provided a picture of what a Super Condor looks like in fighter mode

3) if you like, maybe drew some lines to show me what debris matches with which parts.

4) told me why it mattered if Tommy Yune recognized it or why Paladium, or any Mwer, should care.

This is the Internet, where we all want to be spoon fed everything. I'd be interested to see what you found but I don't feel like doing any research just to get to the starting point.

EDIT - I said "two" and prattled off four... oops.

Cmon how can you not be excited for another completely impractical, poorly designed, variable vehicle?

More space helicopters anyone?

Just kidding.

[JB0]

Cmon how can you not be excited for another completely impractical, poorly designed, variable vehicle?

More space helicopters anyone?

Just kidding.

Where would we be without completely impractical, poorly-designed, variable vehicles? I think they're an established necessity for life. Food, shelter, mecha, and clothing.

[1st Border Red Devil]

1) if you told me what the Super Condor was. Is it that thing in the bottom right hand corner of that line art page?

Yes. As for what it is, likely a space-optimized version of the Condor Armo-Fighter geared specifically for Attack. IE - Its not a Fighter per se (has no use as Air/Space Superiority or Interceptor etc).

2) if you provided a picture of what a Super Condor looks like in fighter mode

That would be the image just to the lower left of the Armo-Soldier mode. Failing that, here is Taichi's CGI version....

3) if you like, maybe drew some lines to show me what debris matches with which parts.

4) told me why it mattered if Tommy Yune recognized it or why Paladium, or any Mwer, should care.

Tommy Yune should recognize it so as to give the franchise more designs. That way, no need to poach on other series to get ideas. Plain and simple. No pissing off fans of other animes and maybe making Robotech fans happy with 'more stuff' to market.

Palladium should recognize it since they make their livelihood on role-playing games, specifically ones that add all sorts of stuff to the mix to satisfy their players' thirst for 'more gear'. Anyone who knows about Rifts will understand this sentiment.

As for MWers, there are some Mospeada fans here. Never know if they might like to learn something about a show they love that they didn't know before.

[1st Border Red Devil]

Where would we be without completely impractical, poorly-designed, variable vehicles?

Kinda like that 'completely impractical, poorly designed, variable vehicle' called the VB-6 König Monster? Every franchise has something someone else considers extraneous bs.

[CoryHolmes]

Kinda like that 'completely impractical, poorly designed, variable vehicle' called the VB-6 König Monster? Every franchise has something someone else considers extraneous bs.

SoundForce from Macross 7 springs to mind...

[EXO]

seeing the CG version makes me like the design. I wouldnt want to see it as a toy though, maybe as a large scale model.

[jenius]

Thank you 1st Border. It doesn't look particularly variable but it's cool to see another design. I don't suppose you have a pic handy of the regular condor?

[1st Border Red Devil]

Thank you 1st Border. It doesn't look particularly variable but it's cool to see another design. I don't suppose you have a pic handy of the regular condor?

Note that there are wings on the back in the exact same position as those on the Legioss, as well as the forearm engines like those on the Armo-Soldier mode Legioss. This, of course, is apparently no longer proof to Tommy Yune that it can transform (no matter that the text of one or more of the OSM entries says the Condor can transform). Of course, it doesn't matter that he has changed his tune on this subject more than once, including in the Robotech: Invasion comic series.

From the old Robotech IRC chat, circa 2004 (courtesy of Craig Sapp/Rtsurfer)

<Tommy> btw, I'll post the cover of RT Invasion #4 this week - Condor action galore

<GIR_Writing> I'd like some close-quarters VHT combat

<Hover_Tanker> VHT!!!

<RyoFire> HT the condor is a destroid so be happy it's in there

<Hover_Tanker> Ryo, sorry, just trying to eek an existance out in the 'Great Flyboy Empire"

<Tommy> ryo - it's a transformable, but not enough room in story to take

advantage of the different modes

<GIR_Writing> can we expect to art of the modes on the site in the infopedia?

<DraQ> Tommy: so Condor is not a battloid, right? it's a full mode veritech fighter?

<Tommy> gir - actually yeah, I showed the guys who cam to January's signing sketches of the Condor's guardian mode

<RyoFire> oh great the condor issue

<Tommy> once these are cleaned up, we'll post the modes in the Infopedia

<ODIN> a condoor is a bird that lives in the mointains

* RyoFire rolls his eyes

Thats a speculative CGI rendering that Matt Willis did for the uRRG a few years back.

[bsu legato]

Three cheers for incidental throwaway designs never intended for more than 2 second's worth of scrutiny!

[EXO]

Three cheers for incidental throwaway designs never intended for more than 2 second's worth of scrutiny!

Elintseeker.

Sucka!

[bsu legato]

Elintseeker.

Sucka!

Make fun all you want. I for one am VERY interested as to how this Major Find affects the Early vs Late Return debate.

[EXO]

Make fun all you want. I for one am VERY interested as to how this Major Find affects the Early vs Late Return ™ debate.

Oh yeah... the old the Early vs Late Return ™ debate.

[bsu legato]

Oh yeah... the old the Early vs Late Return debate.

Everything we thought we knew about the development of veritech mecha = out the window.

The Robotech RPG Blogsphere will be on fire tonight. Every Robowiki in eistance will need immediate updating in light of this.*

*if you completely ignore just how out of place and downright archaic a mecha like the "condor" would be in Robotech in the first place.

[Roger]

Man, that Animec artwork completely sucks all of the coolness out of the design. I really prefer the original version. Palladium's artist did a decent job with it:

http://www.palladiumbooks.com/Merchant2/ca...550preview3.jpg

Someone should make conversion kits to turn Super Poseable Alphas into these.

[Roger]

Man, that Animec artwork completely sucks all of the coolness out of the design. I really prefer the original version. Palladium's artist did a decent job with it:

http://www.palladiumbooks.com/Merchant2/ca...550preview3.jpg

Someone should make conversion kits to turn Super Poseable Alphas into these.

[CoryHolmes]

It'll be interesting to see how a new artist takes the RT mecha. Kevin Long did some of PBs best mechanical artwork.

[EXO]

Man, that Animec artwork completely sucks all of the coolness out of the design. I really prefer the original version. Palladium's artist did a decent job with it:

http://www.palladiumbooks.com/Merchant2/ca...550preview3.jpg

Someone should make conversion kits to turn Super Poseable Alphas into these.

ugh, gross... that's stuff don't compare to Artmic stuff... looks like fanart to me!

[briscojr84]

ugh, gross... that's stuff don't compare to Artmic stuff... looks like fanart to me!

A little to angular.

[one_klump]

Looks like a Go-Bot reject, if you ask me

[JB0]

Kinda like that 'completely impractical, poorly designed, variable vehicle' called the VB-6 König Monster? Every franchise has something someone else considers extraneous bs.

The entire VF series is composed of completely impractical variable vehicles.

Poorly designed is a matter of opinion.

I was being sincere, if over-the-top, in my appreciation of them.

I DO think the Super Condor is one ugly mofo, and in desperate need of a REAL transformation, but... it's still neat.

[Mr March]

That is truly an awful mecha design! For once, a mecha that actually deserves the title FLYING BRICK

As for the comparison to the VB-6, I will say the this condor thing makes the Konig look like the VF-25! At least the Konig can get away with the "Shuttle" designation because it actually looks like a shuttle. Perhaps if they call this condor a flying bunker it would help

[yellowlightman]

Everything we thought we knew about the development of veritech mecha = out the window.

The Robotech RPG Blogsphere will be on fire tonight. Every Robowiki in eistance will need immediate updating in light of this.*

And if something like this was recently found in SDF Macross, people would be going nuts for it.

No need for the hate BSU, that time could be spent posting pictures more pictures of your extensive firearm/thrift store furniture collection.

Edited February 22, 2008 by yellowlightman

[bsu legato]

No need for the hate BSU, that time could be spent posting pictures more pictures of your extensive firearm/thrift store furniture collection.

Well there is this awesome ratty old couch that I inherited, out in my front porch, that I've just been dying to take pics of. Maybe I'll pose some of my single action revolvers on it, for sort of an "antique" motif.

[Legioss]

ugh, gross... that's stuff don't compare to Artmic stuff... looks like fanart to me!

This should be in a drawing book to demonstrate to beginning artists what your characters and mecha will look like with no line of action.

[Phyrox]

The condor is ugly, but I think this is a cool little discovery.

Thanks for the info.

I wouldn't be bothering with Palladium or HG with it, but it is cool.

[danth]

I like the Condor and Super Condor designs as destroids. I seriously doubt that they transform, even if they have little wings and intakes. I think the Legioss looks like the Condor because the Legioss' armo soldier mode was based on the Condor. To clarify, I think Aramaki/Kakinuma designed the Condor specifically as the Legioss' prototype in the Mospeada world.