YF-21 FastPack installation video

[peolesdru]

Here's my video on the topic of applying and removing the FastPacks on the YF-21:

[eugimon]

nice! Thanks for taking the time to post these up.

[Wicked Ace]

These are much appreciated. When I get my first -21, hopefully this coming week, I will be watching these again.

[funkymonkeyjavajunky]

That makes a lot more sense than the Japanese diagrams. Thanks.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Attached this guide to the thread for convenience like the other guides for those who want to download it.

1. click link to download.

2. rename the file extension from ".zip" to ".flv". Then play the file in a media player to view.

How_to_Attach_FastPacks_to_the_YF_21.zip

Edited August 18, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[Mechinyun]

Peoles, just noticed your from winchester, my parents own a log cabin up in the Winchester mountains. I'm shocked a macross fan lives up that way

[Mechinyun]

Just watched your video, I dont have a 21 yet, but jeez looks scary as hell.

[peolesdru]

Peoles, just noticed your from winchester, my parents own a log cabin up in the Winchester mountains. I'm shocked a macross fan lives up that way

Technically - and I hope I don't get shunned by this forum for this - I'm not a "Macross fan", but rather a "transforming toy fan". You'll perhaps notice that I don't post anywhere but the toys section here: because I have nothing to contribute to any other discussion. I will say, however, that I like the driving premise behind the designs: these are supposed to be real planes that convert to practical humanoid forms and are specifically for warfighting. Very cool. Also I saw "Robotech" back when I was a kid. (Now I'll really get shunned!)

Out here in the boonies (we only have 2 Targets, 2 Walmarts and a single TosRUs! We live like animals, I tell you!) I might have never known about Yamato and their wonderful toys but for Al Gore's amazing inter-web-a-tron. My first Yamato was a YF-19 (the second release, with "anime colors" - it's blue), followed by a 21, an 11, the 1/48 VF-1, the "new and improved" 21 (1/72), then the 1/60 19, the SV-51 and now the newer and even more improved 1/60 YF-21.

Yamato makes birds way better than HasTak. If you want to be amused, look up the new Transformers Universe Silverbolt. It is either a robot with a plane for a backpack or a plane with a robot strapped onto the bottom. And although somewhat an extreme example of the type - it is the quintessence of the Hasbro transforming plane design philosophy - all of their planes are much the same: looks like a plane from the top, looks like s**t from the side. Also reference the horrible missed opportunity that was the Movie Starscream toy. *shudder*. Nothing satisfies that airplane turning into a humanoid craving quite like a Yammie. Apparently we can all look forward to Hasbro screwing up an SR-71 Blackbird next year, if the rumors hold true.

I'll get the new 1/60 VF-1S when funds permit and look very much forward to a newer, bigger 11. Also it would be just super if Yamato would make something completely new (well, besides the 51...).

[Mechinyun]

Technically - and I hope I don't get shunned by this forum for this - I'm not a "Macross fan", but rather a "transforming toy fan". You'll perhaps notice that I don't post anywhere but the toys section here: because I have nothing to contribute to any other discussion. I will say, however, that I like the driving premise behind the designs: these are supposed to be real planes that convert to practical humanoid forms and are specifically for warfighting. Very cool. Also I saw "Robotech" back when I was a kid. (Now I'll really get shunned!)

Out here in the boonies (we only have 2 Targets, 2 Walmarts and a single TosRUs! We live like animals, I tell you!) I might have never known about Yamato and their wonderful toys but for Al Gore's amazing inter-web-a-tron. My first Yamato was a YF-19 (the second release, with "anime colors" - it's blue), followed by a 21, an 11, the 1/48 VF-1, the "new and improved" 21 (1/72), then the 1/60 19, the SV-51 and now the newer and even more improved 1/60 YF-21.

Yamato makes birds way better than HasTak. If you want to be amused, look up the new Transformers Universe Silverbolt. It is either a robot with a plane for a backpack or a plane with a robot strapped onto the bottom. And although somewhat an extreme example of the type - it is the quintessence of the Hasbro transforming plane design philosophy - all of their planes are much the same: looks like a plane from the top, looks like s**t from the side. Also reference the horrible missed opportunity that was the Movie Starscream toy. *shudder*. Nothing satisfies that airplane turning into a humanoid craving quite like a Yammie. Apparently we can all look forward to Hasbro screwing up an SR-71 Blackbird next year, if the rumors hold true.

I'll get the new 1/60 VF-1S when funds permit and look very much forward to a newer, bigger 11. Also it would be just super if Yamato would make something completely new (well, besides the 51...).

Have you seen the masterpiece series transformers from takara? Check out their skywarp/starscream/thundercracker.. very good designs

http://flickr.com/photos/7834016@N02/2224170312/sizes/o/

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Peolesdru totally agree with you. If hasbro put at much effort into the jets as they do the car robots (all the movie toys have good alt modes and let's even mention the alternator and binaltechs which go for the model look) we could have had the f22 looking like what you see in the movie.

Jets don't seem to be their thing.

The thing I do like about the TF though, is how some robots purposely don't look humanoid but more like parts put together that may approximate the human. Battle 7 in macross 7 is an example of something looking too humanoid to my taste. And the faces on the valkyrie you see on the custom vf-19 aren't really that great. Compared that to brawl in transformers animated movie: he is basically a hulking mass with loads of guns all over his body to remind you that he is a walking robot weapon not a humanoid robot holding weapons and trying to follow the human form closely. (which imo isn't necessary considering these are just living alien beings with mechanical bodies who shouldn't be close to us in appearance. ie aliens don't have to have two legs, two arms, 1 head. They might 4 legs, claws, buglike eyeballs, wear armor plating unique to their body like how we have unique fingerprints, a tail etc)

A crawling alien like scorponok might have survived for millions of years using it's low profile to survive a desert planet environment. If it natively had an upright humanoid form, then that mode might only ruin its method of preying on its enemy, just as a snake is useful as hiding in the grass by slithering under cover. It's still a robot, just not humanoid. In fact I like optimus prime a lot better if he just didn't have a mouth. If the cyborgs in gits can communicate to each other without using it, why not aliens? It's just a cartoon, but robots that don't have to follow a humanoid shape (just an approximation of it) is what I like. It's just more interesting that way imo.

Edited August 22, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[peolesdru]

Have you seen the masterpiece series transformers from takara? Check out their skywarp/starscream/thundercracker.. very good designs

http://flickr.com/photos/7834016@N02/2224170312/sizes/o/

Come on now. I did mention I have internet, right?

I of course have Masterpiece Prime, Masterpiece Starscream (see Takara, you CAN make a good jet!) and Masterpiece Megatron. My next video will probably be on Megatron, since he gives people fits. I remember seeing a color guide drawing of what seemed to be a MP Megatron with a tank alt mode. It was fascinating because it appeared the treads were folded over on the lower legs in robot mode in such a way that it would be the first tank transformer in history with working treads in tank mode. Man I sure wish they'd make that thing.

Edit: I just remembered that the old deluxe go-bot tank actually had working treads, but he didn't have any knees as a result so I figure it doesn't count completely.

Edited August 23, 2008 by peolesdru

[peolesdru]

Peolesdru totally agree with you. If hasbro put at much effort into the jets as they do the car robots (all the movie toys have good alt modes and let's even mention the alternator and binaltechs which go for the model look) we could have had the f22 looking like what you see in the movie.

Jets don't seem to be their thing.

The thing I do like about the TF though, is how some robots purposely don't look humanoid but more like parts put together that may approximate the human. Battle 7 in macross 7 is an example of something looking too humanoid to my taste. And the faces on the valkyrie you see on the custom vf-19 aren't really that great. Compared that to brawl in transformers animated movie: he is basically a hulking mass with loads of guns all over his body to remind you that he is a walking robot weapon not a humanoid robot holding weapons and trying to follow the human form closely. (which imo isn't necessary considering these are just living alien beings with mechanical bodies who shouldn't be close to us in appearance. ie aliens don't have to have two legs, two arms, 1 head. They might 4 legs, claws, buglike eyeballs, wear armor plating unique to their body like how we have unique fingerprints, a tail etc)

A crawling alien like scorponok might have survived for millions of years using it's low profile to survive a desert planet environment. If it natively had an upright humanoid form, then that mode might only ruin its method of preying on its enemy, just as a snake is useful as hiding in the grass by slithering under cover. It's still a robot, just not humanoid. In fact I like optimus prime a lot better if he just didn't have a mouth. If the cyborgs in gits can communicate to each other without using it, why not aliens? It's just a cartoon, but robots that don't have to follow a humanoid shape (just an approximation of it) is what I like. It's just more interesting that way imo.

As I've just pointed out, Takara at least managed to get it right when it came to MP Starscream. Even Classics Starscream is a decent design. My fantasy is that the next movie will strongly feature Starscream (pretty likely), and they'll make a leader-class toy of him (fairly likely) and in the process decide to skip the electronic crap and make the thing like a Yamato (zero chance).

I don't think there's a good reason for robots to have humanoid form unless they are interacting with actual humans. So in Macross we have these jets that turn into giant mechs. The only real purpose to their humanoid form is because it looks cool in a show and the audience can easily relate to humanoid mechs. Same thing with Transfomers - they're all sort of knocking on the fourth wall when it comes to the rationalization for being humanoid.

There's a lot of fanboys that gripe about the Transformers movie but there's plenty of holes to punch in the whole underlying mythology. Why do they disguise themselves if they're going to constantly turn into humanoid form to duke it out while the humans run away screaming? Hell, in the cartoons the Decepticons hardly ever even bothered using their alt modes as a disguise.

Like that would work anyway. "Holy cow, is that a Decepticon?" "Nah, it's just a PURPLE F-15" "Oh, ok then. Whew." And it's a bit of a stretch to believe that any of the combatants are fooled for one micro-cycle (if you will) by any of the disguises. Also, if they're sentient robots why the hell do they turn into human-scaled vehicles when they're on Cybertron? If I wanted to avoid Decepticons on Cybertron, I'd turn into gleaming roadway or something. Or a weird spire thingy.

Oh well - the biggest hole I can poke in the movie, by the way, is this: If the Decepticons had been smart enough to just BID on Sam's glasses then Sam would have happily packaged them up and mailed them to them! There are more holes of course - it wouldn't be a Michael Bay movie without them. (Remember the spinning space station in Armageddon? How the hell was the artificial gravity oriented along the axis of rotation? The axis of rotation would have ZERO gravity. Ugh!) They're still fun movies though.

And I agree with you - the Decepticon forms are the best ones in the movie - they're all kind of creepy and mis-proportioned and ungainly. Like Bonecrusher - very clever design. I only wish they'd made a larger toy of him. I guess if you're not shaped like a human you join up with the Decepticons. Makes membership in the Autobots look like a beauty contest in a way: "No way buddy. Your arms are way too long. Off to the Decepticons with you!"

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Like that would work anyway. "Holy cow, is that a Decepticon?" "Nah, it's just a PURPLE F-15" "Oh, ok then. Whew." And it's a bit of a stretch to believe that any of the combatants are fooled for one micro-cycle (if you will) by any of the disguises.

I think the idea was that they must have thought the machines were the native people of earth. They made themselves resemble the machines enough to disguise themselves but were not knowledgeable about humans who are flesh and blood people driving the machines, and that we'd even easily spot the difference. (even if we are flesh and blood, that doesn't mean we should expect them to know we are intelligent) They might not have expected humans to be evolved highly enough.

And then it was just a coincidence that robot mode was human-shaped because the cybertronians themselves looked like that before using transformation as a stealth ability to get the jump on the decepticons before having that trick copied by them.

Short of it: aliens are not perfect even though they are more sophisticated than us. Autobots don't know earth history so what might look ridiculous as a disguise to us, seems close enough for them.

My way of looking at the diguise thing is that autobots used it against the decepticons, the decepticons used it against the autobots too, then they used it when fleeing their home planet whose energy was running low due to war? And then because they already got used to taking advantage of the alt modes usefulness (for example the beast wars characters might be more sneaky as animals and not scare the animals around them which might give away their position when enemies can see animals acting strangely due to being scared) they forgot about the sneaking part altogether as they got to know each other personally.

But then why scrap the disguise if you can take advantage of it in other ways? Cars are faster and more efficient than feet to move. So that's my take on it. Transformation to the TF originally is like what camouflage would be to us humans I guess. Blend in if you can. But don't expect it to be perfect. Maybe up close the disguise isn't good enough, but in a city full of cars, or trucks and at a long distance? The enemy isn't going to shoot all the cars around it to find out which is the real one, that would waste ammo and give away his position. "It's not perfect, but better than not having it" is my thinking.

Edited August 25, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[peolesdru]

You, sir, are a champion rationalizer. Being one myself, I can respect that quality in others. Personally, I blew a gasket in my rationalization gland when the Star Wars prequel movies came out and it hasn't fully recovered.

But I could buy that - let's say the spaceship computer (Teletran 1?) looked around and assumed that the vehicles were the actual inhabitants. Or at least the chosen alt modes of the local inhabitants. Teletran doesn't realised, based on it's assumptions, that F-15 jets are never purple - it just figures each vehicle would be an individual, so surely they all have their own style so purple shouldn't be an issue based on that. Based on its assessment, it figures that the denizens of this planet are just even MORE into having identical alt modes (like the Cybertronian seekers do) which would explain why it didn't simply make Prime *any* wheeled vehicle or Skywarp *anything* with wings.

I'm just having trouble with the idea that Teletran didn't realize there would be humans around to see through the disguises and yet assumed that the presumptive highly advanced mechanical life forms were too stupid to see through the charade. And also there's nothing (I recall) to indicate that there are *any* non-transforming vehicles on Cybertron. They're all alt modes. And Prime always transforms into the same alt mode - are we to believe the Decepticons were powerless to simply look for his alt mode driving around and attack it? And I thought only Lucas could come up with plot holes that big.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Well I think in one of the G1 episodes where the aerial bot guys go back in time explains the origin story of how prime came to be answers it all:

Prime was just a normal robot humanoid-looking thing who didn't transform and whose job was loading stuff into a warehouse and one day megatron decided to go and steal all the energon cubes. (the decepticons were a "new type of robot that could fly". They must have seemed like superman to the younger generation.) Prime and the girlfriend gets killed and he is rebuilt as a battle robot by an old sagely guy.

Robots back then relied on guardians to do all the defending. In ancient times before they used transformation as a stealth tactic (and it is explained in G1 the autobots were the first to come up with it) even though you see megatron looking exactly the same as megatron on earth in the cartoon, you just got to accept that transforming wasn't always around on cybertron.

Sort of like DYRL thing where Minmay isn't a teenager like in the tv series but the movie uses a more adult minmay. And the transformation of the SDF-1 to a robot form just to shoot an enemy whilst killing the people onboard isn't explained rationally for the viewers who would normally expect the ship to just fire the gun in ship mode.

Bottom line: they didn't always transform so if you didn't know the autobots by name or who 'they' were, the ability to hide as as vehicle and ram into them gives you an element of surprise. After all it's a resistance movement: they had to sneak and go underground or they would lose since the military-type robots has the best weapons until their own autobot scientists can invent better stuff.

The cartoon of course contradicts itself in many other ways. But back then we were all just kids so they just assume we wouldn't care. Otherwise people would be posting questions asking about where primes trailer comes from when he transforms. Notice how in the newer cartoons they are trying to take out some of that stuff like the trailer. TFA has a trailerless prime. Megatron doesn't grow but is 'just big' like ALL THE TIME. etc Because as adults we are taking it more seriously now.

Anyway the lesson of that episode is to illustrate that we as kids shouldn't hero-worship people based on their cool ability but on their actions. The Aerial bots think the decepticons are 'cooler' than the lousy car robots! By the end of the episode they learn that the decepticons are bad guys and shouldn't be trusted. Prime was just a weak teenage robot in the old days and was a gushing fanboy of the decepticons because they could fly. That is until megatron kills him. I think this might explain why he is a pacifist and cared for the weak and wanted to protect them, unlike grimlock who is always talking about stomping things and proving he is king through his toughness. Now when the Aerial bots get back to presnet day, prime remembers that it was the aerial bots that in fact saved his life in the past. haha. (even though they think the autobots sucked donkey balls in the beginning of the episode. And that episode basically sums up the reason they fight the decepticons, and what the resistance is all about - like the rebal alliance vs the empire in starwars where the empire seem to have the better tech at first and the alliance has to flee and sneak until they can finally hit back)

So just because you see everyone transform into alt modes on cybertron in present day, that doesn't mean it was always around. It just became a fad kinda like wearing certain clothes to show who you are and it's part of your personality. Prime loaded stuff into a warhouse so I suppose the new body just had to be a truck which loads and unloads items into warehouses to whoever the old guy was that modded/remade him.

In ghost in the shell, why does Mokoto choose to be a sexy athletic woman and not a fat heavy chic? Each person might have certain skills so they have a form that suits it. Soundwave is a spy, so he gets to record people's conversations. Megatron loves to destroy so he is a gun. Starscream is a scientist and like jetfire, wants to explore so he is given the ability to fly around and search etc.. So prime is a truck because he lifts heavy things. Hotrod is impatient and full of energy so he gets to be a flashy fast car.

I'm just having trouble with the idea that Teletran didn't realize there would be humans around to see through the disguises and yet assumed that the presumptive highly advanced mechanical life forms were too stupid to see through the charade.

It might have thought they were too 'primitive'. When you look at ants moving around building an ant nest, it seems 'organised' but the behavior seems unintelligent. Just like when the zentradi thought humans were dumb because our war tactics and the arrangment of our city might not have been very tactically advantageous (assuming that war is the meaning of life). From their point of view, we are primitive. From our point of view they are the primitives because they can't think 'outside the box' and can't even repair stuff. Computers like teletraan 1 are not perfect either. It looked at the machines on earth and thought: god these are dumb robots! They don't seem to communicate to each other. Just as the znetradi thought we were dumb in macross for not having good warrior instincts.

And why must teletraan 1 just assume humans exist? If teletraan 1 never heard of humans before or seen one, what makes it think of one to look for? If you were to stand on top of a bridge and view a bunch of cars moving around, what would make you think they were machines controlled by flesh and blood creatures that manipulate them? Any more than looking at a remote control car moving is actually being driven around by a tiny alien?

People spot UFOs but rarely see the creatures inside them. If you were a robot race, you would just assume the UFO was the alien and not a craft controlled by one. So it's not even thinking about humans at that point. Just looking to hide from earthlings which it might mistakenly think are the primitives vehicles of planet earth.

links:

under american cartoon continuity:

http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Orion_Pax

^showing the original teen prime.

transformation:

under animated series:

http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Transformation

^ was an innovation by the autobots to add stealth, which decepticons copied, which would stay with them due to useful reasons later more than solely stealth reasons. (ie car robots can move quick and more energy efficient in alt mode)

Edited August 27, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[David Hingtgen]

Shouldn't this go in the Transformers thread, rather than the "YF-21 FAST packs" thread?

PS--thanks for the video, I should be getting my YF-21 next week.

[peolesdru]

Shouldn't this go in the Transformers thread, rather than the "YF-21 FAST packs" thread?

PS--thanks for the video, I should be getting my YF-21 next week.

You're welcome. And correct - we slipped wayyy off-topic. and Viz: You have definitely out-geeked me, my hat's off to you, sir.

[Mog]

I've actually found a much easier way to remove the arm/tailfin FP's: all you really need to do is grab the pointed end (near the hands) and rotate it downward and away from the tailfin.

Just imagine you're winding a clock or turning a dial on a radio; that's the motion you'll wanna use.

On the left tailfin, if you're looking at the outer facing side, you'll want to rotate the pointed end of the FP clockwise.

With the right tailfin (also looking at its outer facing side), you'll want to rotate the pointed end counterclockwise.

Never really had any problems getting the arm FP's to pop off this way.

[transfan52]

Shouldn't this go in the Transformers thread, rather than the "YF-21 FAST packs" thread?

PS--thanks for the video, I should be getting my YF-21 next week.

LMAO yeah seriously the previous poster was quite right about the autobots being slaves and destrons being the warriors to defend the quintesons but this is going way off topic.