2 new Variable Fighter Master File books: VF-22 and VF-1 Squadrons

[Mommar]

Looking at the pics again, I really love the Low Viz looking scheme and that Racing Stripe styled Red scheme. Too bad there's no chance of seeing these in Arcadia form.

[Seto Kaiba]

Looks like HLJ finally got their copies of VFMF VF-22 today... it showed up in my Private Warehouse there.

Anyone else got theirs?

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I've just recieved the payment request!!

[Seto Kaiba]

I've just recieved the payment request!!

Yeah, I got the autopay notification a bit ago... looks like preorders annihilated their inventory, it's already listed as "Backordered".

Gonna be a good week for me... Chronicle #81, VFMF: VF-22, and my YF-30 showing up all at once.

[Mommar]

Can't wait to check this out, and for the much appreciated bits of translation from this thread.

[sketchley]

You guys are going to hate me - picked it up today (wasn't at the first store (grrr), and had to search for it at another).

Mini-review:

It's all VF-22 with some YF-21 added for good measure. Sure, some of the other VFs appear, but mostly in comparison shots and/or in test flight escort roles. The book doesn't spare any space for anything but the VF-22. On top of that, its got pretty much all the same features as the VF-19 book - some of those weren't present in the last one or two books, and it's great to have them included. As always, there are a few odd new weapons, a few more bizarre variants, and very, very few GERWALK and Battroid images.

If you love VFs, especially those from M+/M7, this book is a must have!

[Mommar]

Interesting they managed to pack the entire book full of 21/22 only. We all expected some filler in the form of other fighters. We've seen in some of the preview video's both the 19 and 11 flying along side, are there other surprise Valks like the 17, maybe even the 25, in some pics as well?

What are some of the more odd weapons/variants? Also, are there some pretty cool looking Liveries?

Edited September 23, 2014 by Mommar

[sketchley]

Interesting they managed to pack the entire book full of 21/22 only. We all expected some filler in the form of other fighters. We've seen in some of the preview video's both the 19 and 11 flying along side, are there other surprise Valks like the 17, maybe even the 25, in some pics as well?

What are some of the more odd weapons/variants? Also, are there some pretty cool looking Liveries?

Only the YF-19 and VF-11 are shown in pictures (no surprise with the former). The other major fighters show up in an overhead line-art side-by-side comparison (though some (the VF-0, VF-1, and VF-17) are included in a smaller scale).

The oddest weapon would be the stealth micro-missiles (!). On the other hand, there are some large missiles with fold out forward-swept wings that are very reminiscent of the discarded idea for micro-missile loaded cruise missiles in Macross Zero (does it need to be mentioned that they're stealthy?).

The oddest variant (which just strikes me as wrong) is the one with bug-eyes (cockpit canopy) and antenna. Though, I really dig the two-seater delta-winged variant (shades of the stretch F-22 bomber proposal).

There are some very neat liveries. One's even got flames.

Edited September 23, 2014 by sketchley

[Mommar]

Why aren't those stealth micro-missiles still in use on the later model fighters? Sounds pretty awesome, and totally not possible once fired...

Aren't all 21/22's relatively delta-winged? I'm curious what this thing looks like.

[spanner]

The VF-22 book has been pushed back to October eh?

[Mommar]

The VF-22 book has been pushed back to October eh?

No, my book is sitting in Seattle on it's way to me right now. Sketchley has already picked his copy up and has commented on it.

[Seto Kaiba]

The VF-22 book has been pushed back to October eh?

Nope, HLJ had it listed as pushed back to October for a few days... and then it suddenly jumped to Backordered for about an hour, then September Restock (because it'd come in and they'd exhausted their inventory filling preorders).

So if you had it preordered on there, odds are it's sitting in your Private Warehouse. Mine's currently en route to me via customs in Memphis.

The oddest variant (which just strikes me as wrong) is the one with bug-eyes (cockpit canopy) and antenna. Though, I really dig the two-seater delta-winged variant (shades of the stretch F-22 bomber proposal).

There are some very neat liveries. One's even got flames.

So... a stretch, two-seater delta wing type? Don't suppose they named that one Jagdvogel, did they? (There was a modeler who did exactly that in the same old issue of Model Graphix that first mentioned a VF-19E.)

[jvmacross]

[Mommar]

So much cool stuff in these photos. I love all of those two toned liveries. That tan one is really interesting looking. And thanks to the YF-25 I've learned to appreciate orange planes, I think that XVF-21 scheme is great.

The additional wing packs shown there look like something that would have been invented in the Mac F era for additional defense purposes. Kind of like how they bolted those additional guns onto the 171's to fight the Vajra. It seems like something that might be necessary under certain conditions.

[Andras]

They look like 2 boom mini-super D cannon. Anti-warship guns?

[Mommar]

Dunno, would love a translation from one of our kind members. Really, just a bit of summation what it's talking about would be great.

[sketchley]

They look like 2 boom mini-super D cannon. Anti-warship guns?

"Beam Cannon Model [FAST Pack]" and "Beam Cannon Model Sensor Attached [FAST Pack]".

Given the information available in the VFMF:VF-1 and VF-19 books for similar beam cannon equipped FAST Packs, the VF-22 ones are most likely designed for anti-ship use (off the top of my head, I can't remember if it's just for punching holes in the sides of enemy ships, or something more...)

[Mommar]

Andras was correct, anti-warship cannons. Would be cool to have some of these for our Yammies. Not sure how it would be feasible to attache them though.

[Andras]

Cool, glad my guess was right. The picture on the left looks like the VF has a mixed load of beam cannon and missile armed FAST packs.

[jvmacross]

Edited September 28, 2014 by jvmacross

[CoreyD]

Nice horns on the right.

[Seto Kaiba]

Nice horns on the right.

So... the one on the left is for Kamen Rider, and the one on the right is for a Gundam fan who's compensating for something?

[Andras]

That 2 seat D model also looks like it's missing the missle/gunpod bays on the underside.

The B model looks like it has the normal underside bays plus the bigger wing

The E model is missing the 2 tube underside micromissile launchers, but has a second bay for missiles.

[sketchley]

That 2 seat D model also looks like it's missing the missle/gunpod bays on the underside.

The B model looks like it has the normal underside bays plus the bigger wing

The E model is missing the 2 tube underside micromissile launchers, but has a second bay for missiles.

There are reasons for that - the captions accompanying the images say "equipped with Weapon Container" (equipped with the underside bays/micro-missile launchers) or "equipped with Weapon Pallet" (lacking the underside bays/micro-missile launchers). The Weapon Containers are indicated as optional standard equipment for all VF-22 variants (and YF-21 variants).

Those Weapon Containers also appear to be loaded with either a gun pod, or optional internal pallet (not from this book per se, gleaned from other sources). Which would explain why the VF-22 is occasionally listed as having 3 internal pallets. [it doesn't even look like there's enough room for the micro-missiles in those Weapon Containers when they're loaded with the Gunpod!]

One other point of note is that the belly can be swapped over for specialized ones that semi-recess some of the larger missiles. Quite an interesting development, and one that doesn't stretch imagination to the breaking point (like the micro-missiles and Gunpod in the Weapon Containers does!)

Edited September 28, 2014 by sketchley

[Andras]

Well from watching M7/Stargazer, when Max fires his VF-22 missiles he fired 40 total, 20 from the dorsal launchers, and 10 from each leg cover (in 5 volleys), he also fires one big missile and pulls out a gunpod. So it must be possible to hold all that at once.

In my Mekton conversion, I gave the VF-22S leg bay covers a semi-fixed 10 shot missile pallet* and a 4 space bay for a gunpod or missile(s). With the pictures above, I could give the D model external hardpoints for (typically) anti-warship missiles, and for the B model, remove the 10 shot pallets and call the entire thing hardpoint space (6 spaces each) for various missiles.

The bigger wing would allow more pylons for external ordnance (9spcs vice 6 for the S)

In M: Plus, the YF-22 fired almost 80 missiles I could count on screen between internal and leg FAST launchers.

*can replace it with other pallets with different missiles.

[Mommar]

Oh, I see what you mean by Delta Winged 22's. I... don't like they way they look at all.

[sketchley]

Oh, I see what you mean by Delta Winged 22's. I... don't like they way they look at all.

Note the VF-22B is the normal length, and the VF-22D is a stretched type, with greater payload (other than noting that, I haven't looked at the accompanying text too closely. Nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier, it totally reminds me of the FB-22 bomber proposal!)

[Mommar]

Note the VF-22B is the normal length, and the VF-22D is a stretched type, with greater payload (other than noting that, I haven't looked at the accompanying text too closely. Nevertheless, as I mentioned earlier, it totally reminds me of the FB-22 bomber proposal!)

Hmm, you're right about the resemblance. Kind of cool if the Master File guys pulled from real life craft to make these additional designs just like how Kawamori uses real aircraft for his inspirations... even if I think it looks bad.

[Actar]

What? It's out already? HLJ has mine as September Restock and I haven't received my payment request... I really, really, really want my copy ASAP!

[jvmacross]

[Mommar]

Boy, when you said there were very few Battroid and Gerwalk photos I was hoping for more than one of each. The the two shots aren't very clear or good either. What a disappointment.

[jvmacross]

[Mommar]

Damn, all of these Master File pics with the Uraga Class Carrier photos is telling me we NEED a model/toy/whatever of one.

[Andras]

Animebooks.com posted a preview scan of the ordnance loading chart for the VF-22

http://www.animebooks.com/mavafrmafivf1.html

I copied it to imgur so as to not vampire their bandwidth

Edited September 30, 2014 by Andras

[Seto Kaiba]

Boy, when you said there were very few Battroid and Gerwalk photos I was hoping for more than one of each. The the two shots aren't very clear or good either. What a disappointment.

I'm more disappointed that they didn't even make an attempt to give information on the VF-22's gun pods... this book is depressingly light on useful trivia. Lovely art, but with so few variants of the VF-22 out there in Macross proper, you'd think they could've spared more thought for the details.