Why is Gerwalk mode disliked?

[CrazyDude]

Been wondering why Gerwalk mode is disliked.

It is my fav mode with Battroid being the least liked.

Being a mix of fighter and robot it is the most interesting mode and IMO the most aggressive.

Just curious.

[Kanedas Bike]

Personal preference/sense of "what I think looks cool".

I only like Gerwalk on the VF-1, most other Valks = meh.

-b.

[EXO]

Cool to watch in animation, as for display... pick a side already! lol.

Also takes up the most space in that regards. Shoulda bought those 1/200 Yamatos in gerwalk mode. Then it coulda been 1/48 Battroid, 1/60 Fighter and 1/200 Gerwalk...

[505thAirborne]

I think the VF-0, VF-1, VF-11 & VF-25 look great in Gerwalk, actually its my favorite Mode of the VF-25. Fighter mode is pretty solid in my book for most Valks.

But overall its personal preference and whats looks best in your eyes! Love the SV-51 Fighter, can't stand the Battroid mode or Gunpod.

[Valkyrie addict]

I like gerwalk mode.

[CrazyDude]

I can understand the display space usage.

Thx for the answers so far.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

me too.

i don't like using my landing gears so i either lie it on the plastic tray or put it in gerwalk to park it after swooshing.

[dizman]

I like gerwalk mode, its just my least favorite of the three. I only have one valk displayed in gerwalk and that is the VF-1D because of that scene in SDFM.

[CrazyDude]

Most of my Macross models are 1/144-1/72, with one or two 1/48 fighters.

[Swoosh]

I like GERWALK mode, it is a great concept, looks cool in animations, but not easy to do many dynamic pose in toy form.

[arrow]

I like it. As well as fighter since it both shows the cockpit and pilot. I'm starting to detest the trend of colored cockpits and covered ones like the 27 and 21.

[SuperSenpai]

I like Gerwalk mode quite a lot actually -- for certain models. VF-1 and VF-25 definitely are my favorites. I think it's rather unique in comparison to a lot of transforming robot mecha toys, and something that definitely screams "Macross" (granted that Mospeada also employs a Gerwalk-like mode). In toy implementation though, it depends a lot on having good articulation. I remember as kid thinking Gerwalk mode was so cool in the show, but being sorely disappointed in my Jetfire's rendition of Gerwalk Lack of a knee twist and ankle articulation definitely made Gerwalk look pretty busted on the ol' chunky.

[UN Spacy]

Who dislikes it?

[CrazyDude]

Just many comments about Gerwalk I read give that impression.

I agree with being able to see into the "office" and seeing the pilot.

[no3Ljm]

I love Gerwalk too esp on the VF-1's. It's the one unique mode that caught my eyes when I saw the Macross TV intro for the first time back in '83.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Been wondering why Gerwalk mode is disliked.

It is my fav mode with Battroid being the least liked.

Being a mix of fighter and robot it is the most interesting mode and IMO the most aggressive.

Just curious.

It basically looks bad for some valks.

For instance the vf-11 I find kinda ugly in gerwalk because it has a thin layer of kibble hanging off its butt that doesn't really look nice at all.

The VF-1 on the other hand has a backpack that folds up with some booster things on the back of it. It looks like it would be useful.

Sometimes it is not a good looking mode for practical reasons. For instance the yf-19 has the wings behind the arms which actually restricts its movement.

I suppose it also looks funny because the pilot is in more danger in that mode by having himself be exposed. Robot mode is way better thought out where you are protected by a robot armor. (Battroid adds extra powered frame to the vehicle by transferring energy not being used in the thrusters to the body of the machine so it can withstand impact better. This allows you to crash into buildings and not get yourself killed as easily.

At close range you don't want to make the pilot dizzy so the pilot being right in the centre of mass makes a lot of sense. All valks in battroid mode are required since the whole idea of killing giants (the original purpose) was to use robots to compensate for humans lacking the physical strength to match the zentradi 1-to-1.

The best part of gerwalk is it makes sense to land in that mode in the absense of a landing strip. You can descend anywhere and then transform into a robot. To me it is best thought of as a transition from fighter to robot but not a really useful mode by itself. Since being a robot makes you stronger at close range, (you can still skate on the ground like GERWALK) and being a fighter gives you the speed to catch up to a fast target and lock on. But the GERWALK is really not strong in either of those two things. It's just really a safer way to slow down imo. I suppose in space the rules change however and perhaps GERWALK is better than a fighter because you can see around you easier but turn te gunpod around much faster because it is not fixed to the plane itself.

Think about that from a defensive perspective: when you need to turn quickly in fighter mode you are restricted to shooting the close range gunpod in one direction only. But in space you slide around all over the place to it is not a ideal way to fight using the weapon when the enemy is close to you. Having a arm holding a gunpod lets you swivel the weapon quickly from side to side.

But even then battroid mode in space can do this too. But maybe being able to look right and left is a little bit quicker when you look out the window of the cockpit canopy instead of the battroid camera in the head? (more awareness visually of up close objects?)

Small targets won't appear on the radar. So perhaps the GERWALK offers this one advantage. For instance lets say I attack you from above in space battle. You won't see me as easily in battroid mode because your headt turret is looking forward all the time. But in GERWALK you can see me coming by looking upwards from your cockpit canopy.

There are also other things about GERWALK that might be still useful like having the ability to fire wing-mounted weapons which you can't use in battroid mode but yeah overall I think it much more like a half mode that acts as a transition to get to the other modes. Not a mode by itself. If a valk did not have a GERWALK mode it wouldn't suffer as much as if it didn't have the battroid mode or fighter mode.

Edited April 11, 2014 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[SaitouSad]

From observation, apart from slowing down and landing, the Gerwalk is also used primarily to hover in an atmospheric environment, something which we seldom see the Battroid do. It's probably more stable that way, and makes for a faster transition to Fighter mode when they're done.

[alchemo]

I wonder how much protection will the heatshield provide to the pilot. Think about Roy in DYRL

[M'Kyuun]

I 'm probably alone here, but I think it's pointless. It looks like it got stuck mid-transformation. Moreover, everything for which GERWALK is used can be accomplished by the battroid mode, so why not skip the intermediate step. Just my humble opinion.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

I wonder how much protection will the heatshield provide to the pilot. Think about Roy in DYRL

That was a movie within a movie don't forget So it can't be considered realistic depiction of the valk strength. hehe

I 'm probably alone here, but I think it's pointless. It looks like it got stuck mid-transformation. Moreover, everything for which GERWALK is used can be accomplished by the battroid mode, so why not skip the intermediate step. Just my humble opinion.

Probably that speed is better in GERWALK. Like if you are a damsel in distress and the robot can grab you and run on its feet (battroid mode) or hover to safety (faster). The GERWALK version is faster because the backpack thruster points behind you. And the wings let you get a bit of lift. When hikaru had to save Misa in SDFM in the mars base, he had a strict time limit before the base was going to blow up. That is probably one of the best uses of the GERWALK in the show but how many times do we get reminded that hikaru would have been better off putting the girl in a cockpit of the two-seater variant of the VF-1 and then just turning into fighter mode and flying away? You could achieve the same thing as GERWALK and not expose the girl to shrapnel or get their hair messy!

Why carry the girl in the hand? So again. I think GERWALK is a half mode. Therefore gets less respect. But without it, the valk isn't as good overall. eg Maybe you want to shoot your wing mounted weapons and shoot the gunpod at the same time onto a single target for example? And not suffer the consequences of the Battroid mode's slow speed to get to the target in time? In Fighter mode you could probably shoot the gunpod at the target and wingmounted weapon on the target together too, .....but the gunpod only fires in one direction. The GERWALK lets you spread your fire around like the battroid mode but without the disadvantage of not being able to use the wing weapons. GERWALK however is probably less comfortable to spin around quickly than battroid mode since you are at the extreme edge of the mecha and it will make you sicker. lol

Edited April 11, 2014 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[close313]

For me it is the gerwalk mode that defines the macross universe, thats why i love gerwalk modes. I specifically like those without overhanging back plate like the VF-1/0, SV-51 and the 19 series. Their gerwalks seem to be more well thought of. The unconvenional VF-17 gerwalk also has a charm to it too.

[EXO]

Unless it's all loaded up, the SV-51 looks great in gerwalk...

[Scyla]

I think Gerwalk-Mode looks great but takes up a lot of space. I usually have one Valkyrie that I took out of my cabinet to be shown prominently on my desk. This one I have often in Gerwalk-Mode and the semi Gerwalk-Mode where the arms are not deployed.

It looks almost as it could be a real thing. The F-35B with STOVL opens panels, rotates parts for this. So why not have a aircraft with two engines that has VTOL capabilities by rotating the turbines.

However I dislike the Gerwalk-Mode of Yamatos VF-19 because they can't get their lower legs under the center of the plane. This looks extremely unpleasing to me. I think for a Valkyrie to look good in the in-between-mode it has to get this right, the Excalibur doesn't.

I'm always confused about the VF-17 special Gerwalk configurations. In line art it looks like lower legs don't rotate under the center of mass rather sit behind it. Is this correct?

(courtesy of the Macross Mecha Manual: http://www.macross2.net/m3/m3-index.htm)

I tried to pose my Yamato VF-17S in that way but I failed every time. I guess it is impossible until they make your toy Valkyries out of Overtechnology.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

Yeah but i never liked that idea of leaning forward anyway.

Maybe it has antigravity capability but it is kept secret from the ordinary joe on the streets. Or just obscenely heavy legs? Remember there is gunpod hidden there and the nose of vf-17 is short.

Edited April 11, 2014 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[miro79]

i dont really like Gerwalk.

It makes no sense to have it.

Only on the vf-1 it looks acceptable for me, but in the end it is still just a plane with legs and arms.

Kinda stupid looking.

[Scream Man]

It's not so much that I don't like it, it's just i like it the least.

[Kelsain]

I like the 0,1 & 25 in Gerwalk. They look good and solid, and it's something that I think is distinctly Macross.

The 171 is kinda cool, because it has a strong bird-like quality to it.

The other VF's don't work as well, because the wing positions are awkward. The wings dangle awkwardly off the back, rather than being mounted near the shoulders. As much as I love the 11, seeing the battroid head and those big gaps just ruins the G. It looks good if you leave the arms folded away, though.

Other notables:

YF-29 - yeesh. That valk is so kibbly, and Gerwalk is the worst offender.

YF-21/VF-22 - the engines are on the back, why even bother?

VF-9 - the pivoting cockpit is kind of cool, but it looks like an origami bird because of all the hollow folding bits. And it's wearing moon-boots.

[sketchley]

From observation, apart from slowing down and landing, the Gerwalk is also used primarily to hover in an atmospheric environment, something which we seldom see the Battroid do. It's probably more stable that way, and makes for a faster transition to Fighter mode when they're done.

A lot of official publications indicate that the GERWALK form is basically a Heavy Attack Helicopter.

It's a shame that there aren't more opportunities for the GERWALK mode to shine in the anime...

[eriku]

I've never really cared for it, not even as a kid watching Robotech. I have nothing against it, it's just not visually interesting to me so I never bother to transform into that mode. That said, I don't think I've ever gotten the impression "so many people" dislike it. I've always assumed I was in the vast minority.

[M'Kyuun]

Although I don't care for GERWALK in general, I have to agree with Exo that the SV-51 has a cool looking GERWALK. But then again, it's badass in all 3 modes.

[CF18]

I like all 3/4 modes in general, and usually like gerwalk mode the most - it not just another fighter or another robot, the most uniquely "Macross" mode. For a toy display without stand, G modes are usually safer from falling than B mode, and a bit easier to squeeze for shelf space than fighter mode.

A few units are kind of bad at gerwalk modes: YF-21 is just ugly in that mode. Yamato VF-19 have wings restricting the arms, and limited ball joint range of the foots. Bandai VF-25 are even more restrictive with arms if the super or armor packs are on.

[KH355hamdi]

I like GERWALK. You can think of it as the legs as the mid air brake/ hover and the arms for shooting back or sideways. Very well illustrated in Macross Zero.

http://youtu.be/AFrV3ZUS17Y?t=4m40s

Edited April 11, 2014 by KH355hamdi

[Actar]

Actually, if you have played any of the 3D Macross games, the Gerwalk is pretty much indispensable. It has the maneuverability and speed of Fighter mode and the accuracy and dexterity of Battroid mode (with the Gunpod).

I personality love the Gerwalk mode.

[SilentCrossHairs]

Never was a fan of Gerwalk. It is just and in between mode. In the anime it's used mostly in close quarter combat. But really just looks like a unfinished transformed Valk to me.

[treatment]

pfft.

It ain't Macross if it doesn't have GERWALK.

Heck! You ain't really a Macross-fan if you don't like and/or don't get GERWALK-mode at all.

Also, it's just possibly some cretins can't display their valks in GERWALK-mode properly: