Macross Master File

[jvmacross]

When I snap a pic....it not only translates it....but also converts the image into the japanese text and stores it...maybe check your settings

[hachi]

16 hours ago, jvmacross said:

When I snap a pic....it not only translates it....but also converts the image into the japanese text and stores it...maybe check your settings

Is that online mode? I tried the offline mode since I didnt want to waste my phone's battery. I'll try again later tonight.

[jvmacross]

I do not use mine in offline mode....not sure if that is controlling the storage of the translated japanese text

[hachi]

25 minutes ago, jvmacross said:

I do not use mine in offline mode....not sure if that is controlling the storage of the translated japanese text

There was an option to have offline mode, so I downloaded the offline translations. With online mode the pics you take are sent to Google for processing (pretty sure I saw the warning popup). If you're using the camera it would translate over the Japanese text.

[Graham]

My initial thoughts on the VF-31 Master Files.

Lots of pretty pics, but some stuff that bugged me:

1. They got the rear landing gear wrong. Yes, what they drew for the book looks better, but it's still wrong.
2. Disappointed that there were no drawings for alternate load-outs for the leg bays that hold the multi-drones. Was hoping they would have shown an alternate micro-missile load-out.
3. The VF-31A Kairos was incorrectly drawn with hard-points on the outer wings.
4. Disappointed that there was no cut-away drawings or detail about the arm railguns.

 

Anyway, I consider Master Files basically unofficial fanfic, so never really take seriously anything in the pics anyway.

[spanner]

the earlier master files were definitely better and done with more thought. The 31 book pictures are nice but some of those variants are a bit too strange. 

[sketchley]

3 minutes ago, spanner said:

the earlier master files were definitely better and done with more thought. The 31 book pictures are nice but some of those variants are a bit too strange. 

Agreed.  The series lost all credibility for me with the VF-19 book.  In short, it was when they indicated the wing-mounted multi-missile pods and large bombs/cruise missiles that were pictured on the cover of TiAS:M+ into detachable mini-drones firing bullets and lasers, respectively.

I think it was at about that time that my interest in translating the books evaporated, too.  LOL

But the pictures are still nice.  v(^_-)v

[jvmacross]

I have enjoyed every issue, so as long as they keep releasing them...I'll keep buying them! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Graham]

1 hour ago, sketchley said:

Agreed.  The series lost all credibility for me with the VF-19 book.  In short, it was when they indicated the wing-mounted multi-missile pods and large bombs/cruise missiles that were pictured on the cover of TiAS:M+ into detachable mini-drones firing bullets and lasers, respectively.

I think it was at about that time that my interest in translating the books evaporated, too.  LOL

But the pictures are still nice.  v(^_-)v

Snap! Exactly my feelings too. That stuff about laser firing mini-drones annoyed the hell out of me too.

[jvmacross]

 

[chyll2]

so bandai will never capitalize on those missile packs even though their newer release all got hardpoints?

[ivorysniper]

12 hours ago, sketchley said:

...... into detachable mini-drones firing bullets and lasers, respectively.

 

... and they had these ones repeated on VFMF VF-25 Messiah.

[Seto Kaiba]

12 hours ago, Graham said:

My initial thoughts on the VF-31 Master Files.

Lots of pretty pics, but some stuff that bugged me:

1. They got the rear landing gear wrong. Yes, what they drew for the book looks better, but it's still wrong.
2. Disappointed that there were no drawings for alternate load-outs for the leg bays that hold the multi-drones. Was hoping they would have shown an alternate micro-missile load-out.
3. The VF-31A Kairos was incorrectly drawn with hard-points on the outer wings.
4. Disappointed that there was no cut-away drawings or detail about the arm railguns.

 

Anyway, I consider Master Files basically unofficial fanfic, so never really take seriously anything in the pics anyway.

Not the first time they've gotten landing gear wrong, IIRC... didn't the VF-25 book cite landing gear from a model kit that got it wrong instead of the correct version from the animation?  I'd wonder if they same thing happened there.

Definitely miffed about #2 at least as much as you are... esp. since that was made out to be an equivalent arrangement to the modular ordinance bays in the engine nacelles of the VF-19.

I'm not sure #3 is an error... it never did make sense that the milspec model would have less pylon space than the goofy, forward swept winglet version used by a PMC, especially given that the military model had more wing area and therefore greater carrying capacity.  I'd characterize that as a correction rather than an error.

I felt downright cheated that there was no detail at all about the railguns.  That's a main weapons system and it's barely mentioned at all!

 

 

12 hours ago, spanner said:

the earlier master files were definitely better and done with more thought. The 31 book pictures are nice but some of those variants are a bit too strange. 

Yeah, the series really kind of went off the rails starting at the VF-22 book... their coverage of the Sturmvogel was pure trash, the VF-4 book was just as bad, and the VF-31 book is kinda useless since roughly half to two thirds of its technical material is copied from the VF-25 book and the parts that talk about the VF-31 entering service don't fit with the series timeline and Kawamori's statements about when the VF-31 formally went into service.

 

 

12 hours ago, sketchley said:

Agreed.  The series lost all credibility for me with the VF-19 book.  In short, it was when they indicated the wing-mounted multi-missile pods and large bombs/cruise missiles that were pictured on the cover of TiAS:M+ into detachable mini-drones firing bullets and lasers, respectively.

I think it was at about that time that my interest in translating the books evaporated, too.  LOL

But the pictures are still nice.  v(^_-)v

Really?  That's what got you?  Those didn't strike me as particularly unusual... though IIRC they got the idea of the disposable funnel missile thing from one of the VF-19 model kits or toys.  I'm used to the idea, since Macross II already introduced computer-controlled funnels and bits to the equation, and one of the Mardook mecha had something along similar lines, though it was a micro-missile with four little laser cannons built into it for sort of a scatter-laser effect.

 

 

3 hours ago, chyll2 said:

so bandai will never capitalize on those missile packs even though their newer release all got hardpoints?

Almost certainly not.  They never did for the variants of the VF-25's FAST pack.

[jvmacross]

 

[Devil 505]

On 04/02/2017 at 10:26 PM, sketchley said:

Agreed.  The series lost all credibility for me with the VF-19 book.  In short, it was when they indicated the wing-mounted multi-missile pods and large bombs/cruise missiles that were pictured on the cover of TiAS:M+ into detachable mini-drones firing bullets and lasers, respectively.

I think it was at about that time that my interest in translating the books evaporated, too.  LOL

But the pictures are still nice.  v(^_-)v

To think that I've been waiting to see if you would ever translate the VF-22 Master File, but from what I've heard on here about the poor quality of the latest books, I guess ignorance is bliss.

Once I deposit some more money, I think I'll get the VF-19 Master File.  To be honest, the VFA-19 sounds intriguing.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Devil 505

[sketchley]

25 minutes ago, Devil 505 said:

To think that I've been waiting to see if you would ever translate the VF-22 Master File, but from what I've heard on here about the poor quality of the latest books, I guess ignorance is bliss.

Once I deposit some more money, I think I'll get the VF-19 Master File.  To be honest, the VFA-19 sounds intriguing.

Well, I'm curious about what it has to say about the variants (above all else, they are the better part of the series.  At the very least, they stimulate the imagination with thoughts of what could've been - for better or for worse.  LOL).

[jvmacross]

 

 

 

 

 

[Seto Kaiba]

16 hours ago, jvmacross said:

Let's be honest, that's the best damn picture in the book...

The YF-30 is such a goddamn gorgeous plane that it felt almost criminal that it'd probably end up as a forgotten "super prototype" the way the YF-29 did... but Master File threw it a bone not once but twice!  Once in the VF-31 book with some discussion of an improved military spec version of the prototype (YF-30B), and once in the VF-4 book with some passing references to the VF-30.

[jvmacross]

It's a nice pic.....I like the -30/31, but will be a VF-1 fan forever....

 

More pics....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope Bandai gets the color right on Mirage's VF-31C before it's released.... 

 

 

[slide]

nice pics...

 

what's with the "YF-19 Advance"? they stuck the wings/weaponspod on a '19 frame?

Edited April 6, 2017 by slide

[Devil 505]

13 minutes ago, slide said:

nice pics...

 

what's with the "YF-19 Advance"? they stuck the wings/weaponspod on a '19 frame?

Shinsei likes to go with an "evolutionary" approach rather than "revolutionary."  The XVF-19 was a VF-11 with the VF-19's wings.

On that note, I finally ordered the VF-19 Master File.  I should be getting it some time in May.

[jvmacross]

 

 

 

[Seto Kaiba]

4 hours ago, slide said:

nice pics...

 

what's with the "YF-19 Advance"? they stuck the wings/weaponspod on a '19 frame?

As Master File would have it, the Shinsei Industry project teams have an obsession with evaluating technologies by building impractical one-off prototype aircraft specifically for that purpose.

(This one was profoundly unnecessary and potentially confusing, given that Shinsei Industry had already built not one but two prototypes as a means to evaluate the ordinance container system that are covered in this book... the official/canon YF-30 and Master File-original YF-30B.  It also shares a name with the VF-19ADVANCE, a one-off production aircraft that was not a technology demonstrator.)

[Devil 505]

13 minutes ago, Seto Kaiba said:

As Master File would have it, the Shinsei Industry project teams have an obsession with evaluating technologies by building impractical one-off prototype aircraft specifically for that purpose.

(This one was profoundly unnecessary and potentially confusing, given that Shinsei Industry had already built not one but two prototypes as a means to evaluate the ordinance container system that are covered in this book... the official/canon YF-30 and Master File-original YF-30B.  It also shares a name with the VF-19ADVANCE, a one-off production aircraft that was not a technology demonstrator.)

I just assumed the MF YF-19 Advance predated the YF-30 as a "proof of concept" design, as opposed to a prototype.

Edited April 7, 2017 by Devil 505

[jvmacross]

[jvmacross]

A few more sheety cell phone camera pics! 

 

 

[hachi]

For those who collect the master files, what do you think is the best one in terms of quality of content? I'm thinking of getting another master file book I dunno which one to get first.

[Seto Kaiba]

1 hour ago, hachi said:

For those who collect the master files, what do you think is the best one in terms of quality of content? I'm thinking of getting another master file book I dunno which one to get first.

Depends what you mean by "quality"...

All of the books are loaded with with plenty of lovely pictures, though I think the VF-25 or VF-31 book might've got the best of that.

For the broadest generally-informative coverage, I'd say the VF-25 book probably wins there.  It doesn't delve too deeply into any one topic, but it covers a broad spectrum of the VF-25's feature content and the explanations are succinct and generally helpful.  It's also the one where the non-canon variants are largely not Master File originals, which makes them a bit less ridiculous on average (a lot of them are nicked from the Macross Mechatronix series in Macross Ace).  The VF-19 book probably has second place for being most broadly informative, though its original variants list gets a bit weird in places.

For deepest, most technical coverage you'd probably want to get the two volumes of the VF-1 book, which go so deep into the spec as to give a full breakdown of all production blocks and even start talking about things like fuel consumption and the influence of overtechnology on material science in even mundane things like threaded fasteners.  (It certainly explains why the sortie range for VFs being "unlimited"... a fighter with a power plant endurance measured in months!)  The VF-0 book is arguably second-place for informative-ness, being the only book I know of to actually give separate stats for beautiful but almost-never-seen VF-0C.

 

The worst books in the series are probably the VF-4 and VF-22 books, which all but ignore the official material and completely lose the plot about 30 pages in.

[jvmacross]

[SebastianP]

On 3/26/2017 at 3:18 AM, Seto Kaiba said:

I found the first detail I actually like... pg32-33, a clear and concise statement that (in the book's non-canon view) the Delta Flight VF-31s aren't even based on production machines.  They're an offshoot of prototype development used for field testing, technically considered to still be prototypes (and early prototypes at that.  It's suggested that the VF-31A that Arad flew in that flashback episode was actually SYF-31-1, the first prototype for the Sigfried, basically just a JYF-31 equipped with the FF-3001/FC2 engines.  It looks like Delta Flight's units are really SYF-31-2 (Arad/VF-31S) SYF-31-3 (Messer/VF-31F), SYF-31-4 (Chuck/VF-31E), Mirage's is unknown, and Hayate's was SYF-31-8 and SYF-31-9.

Are you sure your numbers are correct here? I don't have the book myself, but the picture from the pages you're appearing to refer to is labeled "SYF-31-4~7, 2067", implying that the breakdown is:

SYF-31-4 = SYF-31S = VF-31S (Arad)

SYF-31-5 = SYF-31F = VF-31F (Messer)

SYF-31-6 = SYF-31E = VF-31E (Chuck)

SYF-31-7 = SYF-31C = VF-31C (Mirage)

With the next page going on with:

SYF-31-8 = SYF-31J = VF-31J (Hayate)

SYF-31-9 = SYF-31J = VF-31J #2 (Hayate)

There's also a color plate showing SYF-31-7 in a low visibility scheme with Delta 04 markings, and SYF-31-3 is shown wearing NUNS colors and is stated in the color plate to be based at New Edwards on Eden. 

Weirdly, the SYF-31-4 drawing has different outer wings than the VF-31S drawing, and both have single-laser heads. I get the idea that according to the book, VF-31S refers to *all* production forward-swept, FF-3001/FC2-engined versions, and VF-31A to all the delta-winged, FF-3001A versions. 

Edit: Weird crap is going on here, because I just now noticed that it appears the description for the SYF-31-4 says it was converted into the SYF-31E...

On 4/3/2017 at 4:12 AM, Graham said:

The VF-31A Kairos was incorrectly drawn with hard-points on the outer wings

I'd pretty much call that a correction of an obvious oversight personally, as the lack of outer wing hardpoints on the VF-31A made little sense to me in the first place. Basically every other VF except the VF-22 and VF-27 (which were exceptional in all sorts of other ways as well) have had multiple hardpoints under each wing, and not having them made the VF-31A the worst strike platform in ages. 

Edited April 11, 2017 by SebastianP

[hachi]

19 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Depends what you mean by "quality"...

All of the books are loaded with with plenty of lovely pictures, though I think the VF-25 or VF-31 book might've got the best of that.

For the broadest generally-informative coverage, I'd say the VF-25 book probably wins there.  It doesn't delve too deeply into any one topic, but it covers a broad spectrum of the VF-25's feature content and the explanations are succinct and generally helpful.  It's also the one where the non-canon variants are largely not Master File originals, which makes them a bit less ridiculous on average (a lot of them are nicked from the Macross Mechatronix series in Macross Ace).  The VF-19 book probably has second place for being most broadly informative, though its original variants list gets a bit weird in places.

For deepest, most technical coverage you'd probably want to get the two volumes of the VF-1 book, which go so deep into the spec as to give a full breakdown of all production blocks and even start talking about things like fuel consumption and the influence of overtechnology on material science in even mundane things like threaded fasteners.  (It certainly explains why the sortie range for VFs being "unlimited"... a fighter with a power plant endurance measured in months!)  The VF-0 book is arguably second-place for informative-ness, being the only book I know of to actually give separate stats for beautiful but almost-never-seen VF-0C.

 

The worst books in the series are probably the VF-4 and VF-22 books, which all but ignore the official material and completely lose the plot about 30 pages in.

Wow, thanks for all that info! So I'll probably get either the VF-1 or the VF-25 master files, as SDF Macross/Frontier are my faves. Depends on which one is available on purchase day.

17 hours ago, jvmacross said:

I prefer not to enter another rabbit hole...

[Seto Kaiba]

18 hours ago, SebastianP said:

Are you sure your numbers are correct here? I don't have the book myself, but the picture from the pages you're appearing to refer to is labeled "SYF-31-4~7, 2067", implying that the breakdown is:

Edit: Weird crap is going on here, because I just now noticed that it appears the description for the SYF-31-4 says it was converted into the SYF-31E...

Reasonably so, yes... and it looks like you spotted the detail that put me on to the correct order.

The order in which the SYF prototypes seem to have been commissioned for customization and use by 3rd Fighter Wing, Delta Flight seem to correspond to the order in which they joined the outfit... not their callsign numbers.  Chuck Mustang may be Delta-3, but he's been there longer than Messer.  There are a few numbers in the middle that may not have ended up with Delta Flight, possibly being assigned to one of the other Flights aboard the Aether or Hemera or used as test aircraft.

 

 

18 hours ago, SebastianP said:

I'd pretty much call that a correction of an obvious oversight personally, as the lack of outer wing hardpoints on the VF-31A made little sense to me in the first place. Basically every other VF except the VF-22 and VF-27 (which were exceptional in all sorts of other ways as well) have had multiple hardpoints under each wing, and not having them made the VF-31A the worst strike platform in ages. 

No kidding.  It didn't make any sense that the VF-31's military spec, with its larger wing area, would have less pylon capacity than the custom forward-swept wing model.

Granted, the VF-31A has the ordnance bays in the engine nacelles free to use for larger munitions instead of being filled by a rack for Cygnus multi-drone plates, but because they're on top of the wing that makes them only really useful for air-to-air ordnance rather than air-to-ground.

 

 

4 hours ago, hachi said:

Wow, thanks for all that info! So I'll probably get either the VF-1 or the VF-25 master files, as SDF Macross/Frontier are my faves. Depends on which one is available on purchase day.

I prefer not to enter another rabbit hole...

Yep... though, admittedly, it is kind of a slippery slope since the same outfits (GAGraphic and SoftBank) have also done tech manuals for other properties like Mobile Suit Gundam, Galactic Drifter Vifam, etc.

[Devil 505]

11 hours ago, Seto Kaiba said:

Yep... though, admittedly, it is kind of a slippery slope since the same outfits (GAGraphic and SoftBank) have also done tech manuals for other properties like Mobile Suit Gundam, Galactic Drifter Vifam, etc.

As an Ace Combat fan, I'm now looking at the ASF-X Shinden II Master File, especially since Shoji Kawamori designed the fighter.

[jvmacross]

[Andras]

Does it say what the squarish cross-section under-wing missiles on the VF-31s are? They kind of look like CHM-2 high speed missiles.