The Megaroad Class

[Boxer]

Hello

After going through the Newbe Posts I came up with some questions about the Megaroad. One of them is the possibility that there are new ARMD class ships attatched to the arms.

This site helps:

http://www.steelfalcon.com/Macross/megaroad.shtml

It's RPG stats on the Megaroad ship. Look carefully on the side lineart near the back... I think I can make out the helicopter landing rings and the 'teeth' of the Movie Megaroads along the lower side of what is supposedly the new ARMDs.

You also see a definate shot of the 'teeth' in the color photo of the side of the Megaroad. Look to the right of the engines and down near the bottom of the structure to see the four 'teeth' seen on the refitted ARMDs.

I've been told that this isn't the case, but since the Megaroad class ships were designed in a new era of ship construction I'm wondering if it's an obscure class of new ARMD platforms or designs previously discarded but revived to be used for the Megaroad construction. It would fit with the notion that the fighters are in the 'rear' part of the ship.

I also wanted to ask if there are any definate ship designs from this period? I think Plus is a litle too advanced for anything in this age (Hence the 'Stealth' ARMDs and Stealt frigates) were'nt around in this time. There's some pencil art floating around on Macrossworld section Showing a new kind of ship class above the Megaroad. I can't seem to find it, so hopefully someone knows what I'm talking about...

Well anyway, any contributions would help. Thank you.

[ewilen]

I don't have an answer to your question, but I can see what you're talking about. Also, if you look at the 3/4 rear view on the page (click here to see it directly), you can see an ARMD-like structure on the far side of the engines, but strangely, not on the near side.

Edit: actually, there is one on the near side, but it blends in with the rest of the ship due to coloring and perspective. Look for the "finger" projections along the trailing edge. But in that picture, the "quasi-ARMD" doesn't appear to have helicopter landing rings or any kind of runway/runway markings.

I'm pretty sure the top picture on that page is from FB2012; the lineart is probably from the FB2012 book. Not sure where the rear view picture is from, but I'll bet someone here does.

Edited January 11, 2004 by ewilen

[Boxer]

I think there's a ship in the way to block out the helicopter rings and runway. Either that or they're too small to be seen and are hidden under all the detail/flash animation that they have.

Still, it would be a perfect candidate for an ARMD replacement (Should the UN spacy decide to adopt the strategy of bigger platforms in lesser numbers) and were probably phased out by the stealth design.

Are there any more shots of the Megaroad out there? Maybe I need to get my hands on F2012...

[Lestat]

I consider myself somewhat a connoisseur of the Megaroad. I've had many discussions with Nanashi over its size, and its capabilities.

There are not only two armd-class vessels attatched to it, but also two other fleet ships. I shall demonstrate in the following image what I think...

btw, Steelfalcon is severely inaccurate. All the statistics there are made up. However, the approximate length may be accurate. That is an extremely large city in its hull, and I believe the neo-nupetiet-vergnitzs-bis in the images is to approximate scale.

[Neova]

Just curious but has a toy (doubt this) or garage model of the Megaroad or the SDF-3 (not counting the big one off by a MW member here) ever been produced? I would love to see all of the details of that ship in 3D.

[Druna Skass]

There are not only two armd-class vessels attatched to it, but also two other fleet ships. I shall demonstrate in the following image what I think...

What kind of ship is that next to the ARMD, if that's the case?

[Zero Enna]

It remember me Guantanamo Class Stealth Carrier.

[Noyhauser]

There is only one other ship from this period we have definitive stats on, which is this one...

http://www.mahq.net/mecha/macross/macross.htm

http://unsd.macrossrpg.com/harunacruiser.html

I don't know about the accurracy of the last site as I haven't seen any source material from macross M3... but if the story starts in 2018 its design would make sense. I think its possible that the ship from FB-2012 below the megaroad might be the same design (maybe from a earlier model)

I have a suspiscion that this ship was developed soon after as well...

http://unsd.macrossrpg.com/maizuru.html

But I have no real definitive answer.

Edited January 11, 2004 by Noyhauser

[Boxer]

I didn't think the Guantanamo stealth carriers were around at that time. I thought they were around the Plus era- long after 2012. I thought the next design of ARMD platforms were of the class now attatched to the Megaroad design.

Was Stealth technology being developed in Space war One? I don't recall any stealthy ship designs in-use at the time. And if we are to assume M3 is cannon, does this mean the Haruna is a prototype to stealth design?

I'm curious as to what the other 'structure' might be. As Lestat said it might be another ship, then again it might be an assembly part used to dock the ARMD to the rest of the ship.

So if Steelfalcon's wrong then does anyone here have any 'real' Megaroad stats? It's one of the things I'd like to know.

[Ltee]

Hey all,

Just wanted to say what a great site and to thank all of you who have contributed to this site I've learned quite a bit over these past few months from this site and what you all have posted. What I'm about to say doesn't really deal with the megaroad as a ship, but rather what happened to the crew (I didn't want to start a new thread figured this one would do the trick).

I read up on the newbie questions that there wouldn't be any more stories on Misa and Hikaro. Now I've been into anime for a long time and so I know that most anime feature loss and sometimes even sad endings. However, I was really disappointed in hearing this. Maybe this is just me wanting more than there is to give, but the story of Misa and Hikaro was a very good one and one that took awhile to develop at that. I found those two to be a much more interesting pair than Max and Milia Genius (although they were interesting in their own right). Here in the U.S. if you get the chance to surf the robotech.com website you'll see tons of avid fans asking what happens to them (maybe its us Americans wanting a happy ending all the time). Anyways, I just felt that with all the effort they went through, getting married, and then not much later just disappear seemed kinda like a waste the macross series could have done so much more with where that went in addition to the macross 7 and other macross series.

Hopefully I don't get flamed I guess I needed to vent. Oh and can't wait for yamato to finally get the yf-19 fast pack toy out!!!!

[ewilen]

I understand your sentiment, but basically that particular issue keeps getting raised again and again. In a nutshell: (a) Hikaru and Misa didn't necessarily die, they just lost contact with Earth, and (b) it's clear that Kawamori decided to have this happen so that he could focus on entirely new stories in the Macross universe instead of simply extending a storyline through sequel after sequel.

Let Hikaru, Misa (and Minmay) ride off into the sunset, they've gone through enough already.

[Hikuro]

Here here! Let the love trio go off into the sunset, be dead or alive just out there somewhere far far away with the Jedi's and what not.

What just hit me when looking at the nice screen caps was this, the Megaroad 01/Macross2 looks an awful lot like the original except it's like so much more bigger and see thru in a way...I mean....well.....uuuuhhhh I don't know how to really say this, anyone get what the point I'm trying to make is?

[Nied]

There are not only two armd-class vessels attatched to it, but also two other fleet ships. I shall demonstrate in the following image what I think...

What kind of ship is that next to the ARMD, if that's the case?

I'm not sure why but it reminds me of the Deadelus. Perhaps it's a naval vessel being toted along to establish a navy on whatever planet they end up colonizing.

[Boxer]

I don't think that's the case...but the idea of ships being detatched and used once the MEgaroad reaches it's destination is a good idea. If these are new ARMD platforms, perhaps they're supposed to remain in orbit as defense bases while the Megaroad finishes the descent and establishes a colony?

No, I don't think that's a terrestrial navy vessel. How would they get it down unless they landed in water? If it IS a ship I would imagine it to be some sort of UNS frigate design.

As for the dissapearence of the Megaroad-1, well, perhaps we can say Misa and Hikaru left the entire fiction of Macross and into Kawamori's head. Let him do whatever with his own characters, I'd do the same for mine. And now at least Minmei finally has a place to hide from her hordes of fans.

[nathan]

They look like the ARMDs but they're too massive to actually be ARMDs. It's fully a third the size of Britai's ships which is more than two times to big to be an ARMD. They're just sections of the ship that are ment to look like the ARMDs so the ship has the same feel as the SDF-1.

[Zentrandude]

those ships above the scaled up armd ships could be part of a obital space dock to build ships. would make sence since it would be hard to defend a planet with just the 2 armd ships plus the rest of the colony fleet maybe the megaroad class it ifs able to be refitted for pure military combatship after it delivers its coloinst.

[robokochan]

Okay, I have a question about the Mega-Road Class ships. In Flashback 2012 it shows the Megaroad-1 taking off. Oh such a emotional happy moment. Anyway as it's taking off it looks as though there is a waterfall coming from the entire length of the ship. What is that? It's only coming from one side and it doesn't stop. So anyone have a clue about it or was it such an emotional time that the ship itself was crying with happiness?

Rob MN

This IS a serious question! What is that mystery moisture?

[Nightbat]

Okay, I have a question about the Mega-Road Class ships.  In Flashback 2012 it shows the Megaroad-1 taking off.  Oh such a emotional happy moment.  Anyway as it's taking off it looks as though there is a waterfall coming from the entire length of the ship.  What is that?  It's only coming from one side and it doesn't stop.  So anyone have a clue about it or was it such an emotional time that the ship itself was crying with happiness?

Rob MN

This IS a serious question!  What is that mystery moisture?

Did you ever watch "Love Boat"?

picture it as 2012's version of confetti - Bigger, better, faster, more

Edit - Or maybe Agent One knows

Edited January 12, 2004 by Nightbat®

[robokochan]

Did you ever watch "Love Boat"?

picture it as 2012's version of confetti - Bigger, better, faster, more

Edit - Or maybe Agent One knows

Man that is ONE BIG Door-Knob if you ask me -

I could go with the confetti thing...it just looks...I don't know.....squishy....

Rob mn

Edited January 12, 2004 by Monkey-N

[Nightbat]

If you look at large flocks of birds/bats/locusts they also have a very fluid/liquid motion

if it were a kind of confetti (In the above pic you also see the Zentradi cruiser dropping it)

it must be tons of it,

then again, lightingeffects must have advanced to by the time of 2012

don't think it's ballast, unless the Anti-grav systems have been online all the time during buildup

(I wonder btw why transport wasn't arranged to the moon instead of bringing that big hulk down near Macross city)

[Nied]

No, I don't think that's a terrestrial navy vessel. How would they get it down unless they landed in water? If it IS a ship I would imagine it to be some sort of UNS frigate design.

As for the dissapearence of the Megaroad-1, well, perhaps we can say Misa and Hikaru left the entire fiction of Macross and into Kawamori's head. Let him do whatever with his own characters, I'd do the same for mine. And now at least Minmei finally has a place to hide from her hordes of fans.

Well most capital ships in Macross make thier landings in water (which makes sense since it negates the need for landing gear). IIRC the only time we see a capital ship landed on the ground is in the first episode of the tv series.

[Gabriel]

Yeah, the glowing stuff is probably just luminescent particles or glitter hit with laser light.

And they probably brought the Megaroad to Earth so they could have a real ceremony and everyone could see it take off. It was a pretty monumental occasion after all.

Edited January 13, 2004 by Gabriel

[Boxer]

DO they show the Megaroad landing? Perhaps they brought the hulk of the SDF-2 to earth with the excuse of 'scrapping' to cover up the colony ship construction, then launched it from there. If the moon was completely abandoned I think it would take more man power to make that base fully operational just to launch the SDF-2's remains than to simply open the doors and fly the ship out with a minority.

In landing on planets, I think the Megaroad class was designed to be able to land on terrestrial planets. What would happen to the ocean going vessel if the planet they land on was all terrestrial? Would they just simply be scrapped?

And was the Megaroad launched from a water birth or was it on solid ground?

And back on topic, does anyone have any more pics of ships from this time? (Other than the Haruna...)

[ewilen]

Well most capital ships in Macross make thier landings in water (which makes sense since it negates the need for landing gear). IIRC the only time we see a capital ship landed on the ground is in the first episode of the tv series.

You may be forgetting the landing on Mars. On the other hand, the gravity there is considerably weaker, so landing would be easier.

Also (this may be sort of a newb question) doesn't it seem that the Macross actually lands on Titan sometime during the opening battle of DYRL? I think that when Hikaru and Minmei start floating is when it takes off from the surface.

In landing on planets, I think the Megaroad class was designed to be able to land on terrestrial planets. What would happen to the ocean going vessel if the planet they land on was all terrestrial? Would they just simply be scrapped?

I wouldn't see much point in landing on a planet that didn't have oceans, if the idea is to colonize the planet. But we don't know for sure that the extra thing is a naval vessel anyway.

[Boxer]

Or even a ship at all for that matter.

I can't pull up the pic now, but on the 'back' of the mystery ship (Forward on the Megaroad) There's a large square-like opening that's capped off. I don't know if it's some sort of engine block or not, but I guess it could be anything...

[Druna Skass]

On the topic of mystery ships what is that ship just below the Megaroad? Part of it is cut-off on the bottom.

[Zentrandude]

its part of the escourt fleet. the background is dotted with them

[Noyhauser]

I didn't think the Guantanamo stealth carriers were around at that time. I thought they were around the Plus era- long after 2012. I thought the next design of ARMD platforms were of the class now attatched to the Megaroad design.

Was Stealth technology being developed in Space war One? I don't recall any stealthy ship designs in-use at the time. And if we are to assume M3 is cannon, does this mean the Haruna is a prototype to stealth design?

Just because it says stealth doesn't proclude it being built in the 2012 timeframe. Remember that the UN Spacy's manufacturing capabilities must of grown to unimaginable levels after the capture of the factory satillite compared to the SW1 time period. I'm sure a stealth design could be pumped out in a matter of months to be built from the satellite. It also looks like a Zentredi/Human hybrid ship, probably to ease its production. M3 is cannon, so its design was around at 2018 at the earliest. The "guantanamo" 'class seems pretty old compared to the newer valhalla type carriers, so my contention is that these ships may be older than first stated. The look far more like the 1st generation ARDMs than later ships.

I'm still putting my vote that the lower ship in the Megaroad launch scene is a Haruna , or haruna predecessor.

[Druna Skass]

its part of the escourt fleet. the background is dotted with them

Yeah but what class ship is that? It's either a U.N. designed ship or a Meltran ship since it isn't green.

[Druna Skass]

Is the Haruna the ship in M3, that name doesn't really ring a bell?

[Noyhauser]

Yes it is in M3... I think it was called the Algernix or something of the sort. I was thinking about early UN Spacy warships a few months ago and as far as I can tell, it is the only concrete example of a ship class built during the early megaroad eras.

http://www.mahq.net/mecha/macross/macross.htm

http://unsd.macrossrpg.com/harunacruiser.html

[Uxi]

They look like the ARMDs but they're too massive to actually be ARMDs. It's fully a third the size of Britai's ships which is more than two times to big to be an ARMD. They're just sections of the ship that are ment to look like the ARMDs so the ship has the same feel as the SDF-1.

I always kind of thought the scale of the Megaroad was exaggerated amongst fans. That's Britai's ship in the back from that screen cap right? It could be a good distance away and still give that perspective of the relative sizes...

If you're talking about the screen cap and not just any known sizes (the Compendium only says the SDF1 Macross is 1210 meters long and that the SDF2 was planned to be 1620 meters). Note that Britai's NUPETIET-VERGNITZS ship is 4000m long.

From that those could well be actual ARMDs (which are supposed be 430m in length).

Edited January 14, 2004 by Uxi

[Nied]

I figure that the Megaroad can't as big as a Nupetiet Vergnitz. Remember that it's made up of components of the original mile long SDF-2, there's a limit to how much you could scale it up and still say it's made from the incomplete SDF-2. I'd say the Megaroad is closer to the Thuverl Salan class cruiser (standard Zentradi ship) in length and displacement or maybe even a Quedol Magdolmillia (Quamzim and Laplamiz' ships).

[nathan]

The Megaroad is at least 6 km long. That makes those "ARMDs" too big to be accutal ARMDs. And it has to be that big. Remeber it not only has a city the size of the one on M7, it's also the fleet's flagship, trianing ship, and manufacturing ship all rolled into one.

Also the SDF-2 was only half built so there would be no problem halting contruction, redesigning it and then finishing it. My problem was with how fast it was rebuilt. I've asked this before but how in the hell do you build a 6 km ship with a large city in it in 2 years? And don't tell me the Factory satellite. They'd have had to complete the ship enough to get it to the satellite before the satellite could build it. And the factory was a wreck! Both the animation and the compendium confirm this. So other than the than the magic of the creator did the megaroad get build so fast?

[Anubis]

The Megaroad is at least 6 km long. That makes those "ARMDs" too big to be accutal ARMDs. And it has to be that big. Remeber it not only has a city the size of the one on M7, it's also the fleet's flagship, trianing ship, and manufacturing ship all rolled into one. 

Also the SDF-2 was only half built so there would be no problem halting contruction, redesigning it and then finishing it. My problem was with how fast it was rebuilt. I've asked this before but how in the hell do you build a 6 km ship with a large city in it in 2 years? And don't tell me the Factory satellite. They'd have had to complete the ship enough to get it to the satellite before the satellite could build it. And the factory was a wreck! Both the animation and the compendium confirm this.  So other than the than the magic of the creator did the megaroad get build so fast?

Actually, the New Macross-class city vessel was bigger, wasn't it?

Also, lots and lots of Zentradi labor were likely put into finishing it. So it could be possible, once you excise the beauracratic roadblocks and budget issues we have today.

Edited January 15, 2004 by Anubis