Macross - Mecha, Weapons, and Technology

[Burner of Anime]

Real world Space suit development is heading towards form fitting suits that are rigid enough to withstand vacumm, have self sealing capabilities and allow for a greater degree of manual dexterity. It wouldn't do to pilot a strike craft in an armoured tank.

Its not like the Macross Universe is without combat armour. In fact, Grace was wearing one in ep4.

[StratoSpear]

So I see.... The Macross Quarter does got it's name from it's size.... It's literally a quarter the size of the SDF-1!

[Tak]

Originally Posted by StratoSpear

So I see.... The Macross Quarter does got it's name from it's size.... It's literally a quarter the size of the SDF-1!

- Tak

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by squaresphere

I'll quickly point out that most of the flight deck crew are wearing space suits. Maybe the thought is that any attack on the bridge would never cause light damange so why waste money on a maybe

It's one of the most central places on the ship. Where the most important officers gather. They shouldn't even be fighting from there, but from some place deep in the bowels on the ship. They should seriously put some thought into improving the survivability of the bridge crew.

Originally Posted by Ithekro

A warship would normally have either an armored command center or some sort of blast shield (or just an energy shield) over the windows...if they aren't in fact some kind of transparent armor.

Now in some universes, a crew that expects to be in combat a lot, their uniforms are spacesuit capable. All they require is a helmet to autoseal it (see Space Battleship Yamato. Their uniforms could not take hard vaccum for long, nor was there much of an external air supply, but it could be enough for emergencies....even if they were bell-bottoms).

However, standard science fiction spacecraft (of civilizations that have be using safe spaceship for years) the crews where normal clothing on duty, even in combat, unless commanded to wear something else (radiation suits at the like). So "confentional wisdom is not what you would call common in most space operas.

Depends. In the last two space opera stuff I read (David Drake's RCN series, and Elizabeth Moon's Vatta Wars), people put on space suits as part of their preparation for battle, even if they didn't seal them or put them on completely. Losing air is so easy, and so fatal.

[squaresphere]

^ yeah i've always been a fan of ships having a battle bridge within the ship.

We'll chalk it up as a must have upgrade for the next macross series but then they've always used the pin point barrier systems to protect the face.

[Wild Goose]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Oh I can understand a fighter being able to destroy a capital ship if used properly...it is the fighter being able to survive a hit from a large caliber weapon that I'm questioning. It's like an F-18 surviving a direct hit form a 5 inch round today (or if that was the main capital ship killing battery from a capital ship, more like a F6F Hellcat taking a 14 inch shell from a Japanese Battlecruiser to shield an Essex-class carrier)

That might be an exaggeration, but that is the impression I'm getting from the talk.

If this was instead of capital ship killing cannon based on a fighter's frame that Ozma intercepts, then it isn't quite so exaggerated. Second World War equivalent would be a 37mm cannon strapped onto an airframe (it was done), and some fighters of the era could take a hit from that. (it took a 5 inch explosive round to stop an aircraft dead in the sky as the Americans found out the hard way against Japanese kamikaze.)

Let's not forget that Ozma was using an Armored Pack, and he powered up what looks to be a pin-point barrier system, which is probably what saved him.

I'd throw in references to gar and real men, especially that speech of his, but that's better saved for Outer Cadia than here. The only thing lacking in that whole scene? He needed to have yelled "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK I AM?!" at the Vajra. Seiyuu in-joke.

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

It's one of the most central places on the ship. Where the most important officers gather. They shouldn't even be fighting from there, but from some place deep in the bowels on the ship. They should seriously put some thought into improving the survivability of the bridge crew.

Even in the real world, ship captains still fight their ships from the main bridge. Despite CIC, despite the radar screens, despite all that, ship captains still remain on the bridge of their ships.

Actually, whenever I look at space combat and how spaceships are portrayed, I'm reminded of submarines, where the bridge is both where the ship is navigated and where all the fighting orders are being issued. And also, frankly, it's because the animators don't want to be swapping between bridge and CIC all the time (about the only shows I can think of which portrayed modern warfare fairly accurately were Full Metal Panic, in the submarine context, and Zipang, which had CIC and bridge and the whole shebang).

Actually, the tradeoff in protection vis-a-vis bridge and CIC could be that it's easier to bail outta the bridge compared to CIC in the bowels of the ship. *shrugs*

Besides, with the pinpoint barriers, I'm sure the ship PPBs are set to cover the bridge.

Depends. In the last two space opera stuff I read (David Drake's RCN series, and Elizabeth Moon's Vatta Wars), people put on space suits as part of their preparation for battle, even if they didn't seal them or put them on completely. Losing air is so easy, and so fatal.

There's also David Weber's Honorverse books, where the space suits are also part of the uniform and battle prep.

As for the flight deck crew, I'm guessing that they're wearing suits partly for protection and also because they'll need to be rapidly transitioning between hangar and space.

[ReddyRedWolf]

Macross Quarter: Meet my Aniki.


Macross Frontier Battle 25

[Ithekro]

Ooooooooo.

[Uncreative]

and who says SMS gets all the cool mechs

[Spitfire]

Looks like they've given the New Macross Class ships a few more guns than before.

[Ithekro]

With a few more "Quarters" they could clean house so to speak. With Battle 25 being supported by multiple Quarter-type vessels, the escort warships, and the regular mech fighters? Who's going to stop them?

[ReddyRedWolf]

Originally Posted by Spitfire

Looks like they've given the New Macross Class ships a few more guns than before.

Every NMC carrier we've seen is different.

Spoiler for Battle 7:

Spoiler for Battle 5 Zentradi variant:

Spoiler for Battle 13:

Spoiler for City Blocks:

Macross 1 City block

Macross 7 City 7

Macross 5 City block Zentradi version

[Ithekro]

It looks like there is another gun next to the Main Gun(ship) on the Battle 25. What is that?

[ReddyRedWolf]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

It looks like there is another gun next to the Main Gun(ship) on the Battle 25. What is that?

Nah that's just a Guantanamo carrier.

Unless you're reffering to the gunship's main canon.

[Sleepy100]

Originally Posted by ReddyRedWolf

Macross Quarter: Meet my Aniki.


Macross Frontier Battle 25

Quarter? It looks more like 1/16!

[StratoSpear]

Originally Posted by ReddyRedWolf

Macross Quarter: Meet my Aniki.


Macross Frontier Battle 25

Two words: HOLY SHIT!!!

If the Quarter could bring down a Vajra Mothership in a single shot.... Geez, just by showing up, the Battle 25 can just make the Vajra go yellow...


By they way... I take back my words about the Quarter being a quarter of the SDF-1...
I mean, how can the Quarter be a "quarter" when a REAL Macross ship is about 6 times bigger than it!?
Look, the Quarter is barely as big as Battle 25's torso..

Well, if this was Gurren Lagann(sp?), Battle 25 would merely be a footsoldier, and the Quarter will be nothing more than a toothpick.

[CaptGloval]

Battle 25 can indeed fire its Macross Cannon without transforming. And ooo, they did sweep the beam across the Vajra fleet, as I would have wanted.

[StratoSpear]

One thing about them new Macross mechs... Their torso's designs differ from that of the SDF-1. The Macrosses in Frontier has more sleek, slanted torso instead of a boxy one like the SDF-1.

[Ithekro]

Yes this image. What gun is that it is firing? The normal Macross Cannon for the New Macross class ships is that seperate piece just next that that (the cluster of four red openning is the normal Macross cannon...at least from Macross 7).



How old is the Macross 25? I sort of recall that Earth was producing New Macross class vessels at a rate of one per year (I might be wrong)...if that is the case, and Battle 01 was built in 2030...then Battle 25 was built in 2055, with Battle 21 (Galaxy) built in 2051. Does this seem correct, or does the story suggest the colonies are older than that?

[squaresphere]

Battle Frontier's cannon looks to be a bit different than Battle 7's.

it looks like that the main beam emitter drops down to fire the big shot. While the 4 red cannons are probably splitters to create a more rapid fire cannon. Makes sense as even the Battle 7 cannon took quite awhile to fire.