Updates
This section details the opening of the Macross Mecha Manual and the chronology of the updates that followed.



  • June 25, 2023
    Major Update - Sci-Fi, and Space Ships and Schematics, Oh my!

    To declare it's been a long time since the last update to the Macross Mecha Manual is a galactic understatement. Over 7 years have slipped away before finally releasing new content. Although I've been actively sharing art on Facebook and Twitter for all those years, there's no substitute for browsing the full website catalog. The absurd absence is due to numerous factors not least of which is my own life issues, exacerbated by a long stretch of unemployment, moving three times and then the pandemic. I wanted this update to be released over two years ago and the long overdue delay means no matter what I release will disappoint. The silver lining is things are better for me than they have been in a while and more content is included in this update than would have been two years back. But there's still more work to be done, especially on myself.

    My plan moving forward is to avoid problems that lead to a lack of updates in the past. The idea is to update one profile at a time when work is complete or on a monthly basis rather than build up a catalog that just sits on my computer for years. This way new material is added constantly and I'm not punishing myself because I feel there's never enough content to justify the long wait fans suffer since the last update. Which is an inescapable trap. I'm hopeful for this new process works well and is less stressful. This hobby is supposed to be enjoyable, so on with the fun.

    Today's update to the Macross Mecha Manual features 70 new profiles.

    Without a doubt the most popular fan requests ask for Macross Delta content on the Macross Mecha Manual. The Macross Delta section finally debuts in this update featuring as much material as possible. Sadly, this section was long delayed due to very limited official trivia and an almost total lack of any Macross Delta mechanical art books. The modest amount of official material available has been compiled into this new Macross Delta section. However, I ask fans to understand that minimal official art/trivia means a minimal Macross Delta section.

    The focus of this update is improvement to space ships and schematics. Space ships for the Zentradi, Meltrandi, Varauta, and Mardook have ALL been revised with enhanced colors. Further, the Macross type ships not previously updated have all been revised. These revisions include the SDF-1 Macross (TV version), SDF-2 Macross, Macross 5, Macross 7, Macross 13 and the Macross Cannon (including both TV type and Film type of the Alien StarShip One). Additionally, all Macross 7 fleet vessels are newly colored, all line art is updated, screen captures attached and even a little trivia from the Macross Chronicle was added. All schematics site-wide have been updated and improved. Wherever possible the various schematic drawings (top, profile, front) have been consolidated into a single image and a title added (I have also included many logos).

    A new special feature debuts in this update named the Weapon and Equipment Key. It is a poster-style image designed as a guide to the weapons and equipment of a particular mecha. This concept is meant to bolster content for the Macross Delta section, which lacks source material. It quickly became apparent these guides are ideal as a visual key to the features of other highly-detailed mecha, such as Destroids and Armored valkyries. A total of 13 Weapon and Equipment Keys debut in this update.

    The majority of color-coded transformation guides have been updated. Most guides now feature better quality line art digitized in improved scans for sharper contrast and superior detail. Many also feature slight color alterations for clarity and written titles for identification. Sadly most of this work is not visually significant and unlikely to be noticed by most fans. These improvements are mostly behind-the-scenes work in preparation for eventual high-resolution presentation when 4K, 8K and other display standards become the norm.

    All images on the website have now been converted from GIF format into either PNG format (for hand-colored and uncolored art) or JPG format (for pre-colored digital art). Many social network platforms - in their infinite wisdom - manage the GIF as an animated-only format, which has made sharing images from my website difficult for social media users. The image format has been changed for both old images and all new/revised art on the M3.

    Screen shots from the various Macross anime productions have been added to over 100 profiles for vehicles, space ships and some mecha across all sections of the website. The goal is to assist fans with identification of each mechanical design, particularly those "rare and/or obscure" designs that appear infrequently or are depicted on-screen only once. These screen shots provide visual reference from the animation to remind fans of the context in which they saw a specific mecha. Most of the major Macross mecha are frequently seen in each anime series and are easily identifiable, so those profiles won't typically include a screen shot.

    Work continues slowly on the Macross Zero section. Very little drawn line art exists for Macross Zero and that series' only dedicated art publication is a small booklet from the blu-ray home video set. Artists Shoji Kawamori and Junya Ishigaki created only a limited number of rough drawings before their mechanical art was translated into 3D computer models. For those drawings that needed to be colored for the M3 it was necessary to perform extensive re-touching/re-drafting into more polished, finalized art so the level of quality set for the website can be maintained. This is a long, labor-intensive process and the reason the Macross Zero section is the last part of the website to see significant improvements. While much of the art still needs improvement, the VF-0D Phoenix profiles and the SV-51 profiles have been completely rebuilt with new colored art, schematics and color coded transformation guides.

    Enhanced Colored Art

    ADR-03-Mk III Destroid Cheyenne
    VF-0D Phoenix
    VF-0D Phoenix (Shin)
    QF-2200D-A Ghost
    SV-51
    SV-51 (Nora type)
    SV-51 (Ivanov type)
    SV-51 "Booster"
    VF-4 Lightning III
    ADR-04 Destroid Defender Mk X
    HWR-00 Destroid Monster Mk II
    SDR-04 Destroid Phalanx Mk XII
    MBR-07 Destroid Spartan Mk II
    MBR-04 Destroid Tomahawk Mk VI
    VF-1A Valkyrie
    VF-1A Valkyrie "Alaska Base"
    VF-1A Valkyrie "Angel Bird"
    VF-1A Valkyrie "Cavaliers"
    VF-1A Valkyrie "Kakizaki"
    VF-1A Valkyrie "Max"
    VF-1D Valkyrie
    VF-1D Valkyrie "Virgin Road"
    VF-1J Valkyrie
    VF-1J Valkyrie "Cannon Fodder"
    VF-1J Valkyrie "Macross The First"
    VF-1J Valkyrie "Max"
    VF-1J Valkyrie "Milia"
    VF-1J GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie
    VF-1S Valkyrie
    VF-1S Super Valkyrie
    VF-X Prototype Valkyrie
    VF-X-4 Prototype Valkyrie
    Macross-Class SDF-1 Super Dimension Fortress
    Macross-Class SDF-2 Super Dimension Fortress (Megaroad-01)
    Glaug
    Glaug, Power Up
    Queadluun-Rau
    Reguld Tactical Scout
    Nupetiet-Vergnitzs Class Fleet Command Battleship
    Nupetiet-Vergnitzs-Class Fleet Command Battleship (Film Version)
    Thuverl-Salan Class Battleship
    Quiltra Queleual Class Landing Ship Tank
    Medium-Scale Gun Destroyer
    Picket Patrol Ship
    Gnerl Fighter Pod
    Supervision Army Derelict
    VF-1A Super Valkyrie
    VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Hikaru type)
    VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Max type)
    VF-1A Super Valkyrie (Kakizaki type)
    VF-1A Valkyrie (Hikaru type)
    VF-1A Valkyrie (Kakizaki type)
    VF-1S Valkyrie (Film Version)
    VF-1S Valkyrie (Max type)
    VF-1S Strike Valkyrie
    VF-1S Strike Valkyrie (Hikaru type)
    VT-1 Super Ostrich
    Alien StarShip One (Film Version)
    Queadluun-Rau Battle Suit (Film Version)
    Nousjadeul-Ger Battle Suit (Film Version)
    Boom Lift Truck (Film Version)
    Picket Patrol Ship (Film Version)
    Meltran Large Battleship
    Meltran Assault Landing Ship
    Meltran Standard Battleship
    Meltran Large Frigate
    Meltran High-Speed Cruiser
    Meltran Picket
    VF-11B Thunderbolt
    VF-11B Super Thunderbolt
    YF-19
    YF-19 FAST Pack
    YF-19 Demonstrator
    YF-21
    YF-21 FAST Pack
    YF-21 Prototype No. 1
    Drone Fighter (Target Drone)
    SB-10/10 Starwing
    VF-11 (Unmanned Specification)
    Sport-Tour Motorcycle (2040)
    Nousjadeul-Ger Target Powered Suit
    Budoukan Concert Ship
    Einstein Research Experimental Ship
    Hollywood Amusement Ship
    Mark Twain VII Resort Ship
    New Macross Class Colonization Ship
    New Macross Class Colonization Ship (Macross 5)
    Neo Nupetiet-Vergnitzs bis Class Fleet Command Battleship
    Northampton Class Stealth Frigate (Zentradi Type)
    Riviera Resort Ship
    Sunny Flower Agricultural Ship
    Three Star Factory Ship
    West Point Class Macro-Training Base Ship
    VF-1J Valkyrie "Milia" (2045)
    VF-11B Super Thunderbolt "Pink Pecker"
    VF-11B Thunderbolt "Milia"
    VF-17D Nightmare
    VF-17D Nightmare "White Stripes"
    VF-17D Nightmare "Teal"
    VF-17S Nightmare
    VF-17S Nightmare "Milia"
    VF-19F Excalibur
    VF-19S Excalibur
    VF-19S Excalibur "Test Flight"
    VF-19P Excalibur
    VF-11MAXL Thunderbolt Custom
    VF-5000G Star Mirage
    VF-5000G Star Mirage Speaker Variant
    VF-5000G Super Star Mirage
    VF-5000G Super Star Mirage Speaker Variant
    VF-5000T-G Super Star Mirage
    VF-22S Sturmvogel II (Max Type)
    VF-22S Sturmvogel II (Milia Type)
    VF-22S Sturmvogel II (Gamlin Type)
    VF-22 Sturmvogel II (VF-X Ravens)
    Varauta Fleet Command Battle Carrier
    Varauta Large Battroid Transport Carrier
    Varauta Large Battleship
    Varauta New Giant Carrier
    Varauta Standard Battleline Battleship
    Varauta High Speed Raiding Space Cruiser
    Varauta Vanguard Frigate
    Queadluun-Rau "Chlore Fleet"
    Meltran Large Battleship "Chlore Fleet"
    Meltran Assault Landing Ship "Chlore Fleet"
    Meltran Standard Battleship "Chlore Fleet"
    Meltran Large Frigate "Chlore Fleet"
    Meltran High-Speed Cruiser "Chlore Fleet"
    Meltran Picket "Chlore Fleet"
    Graham's Armored Suit
    VF-1A Valkyrie Whale Hunter Custom
    Battle Class Stealth Space Attack Carrier (Battle/Macross 13)
    Uraga Class Escort Battle Carrier - Saratoga II (CV-565)
    SDP-1 Stampede Valkyrie
    VF-1X Valkyrie Plus
    VF-1X Super Valkyrie Plus
    VF-4G Lightning III (Macross M3 Version)
    VF-11B Thunderbolt "VF-X Ravens"
    VF-11B Thunderbolt "VF-X Ravens" (Yellow)
    VF-14 Vampire (Macross M3 Version)
    VF-17D Nightmare "VF-X Ravens"
    VF-19A Excalibur
    VF-22 Sturmvogel II (VF-X2 Type)
    VF-1S "Dual" Strike Valkyrie
    Destroid Cheyenne II
    RVF-25 Messiah
    VF-25F Messiah
    VF-25F APS-25A/MF25 Armored Messiah
    VF-25G Messiah
    VF-25S APS-25A/MF25 Armored Messiah
    VF-171 Nightmare Plus
    Beatrice
    Island Cluster Class Colonization Ship (Macross 25/Macross Frontier)
    VF-27 Lucifer
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II "Acrobatic Team" (Cherry)
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II "Acrobatic Team" (Amber)
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II "Green"
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II "Nexx"
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II "Woman's Battroid"
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II SAP
    Standard Battleship
    Standard Battleship (variant)
    Gloria
    Heracles
    Macross Cannon
    Rescue Ship
    Gigamesh (Soldier Type)
    Gigamesh (Feff Type)
    Mardook Mobile Fortress
    Mardook Fleet Flagship
    Mardook Grave Battleship
    Mardook Large Battleship
    Mardook Medium-sized Battleship
    Mardook Scout
    Mardook Single-Person Shuttle
    VF-XX Zentran Valkyrie (B-Club #79 scan)

    Macross Zero Section

    F-14A+2 Tomcat
    MiG-29 Fulcrum

    SDF Macross Section

    VF-1A Valkyrie "Blazer"
    Space Gandam V (VF-1J Valkyrie)
    Variant VF-1A GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie (Black)
    Variant VF-1A GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie (Green)
    Variant VF-1J GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie (Concept)
    Alien StarShip-1
    Military Jeep
    Queadluun-Rau (Alternate)
    Queadluun-Rau (UN Spacy Type)

    Macross 7 Section

    Sport Sedan (2045)
    Tractor Trailer Truck (2045)
    Truck (2045)
    Unified Forces Armored Fighting Vehicle
    Wagon (2045)
    Motorcycle (Zolan 2047)
    Catcher Boat
    Poacher Ships (and Poacher Boat)
    Zolan Patrol Corps Mothership

    Macross Frontier Section

    VF-19ADVANCE Excalibur
    Galaxy Spacecraft

    Macross Delta Section

    Amphibious Rickshaw (2067)
    Glaug (2067)
    Sv-154 Svärd
    Sv-262Ba Draken III
    Sv-262Ba Draken III (White)
    Sv-262Ba Draken III (Mirage Jenius Type)
    Sv-262Hs Draken III
    Sv-262Hs Draken III (Roid Brehm)
    Sigur Berrentzs
    ZBP-104 104 Reguld
    ZBP-106 106 Reguld
    VB-6 König Monster (NUNS Type)
    VF-1EX Valkyrie
    VF-19 Wind Valkyrie
    VF-22S Sturmvogel II (2067)
    VF-31A Kairos
    VF-31C Siegfried
    VF-31E Siegfried
    VF-31F Siegfried
    VF-31F Siegfried (Lil Draken Custom)
    VF-31J Siegfried
    VF-31J Siegfried Kai
    VF-31J Siegfried (Line Art, Toy and Anime)
    VF-31J Super Siegfried
    VF-31S Siegfried
    VF-31S APS-31/W Armored Siegfried
    VF-171 Nightmare Plus (2067)
    VF-171EX Nightmare Plus (Echo)
    Enterprise Class Space Carrier
    Macross Class SDF/C-108 Elysion Variable Space Carrier
    Macross Class Grasion Variable Space Carrier
    Macross Class Megasion Variable Space Carrier
    Medical Ship
    Workroid

    Macross Game & Advanced Valkyrie

    SW-XAI Schneeblume
    VF-11B Thunderbolt APS-11 Protect Armor "VF-X Ravens"

    Macross R - The Ride

    VF-11D Thunder Focus

    Macross II

    VF-2SS Valkyrie II "Acrobatic Team" (Baby Blue)
    VF-2SS Valkyrie II "Acrobatic Team" (Mint)
    Nupetiet-Vergnitzs Class Fleet Command Battleship (NUNS)
    Minmay Defense Satellite
    Standard Battleship (variant)

    For Fans Only Section

    VF-1A GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie (Nichimo - Soldier)
    VF-1J GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie (Nichimo - Max)
    VF-1J GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie (Nichimo - Milia)
    VF-1S GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie (Nichimo - Roy)

    More Mecha Section

    Groon Eldergrain
    Evangelion Unit-00
    Bebop

    Macross Chronicle Information

    Mark Twain VII Resort Ship
    VF-5000G Star Mirage
    Meltran Large Battleship
    Meltran Assault Landing Ship
    Meltran Standard Battleship
    Meltran Large Frigate
    Meltran High-Speed Cruiser
    Meltran Picket
    Varauta Large Battleship
    Varauta Standard Battleline Battleship
    Varauta High Speed Raiding Space Cruiser
    Varauta Vanguard Frigate
    AIF-9V Ghost (Ghost V-9/MG)
    LDR-04 Destroid Maverick
    QF-9iE Ghost II (Phantom)
    Uraga Class Escort Battle Carrier - Saratoga II (CV-565)


    Additions/Corrections

    Added 31 new Macrosspedia entries [77th Air Wing, Aerial Knights, Al Shahal, Brisingr Globular Cluster, Chaos, Daisy Cutter, Cupola, Delta Squadron, Epsilon Foundation, Galaxy Whale (Vahla Ena), Heads-Up Display, Kingdom of Wind, Leading-Edge Extension/Leading-Edge Root Extension, Loschier Company, Manipulator, Monkey Model, Multi-Drone, Ragna, Rim Drive System, Storm-Attack Mode (aka Attack Mode), Super-Conductive Motor, Surya Aerospace, Tactical Sound Unit Walküre, Var Syndrome, Voldor, Windermere IV, Windermerean, Windermere War of Independence, Windermere War of Independence (Second War), Winglet, Workroid]
    Added 19 new Books to that dedicated webpage with text description and a scan of each book cover
    Added 37 new Schematics, each individually within a profile for: VF-0A Phoenix, VF-0D Phoenix, VF-0D Phoenix Shin, F-14A+2 Tomcat, SV-51, SV-51 (Nora), SV-51 (Ivanov), VF-1A Valkyrie, VF-1D Valkyrie, VF-1J Valkyrie, VF-1S Valkyrie, VF-1 Atmospheric-Escape Booster, VF-1S Super Valkyrie, VF-1S Strike Valkyrie, VT-1 Super Ostrich, QF-3000E Ghost, SF-3A Lancer II, Fan Liner, Fan Racer, VF-4 Lightning III, VF-11D Thunder Focus, YF-19, YF-21, VF-19F Excalibur, VF-19S Excalibur, VF-19S Excalibur Test Flight, VF-19S Super Excalibur, VF-19 Excalibur Custom, VF-19P Excalibur, VF-22S Sturmvogel II (Max), VF-22S Sturmvogel II (Gamlin), VF-5000G Star Mirage, RVF-25 Messiah, VF-25F Messiah, VF-25G Messiah, VF-25S Messiah, VF-2SS Valkyrie II SAP

    Renamed Pirate Ship to Poacher Ship in Macross 7 section (directories, pictures, html)
    Renamed ALL Meltran Ships to names designated in the Macross Chronicle in Macross Do You Remember Love? and Macross 7 sections (directories, pictures, html)
    Renamed Thurvel-Salan Class Battleship to ThUVERL-Salan, correcting a typo in both SDF Macross and Do You Remember Love? sections (directories, pictures, html)
    Renamed Cadillada 2007 (directories, pictures, html)
    Renamed XM-3002 Junky (directories, pictures, html)
    Renamed YF-19 Prototype No. 1 to YF-19 Demonstrator, following accurate translation of This Is Animation Special: Macross Plus
    Renamed Macross Galaxy Colonization Ship to New Macross Class Colonization Ship (Macross Galaxy)
    Renamed Saratoga II CV-565 Macross 13 Fleet Carrier to Uraga Class Escort Battle Carrier - Saratoga II (CV-565) (directory, pictures, html)
    Moved schematics from previously within VF-1J Valkyrie and VF-1J GBP-1S Armored Valkyrie profiles to VF-1J Valkyrie (Variable Fighter Master File)
    Revised ALL Index Pages
    Revised Height of the Zentradi and Meltrandi new write ups and images

    Line Art Revised/Added to many profiles. All uncolored line art has been changed to PNG format and many feature corrections, revisions and improvements. The changes are far too numerous to list, so simply be aware new/revised uncolored line art is available in hundreds of profiles site-wide.
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