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Southern Cross - Could The Auroran Have Saved It?

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Zor Master	Southern Cross - Could The Auroran Have Saved It?	Lead	[-]
3rd Lieutenant Posts: 135 (December 30, 2008 04:40 PM) 3rd Lieutenant Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Tags : None I've been thinking a lot about SC and why it's so unpopular. A lot of negative comments pertain to the opinion that the Hover Tank was not a very cool looking mecha. Alternately, many people remember the AJACS and I've heard countless fans say they thought it was a very cool mecha. No one ever puts it down like the HT. I personally like the HT, but I do think the AJACS is way cooler. The Hover Tank just doesnt scream "cool" like a robot helicopter does. Lets suppose the creators of Southern Cross had decided in the planning stage to assign the Auroran to the ATAC and the HT to the TASC. Logistics of various episodes aside, (such as fighting in close quarters on Zor ships or the military rolls characters play) would a different (and arguably cooler) flagship mecha have propelled the series into a better timeslot or made it a more memorable portion of Robotech? Just imagine the popularity of AJACS toys here in the states. Imagine robot choppers chasing hover sleds or popping up from behind rocks to bag a bad guy. See Springer in Transformers the Movie for a good idea. I know its hindsight, but I personally think I could imagine a better show this way.
CavScout		#1	[-]
Captain Posts: 1345 (December 30, 2008 05:52 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I don't know if I'd say "unpopular" as simply not as popular as Macross and possibly New Generation. If I had to guess, I don't know how much of it was mecha design as much as story and pacing. When you were a kid, did you really care about personal stories and drama, or was it pretty much about the mecha action? CavScout "The role of the Cavalry is to add colour, dash and daring, to what would otherwise be a mindless shitfight amongst grunts."-Australian Army saying This is my "mod-voice". If I post in red, it usually means knock whatever it is off!
Zor Master		#2	[-]
3rd Lieutenant Posts: 136 (December 30, 2008 06:48 PM) 3rd Lieutenant Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	The mecha action. So on that note, would the mecha action have been better with Aurorans/AJACS? I think so. Ask the casual fan what they remember most and they say "Veritech's" or "Cyclones", not "Hover Tanks". Last Edited By: Zor Master December 30, 2008 06:51 PM. Edited 2 times.
CavScout		#3	[-]
Captain Posts: 1346 (December 30, 2008 06:55 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	I am more partial to the VHTs than the AJACS, so I am not the right person to ask. =) CavScout "The role of the Cavalry is to add colour, dash and daring, to what would otherwise be a mindless shitfight amongst grunts."-Australian Army saying This is my "mod-voice". If I post in red, it usually means knock whatever it is off!
Paploo		#4	[-]
Major Posts: 766 (December 31, 2008 07:33 AM) Commander Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Didn't Southern Cross get shafted with the crappy time slot? I think that probably had more to do with it's failure than a perceived "uncoolness" in mecha designs. That and the whole not getting a complete series run thing. Personally, I would rather the AJACs not have featured in any prominent role. It's an ugly mecha that does little to bring anything new to the genre. At least the Hovertank was different - a frikken tank that transformed. The AJACs was merely a variation on the "thing that flies and transforms" meme. Plus, it's a "space helicopter." That says epic fail all over it. And, really, where is it that people complain about the VHT? RT.com? I don't think I've ever seen someone put down the VHT. Bah. Stupid helicopter. ~Pap. (Of course, I think the Logan is a superior design to all three, so....) Kote Darasuum
CavScout		#5	[-]
Captain Posts: 1350 (December 31, 2008 09:00 AM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Paploo wrote: And, really, where is it that people complain about the VHT? RT.com? I don't think I've ever seen someone put down the VHT. Can't say I've heard people complain about the VHT either. Questions some of its design decisions, yes, but in general, I think most people like the VHT. Anecdotally, I'd say it is rare for me to find someone who really likes the AJACS more than the VHT. CavScout "The role of the Cavalry is to add colour, dash and daring, to what would otherwise be a mindless shitfight amongst grunts."-Australian Army saying This is my "mod-voice". If I post in red, it usually means knock whatever it is off!
Zor Master		#6	[-]
3rd Lieutenant Posts: 142 (January 5, 2009 09:05 PM) 3rd Lieutenant Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	CavScout wrote: Can't say I've heard people complain about the VHT either. Questions some of its design decisions, yes, but in general, I think most people like the VHT. Anecdotally, I'd say it is rare for me to find someone who really likes the AJACS more than the VHT. LOL, and no, I did not instigate this thread in any way: http://www.macrossworld.c...?showtopic=28681&st=0
Vestras		#7	[-]
Corporal Posts: 15 (January 8, 2009 03:38 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	As a kid, I recall thinking the Hovertank was pretty cool, and yea, big robot tanks, I approve! But the space drama aspect, and the more varied action you get with an transforming aircraft of any kind kicks the Valkyrie and Alpha into the all-star category while the hovertank kinda languishes in the mind. And yea, the AGACS is far more loved in hindsight it seems partially because of this. And yea, a transforming Helicopter is just plain awesome. I think the VHT had it's own lacking points though that are not present on the AGACS or other mecha of the time. Open cockpit, a very lackluster and dull base mode(hover configuration), and such. Is that to say that we would have had a better show if they were reversed, I dunno about that. There were some inherit weaknesses in SDCSC that prolly would not have been fixed by that alone (Lack of tie ins, time slot, pacing of the stories etc). If it had gone the other way, I bet we'd be having this same conversation asking if having the Spartas center stage would have been better. Pondering it over right now, I think a better tact would have been to have them both in a more supporting role seeing as Tanks ate much more appreciated when they save the infantry or are pounding on fixed targets. Showing up to save the day rather than being the ones we follow around. I could conceive of a series with the main cast in some Cyclone/Mospeada type arrangement as infantry with tanks and AGACS in a support role (like Marie and Nova) would have struck more of a cord maybe. Still, I feel it's a huge crime we have never gotten a decent toy/model/MPC out of anyone for either of these mecha.
Basara 549		#8	[-]
Fleet Admiral Posts: 2157 (January 9, 2009 12:09 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Ever see mods people have done to the Matchbox VHT? It's apparent, if one looks over that toy, that it was INTENDED to have been a 3-mode transformable (the "catches" for certain spots to secure on 3rd mode are still present on the released design), but budget and/or design deadlines resulted in it being finalized without the 3rd mode. Several people HAVE modified their toys to have all three modes, and it took minor changes (but ones that are on the high-skill end of model kit-bashing capability) to get the general shape down. There used to be a web page showing one of these, but I can no longer find it (last went there about 3 computers ago) If the design team had been given another 2-4 weeks, they probably would have been able to send the 3-mode VHT to production, given how easy it was to figure out what was needed - who knows, there might be a 3-mode prototype somewhere on a designer's shelf or in a forgotten vault somewhere (much like the infamous Beta prototype that disappeared 2 decades ago in Japan) Stan Bundy sbundy@kih.net ICQ: Basara (2878324) Xfire: basara549 Administrator, RDF-HQ Communications Center, and Ringmaster of the Disciples of Zor Webring Fanfic Author: The Freeman Chronicles, and many other Robotech Fanfics Author of the ABP-Z4 for the Robotech RPG (The Rifter #5), and net supplements for all Palladium RPGs. Gaming files and fanfic are at: http://home.kih.net/~sbundy/ "One should always be wary of a scientist speaking out of his narrow field, or those invoking their name outside their fields. Scientists are human too, and are just as prone to cling to 'causes', just or frivolous, as the rest of our species." - Dr. Peter Wykoff Walker, 11 Sept 1997, rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated Last Edited By: Basara 549 January 9, 2009 12:16 PM. Edited 1 times.
CavScout		#9	[-]
Captain Posts: 1372 (January 9, 2009 07:41 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Maybe Palladium agrees... CavScout "The role of the Cavalry is to add colour, dash and daring, to what would otherwise be a mindless shitfight amongst grunts."-Australian Army saying This is my "mod-voice". If I post in red, it usually means knock whatever it is off!
Brian3D		#10	[-]
Commander Posts: 619 (February 8, 2009 10:19 AM) Commander Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Basara asks for it, so I deliver! I happen to have the pictures of the third mode for the matchbox based hovertank! It was one of many pictures that I grabbed with I was trolling the web for VHT pics. Here are the two that I have! "Well that is the battle fortress, but what have they done to it?"
CavScout		#11	[-]
Captain Posts: 1402 (February 8, 2009 02:42 PM) Reply Quote More My Recent Posts Message Me Connection Blocking Invite	Very cool. CavScout "The role of the Cavalry is to add colour, dash and daring, to what would otherwise be a mindless shitfight amongst grunts."-Australian Army saying This is my "mod-voice". If I post in red, it usually means knock whatever it is off!

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Southern Cross - Could The Auroran Have Saved It?

Southern Cross - Could The Auroran Have Saved It?

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