The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

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Chris
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The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

I'm posting this here rather than Feedback & Contributions because I want this crowd sourced project to be more high profile. Something I've wanted to do for years is a cleanup of MAHQ's Burke-style Gundam profiles to correct errors and update them with newer information. I've held off on doing that because of the site's redesign, but I'm sure many of you have noticed an increase in mecha updates recently.

There are currently almost 900 Burke-style long profiles for mobile suits and vehicles. The majority of those are UC, and most of those were last updated by Burke more than a decade ago when he ran the Mecha Domain. Aside from whatever errors were present then, in the last decade we've had stuff like IGLOO, Unicorn, model kit manuals and reference books come along and retcon things. So I want to fix errors and update the profiles with new information. I've done a bit of that in sections like Zeta, adding links to AoZ suits and updating histories to reflect appearances in Unicorn.

So what, do you ask, do I want from you? Here it is:

-New lineart wherever possible. While many volunteers have helped to upgrade our lineart over the years, a substantial amount is still old low quality stuff that's over a decade old.

-Corrections to Burke style profiles, both in specs and written histories.

-New profiles for sections that don't have them, like MSV-R, Gundam 00 (and its side stories) and Gundam Unicorn (Deacon has already said he'd help with some of this).

And here's a few other notes:

-I want new material to be well-sourced. That means Gundam Wiki is NOT an acceptable source. I don't doubt there are some well-intended people working on it, but there are many more who have filled it with crap. It's full of made up info, factual errors, machine translations with bad grammar and sloppy editing (ie the Gray Phantom profile, which simultaneously claims the ship was destroyed at the naval review AND crashed on Earth). However, if people want to use information in this thread to update Gundam Wiki with correct information, everyone benefits.

-If you previously submitted information for the Old Gundam profile corrections and Random link errors threads that hasn't been reflected on the site, you can incorporate them here. Some of those threads got a bit messy, and it's more convenient for me if there's one central hub where all this information is collected.

-If you're going to submit something for Unicorn, please note that I've recently split the profiles up into anime and novel versions. Wherever possible, I'd like to have profiles that can apply to both versions. Obviously, some differences will have to be noted, such as the Shamblo having one pilot in the anime instead of four like the novel, or the Banshee's differing armaments in the anime.

That's all for now. I look forward to good contributions. I know there have been many complaints over the years about old/incorrect information in profiles, and believe me, no one would rather see them fixed than me. But given how mammoth the endeavor is, I can't do it without help.
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balofo
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Chris, I've been sending some bros here lots of artbook scans FULL of new lineart. The problem is they're quite busy with real life, but I trust they'll deliver with the cleaned lineart and profile corrections. Also I'd like to propose a campaign to gather manual scans from the OLD kits and HQ versions of the ones from the HGUC line not avaiable/LQ on dalong/hobby search. Since these manuals are a golden mine for information, I'll try to compile a list of the missing manual scans so we can try to get them.
Zeis
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Here's one for the ReZEL, hope it meets your criteria.

Following the failure of the RGZ-91 ReGZ, the Federation's efforts to develop an economical transformable mobile suit based on the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam finally came to fruition with the introduction of the RGZ-95 ReZEL. The ReZEL's frame was based on that of the RGM-89 Jegan, but recycled the simplified transformation mechanisms used by the shelved MSZ-008 Z II (which in turn was based on the MSA-005 Methuss) instead of using the ReGZ's Back Weapon System. Its armament was very similar to that of the original Zeta Gundam, including a high-power beam rifle, vulcan guns, beam sabers, and forearm-mounted grenade launchers. It could also be used as a sub-flight unit while in its waverider mode.

A complement of 8 ReZELs was assigned to the Londo Bell battleship Nahel Argama during the initial stages of the Laplace Incident of UC 0096, and saw action against the NZ-666 Kshatriya inside the Industrial 7 colony. Despite the ReZEL's high performance and the valiant efforts of its pilots, they fared poorly against the Kshatriya, and nearly all of them were destroyed.

How's that?
Last edited by Zeis on Thu Nov 24, 2011 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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AmuroNT1
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Go ahead and call me a prima donna, but I'll take care of all the After Colony stuff, because Wing is my baby. :D

Out of curiousity, when you say "long format" profiles, to what are you referring, the data sections or the history sections? Are we looking to introduce a new format for the data to maybe line up a little better with the format that pops up in Japanese sourcebooks, or just make the history sections more up-to-date with all the information that's come around since Burke handed the project off to you so many years ago?
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Chris
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Amuro:

Both, sort of. I want to fix any errors in specs (or update things that have been retconned) as well as update the histories to fix anything that's incorrect or been retconned. A new format is not in the cards, as that would create even more work for me.
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balofo
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Status on mahq's available lineart(details and gimmicks) and remaining additions per series:

-First: Almost complete, the remaining ones are widely avaiable
-Z:The most problematic one, lineart is scattered over many books, I still find something new very often. Needs lots of additions.
-ZZ: Almost as bad as Z, needs lots of additions.
-CCA: Everything on this one is widely avaiable as a whole on many books. Still need some work
-F91: Everything on this one is widely avaiable as a whole on many books. Still needs lots of additions.
-V: Almost complete, mahq's second most complete series collection of lineart. Needs minor work
-G: Needs profiles for ships, detailed lineart is almost non existent. Still needs lots of additions.
-W: Pretty much complete thanks to that Encyclopedia scan. Mahq's most complete series collection of lineart.
-08th: Everything on this one is widely avaiable as a whole on many books. Still needs lots of additions.
-X: Detailed lineart is almost non existent. Still needs some additions.
-Turn A: Everything on this one is widely avaiable as a whole on many books. Still needs lots of additions.
-SEED/Destiny/Astray: Everything on this one is widely avaiable as a whole on many books. Still needs lots of additions.
-Igloo: Everything on this one is widely avaiable as a whole on many books. Still needs lots of additions.
-00: Everything on this one is widely avaiable as a whole on many books. Still needs lots of additions.
-Builders: there's detailed lineart on this but I haven't seen any scans. Still needs lots of additions.
-MSV general: Still needs some additions

I can complete all these galleries with just the scans I have, just need someone to do the cleaning. I think I've gathered almost all published lineart ever for Gundam :D
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AmuroNT1
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

I gotcha.

Of course, I'll also grab whatever lineart I can find for any series and send it your way.

EDIT: Just to check, what kind of format are we going with for the history sections?

-Historian from the Turn A era, as Burke originally envisioned?
-Generic, era-less historian, as if writing a fictional version of "Jane's"?
-Or out-of-universe, "Yeah this is totally a cartoon" like Wikipedia?
Sakuya: "Whatever. Stop lying and give up your schemes, now."
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Chris
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Well, I have a huge load of art that I'm still working through thanks to balofo. What I need is multiple volunteers to start cleaning up all this lineart. If you're interested, send me a PM.
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

No idea if this will help any but I noticed that "Gihren's Greed: Blood of Zeon" in the multiple platform category has nothing. I have the game on the PSP and used MAHQ a few years back to help translate the names of all the Mobile Suits and ships in the game's mechanical database and made a personal list. I'm willing to hand that over if you need it since it gives a list of all MS and vehicles that appear in the game, and there is plenty.
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Compass
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

What do we define as "cleaning up" line art? Like Photoshopping out backgrounds and stuff? Like, can you post an example? I do plenty of Photoshop work, but not sure what you're asking for in regards to updating line art.
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Chris
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

You pretty much answered your own question there.
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Late, but I think he ask if "cleaned-up" screencap is ok? (I beleive it isn't)
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Chris
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

No, he asked about lineart. Nothing about screencaps.
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Compass
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Fair enough. I'm willing to Photoshop for the cause :)

Send a few my way and I'll fix em up and post em and if they're good enough, I'll be glad to do as much as I can
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Ryukami
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

This begs a question; What sources are considered to take precedence over others? Most recent?

This has long been a problem with the canon, different apparently canon sources will often contradict each other, which leads to some of the 'errors' present in the older profiles.

Gundam Officials is great and far too heavy and all, but even the most recent edition has some things that don't agree with other materials.
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ShadowCell
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

it begs a question: and here's an answer
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Deacon Blues
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

He's referring to source material for the mecha profiles, Shadow, not whether a manga is official or a novel. Gundam Officials, as we all know, is a treasure trove of information for the Gundam Universe. However, it's only from 0079-0083ish, so it definitely doesn't cover everything. There's also a bunch of things that it doesn't have as well.
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Chris
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

Compass wrote:Fair enough. I'm willing to Photoshop for the cause :)

Send a few my way and I'll fix em up and post em and if they're good enough, I'll be glad to do as much as I can
This will have to wait until I get back from Ireland at the end of the week.
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LtFrankie
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

One thing I'd like to see is a line that shows whether any MS succeeded it and what it preceded/evolved from.

And production numbers.
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Gelgoog Jager
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Re: The MAHQ Grand Burkean Reorganization Project

I have a suggestion regarding the profiles:

I think one of the reasons the profile contributions might be coming a bit slow is that we might be expecting for a single person to have the source of information, be able to translate that information and write down an appropiate profile for MAHQ, rinse and repeat for every MS proifle he/she potentially has access to.


Instead I would propose to divide the work into 3 or 4 parts, each which could be made on a different thread:

1- Source providers- Request that those people with sources of information post them, even if it's only scans or raw text in japanese. We could also decide if we want to choose a primary source of information for the profiles of a given series, game, manga, etc.

2- Translators- Have another group of people that would only be required to make direct translations of the information. We could have two different groups/threads here: one focused on a designated primary source of information and a another for any alternate/additional source of information.

3- Writers- People that would use the information provided by the translators to write a profile that is adequate for MAHQ. They could be asked to mainly use information from the primary source, which would be complemented by the additional sources and even information from our discussions in the board.


As an hypothetical example, let's say we want a profile for the MS-14B Gelgoog Uma Lightning Custom:

1- First we would need the scans for the MSV-R volume where it appeared, as its primary source of information. Additionally, if someone has more information about it from the MSV-R manga, they could provide the concerning scans.

2- Then, we would have someone write a complete direct translation of the MSV-R volume profile. A translation of the parts of the manga that provide additional information on the unit could serve as an additional source of information.

3- Finally, the writers would write down the profile, using the primary source of information, the additional translated information, and possibly any other relevant information that might have been mentioned on a fourm discussion, while sticking to the format of MAHQ's profiles. In the case of the older profiles, they would need to see what would need to be added, removed or changed.

Anyway, that's more or less the idea I propose to speed up the writing of new profiles, as well as the correction of older ones.
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