Dark Duel wrote:The more this show goes on, the more I'm in love with the -31. As much as I loved the -25's retro sleekness and the -29's sheer badassery, I think of the main Valks in the last couple of series, the -31 is well on its way to being my personal favorite.
The VF-25 was previously my favorite, as it looked like a more-modern combination between an F-14D Tomcat and an F-18C Hornet, with the distinctly-Russian nose design for added sexiness. However, the VF-31A is a masterful fusion of the F-22 Raptor and Su-37, while the variants somehow manage to add the Su-47's forward swept wings into the mix while keeping the design
elegant. I zoinking
love the VF-31 and (especially) its variants!
The VF-29, on the other hand... Well, I wanted to like it, but it looks like Kawamori came up with the VF-31 and started to incorporate it into the Frontier films, then realized the design would easily carry its own series, so he decided to give it some of the VF-25's finer details and then started slapping on extra pieces and equipment to give it that over-designed "prototype" look so as to not "waste" the design in a few minutes of one movie. At least, that's what
I see when I look at the VF-29 now; even back when it was new, it felt like an excellent design hidden beneath extraneous add-ons.
Edit: Any continuation of this conversation should probably be taken to the Mecha section.
Edit #2:
Dark Duel wrote:I went back and re-watched the scene in Ep8 when he got that truly EPIC beatdown.
You know, it just occurred to me that the lame "Dogfight Mode" in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, with a few significant changes, could have been pretty cool if that game had Variable Fighters. Kawamori's involved with that franchise, too. Make it happen, Bamco!