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SW-XA1 Schneeblume Battroid
(Fan-Made Colors by C. Wilson)
SW-XA1 Schneeblume GERWALK
(Fan-Made Colors by C. Wilson)
SW-XA1 Schneeblume Fighter
(Fan-Made Colors by C. Wilson)
Color Code Transformation Guide
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SW-XAI (SW-XA1) Schneeblume
Equipment Type: experimental stealth variable fighter
Alternate Designation: Snowdrop
Government: United Nations (U.N. Forces)
Manufacturer: unknown
Operational Deployment: unknown
Accommodation: pilot only
Dimensions:
Fighter Mode: unknown
Mass: unknown
Structure: SWAG energy conversion armor
Power Plant: two thermonuclear reaction engines
Propulsion: unknown; many x vernier thrusters
Performance: unknown (exceeds VF-17 Nightmare)
Design Features: 3-mode variable transformation; stealth composition; variable geometry wing (VG); two-dimensional thrust vectoring
- Armament -
Guns:
1 x external gatling gun pod
1 x head turret cannon (mounted center ventral section Fighter/GERWALK, becomes head turret in Battroid mode)
Bombs & Missiles:
2 x internal multi-purpose weapon bays, capable of holding micro-missile launcher set (mounted right/left ventral rear fuselage in Fighter mode, lower legs in GERWALK/Battroid modes)
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The U.N. Forces approached all variable fighter manufacturers with a set of specifications for SWX (Stealth Wing X), a programme to combine high stealthiness with air combat capabilities exceeding that of the VF-17 Nightmare. It was the original intention of the U.N. Forces to deploy the VF-17 Nightmare as a long-range attack craft and thus a separate variable fighter was needed for the role of air superiority and defense.
The SW-XAI Schneeblume was the first of these new experimental variable fighters to fulfill the specifications required by the U.N. Forces. With an abundance of combat data obtained during warfare, the VF-1 Valkyrie was chosen as the basis for the SW-XAI. This base design was then improved to current standards by equipping it with upgraded engines and avionics.
Notes: Both the SW-XAI Schneeblume and SW-XAII Schneegans were created for The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: VF Experiment, a Character Model magazine column. Shoji Kawamori emphasizes that these vehicles are not part of the official series chronology at this time. The design inspiration for the SW-XAI is the fictional Stonewell Bellcom VF-1 Valkyrie.
The petname Schneeblume was published in a February 2002 Character Model magazine contest after the German term for snowdrop. Galanthus (snowdrop; Greek gàla "milk", ànthos "flower") is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family amaryllidaceae. This flower, which blooms in February to herald spring, is intended to symbolize the vehicle's experimental nature as well as refer obliquely to the warrior maiden connotation of the Valkyrie's petname.
Addendum: The colors for the SW-XAI Schneeblume are fan-made, inspired by the February 2002 issue of Character Model magazine combined with additional creative intepretation. The colors are meant to be a combination of low-visibility paint, color schemes of the Macross Plus era (2040s) mixed with colors from the Macross Zero era; befitting a valkyrie illustrated in 2002.
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Debut: (never animated, appears in Character Model Magazine, 2002)
Pilot(s): no notables
Other appearances: none
Original mechanical designer: Shoji Kawamori |
Information Courtesy of the Macross Compendium: www.macross.anime.net/wiki/Main_Page
Images From - Character Model magazine (2002, 2003)
C. Wilson - Writer, Editor and Colorist
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