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Does anyone have an idea if a Valkyrie in jet mode resting on its landing gear can transform into Battloid mode?

Please explain why or why not.

Possible, but difficult; you'd be scrapping paint off the underside and damaging the nose dragging it across the ground levering the aircraft into a position where the arms could swing under and out to do the rest of the lifting.

I am going to say No, depending on how fragile you think the Valkyrie is.

Basically the front of the VF would be facing down, as the legs wouldn't move. Instead the torso would have to tilt, flipping the nose down and the tail upward. Either breaking the nose cone, damaging it, or leaving a huge hole in the ground.

It would be loud, crashing like noises and probably sound like metal being torn and/or bent in the worst possible way.

Would I let it... yes, only because I play cinematically, and go with the rule of cool

Maybe there's a program in the Valk's computer that makes it hop into the air for a transformation below a safe altitude.

realistically? not really.
in universe? maybe depending on a number of factors such as does it have a way to "bounce" up enough to get its nose and arms far enough off the ground to continue the transformation.

examples of ways I could see it maybe working:
compress the front landing gear and then suddenly extend, and or fire forward vtol/rcs thrusters hard enough to tilt it up enough to flip the arms out, and or flip it onto the "feet" while it continues its transformation.
if that isn't possible then I would have to say not really.

Jefffar wrote:Does anyone have an idea if a Valkyrie in jet mode resting on its landing gear can transform into Battloid mode?

Please explain why or why not.

Yes, with a but...

Hikaru does, in fact, transform his VT-1 Super Ostrich while it's in fighter mode with the gear down in Macross: Do You Remember Love? during the escape from Vrlitwhai's ship. It uses its verniers to boost itself into the air just high enough to lower the legs to facilitate the rest of the transformation to GERWALK, and from GERWALK there's nothing preventing it from going to Battroid. So, WRT the design and the viewpoint of the true creators of the material, the answer is "Yes it can".

Theoretically, it would be possible to transform without the vernier "hop"... but you'd be grinding the underside of the nosecone and probably either the engine nozzles or ventral stabilizers along the ground on the way to GERWALK mode, which would then probably rock backwards toward its center of gravity to become upright where it could complete the transformation to Battroid. The fighter's frame and skin should be structurally strong enough to withstand that punishment (they've been shown to be proof against ramming into concrete buildings and the ground at terminal velocity or greater), but it would be a noisy and unpleasant transformation that would probably wreck the paintjob and take significantly longer than usual (probably closer to the five seconds required for a slow automatic transformation). It would probably also do no favors to the runway if you happened to be on one.

actually, i could see it if the legs deploy first.. the knees bend (the upper legs moving towards the vertical) to lift the fuselage parts up and balance the whole thing, then once the rest of the body has been lifted up enough it goes as normal. leaves the mecha kneeling down when it is done though, and would need to then to stand up.

i doubt it would be set up to do that normally though, since that has some of the parts moving out of sequence.

Jeffar wrote:Does anyone have an idea if a Valkyrie in jet mode resting on its landing gear can transform into Battloid mode?

Please explain why or why not.

I would have to say no for several reasons:
1. within RT it hasn't been done, the only standing still vehicle mode transformations are ground VTs (Cyclone and Hovertank), suggesting that it might not be possible
2. it doesn't have VTOL capability in fighter mode to lift it up higher to give it the necessary ground clearance, it has STOL though so it could leap forward and up, but that would not fit the parameters as defined. If it has any maneuvering jets on the underside capable of VTOL we should have indication (stat text, feat itself in animation).
3. ground clearance is an issue as others have said, when the Valkryie transforms it essentially creates a bubbled zone and it moves around inside it in all directions
4. the transformation actuators actual strength and how they will respond to interacting with an immovable object (the ground) as part of the transformation
5. if there are safeties in place that override commands to prevent damage to the unit, for example what if there are sensors on the landing gear that will prevent them from being retracted if it senses it is under pressure, or actuators encounter to much resistance (like from interacting w/the ground). Also have to consider if those safeties can even be over ridden (and if the pilot even knows how)

The other Veritech Fighters shown in the animation placed in the same situation on the ground resting on its landing gear and need to transform to Battloid, though all have VTOL capacity and can lift themselves up off the ground (breaking the parameters of the question IMHO), fare a bit better generally as the Alpha/Beta/Logan can resort to "push-up" by using the arms to balance on the ground while the lower/rear transforms maintaining contact with the ground, though it is possible the Alpha would not need to resort to this tactic per say (IMHO, it will need to though to stand up). The AGAC needs ground clearance for its chest plate to swing into position, so it would have to resort to lifting off (which IMHO breaks the parameters of the scenario as defined).

glitterboy2098 wrote:actually, i could see it if the legs deploy first.. the knees bend (the upper legs moving towards the vertical) to lift the fuselage parts up and balance the whole thing, then once the rest of the body has been lifted up enough it goes as normal. leaves the mecha kneeling down when it is done though, and would need to then to stand up.

i doubt it would be set up to do that normally though, since that has some of the parts moving out of sequence.

This makes the most sense. As it leans back on its knees the upper body transforms. Then it just stand up from that position.

Seto, in your example, was he stationary or in motion?

Jefffar wrote:Seto, in your example, was he stationary or in motion?

Stationary, on a (mostly) level interior hangar deck space inside Vrlitwhai's ship.

(On review of the footage @ ~43:00 in Macross: Do You Remember Love?, I was wrong about one detail... the fighter's landing gear wasn't deployed. Hikaru's VT-1 Super Ostrich was actually sitting directly on the deck, nose down, when he used its verniers to "hop" it far enough to transform. So, I suppose it would probably actually be easier to do it with the gear down as the fighter would already be level and wouldn't have to "hop" as far to clear the legs.)

I would think there is a safety lock out in the Fighter's control programs that locks out the mechamorphisis when parked in fighter mode.

Setting that aside there is the mechanics issues that have already been stated by others.

So ignoring scraped paint and broken landing gear, mechanics wise, a the Valkarie fighter could transform into the armless Gerwalk mode. (I believe that this mode has been shown in the animation.)

It is the Arms that are the problem , getting them from the storage position to their usage position.
Getting from the modified Gerwalk to Gerwalk and then Soldier should be strait forward.

All of this is presuming there is enough space form the Mechamorphisis to take place.

Yes, given the vulnerability of grounded aircraft, a system that transforms the machine out of sequence would be an important development. I'd rule it takes a full 15 seconds to get to guardian mode. Once your there, you can snap to Battliod as normal. Legs push down, bend at the knees putting the heaviest part of the fighter on the floor, rear landing gear (if deployed) are sacrificed under the strain (your crew chief is going to love you for that). The fighter's forward section is drawn back and up, with the nose landing gear providing ground clearance until the nose is fully up off the floor. Arms come down out of storage, dropping the gun pod and pushing it forward under the nose section. They provide a hold point. One leg (pick one but then that is always the one that goes for all fighters, levers back and down providing a foot hold. The fighter can now get airborne under it's own power (one foot down, one foot back). Arms out to the side finishes in the air. Good luck pilot and godspeed.

All of these are legal motions for my Skyfire transformer. Perhaps not the gun pod thing, I lost that a few moves ago.