Transmute Jun
Queen of the Bird Missiles
I am a Swan.
40 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 04-04-2007
Posts: 20978
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21-10-2008 20:51
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tatsunokofan
Gatch Guru
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 03-12-2006
Posts: 1513
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Hi all!
Ahh, the God Phoenix. The best of the best among the Gatchaman mecha. I know some people think the OAV version is wonderful, but I'll take the original one anytime. For a long, long time, I dreamed of getting an original cel of that ship, a goal I finally achieved a few years back.
I think that a lot of the success of that ship comes from the simple elegance of the design. It has enough linework to look cool, but not so much that it looks overblown. It works, and it works well.
As first conceived, the "Phoenix" in the series was not going to be just a ship, but the name of an organization as well. In one of the earliest known pieces of planning for the series, back when it was called "Science Ninja Squad Number 5," the Science Ninja Squad worked for the Phoenix Headquarters, a group who worked for world peace. The organization worked out of a saucer-shaped submarine that was also named "Phoenix," which acted similar to both Crescent Coral Reef and the God Phoenix in the TV series. This disc-shaped Phoenix could operate both underwater and fly in the sky, and acted as a mobile base-of-operations for the Science Ninja Squad. The Phoenix would have housed the best in technology, and would have supplied the Science Ninja Squad with the equipment they needed to complete their missions.
Obviously, this changed as the planning progressed, giving birth to the God Phoenix we are familiar with today. The final Planning Establishment for the series didn't have many references to the God Phoenix directly, except in a section describing the mecha used by the Science Ninja Team. In it, the God Pheonix was described as follows:
"God Phoenix" (United Mecha)
The united G-1 ~ G-5
(Performance)
It jointly utilizes the engines of the G-1 ~ G-5
Maximum Speed: Mach 5.0
(Function)
It is capable of submerging.
(Weapons)
Installed with Bird Missiles (It will not set without the wiring of the G-1 ~ G-5).
It has Dr. Nambu's seal, and cannot be fired without the Doctor's permission.
Additionally:
Pushing the Transformation Generator UP can cause the ship to momentarily disappear.
Furthermore, when the Generator is UP in the Red Zone, a powerful blaze (The shape of the Firebird) is born. This is one of the processes the Science Ninja Team uses to save themselves from predicaments. But, this cannot be produced without them enduring a fair amount of pain.
The command to call this forth is "Science Ninja Technique Firebird!"
During the course of the series, we do learn some details regarding the ship. The Mach 5.0 maximum speed is confirmed (#75), though all five Ninja Team vehicles need to be united for the ship to reach this speed (#52). The ship can reach a top altitude of 3,000KM (1864 miles), and can operate in space (#9). The ship can withstand ocean depths up to 2,000 meters (1.24 miles) (#78), and heat up to 3,000 degrees Centigrade (5,432 degrees Fahrenheit) (#22).
It's main offensive capabilities come from the Science Ninpo Firebird (#1) and the Bird Missiles (First shown in #4, though first mentioned in #1). When the God Pheonix was destroyed and rebuilt, the Bird Missiles were replaced with Super Bird Missiles (#67). While the ship originally carried a large supply of Bird Missiles (#5), it only carried two Super Bird Missiles (#67).
Other equipment on board the ship included a Geiger Counter (#2), Fog Lamps (#5), an Electronics Radar (#14), and Sonar (#55). The main screen in the Control Room has a filter for infrared rays (#2), a Super-Telephoto Lens (#14), and a filter to detect radioactivity (#68).
At various other times, the God Phoenix has been shown to carry scuba equipment (#2), a Light Collection Dish (#10), a Sound Collection Dish (#41), and a Mini Submarine (#55).
The interior of the God Phoenix has room to hold 200 people (#42). Maybe they had to take the Mini Submarine out to make the room...
To give credit where it's due, the design for the God Phoenix created by Mitsuki Nakamura, who did all the main mecha designs for the original Gatchaman. He would later be joined by Kunio Okawara, and the two shared mecha design duties on the series until episode #44, when Okawara took over entirely. Nakamura was also the Art Director for Gatchaman, a role he held through the series run.
Anyway, that ought to tell you a few things about the God Phoenix!
James
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21-10-2008 23:38
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Springie
Her Royal Fluffiness...Swan of Swans...
I am a Swan.
6 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 12-06-2006
Posts: 8028
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21-10-2008 23:46
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tatsunokofan
Gatch Guru
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 03-12-2006
Posts: 1513
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Hi all!
| quote: | | There were 30 onboard in that ep. |
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Actually, the number of available Bird Missiles in that episode can vary widely depending on how you wish to count things. The absolute minimum number of missiles launched is 18. This is calculated by the number of times we see Joe push the launch button/hear the button launch sound effect from inside the God Phoenix Control Room (4 against the fog machine, 10 against the battleships, and 4 against the saucers).
On the opposite extreme, there could be 39 Bird Missiles on board. This is calculated by counting every time we see/hear the launch button being pressed, counting every missile we see launching, and counting every missile we see in the air as though none are showing the same event twice (11 against the fog machine, 22 against the battleships, and 16 against the saucers).
This does not include the possibility that Joe was continuing to fire missiles during the scenes where all we saw were ships exploding, in which case the number could jump up to somewhere around 70 Bird Missiles.
So, because of the gray area involved in determining exactly how many missiles there might actually be, I'll stick with "...a large supply..."
James
This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by tatsunokofan on 22-10-2008 at 02:16.
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22-10-2008 02:11
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shamrokchick
Forum Legend
I am an Eagle.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 02-08-2008
Posts: 817
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22-10-2008 03:36
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Metaliant
Gatchamaniac
I am an Eagle.
0 fics uploaded
Registration Date: 06-06-2005
Posts: 3595
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22-10-2008 15:02
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