KERBAL MECHA COLLECTION

[Colonel Cbplayer]

 

^{oh shiny}
KERBAL MECHA

A type of craft designed specifically to go against everything the game was ever meant to be. I am not so sure what about advertising your realistic world analog to real life rocketry type of cartoonish sim game that makes it perfectly acceptable for Squad's Twitter account to share my gifs and then pretend this is something that's normal gameplay of a space flight sim, which is instead more akin to cartoons from a country that been nuked more than the recommended amount of times. KSP is certainly a realistic enough game in terms of physics and err... stuff, at least enough to be backed by NASA which makes it all the more flavorful that huge lumbering metal robots are suddenly dancing in the sky despite all the time and effort the devs put into not caring about the flight model. Are you sure this game is about flying rockets into little planets in space? Last time I check on Reddit someone instead used the 60s cold war era rocket parts to build a Ferris wheel with little working carts with chairs that have seatbelts so little bob and little bill can sit and ride on something slightly less lethal than usual like its a canceled Disney attraction ride in a Soviet Space Program theme park. 

^{see Saturday morning cartoons still exist}

To fly little green men into the stars is not what I am here for. Of course, you know that playing the game seriously is not what I am here for when you read a topic titled "KERBAL MECHA COLLECTION". You may already know me unless god forsakes that this is your introduction to what happens in a backyard full of unsupervised rocket parts with an unsupervised person who has nothing to do all day. I build robots and mechs ripped straight out of various animes and video game franchises, lawsuit impending. Granted it's all done with mods and shameless cheating if you couldn't tell from the laser sword welding backflipping robots slicing other flying robots. It's all a buggy explosive laggy mess but that is the charm when you spend 10+ hours modeling spit and shine on a single craft only to explode in a million parts at 1c speeds the second you load it, crashing the game and taking out the GPU as well. This becomes very entertaining to the masses just like anything giant robots are added to, especially when it works, which leads to the crippling existential dread that comes when you peaked and everything that ever follows will be overshadowed by those stupid transformers you built in that space lego game.

^{What is being shown is scale, what is not being shown is my pc melting}

On an unrelated note have you ever been called a god for your work before? Usually for doing something slightly impressive and overblown and it's the type of easy comment to write that people often enough make that you can assume a decent population of the internet are people who faces look like the gaping maw of fish after you picked one up and put it in a slightly bigger pond. Sure it's overreacting much but I like think about the specifics: what sort of god am I, one that fills such a tiny niche as “ksp mecha builder” god in this hypothetical hierarchy, good lord now I am a pagan god. Don’t call me god of anything. Sure it would make me happy to know that I am the god of all two KSP players who makes working Macross valkyrie transformers, the other person being literally a japanese school girl who’s twitter account got deleted for being too jailbaity, which is a shame really since its a loss to the world all those screenshots of Macross mechs in KSP got deleted which where struck neatly between pictures of close ups of thighhighs and corsets. 

^{ah yes back when times were simpler and you didn't have to hold the gun with two functional arms}

Where was I? KSP craft forum topic! Originally I was gonna add every single craft I put in kerbalX however that is a task for an insane man. I am merely a broken man. Therefore we will start small and use some favorite Mecha crafts I made over the years.

Also if you are going to make any mecha reference, please know I heard them all before.

F-15 Transformer
^{The most creative name I could have made}

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/F-15-active-transformer

^{I would have made more of these but time is a stand-up guy}

Starting this list is a mecha I actually did not stolen from an anime or a game. Instead I stole it from real life. This was originally a stock F-15 active and I liked the plane so much I took it and turned it into a giant robot with 6 jet engines instead of two. It only took some magic pixie dust to make, which it is easy to make because it only takes grinding your soul. 

Spoiler

YF-19 Valkyrie 
^{From Macross Plus the OVA and or Movie}

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/YF-19-Prototype

Regardless of the amount of magic pixie dust there are some things that are really hard to make in KSP. This one actually came from an anime called macross plus, if you never heard of it, that’s ok it's from the 90s and it is basically top gun in the future and hatsune miku is the bad guy. There are some things that are very inherently stupid when you think about it and putting it in a physics engine makes it really apparent. The entire wings are all neatly connected in a single tiny joint at the hips that is very easy to snap off as the aerodynamic forces laugh. Also the way the plane shape turns into robot shape involves the entire plane folding and multiple ends come apart and others stack on top of each other neatly like refrigerator magnets? 
“Bloody what?” Said an engineer before presumably dying from a heart attack. 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

YF-21 Valkyrie
^{Also Macross Plus}

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/YF-21-Welded-version

For the keen eye of airplane enthusiasts in you, yes this is a YF-23 ripoff after the dirty japanese took the design and inspired japanese businessmen to sell many toys for many years to make sure there is still money flow coming 30 years after the series came out. Like the other valkyrie above this there are also many clearly obvious problems with the transformation details when you put in the ultra realistic scrutiny of KSP space lego, most specifically the outer shell. This is full gobot as the legs have this neat little fairing which is supposed to close up nicely in airplane mode for drag reasons or something, except in KSP it never works because parts don't ever collide with each other, which makes closing things rather hard. 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Urban Formula
^{Xenoblade X?}

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/Urban-Formula

So this mecha in specific has some history. It's actually a modified version of the very first kerbal mecha I ever made. Warms the heart and it comes from a nintendo sci-fi jrpg that I still defend that it has good music. It's more of a mixed of two different mechas with my own thing thrown in. Originally there were no fabulous roller skates but I don't have enough magic pixie dust to bother making a walking cycle. Now it comes to ball parties to show off its sick moves of crushing a building flat and exploding, while spinning of course. 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Verus Cain
^{Xenoblade X again}

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/Versus-Cain

I really like xenoblade X. Its honestly has some of my favorite mecha designs ever. Speaking of which everyone ever noticed the weeb flag I been using since forever of the scantily clad mecha lady with the massive sword. I figure people have noticed it and never pointed it out some misguided attempt to protect my dignity. Well this mecha happens to be the very same beloved mascot in full mechanical glory, down to the sword and the bunny ears.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

VF-01 Valkyrie
^{Macross Super dimensional fortress (yes that is really the name the 80s were weird)} 

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/VF-0-Valkyrie-Transformer

I already made an entire topic page for this craft right here so just check that out instead of reading my aloof ramblings.

Artifice Siren
^{Xenoblade Chronicles 2} 

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/Artifice-Siren

Probably one of the sickest replica builds I ever made according to 12 year old me tastes. I made this in a single day literally out of spite because I got muted on a xeno discord server and yes those types of things are what motivate me the hardest. In the game this from the mecha is remote controlled while it orbits in space and fires huge plasma beams at any random natural wildlife of your choosing entirely indiscriminately using those big rail things that are suppose to be a plasma cannon or something. So much for christian angelic symbolism I gave it 4 arms and now its my hindu god of destruction that sort of flies around and bump into things menacingly. 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

JEHUTY
^{ZONE OF THE ENDERS 1&2}

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/Jehuty

THE BEST MECHA DESIGN IN ANYTHING. HACK AND SLASH ACTION SWORD BIG COCKPIT ROCKET WINGS. Ahem. One of the most unlikely things for me to have built is mf jehuty from Zone of the Enders, the best mecha hack & slash you never heard off. Unfortunately tron lines is not a thing in ksp so it stands boring and lifeless while casually hovering above the ground. It does however, have a big sword arm that actives into a laser sword so you can widely slash away at all your worries. There is a big problem with the wobble, but what sort of surprise is that to anyone as you can smell the mecha parkison all the way from here in all of them.  

Spoiler

There are more mechs to be have, but they are not gonna be put here today for now. Think of this as a teaser for my other stuff because of course I have made more mechs than this. Why not now? Too much of a good thing can kill you, as it would most likely do to me if I tried to make this entire list. 

YOUTUBE  - KERBALX - REDDIT 

Edited February 26, 2019 by Colonel Cbplayer

[Schwarz]

Can't like this enough, much respect to all the hours spent on them!

[Ozymandias_the_Goat]

47 minutes ago, Schwarz said:

Can't like this enough, much respect to all the hours spent on them!

Agreed! Really solid and unique work.

[FleshJeb]

The mecha are cool and all, but that was some of the most entertaining stream-of-consciousness writing I've ever read on these forums.

[Colonel Cbplayer]

IN-DEPTH VIEW
The main post on this topic is meant to show off a list of different mechs. In the comments I will make more closer and detailed looks into each build and say what there could be to say.

The YF-19 Valkyrie Transformer
A transforming Mecha plane jet fighter from the anime MACROSS PLUS. 


In the show
The Kerbal versions based off bandai toy models proportions

The Transformation detail

In action

Now in KSP itself, the transformation works primarily the same way albeit in a more simplified matter. The arms also clip through the wings but that is less of an issue. The biggest issue with transformer designs in ksp is the lack of rigidity and structural support. There are no part collisions in parts that are in the same crafts, making fighter jets completely unrigid and unsuitable for high G turns. To solve this the craft uses qstruts  to rigidified the structure of the craft when flying in fighter mode, which form the blue lines between some of the parts.  

Development of the YF-19 started in December 2017 and first flown here

The build started with the physical modeling of the craft that will determine the look that can not be changed after it is all welded together.At This iteration lacked the part welding it would use later on however it was the first version of the craft to be able to transform in flight. The base file of the YF-19 directly after building can be found here.
https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/YF-19-Valkyrie-Transformer
This version of the craft is entirely without any part welding if you wish to modify the design visually without config editing. It had 5 mods and 473 parts.
 

The next version of the craft is the welded version which allowed for lighter and stronger parts. The welded parts provided liberal amounts of reaction wheel torque to counteract weight and such the second version of the craft was built, transformations using only presets.

 

At this point, we have our fully functional craft needing only some minor scripting, decorations, and a gun. 

The YF-19 Final Version

 

With b9 parts, procedural wings, and nebula's Decal mod with some textures I made on my own I finally realized the most faithful YF-19 haveould had made. 

The massive autocannon slung below the plane

Which would turn into this

A Gau-8 gatling gun turned into a rifle 

Because the YF-19 had posable hands I could do this. 

A closer look at those hands isolated

The final and completed aircraft

https://imgur.com/a/RQe8B60

Album full of detail shots including join placements and sculpturing. 

https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/YF-19-Prototype

Mods
Aircraft Carrier Accessories (gundam drive mod)
B9 Aerospace Parts Pack
B9 Procedural Wings Modified
BDArmoryContinued
Infernal Robotics Model Rework - Core Pack
NEBULA Decals Continued
NEBULA EVA handrails pack.
QuantumStrutsContinued
Squad (stock)
TweakScale - Rescale Everything!

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1_b4GSdIrVIAuKU63zD3fGztnczOV6y4r
Custom parts and decal textures I made.
 

 

Scott manley's tweet

It exploding on reddit

Even a Kotaku article of all things exists
https://kotaku.com/kerbal-space-program-can-do-transforming-macross-fighte-1831242407

So in one way or the other I feel everyone has seen atleast one version of this fighter. It really did took a year of trial and error to get it to work  as perfect as possible.

 

Edited March 2, 2019 by Colonel Cbplayer

[Colonel Cbplayer]

INTRODUCING LEGIONARY
https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/legionary

A bipedal double knee chicken walker style mech with heavy weapons. Not based on anything but has the ability to transform into a truck for compact storage in a mk3 cargo bay. Do not anger the huge metal dinosaur.

 

Well it would have been able to transform but autostruts just sometimes want to ruin my day

[Colonel Cbplayer]

Raiden?! Raiden Respond! 

Revealing everyone's favorite aquatic robot dinosaur
https://kerbalx.com/Colonel_Cbplayer/Metal-Gear-Ray
RAY

still cant beat rex after sitting in a room rusting for 10 years tho

Unfortunely I can not get it to open its mouth and scream while shooting a plasma beam cutter but oh well.

It has a rather goofy run tho

[Guest]

Wow, wowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowow. 

 

 

Wow!

[Schwarz]

On 6/22/2019 at 12:49 PM, Colonel Cbplayer said:

Unfortunely I can not get it to open its mouth and scream while shooting a plasma beam cutter but oh well.

No one cares. Once you go past a certain level of awesomeness, 100% authenticity can go through the window.
Great work as always