by the fans for the fans

No other mecha in RT-verse, with exception of VF-1 Valkyrie, that has captured RT fans fascination more than anything, that is Veritech Cyclone Rider series.

Mobile, tough, manouverable little bugger shows it can compete with its larger Veritech fighter cousins, even taking man-el-mano with enemy mecha far larger & meaner than the much smaller & nimble Cyclone.

The Veritech Rider Cyclone series from RT: New Gen animated series are:

VR-038 Bartley
VR-041 Blowsperior
VR-052 Battler

The Advanced Veritech Rider Cyclone from RT: Invasion console game are:

VR-098 Devastator (Protoype)
VR-101P Shadow Dancer (Shadow-Tech)

VR-038 Bartley

VR-038 is an early model of recon VR series. Used prominently for recon purposes & mostly used by UEEF female personnel, several -038 variants also existed as SpecOp battlefield observer unit (Sue Graham's unit) or as mobile medic unit. Its combat capabilities are quite limited, but at the hands of seasoned & competent freedom fighters, it proves to be quite a deadly mecha & performed well alongside -041 & -052 model series.

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VR-041 Blowsperior

VR-041 Sabre unit specifically the 1st Cyclone unit developed solely for frontline combat, especially adept with close quarter combat favored by the Invid units. The Sabre variant are added to existing & upgraded -040 into -041 Blowsperior series, often used to break Invid Inorganics mecha formation, such as Invid Hellcat units. By 2038, the -048 series relegated as emergency vehicle for Conbat Aerospace Fighter's pilots & as premier combat mecha for mechanised light infantry in UEEF 10th Mars Division of the 1st Earth Reclaimation Mission, 2038AD. Remaining VR-041 models are later relegated for use mainly for UEEF Special Forces units specialised in Invid Hive infiltration mission.

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VR-052 Battler

The -052 Battler series replaced -048 VR series by early 2040, served as emergency vehicle to all VFA-6 Alpha & VFB-9 Beta pilots. These mecha also replace -048 series for premier ground combat mecha to UEEF light mechanised infantry units, alongside VML-9 Silverback Transformable Battle Buggy command unit series. The resistance units, surviving UEEF regulars & all ground combat specialists within UEEF surface troops almost exclusively fielded -052 series, clearly the favorite at the time. The -052 series served with sterling reputation with survivors & freedom fighters against occupying Invid forces shortly after 2nd Earth Reclaimation Mission - UEEF 21st Mars Division tragic defeat in 2042. Majority of ground surface mechanised light infantry troops are equipped with -052 Battler series that are part of UEEF 1st Attack Group - Final Earth Reclaimation Mission surrounding Reflex Point & iniatiate surface assault staging ground against Invid Regess HQ in 2044 AD.

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VR-098 Devastator, Prototype

Specifically designed to be heavily armed variant of VR series & complementing the existing -052 Battler units, this prototype was still at the early age of development. Mounting pulse beam rifle & smaller scale pulse particle beam cannon, it is simply the most dangerous mecha ever fielded by UEEF light mechanised infantry, excluding the VML-9 Silverback Transformable Combat Buggy. Only a few prototype units existed, though atleast one unit was later known to be used by a surviving resistance unit against Invid, possibly to gather combat evaluation purposes & its survivability in live combat (pls refer to RT: Invasion console game). The Devastator unit under the resistance cell is found to be capable for multiple refits with several add-ons especially with internal missile complement & attachable chest cannon module. Highly adaptable & efficient heavy combat unit, its achilles heel would be heavy drain on protoculture cells, thus limiting meagre protoculture supplies of the resistance group that use the sole prototype Devastator cyclone. The Devastator rider must also wear a specialized CVR-3D armor specific only to -098 unit.

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Technical layout of VR-098 Devastator in Battloid & Cyclone mode:

http://www.robotechresearch.com/rpg/mecha/ref/devastator/vr-055_s.gif [/ol]

VR-101P Shadow Dancer, Stealth

Specifically developed to replace surviving VR-041 Blowsperior models serving the UEEF Special Forces, -101P are the first VR Cyclone variant to mount Shadow Technology Stealth system. The highly limited & valued models are equipped to Special Ops units attached to UEEF 36th Squadron, Jupiter Division of Final Earth Reclaimation Mission in 2044. It is equipped with high density CADS-1 blade & internal missile complement of previous -041 models, however with additional powerful chest cannon module. With active stealth system, the -101P are suitable & excellent black-ops mecha unit, designed to infiltrate Invid hives undetected & destroy its main objcetive, the Invid brains. Atleast there is one UEEF SpecFor unit equipped with -101P ShadowDancer manages to infiltrate Reflex Hive, but their fate is unknown (possibly MIA or KIA - pls refer to RT: Invasion game).

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Tri-Charger, RT: Sentinel's prototype Cyclone?

Actually, there is a Cyclone-like mecha that appeared in an anime known as Zillion, produced by Tatsunoko after RT II: Sentinel animation was cancelled. Interestingly, to save cost, Tatsunoko uses several mecha designs from aborted Sentinels & reused them in the new Zillion anime, especially the Invid Inorganics units.

Although, another mecha design from Zillion intrigue me, known as Tri-Charger.

In Battloid mode & Bike mode - Tri-Charger:

http://paginas.terra.com.br/informatica/briaeros/principal/tricharger.html [/ol]

Tri-Charger Toy:

http://paginas.terra.com.br/informatica/briaeros/diversos/brinquedos/tricharger/page_01.htm [/ol]

Now, I deeply suspected that Tri-Charger itself is a design taken from unused pre-production mecha design from the Sentinel.

Tri-Charger shared design similarity with Garland from RT: The Untold Story the Movie.

If Tri-Charger is actually inspired from RT itself, Tri-Charger could very well prove to be the missing gap from prototype VR-Cyclone series.

Unlike Garland which is more true-blue mecha which the pilot actually cocooned in the cockpit situated at the chest segment in Battloid mode, Tri-Charger served more like power armor where upon transformation to Battloid, simply encompassing the pilots body much like VR-Cyclone series, minus the CVR armor.

I love the Veritech Cyclone, but I have one problem with it. Why does it have wheels? Hovercycles were commonplace in the Second Robotech War. Why didn't they base the Cyclone off of the hovercycle?

The only explanation I can think of is that maybe hovercycles were only found in Monument City, but according to The Sentinels, the REF had hovercycles all the way off in space and they were the ones who built the Cyclones! Wouldn't it have been wiser to build the Cyclones from hovercycles, thereby making it easier from them to traverse any terrain?

Why not? Veritech Rider Cyclone series development begin within 2020 - 2030 timeline, developed by Robotech Research Group that attached under UEEF that busily searched Masters homeworld at the time, through out the vast Masters Empire. It is hinted in a decade long search, UEEF encounters rogue Zentraedis (possibly surviving Dolza's faction) & space pirates. In regards of rogue Zents, they should've atleast utilised surviving ships of their own, perhaps Cyclone as it was intended, would be perfect mecha to be used for boarding & infiltrating plus doing recon & sabotage within enemy vessels.

It is hinted in a decade long search, UEEF encounters rogue Zentraedis (possibly surviving Dolza's faction) & space pirates.

When was this implied? It wasn't in the Sentinels and The Macross Saga seems to imply that the Zentraedi that attacked Earth were the entirety of their species. Also, in The New Generation, Scott implies that the Zentraedi have been practically extinct for some time.

Granted, there were remaining Zetraedi in the original Macross, but that's Macross. This is Robotech.

they should've atleast utilised surviving ships of their own, perhaps Cyclone as it was intended, would be perfect mecha to be used for boarding & infiltrating plus doing recon & sabotage within enemy vessels.

I suppose that could make sense, but most Robotech timelines have the Cyclone being developed during the Pioneer Mission, so there's no reason they couldn't of based the design on the hovercycle.