>>64114991
desu that still makes much more subtle engineering autism put into a VF than into most comparable mecha. You can tell that Kawamori has an actual STEM degree, while people like Tomino failed to get into a technical high school. As far as aerodynamics go, there's also the consideration that these things are operating in space more than half the time, which combined with their powerplants juiced up on overtechnology makes atmospheric drag a lesser concern.

I strongly agree re: 3D animation. I'm not very fond of any of the designs that came after Macross 7, and hand-drawn animation has a thousand times more SOVL. Macross Plus is pea/k/.