Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Difference between revisions

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→Macross in Transformers: Slight rephrasing to make it seem less like TF succeeding AT ALL was a shock and more that it was the SCOPE of the success.
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[[File:EvolutionSkyfire.jpg|upright=2.0|thumb|The progression of Jetfire's character model being redesigned to avoid evoking a Bandai asset]]
[[File:EvolutionSkyfire.jpg|upright=2.0|thumb|The progression of Jetfire's character model being redesigned to avoid evoking a Bandai asset]]


Initially in 1982, a company called [[Takatoku Toys]] manufactured ''Macross'' toys, notably the "perfectly-transforming" 1/55 VF-1S Super Valkyrie. However, Takatoku would collapse not long thereafter, and their assets would soon be bought out by [[Bandai]], who then licensed the large ''Macross'' VF-1S (as well as ''[[Armored Insect Corps Beetras|Beetras]]'' and ''[[Special Armored Battalion Dorvack|Dorvack]]'' assets) to [[Hasbro]], who was desperately needing molds to fill out the [[1985]] product line of the unexpectedly popular ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Transformers]]''.
Initially in 1982, a company called [[Takatoku Toys]] manufactured ''Macross'' toys, notably the "perfectly-transforming" 1/55 VF-1S Super Valkyrie. However, Takatoku would collapse not long thereafter, and their assets would soon be bought out by [[Bandai]], who then licensed the large ''Macross'' VF-1S (as well as ''[[Armored Insect Corps Beetras|Beetras]]'' and ''[[Special Armored Battalion Dorvack|Dorvack]]'' assets) to [[Hasbro]], who desperately needed molds to fill out the [[1985]] product line of the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Transformers]]'', which had absolutely taken ''off'' beyond their initial expectations.


Why would Hasbro market product from Japanese companies besides its collaborator Takara? [[Bob Prupis]], one of the original members of the ''Transformers'' marketing team, would frequently go to Toy Fairs in Asia, where ''"any product that really looked good that was exciting we didn't care where it came from. We did some work with Bandai, who had been working with other people, and took a few products that looked right for our line"''.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/94f5cb70b08a646d G1 Hasbro marketing executives panel]</ref> The 1/55 Super Valkyrie, then, must have met their criteria for inclusion. As Bandai at the time was only concerned about business in Japan, Hasbro was free to sell the large VF-1 mold as a ''Transformers'' figure in non-Japan markets. However, as Hasbro wanted advertising for such a large toy ($32 plus tax on U.S. store shelves back in 1985), some compromises had to be made for Jetfire to appear in [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'' animated series]], which Takara would want to air in Japan as well. The exact sequence of details is uncertain, but we wound up with a character named "Skyfire" in the now-renowned episode "[[Fire in the Sky]]" shortly ahead of the "Jetfire" toy itself on North American and European store shelves. Notably, Hasbro's European offices billed Jetfire as the Autobot leader for their 1985 debut of the ''Transformers'' brand, creating a particularly lasting memory for European fans.
Why would Hasbro market product from Japanese companies besides its collaborator Takara? [[Bob Prupis]], one of the original members of the ''Transformers'' marketing team, would frequently go to Toy Fairs in Asia, where ''"any product that really looked good that was exciting we didn't care where it came from. We did some work with Bandai, who had been working with other people, and took a few products that looked right for our line"''.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/94f5cb70b08a646d G1 Hasbro marketing executives panel]</ref> The 1/55 Super Valkyrie, then, must have met their criteria for inclusion. As Bandai at the time was only concerned about business in Japan, Hasbro was free to sell the large VF-1 mold as a ''Transformers'' figure in non-Japan markets. However, as Hasbro wanted advertising for such a large toy ($32 plus tax on U.S. store shelves back in 1985), some compromises had to be made for Jetfire to appear in [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'' animated series]], which Takara would want to air in Japan as well. The exact sequence of details is uncertain, but we wound up with a character named "Skyfire" in the now-renowned episode "[[Fire in the Sky]]" shortly ahead of the "Jetfire" toy itself on North American and European store shelves. Notably, Hasbro's European offices billed Jetfire as the Autobot leader for their 1985 debut of the ''Transformers'' brand, creating a particularly lasting memory for European fans.

Revision as of 01:11, 10 September 2024

File:Macross logo.png

Super Dimension Fortress Macross (超時空要塞マクロス Chōjikū Yōsai Makurosu)[1] is a 1982 multimedia project consisting of a 36-episode animated television series accompanied by toys and songs. Macross was created by Shōji Kawamori in conjunction with Artland, Studio Nue, and Tatsunoko Production with sponsorship from Big West. Relevant to this wiki, Macross is the source of the original, much-beloved Jetfire toy design, notable for its "perfect transformation" (完全変形 kanzen henkei) in having a revolutionary level of animation accuracy for a triple-mode mecha toy all the way back in 1982.

The Macross brand has continued with new entries every so often, notably with Macross 7 in 1994, Macross Frontier in 2008, and Macross Delta in 2016.

Macross in Transformers

The Transformers Jetfire, a recoloring of the above 1/55 VF-1S Super Valkyrie
The progression of Jetfire's character model being redesigned to avoid evoking a Bandai asset

Initially in 1982, a company called Takatoku Toys manufactured Macross toys, notably the "perfectly-transforming" 1/55 VF-1S Super Valkyrie. However, Takatoku would collapse not long thereafter, and their assets would soon be bought out by Bandai, who then licensed the large Macross VF-1S (as well as Beetras and Dorvack assets) to Hasbro, who desperately needed molds to fill out the 1985 product line of the Transformers, which had absolutely taken off beyond their initial expectations.

Why would Hasbro market product from Japanese companies besides its collaborator Takara? Bob Prupis, one of the original members of the Transformers marketing team, would frequently go to Toy Fairs in Asia, where "any product that really looked good that was exciting we didn't care where it came from. We did some work with Bandai, who had been working with other people, and took a few products that looked right for our line".[2] The 1/55 Super Valkyrie, then, must have met their criteria for inclusion. As Bandai at the time was only concerned about business in Japan, Hasbro was free to sell the large VF-1 mold as a Transformers figure in non-Japan markets. However, as Hasbro wanted advertising for such a large toy ($32 plus tax on U.S. store shelves back in 1985), some compromises had to be made for Jetfire to appear in The Transformers animated series, which Takara would want to air in Japan as well. The exact sequence of details is uncertain, but we wound up with a character named "Skyfire" in the now-renowned episode "Fire in the Sky" shortly ahead of the "Jetfire" toy itself on North American and European store shelves. Notably, Hasbro's European offices billed Jetfire as the Autobot leader for their 1985 debut of the Transformers brand, creating a particularly lasting memory for European fans.

Jetfire's enduring popularity has seen many new incarnations of the character and trademark over the decades, culminating in the 2019 Siege Commander Class figure, a highly-accurate recreation of his 1985 animation model, free of any legal complications with other companies (though the 2019 U.S. price of $90 plus tax may irk a number of old men). Now and then, Jetfire's original Macross-based design gets to make small appearances.

In 2024, it was announced that an unspecified Transformers × Macross 7 toy would be released as part of TakaraTomy's Synergenex series of crossover figures, in celebration of Transformers' 40th anniversary and Macross 7's 30th.

Legacy cameos

  • 1986 comic artist error of Jetfire's toy design
    1986 comic artist error of Jetfire's toy design
  • 2013 Kre-O online manga cameo
    2013 Kre-O online manga cameo
  • 2021 Funko Pop vinyl figure
    2021 Funko Pop vinyl figure


Attempted interference by a terrible company

Back in the 1980s, a U.S. real estate company called Harmony Gold ventured into the anime adaptation industry. They purchased the overseas rights to the 1982 Macross TV series as well as two unrelated series to create a hodgepodge project called Robotech. (Back in the day, Power Rangers-style story manglings were much more common in the U.S. industry.) However, they were unable to market the 1/55 VF-1S toy because that mold's overseas rights had been licensed by Hasbro.

Since the 1980s, Harmony Gold has accomplished nothing of substance with the rights to Macross. They have promised for over a decade that a live-action Robotech film is in the works, but nothing manifests. Except for suing anyone who tries to make VF-1-style product without their say-so, even when said merchandise only vaguely resembles the VF-1 Valkyrie because the real-life F-14 Tomcat is not a hard idea to come up with. In 2013, Harmony Gold sued Hasbro for making a non-transforming G.I. Joe and the Transformers Jetfire toy, but noted copyright "damages [were] difficult to ascertain", and the suit was dismissed in favor of Hasbro against Harmony Gold.

Because of Harmony Gold's ridiculous stranglehold over the distribution (or rather, the lack thereof) of Macross material outside of Japan, not even Macross fans in countries right next to Japan could receive full-fledged first-party distribution of Macross material throughout the 2000s and 2010s. No joke: While Asian Transformers fans enjoyed various official localizations of Transformers television series and theatrical films during this time, nothing of the sort happened with Macross while they lived right door next to Japan. After Big West and Studio Nue were finally able to assert some control in 2021, many Macross stories began streaming on Disney+ outside of Japan in 2024...but not the original series. Because of Harmony Gold.

Why is this relevant to you, a Transformers fan? Well despite their business rivalry, TakaraTomy and Bandai have officially collaborated now and then. Notably in 2022, Bandai Spirits announced a high-end chogokin (超合金) toy of the Liger Zero from TakaraTomy's Zoids brand while TakaraTomy announced a Tomica version of the iconic White Base from Mobile Suit Gundam.[3] So what do you want to bet that Harmony Gold is the reason why Hasbro will not bother asking Bandai to cooperate on a reissue or else a new toy faithfully homaging the original VF-1S-style Jetfire toy?

Look, we're going to be honest. We of the TFWiki have no sympathy to attempt fairness toward Harmony Gold because they do not deserve any. And we are hardly the only sector of online fandom of Japanese franchises to feel this way. Shoji Kawamori himself dislikes Robotech. Enough said about that.[4]

Notes

  • In the 1980s, the VF-1 molds underwent various licensed uses by overseas companies, similar to the distribution of Takatoku-based assets for Beetras and Dorvack.
    • In the United States, Canada, and Australia, Select released a small VF-1S mold as part of the "Maladroids" subline in Convertors. The baseline Roy Focker deco was renamed "Zark", also being given a variant red deco unique to Converters, while a black deco (including the Super Pack) unique to Converters was named 'Zardak".

References

  1. ↑ Official translations vary on whether there should be a "The" at the beginning in the English title in front of "Super Dimension Fortress Macross".
  2. ↑ G1 Hasbro marketing executives panel
  3. ↑ [1]
  4. ↑ fullfrontal.moe interview by Dimitri Seraki and Arnaud Bastie at Gallery AaMo in June 2019:
    "In America, they have a modified version of Macross, which is called Robotech. Nowadays, there are a lot of people who are fans of Robotech without knowing that Macross exists. How do you feel about it?"
    S. Kawamori: "I don’t understand, nor do I accept the fact that they took and modified my work without even asking. I can not comprehend how a pirated version like this exists. However, I feel I was very fortunate that many other people from other countries around the world were able to see Macross."
    "Harmony Gold has a lot of new project around Robotech in America. I think they are working on a new movie, for example, do you take any credits from the American Robotech works?"
    S. Kawamori: "I don’t want to talk about it. Please support the official Macross releases."
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