Macross 1/60 VF-1D

“Rick, where are you going??”

Yes!!  This is the veritech fighter we see in the Robotech TV series, where Rick Hunter is still a civilian, and he rescues Minmay!  It’s called the VF-1D.

Fighter Mode

The VF-1D has a very nice orange and tan color scheme.

Gerwalk Mode

“What’s it doing??”

Battloid Mode

Rick looks up at the sky in awe of the battle occurring above him:

Can the Yamato strike that pose?

Of course it can!!

Now for a bit of trivia:  In Episode 1, “Booby Trap”, the ending shows the VF-1D crashing into a line of buildings, and one of them looks like this:

Studio Nue Building

Studio Nue is the design studio that produced Macross!!

Series/movies since Robotech/Macross

Some of you may be wondering why I haven’t written about other Macross series/movies yet.  That’s because in my opinion, Robotech and Macross (the movie was based on the Robotech TV series) that came out in 1982-1984 are untouchable classics.  The latest Macross Frontier borrows so many elements from Macross and Macross Zero, that it borders on being unoriginal, except for the advanced animation because of the use of computers.

The Wikipedia article on Macross has a very nice table that summarizes the chronology of Macross series and movies.

1. 1992:  Macross II: Lovers Again is a movie with a different set of characters.  The primary protagonist is a reporter who happens to befriend Ishtar, a songstress from the enemy race called the Marduk.  When Ishtar experiences Earth’s culture, she has some pretty strong reactions.  This parallels what we saw in Robotech, in which the three Zentradi soldiers become enamored with Earth’s culture.
2. 1994-1995: Macross Plus centers around 2 military test pilots who have a history with Myung, who is the producer of a computer-generated songstress Sharon Apple.  Sharon Apple is driven by artificial intelligence, and things go crazy when she takes control.
3. 1994:  Macross 7 is set in a world where people battle by performing music.  It totally reminds me of the current-day Bakugan TV series, which kids are totally crazy about, but I just don’t get it.  Music is a powerful force in the Macross series, but battling with music?!
4. 2002:  Macross Zero is a supposed prequel to the original Macross series.  It centers around fighter pilot Shin Kudo and an island priestess, Sara Nome.  Sara has some strange powers, such as being able to make objects around her levitate.  That’s just a little too unbelievable for me.  The big plus of this prequel are the fighter battle sequences, which totally remind me of the cinematography in Top Gun.
5. 2007:  Macross Frontier centers around an unlikely love triangle among Saotome Alto, Ranka Lee, and Sheryl Nome.  I’m shocked to find out that these characters are all around 17 years old, from this Wikipedia article.  Saotome Alto and Sheryl Nome just feel so much older than Ranka Lee.  The songs/music in Macross Frontier have a lot more energy than the songs in the original Macross.  Ranka even sings “Do You Remember Love?”, performed by Minmay in the original Macross.  Two movies are planned based on the Macross Frontier TV series.

Variable Fighter Master File: VF-1 Valkyrie

Just got this book from a local Japanese bookstore:

128 pages of VF-1 goodness!  If you like looking at schematics of the Valkyrie and some very nice computer-generated pictures of the fighter, this book is for you!

Schematic of the VF-1's gunpod

For example, in this schematic above of the VF-1’s gunpod, we see that it’s actually a Gatling gun with three barrels.

Finally, here’s a beautiful picture of the VF-1S (red) in flight:

Red VF-1S in flight

and a blue VF-1S in the sky:

Blue VF-1S in the sky

Macross 1/60 VF-1A Mass Production TV Type

It’s finally here!

Remember the tan and white VF-1A’s in the Robotech series?

Yamato just released this model, the VF-1A “Mass Production TV Type”!

It’s a beauty.  I really like the paint scheme on this one!

VF-1A Mass Production TV Type: front view

VF-1A Mass Production TV Type: rear view

Macross 1/60 VF-1A Maximilian Jenius

Remember the scene in Robotech where Miria infiltrates the SDF-1, and Max is there to stop her?

Max's blue VF-1A, from Robotech Episode 18, "Farewell, Big Brother"

Yamato has a replica of it!

Yamato's replica of Max's VF-1A from the TV show

At first, I didn’t think Max’s VF-1A had a white breastplate….

From Robotech Episode 11, "First Contact"

But it does!

Close-up of the VF-1A's head and torso of Yamato's replica

In the TV show, Max’s last name is Sterling, but in the Macross:  Do You Remember Love? movie, his last name is Jenius, probably because he’s a flying genius?  Go Max!!

Macross 1/60 VF-1J Hikaru Ichijo with Super Parts

Remember the Robotech opening/closing sequence where we see a white VF-1J with red stripes?

VF-1J from Robotech

Yamato has a 1/60 replica, the “VF-1J Hikaru Ichijo with Super Parts”!

Yamato's VF-1J Hikaru Ichijo with Super Parts

Super parts on!

VF-1J Hikaru Ichijo with Super Parts on!

Extreeeeeeemmeeee close-up!!

Macross Soundtrack

If you really like the music and songs in Macross, I highly recommend getting the movie soundtrack, “Macross The Complete”.  This soundtrack spans 3 CD’s.

CD Front Cover and insert

CD Rear Cover, songlist

Macross 1/60 VF-1S Hikaru Ichijo with Super and Strike Parts

There is only one reason to get the Yamato VF-1S Hikaru Ichijo with Super and Strike Parts:  to remember the climactic scene in Macross:  Do You Remember Love?, where Hikaru destroys the leader of the Zentradi!

VF-1S Hikaru Ichijo with Super and Strike Parts

Macross 1/60 VF-1J Mass Production TV Type

Yamato VF-1J 1/60 Mass Production TV Type

Elegant, ominous, presiding.  That’s what the VF-1J is!  The most memorable one is Rick Hunter’s, which is shown in one of the Robotech-is-back-from-commercial-break transitions.  The one pictured here is the same model, which has the head with the triangular window and the two laser-gun antennas, but this is the “Mass Production TV Type”, or in other words, the one that was just “support aircraft”.  Yamato released this one in June 2009.  The light tan/white color scheme certainly is eye catching!

Fighter Mode

VF-1J Mass Production TV Type: Fighter Mode

VF-1J Mass Production TV Type: Fighter Mode

This toy comes in the box in fighter mode.  It also comes with two sets of different missiles, one set has 3 missiles per attachment, and the second set has 5 missiles in an encasing.  However, the toy does not come with the pictured stand, which is sold separately.

This toy comes with a pilot!

Close-up of Pilot

Close-up of Pilot

Gerwalk Mode

The next step in transformation is from a fighter to gerwalk mode.  In this mode, the pilot can use the arms, can fly slower, and can even hover.

Gerwalk Mode

Gerwalk Mode

Battloid Mode

The final step in transformation is to a battloid.  The head tilts, the knees can rotate slightly, and the knees and the feet make a loud “click” sound to lock the part into place.  You won’t lose a pose!

Battloid Mode: standing

Battloid Mode: close-up

Look at the fine-looking head!  In my opinion, it looks like a football helmet.  Finally, Yamato put in some nice touches, such as the shield below the breastplate that covers up the canopy, or the two pieces of peninsular notches on the collarbone that hold the breastplate down.

We catch a brief glimpse of the VF-1J in Episode 2, “Countdown”:

VF-1J from Episode 2, "Countdown"