Comments on: SDF-1 Battle Fortress http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482 CollectionDX-Japanese Toys - Toy Reviews, Toy News and Toy Collections. Soul of Chogokin, Japanese Robots | International Toy Culture en Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:41:30 -0400 Drupal TotalFeeds Module Comments on: SDF-1 Battle Fortress http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482 http://www.collectiondx.com/Image-Lib/feedlogo.png 144 37 As always a GREAT review.... http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-228 Boy do you stir up great memories. My Dad bought me that very toy as an eight grade graduation gift. I LOVED it. As always Sanjeev not only an informative article a highly entertaining one. Glad to hear my last review inspired you. Boy do you stir up great memories. My Dad bought me that very toy as an eight grade graduation gift. I LOVED it.

As always Sanjeev not only an informative article a highly entertaining one. Glad to hear my last review inspired you.


]]> Tue, 10 Apr 2007 17:41:30 -0400 Atom http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-228 See folks....? http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-223 *THIS* is was the Comment section is ALL about!! Thanks, Ginrai. Yousa rock star! Review updated... -- Sanjeev *THIS* is was the Comment section is ALL about!! Thanks, Ginrai. Yousa rock star!

Review updated...

--
Sanjeev


]]> Sun, 08 Apr 2007 10:51:00 -0400 Sanjeev http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-223 SDF-1 http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-221 The Macross toy is super awesome and I am totally jealous of you guys for having it. I really wish I did.<br><br> Matsushiro released a gray market SDF-1 similar to their gray market release of the Hikaru VF-1J, but Matt Alt told me it apparently came out in Japan or (or maybe Asia in general) and not the UK like the VF-1J. This was actually the smaller (ST?) SDF-1, though, not the one you reviewed here.<br><br> The Matchbox release IS the Bandai release of the SDF-1. This is similar to the other Takatoku toys that came out in the Robotech label in America, like the SD Joke Machine Valkyries. Bandai manufactured them for Matchbox and Matchbox sold them, similar to the Voltron arrangement. Obviously Matchbox also had their own original Robotech toys, but a decent portion of the line was imports from the original TT Macross toy line.<br><br> According to Matt again, Bandai did not just buy the molds to Takatoku's stuff, they basically acquired the entire TT staff that was working on Macross, so it was the same people working on the later DYRL toys and presumably the modified versions of the Macross TV toys we got in America under the Robotech name.<br><br> Matsushiro was the company that did the physical molding and casting of the toys that TT designed. While it's not certain, it seems that Matsushiro kept going after TT's collapse, so it's a fair bet that they were still working with Bandai on the Robotech releases.<br><br> Considering the variation in copyrights on Jetfires (at least two different Matsushiro copyrights and IIRC at least four Bandai copyrights), I think if you were to buy up a bunch of Robotech SDF-1 toys, you would likely find that they had a bunch of different copyrights. Maybe there are some that say Matsushiro (I've never seen or heard of it), but if there are, the majority are still going to say Bandai.<br><br> I don't believe there was ever a Bandai release of the SDF-1 Macross toy in Japan. When Bandai took over everything the movie was out, and the SDF-1 didn't like that anymore in the movie, so no tie in there!<br><br> Oh, and the TT version of the SDF-1 launches both Valkyries and a QF-3000E Ghost, an unmanned fighter seen briefly in the first episode of Macross (and probably a couple of other places) that was the predecessor of the Ghost X-9 from Macross Plus.<br><br> P.S. The SDF-1 was designed by Miyatake, not Kawamori. The Macross toy is super awesome and I am totally jealous of you guys for having it. I really wish I did.

Matsushiro released a gray market SDF-1 similar to their gray market release of the Hikaru VF-1J, but Matt Alt told me it apparently came out in Japan or (or maybe Asia in general) and not the UK like the VF-1J. This was actually the smaller (ST?) SDF-1, though, not the one you reviewed here.

The Matchbox release IS the Bandai release of the SDF-1. This is similar to the other Takatoku toys that came out in the Robotech label in America, like the SD Joke Machine Valkyries. Bandai manufactured them for Matchbox and Matchbox sold them, similar to the Voltron arrangement. Obviously Matchbox also had their own original Robotech toys, but a decent portion of the line was imports from the original TT Macross toy line.

According to Matt again, Bandai did not just buy the molds to Takatoku's stuff, they basically acquired the entire TT staff that was working on Macross, so it was the same people working on the later DYRL toys and presumably the modified versions of the Macross TV toys we got in America under the Robotech name.

Matsushiro was the company that did the physical molding and casting of the toys that TT designed. While it's not certain, it seems that Matsushiro kept going after TT's collapse, so it's a fair bet that they were still working with Bandai on the Robotech releases.

Considering the variation in copyrights on Jetfires (at least two different Matsushiro copyrights and IIRC at least four Bandai copyrights), I think if you were to buy up a bunch of Robotech SDF-1 toys, you would likely find that they had a bunch of different copyrights. Maybe there are some that say Matsushiro (I've never seen or heard of it), but if there are, the majority are still going to say Bandai.

I don't believe there was ever a Bandai release of the SDF-1 Macross toy in Japan. When Bandai took over everything the movie was out, and the SDF-1 didn't like that anymore in the movie, so no tie in there!

Oh, and the TT version of the SDF-1 launches both Valkyries and a QF-3000E Ghost, an unmanned fighter seen briefly in the first episode of Macross (and probably a couple of other places) that was the predecessor of the Ghost X-9 from Macross Plus.

P.S. The SDF-1 was designed by Miyatake, not Kawamori.


]]> Sun, 08 Apr 2007 07:19:26 -0400 Ginrai http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-221 Yup--after looking at the http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-220 Yup--after looking at the pics gatchaman posted on robot-japan, the super carriers do have spring-loaded Valkyrie launchers. Man, those woulda rocked! Still...perhaps not worth paying the premium for an original TT. I also noticed the buttons for launching missiles from the Main Gun tips in gatchaman's pics: they're molded in yellow on either side of the white, forward section of each pylon. Oh, and good call about forgetting to flip the shoulders in Cruiser mode! Our readers will just have to live with my botched photography! ;) -- Sanjeev Yup--after looking at the pics gatchaman posted on robot-japan, the super carriers do have spring-loaded Valkyrie launchers. Man, those woulda rocked! Still...perhaps not worth paying the premium for an original TT. I also noticed the buttons for launching missiles from the Main Gun tips in gatchaman's pics: they're molded in yellow on either side of the white, forward section of each pylon. Oh, and good call about forgetting to flip the shoulders in Cruiser mode! Our readers will just have to live with my botched photography! ;)

--
Sanjeev


]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:50:36 -0400 Sanjeev http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-220 Whoa--! http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-219 <em>Aagh-!</em> Someone beat me too it! Well, at least now I know where the hell my <strong><em>Macross</em></strong> came from. I got a secondhand one over a decade ago, and it had no decals on it whatsoever. I, too, suspected that it had at one time had missile launchers in it, but all I ever got was just the ship and no accessories so I had no other proof. And mine had all the PVC antennae torn off before I got it. Well, at least the head was still painted! . I'm pretty sute, though, that the two supercarriers were modified, as I recal seeing a Japanese version with spring catapults for miniature Valkyries (aka Veritechs) on the <em>Prometheus</em>. Oh, BTW, the triggers for the launchers on the prow booms are located on either side, molded in blue. However, they are immobile since its redesign. Same with theimmobile 'twisting' turrets at the knees. . One thing I could never figure out is the die-cast metal joint in the middle of the torso. It provides a rotation point for the legs at the hips, and allows the center torso to twist around for transfomration to Attacker Mode. But what I <em>couldn't</em> figure out is why the chest could be split open to increase the arc of the main cannon! The vents between the center torso and those large thrusters are there on all models and the series, but they usually don't appear unless you twist the two halves of the chest backwards. . Oh, something you did wrong when you took photos of it, Sanjeev... Regardless of how those very-Americanized decals are applied, the shoulder armor should be slanting away from the front in a more "streamlined" fashion in Cruiser Mode; the opposite of how you have them shown. (You see those tiny immobile turrets on the shoulders? They're supposed to face <em>forwards</em> in Cruiser Mode, and the four larger poesable cannons twisted <em>over</em> them.) . Oh, BTW, would it have been more practical to employ die-cast metal/ABS landing gear, or the concrete blocks the <strong><em>Macross</em></strong> was rebuilt on before the series began...? <strong> ^_^ </strong> . Is this, like, the <em>only</em> real transfomrable <em>toy</em> ever made of the <strong><em>Macross</em></strong> since the series began some 30 years ago!? Aagh-! Someone beat me too it! Well, at least now I know where the hell my Macross came from. I got a secondhand one over a decade ago, and it had no decals on it whatsoever. I, too, suspected that it had at one time had missile launchers in it, but all I ever got was just the ship and no accessories so I had no other proof. And mine had all the PVC antennae torn off before I got it. Well, at least the head was still painted!
.
I'm pretty sute, though, that the two supercarriers were modified, as I recal seeing a Japanese version with spring catapults for miniature Valkyries (aka Veritechs) on the Prometheus. Oh, BTW, the triggers for the launchers on the prow booms are located on either side, molded in blue. However, they are immobile since its redesign. Same with theimmobile 'twisting' turrets at the knees.
.
One thing I could never figure out is the die-cast metal joint in the middle of the torso. It provides a rotation point for the legs at the hips, and allows the center torso to twist around for transfomration to Attacker Mode. But what I couldn't figure out is why the chest could be split open to increase the arc of the main cannon! The vents between the center torso and those large thrusters are there on all models and the series, but they usually don't appear unless you twist the two halves of the chest backwards.
.
Oh, something you did wrong when you took photos of it, Sanjeev... Regardless of how those very-Americanized decals are applied, the shoulder armor should be slanting away from the front in a more "streamlined" fashion in Cruiser Mode; the opposite of how you have them shown. (You see those tiny immobile turrets on the shoulders? They're supposed to face forwards in Cruiser Mode, and the four larger poesable cannons twisted over them.)
.
Oh, BTW, would it have been more practical to employ die-cast metal/ABS landing gear, or the concrete blocks the Macross was rebuilt on before the series began...? ^_^
.
Is this, like, the only real transfomrable toy ever made of the Macross since the series began some 30 years ago!?


]]> Sat, 07 Apr 2007 19:10:57 -0400 EVA_Unit_4A http://www.collectiondx.com/node/1482%2523comment-219