SDF-1 Battle Fortress
Review by Sanjeev
First off, if you want to check out more super-dimensional action, be sure to check out Atom's great review of Wave's 1/5000 DYRL-version Macross! Afterall, we have him to thank--at least in part--for this review. The recent release of Wave's Macross and Atom's subsequent review actually inspired me to pick up this 1985 US release of Matchbox's "Robotech SDF-1 Battle Fortress", a modding/repackaging of the 1984 Japanese release of Takatoku's 1/3000 "Storm Attacker Construction" Macross toy.
Funny how toy collecting works sometimes. Toys, even vintage ones, that are extremely ubiquitous tend to fly right under my radar, no matter how cool they really are. ...For instance, it took me forever to get a Zinclon Mekanda Robo, any one of the umpteen releases of the diecast Lion Voltron, and even a Matchbox Vehicle Voltron. For me, Matchbox's fully-transformable SDF-1 had been the same way.
...Until I read Atom's review and the desire kicked in! ;)
Okay, let me just start by saying that I'm not going to go into gory detail about how big a Robotech nerd I am because of how the early '90's Eternity Robotech comics got me into anime. I'm not going to go into "which one's better": Robotech or Macross (or even Macross TV versus DYRL). I'm not going to go into why Carl Macek should or shouldn't be lynched. We've all been there... And no one should care.
Let's stick to the toy, shall we?
First off, the outer packaging was clearly redesigned by Matchbox, who distributed the toy in the States under the "Robotech" monicker [and check out this cool robot-japan thread for pics of the Takatoku version, including its box]. It's neat to notice that Revell, Inc. is recognized as the "Robotech" trademark owner on the box, as well as Harmony Gold and Tatsunoko being mentioned as copyright holders. The box measures 17" x 9" x 4" and features a door/lid that opens to reveals the toy inside. Under the door, cellophane-covered holes show the toy in "Battle" mode.
Though the outer cardboard box is obviously very different from the Takatoku release, the styrofoam tray within is identical.
Once you break out the toy, it's all play from there! This toy is simple, rugged, and fun. It takes less than a minute to transform and you sure won't need to consult the "Operating Manual" (which consists of a lone double-sided sheet!), you won't need any tools, and you don't have to be ginger with it. This is a children's toy, folks.
First, let's take a look at "Cruiser" mode. The craft measures 15" long. It's gorgeous.
Now, one of the first things you may notice is that there seem to be two holes at the tips of the Main Gun. Unfortunately, I've never handled the original Takatoku version, but I assume that these are for firing missiles--though I can't seem to find where the buttons would be. In fact, there are no spring-loaded mechanisms found in the Matchbox release at all, and the toy doesn't come with any missiles. I assume these features were gutted to conform to US toy safety standards. Further, there seem to be flip-up launchers near the aft of the ship. Similarly, there are no actual firing mechanisms present in the Matchbox version--though they're cruelly mentioned on the back of the "Operating Manual".
There seems to be some storage spaces in cruiser mode, as well. There is a very tiny one just aft of the bridge (though I forgot to photograph this!) and a larger one in front of the bridge. I just assume they're for storing extra missiles. Or drugs.
Next is the landing gear. Wait...what??? "Landing gear"? Really? For a gigantic spaceship that holds a city in its belly? Well, this is just for convenience. Without the gear, you wouldn't really be able to put the thing down in Cruiser mode!
Other than that, there's not a whole lot else to Cruiser mode. It just looks great and is fun to fly around the room (hmmm...this is a recurring theme for me, isn't it? maybe we should add "fly-ability around the room" as a toy category...)
One thing to be aware of on these older toys is the elbow joints. They can tend to sag a bit. This is most apparent in Cruiser mode when looking from the side. The super carriers, Prometheus and Daedalus, tend to droop a tiny bit, as you can see here:
...Honestly, I wish I could tell ya more about the history of this toy. I'm aware that Bandai bought the molds for the Matsushiro/Takatoku 1/55 Valk, but I wasn't aware they'd done so with this 1/3000 Macross toy until I just recently saw the stamp. So what's the deal? Did Bandai ever release their own transformable Macross? If anyone has any knowledge about this, please post a comment (Ginrai, I'm looking at you).
[*EDIT*: Ginrai did update us with a little history lesson! Check out the comments below. Also, while we're at it, for more history on the 1/55 Valkyrie, see Ginrai's Missing Link article reposted by yours truly on TBDX]
So, anyway, on to "Battle" mode. Again, very simple transformation. This is the classic SDF-1, with the impressive Main Gun elevated vertically and the inhabitants of Macross City safely tucked away inside.
Yep, not a whole lot going on here other than big, plasticy robot action. The figure is pretty great. It looks good, has nice surface detail (molded and from the numerous decals), and has good-nuff poseability.
One thing that's kinda neat is the ability to remove the super carriers. They simply pop on and off pegs at the elbows. This adds some neat play value and helps fire up the ol' imagination--giving you some sense of how truly enormous this thing's supposed to be.
Lastly, we have "Attack" mode. All it really is is the Main Gun elevated onto the shoulders and pointed forward, and a curious step I never noticed in the cartoon when they fired the Main Gun: the thrusters on either side of the upper chest splay outward a tiny bit. This, in turn, makes the Main Gun's pylons appear angled outward. Who knows if it's "canon" or not...but it looks cool!
Again, that's pretty much all there is to it! Simple. Fun. Rugged. That equals a classic toy to me. I'm not going to debate which Macross toy is better: this or the Wave. Everybody collects for different reasons, and these two offerings appeal to very different collecting aethetics. Just be happy we have a choice!
Comments
9 comments postedAagh-! 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!
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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.
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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.
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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.)
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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...? ^_^
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Is this, like, the only real transfomrable toy ever made of the Macross since the series began some 30 years ago!?
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! ;)
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Sanjeev
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 look 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.
*THIS* is was the Comment section is ALL about!! Thanks, Ginrai. Yousa rock star!
Review updated...
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Sanjeev
i have this toy have had it since i was a kid it was the last toy i got for x-mus along with a wrec-gar. good to know i didn't get ripped off cus i thought it was suppose to have missles with it. they don't make the cartoons or toys like they use too.
Ha! New post on old review!
I tend to agree: they generally don't make cartoons like they used to...but there HAVE been some recent ones that have been great. I enjoyed Macross Frontier...and on the super robot tip, Gaiking: Legend of Daikumaryu was great!
Anyway, I'm looking to track down the original Takatoku version of this toy...missiles, mini-Valks, and all!
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Sanjeev
Hey, this is going to come as off-topic, but bear with me...
Last may, my Dad passed away after a long battle with cancer, and this is the first holiday season that I'm experiencing without him. As such, this caused me to look back on holidays past... and that led me to start reminiscing about all sorts of things in my past.
I was a HUUUUUUUUGE Robotech nerd - and one of my favorite toys was this very battle fortress. Found it at a toys -r us, no box or anything, and pulled out every stop in the book for my Mom to buy it... which she did (despite her ambivalence about what was clearly a toy of dubious quality if there was no box and no price tag). Despite the fact I had always been a bigger New Generation/Mospeada fan, this was my favorite toy.
I honestly don't know what became of it - but in trying to recall, I ended up googling around and found this article. It brought me tons of joy, and got me into my adult collection habit.
So thank you for the great article, the great memories, and being the spark that got me into a hobby I'm enjoying immensely.
SS,
Thanks for the comments concerning the review and sorry about the loss of your father. many of the reviewers here grew up in the 8T's as well and at times we try to inject stories of our childhood into the reviews themselves. Thanks for checking out CollectionDX!!
Leonardo Flores
CollectionDX Staff Writer-West Coast Bureau