The VF-1 Valkyrie from Tremendous Dimension Fortress Macross is among the most iconic mecha designs ever created, maybe solely overshadowed by the titular RX-78-2 from Cellular Go well with Gundam. Regardless of being a spacecraft, its flight mode is impressed by real-world plane such because the F-14 Tomcat and the F-15 Eagle, and as a ‘variable fighter’ it may well remodel right into a humanoid type and the significantly distinctive hybrid ‘ GERWALK’ mode .
Not solely that, the Valkyrie is so influential that it has transcended its unique franchise to develop into a foundational component of each the Transformers toy line and its related media and the Battletech tabletop and video video games. For many years, folks of all ages have loved the VF-1’s descendants in varied toy and recreation types, with no concept of the anime origin story. How did this occur and the way have these alternate universe Valkyries survived on this age of fiercely defended mental property?
Greater than meets the attention
Tremendous Dimension Fort Macross debuted in Japan in 1982 and was certainly one of three completely different anime collection, the others being Tremendous Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross And Genesis climber Mospeadatailored into the 1984 American collection by manufacturing firm Concord Gold Robotech. This might not solely introduce the Valkyrie to the West, but additionally result in one of many longest-running and most notorious authorized battles in anime historical past, as Concord Gold claimed possession of a number of parts of the collection it had licensed. These of you taking notes ought to make a remark of this as it is going to be vital later!
The ’80s had been a wild time for toys and cartoons within the English-speaking world. Within the US it’s the Reagan administration deregulation of promoting to youngsters directed to producers develop cartoons for the express objective of promoting toys. It is why reveals like GI Joe And Masters of the universe had been created, and it is arduous to think about what the popular culture panorama could be like at this time with out them.
Transformerswhich got here out in 1984 within the type of toys, cartoons and comedian books, is essentially the most enduring franchise of this period. Hasbro created the franchise to promote licensed Japanese reworking robotic toys, and whereas most of those got here from Takara’s Diaclone and Micro Change traces, Hasbro additionally grabbed toys from different sources, together with some from an organization referred to as Takatoku Toys. Amongst them was a 1/55 scale determine of the VF-1S Tremendous Valkyrie. Apparently, each the Diaclone line and Macross share a designer, the legendary Shoji Kawamori, who can be chargeable for The Imaginative and prescient of Escaflowne, amongst others.
Hasbro picked him GI Joe teaming up with Marvel Comics to create a unified backstory for these disparate toy traces.
Editor Jim Shooter conceived the story, whereas author Bob Budiansky created the characters, and between them the world of heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons, reworking robotic lifeforms waging a secret conflict on Earth, got here to life. The Tremendous Valkyrie toy, redecorated in a catchy white, crimson and black shade scheme, turned Jetfire (also referred to as Skyfire for causes past the scope of this text and, frankly, too sophisticated to enter, even on this morass of overlapping licenses), a personality who has since appeared in Transformers collection and toy traces. A model of him even seems within the live-action movie collection, so in the event you and a pal ever have the intense misfortune of getting to look at Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, not less than now you’ll be able to dazzle them along with your data of the grumpy previous the illustrious origin of bugger!
Concord Gold vs. FASA, Catalyst, IGN…
In 1984, Hasbro wasn’t the one firm bringing Japanese mecha designs to market. Desk recreation writer FASA Company had licensed designs Tremendous Dimension Fort Macross, Breaker JoeAnd Canine of the Solar: Dougram to be used in his new board recreation, Battle droids. If that identify does not sound acquainted, that is as a result of it was renamed Battletech the next 12 months George Lucas’s trademark on the phrase ‘droid’. This was achieved by an organization referred to as Twentieth Century Imports, an importer of Japanese mannequin kits.
The Valkyrie and its variants had been reused as quite a lot of completely different battle mechs, each as reworking variations and glued variations based mostly on the humanoid or GERWALK modes. One mech, the Phoenix Hawk, was based mostly on the VF-1S Tremendous Valkyrie with FAST strike pack, the very same mannequin Hasbro used for Jetfire. Whereas the Phoenix Hawk nonetheless exists in trendy Battletech, it was absent for some time due to Concord Gold.
A few decade later Battletech first surfaced, Concord Gold turned conscious that the sport was utilizing designs from Tremendous Dimension Fort Macrossdesigns that it claimed it had possession of outdoor Japan, because of the Robotech license. A collection of lawsuits adopted settled out of court docket in 1996, on account of which FASA needed to discontinue all merchandise that includes artworks based mostly on these designs, which turned generally known as ‘the Unseen’. Books had been recalled, miniature molds had been destroyed, and as a precaution, FASA stopped utilizing all designs that they had not created, even designs not at concern within the Concord Gold lawsuits.
Nevertheless, Concord Gold was not achieved litigating to defend their copyright. In 2009, the Battletech license was owned by Catalyst Recreation Labs, which nonetheless produces Battletech merchandise. As a result of the small print of the 1996 settlement had been confidential, Catalyst was misinformed about precisely what materials they had been allowed to make use of and a Battletech: BattleTech: 25 years of artwork and fictionan anniversary e book with the unique Unseen illustrations, needed to be pulled and the Macross-derived designs eliminated.
Then, in September of the identical 12 months, Concord Gold issued a stop and desist order to online game web site IGN through a trailer for the upcoming Mechwarrior 5 recreation that options footage of a battle mech that’s claimed to be infringing copyright. This in the end had no impact on the sport’s launch.
In 2015, Catalyst formally reconnected the Unseen with new designs. Beforehand, designs had been made that had been presupposed to be updates of the mechs, however the originals had been nonetheless thought of canon. In March 2017 Concord Gold has filed one other lawsuitthis time aimed not solely at Catalyst, but additionally at online game builders Piranha Video games Interactive and Harebrained Schemes, each of whom labored on Battletech initiatives. Lastly, in 2018 the case was dismissed and Concord Gold agreed to a settlement that allowed the three corporations they sued to proceed utilizing the Unseen redesigns.
Decision in trendy instances
The entire authorized saga got here to an finish (hopefully) in March 2021, when Macross house owners Massive West and Studio Nue reached an settlement with Concord Gold, which meant that the corporate would not be concerned within the distribution of Macros exterior Japan. In March 2024, Disney introduced that it was eradicating a big portion of the Macros franchise on their Disney+ platform in lots of areas by the top of the 12 months.
The tip results of this enormous tangle of licensing and authorized problem is that, 42 years after it was created, there are actually three completely different robots which you could see on screens and purchase figures from, all of that are basically the VF-1S Tremendous Valkyrie are. : the unique of Tremendous Dimension Fort MacrossJetfire from Transformers and the Battletech Phoenix Hawk. They don’t seem to be footnotes both, because it’s Jetfire’s latest toy reissued this 12 months and and the Phoenix Hawk is among the few battle mechs obtainable as premium miniatures instantly from Catalyst Recreation Labs. It is a powerful legacy that has stood each the check of time and the relentless onslaught of extremely paid copyright legal professionals.
