Overview
Macross is one of the single most iconic science-fiction franchises of the last 40 years. The franchise made history in 1982 with its first installment, Super Dimension Fortress Macross, marking, among other things, the first ever idol in an anime (Lynn Minmay) and being best described as the first ever show written and produced entirely by gigantic weebs.
The franchise was then horrifically bastardised and beaten to an inch of its life by real estate company, possible front for the works of Satan and definite front for the Mafia Harmony Gold into an unholy abomination called Robotech, an amalgamation of Macross and two other shows (Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross and Genesis Climber MOSPEADA).
The fallout from this sparked a rights battle that spanned 40 years and is to blame for why the world at large was not exposed to the greatness in idol form that is Freyja Wion1 until 2021, where Harmony Gold and Big West struck a historic deal that allowed the rest of the franchise after SDF to finally be released to the world – in theory. Sadly, we are still waiting for the rest.
This is also why, unfortunately, not many people who weren’t looking eastwards for the last 40-odd years don’t know about Aoshima’s Variable Fighter Girls series, a line of mecha musume model kits based on the Valkyries, the transforming jet plane mecha ubiquitous to Macross and a subline of their Aoshima Character Kit Series.
In 2018, Aoshima developed its first Variable Fighter Girls kit, based on the VF-31J Siegfried from Macross Delta. Since then, it has developed kits based on various Valkyries and other mecha from the series, such as the König Monster, as well as pairing off characters like Ranka, Klan and the entirety of Walküre with Valkyries to turn them into mecha musume.
Construction and Engineering
Fittingly for a company that has been on the scene for so long, Aoshima’s quality and engineering isn’t too shoddy. The primary issue with these kits is being plunged into decal/sticker hell, having to stick all of the little decals on to replicate the often intricate designs of a Valkyrie. If you’re accustomed to working on the more intricate offerings of Bandai’s Gunpla or some of Hasegawa’s more troublesome Macross kits, you’re probably going to be fine. If you’re coming from Sisters, you may encounter a bit of trouble.
However, mobility, articulation, quality and the like aren’t bad, even if they’re not quite to the level Kotobukiya is at, and certainly aside from a few hiccups trying to set up Battroid form, you really won’t suffer too much. Like so many kits based on licensed properties, it’s always down to the….
Aesthetics:
Variable Fighter Girls are a niche piece of merch for a franchise niche outside of Japan. If you like Ranka, Klan, or the Walküre girls, you’ll like the line. If you like the Valkyries (albeit not in their Battroid forms, as the girls “wear” the Valkyries to form that), you will like the line. If, for some reason, you’ve always wanted to see what a König Monster would look like as a cute girl, you’ll like the line. If you don’t care at all for Macross, maybe not so much.
Ease of Acquisition:
While the older, non-character kits retailed for somewhere around ¥7000 (£33/$44), the character-based kits command a higher price; Ranka commanded a price tag of ¥13500 (£63/$85) on release, while the Walküres range from ¥11200 (£52/$70) for Freyja to ¥12600 (£59/$79) for Mikumo.
Furthermore, the older non-character kits are nearly impossible to find outside of secondhand stores where they now command a far higher price than at retail, but the character kits are somewhat easier to find both new and secondhand on sites like AmiAmi and HobbyLink Japan.
Personal Verdict?
This is a line almost exclusively for Macross fans. If you like Macross, like building model kits, and want a model kit of your favorite idol from Macross, this is for you. If you like putting money in Kawamori’s wallet and pissing on Frank Agrama’s grave, this line is definitely for you. Otherwise, there are far cheaper lines to spend your money on.
Personal Recommendations:
Freyja. I will never forgive Kawamori for Zettai Live. Also, the König Monster.
Official Site: https://www.aoshima-bk.co.jp/en/
- I will die on this hill that Freyja is the best character in the whole franchise and I will gladly fight anyone who disagrees. ↩︎
Leave a Reply