Shawn: Hello Tanmen! I added a special section UNCM to MW. Please check it out here.(link attached)
Tanmen: I accessed your homepage and am very happy to see a section there for me. Thank you!
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Shawn: I am very sorry to hear about the economic conditions that Club-M is experiencing. Macross is still very popular here as well. I always thought the Club-M kits were some of the nicest around.
Tanmen: Macross is still very popular here in Japan too. However due to the economy business is not going well. Club-M hasn't had a big hit since the 1/48 Strike Valkyrie. That is why the ads are getting smaller each month. Even one big hit would be enough to recover.
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Shawn: How much do your UNCM kits cost? Are you willing to sell them to Macross fans here in America?
Tanmen: Current (04/03/00) exchange rates are $1=105 yen. I've attached the prices(they are on the main page now). Shipping and tax are not included so the price will be more expensive. Please let me know if you are intersted.
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Shawn: If you are willing to sell to fans here in the US, how long does it take from order to delivery?
Tanmen: After you wire the money I can send the kits. It might take 2-3 weeks, depending on customs. The kits shown on the UNCM home page are available now and can be shipped any time.
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Shawn: What ever happened to the 1/72 Ultimate Detail VF-1S fighter? Was it ever officially produced?(link below)
Tanmen: No, the 1/48 scale is incorrect. We were thinking of not including the Fast Pack parts and charging only 29800 yen. During that time the salepeople at Club-M were working very long hours. They were extremely busy and made a few mistakes. They didn't even have time to go home and worked late every night. A total of 600 1/48 kits were created(2 runs of 300 each). The problem was that other non-Macross products were not selling well at all. Club-M even had difficulty paying paying some employee salaries.
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Shawn: Did you design the 1/48 YF-19/YF-21/VF-22 kits sold at the Wonder Festival event?
Tanmen: No. The 1/48 YF-21 is an enlargement of the 1/72 YF-21 but I did not work on it or the others. These were made by Club-M president Mr. Ikeda. They were only sold at the Wonder Festival. I did make the 1/72 VF-11 Wonder festival kit though.
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Shawn: In another email you mentioned you were interested in making a 1/48 Ultimate Detail YF-19. Do you have any other information?
Tanmen: Club-M did originally have plans to release a 1/48 YF-19 and 1/48 Armored Valkyrie however it never came to be due to the bad economy. I (UNCM) do hope to make a 1/48 YF-19. I havre no idea how many parts are involved, price, or quantity that will be made. I will post the latest news on the UNCM homepage. I hope to make very detailed.
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Shawn: I am very impressed with the design of the 1/48 VF-1S you created. What specific reference material did you use for it and the 'History of the Valkyrie' pamplet that came with the kit?
Tanmen: There is no more detailed book on the Valkyrie than the 'Macross Journal Extra: VF-1 Valkyrie Special Edition'. It is a 100 page book that simulates an real life aviation reference guide on the F-14 Tomcat. For the Club-M Valkyrie pamplet Instruction illustrator Mr. Igarashi and myself took this book and re-edited some sections.We are both big Macross fans. If I find any other books I will let you know. By the way I added a link to Macross World on my homepage.
Tanmen: Please send any comments to me as it will help us create better products in the future. Please inform American fans that while I can read their email I cannot respond in English. Talk to you soon!
Tanmen
