Toycom, Inc. Unveils Macross Plus Toys at New York Toy Fair.
For Immediate Release
February 9, 2000
Contact: Auden Reiter-Jamison
Ph: 818-901-2133
Fx: 818-901-2134
Van Nuys, CA ; Fans of the Japanese animated series, MACROSS, are finally having their dreams come true right here in the United States. Toycom, Inc., distributor of quality Japanese toys, will be unveiling its MACROSS PLUS toy line at the New York Toy Fair. These long awaited toys have elusive since 1984 when Bandai stopped producing its own MACROSS toy line.
"This is the first time an American company has tackled such a complicated toy license," said George Sohn, Toycom's Vice President, "But I'm a fan myself I have all the old toys and wanted to do something newerbetter." The toys will be fully transformable, changing from jet fighter to robot to a sort of "robo-jet" crossbreed called a GERWALK.
The new MACROSS PLUS line will be released starting in May. Two planes, the YF-19 "Alpha" and the YF-21 "Omega" are arriving in the first assortment and the third, the VF-11 "Thunderbolt" will be mixed into an assortment in June. All of the planes are in 1/72 scale and will be retailing for between $40 and $50 each.
Shouji Kawamori, mechanical designer and story planner for the original MACROSS series as well as many of the additional movies and video releases, did the initial designs and "transformation modeling". "The toys will transform just like in the video." Said Auden Jamison, Toycom's Marketing Director, "We are very lucky to have someone of his reputation working on this project."
When MACROSS first aired, in late 1982. It was an instant hit creating a deluge of marketing and kicking off the transforming robot revolution. This sci-fi action series remains one of the fan favorites and continues to this day in its latest game and video releases. "Its like Japan's Star Wars," says Jamison, "It changed the animation medium in that country."
