Robotech Shadow Chronicles gets a Blu-Ray release WTF!

[Wes]

Well...I joined Macrossworld in...2000, I believe...? Right after I got the three Animeigo sets.

But I wasn't a frequent visitor then, so I must've missed all of this. Still, in Los Angeles, I never had any trouble finding Macross merchadise (Hasegawa, that is). The late, lamented Best1 Hobby in Alhambra always had a full stock. And I got a couple of VF-1D kits from Valkyrie-Exchange at that time, too.

So what's the real story? How was everyone's Macross purchasing ability affected?

Well there WAS going to be offically US-licensed VF19 Yamato's, but a HG cease and desist letter stopped it. Drama ensued

[Roger]

Well there WAS going to be offically US-licensed VF19 Yamato's, but a HG cease and desist letter stopped it. Drama ensued

Are you talking about the Toycom Macross Plus toys? If so, what US entity was going to grant licenses for those?

[Vermillion21]

Well there WAS going to be offically US-licensed VF19 Yamato's, but a HG cease and desist letter stopped it. Drama ensued

Frakking Harmony Gold ....

[Gubaba]

Well there WAS going to be offically US-licensed VF19 Yamato's, but a HG cease and desist letter stopped it. Drama ensued

Ah.

Now THAT is true dickishness.

(I never got into the toys because I couldn't justify spending the money...and I guess the models were below HG's radar...)

[Duke Togo]

VF-X2 and the toys, that was the big stink. In the end, importing didn't turn out to be that big of a deal, and VF-X2 wasn't all that great. Still, it was the principle.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Duke Togo

[Roger]

VF-X2 and the toys, that was the big stink. In the end, importing didn't turn out to be that big of a deal, and VF-X2 wasn't all that great. Still, it was the principle.

Don't forget that the toys didn't turn out to be that great, either.

[Duke Togo]

Don't forget that the toys didn't turn out to be that great, either.

Well, the 1/48's turned out to be pretty badass, but those Plus toys were horrid piles of poo.

[TheLoneWolf]

Nope, wasn't me. Though I'm pretty sure we were all on for HG's stance on the licensing.

I'm pretty certain it was you, I don't think it was skullone since he didn't join until 2002 IIRC. But we won't know for sure until Shawn unlocks the pre-2001 boards. What is MacrossWorld's old board? A miserable little pile of secrets!

[Gubaba]

I'm pretty certain it was you, I don't think it was skullone since he didn't join until 2002 IIRC. But we won't know for sure until Shawn unlocks the pre-2001 boards. What is MacrossWorld's old board? A miserable little pile of secrets!

Um...yeah...the first thread I ever started caused something of a stir...I really would just like to forget about it...

[justvinnie]

Skullone and I were members in 2001. We joined pretty much about the same time. The atmosphere in general was what drove SY away as I recall. Most members were pretty polite to him, but there was always that tension.

vinnie

[Duke Togo]

I miss the MFA. I need to start pushing that logo again.

[Keith]

The full situation was this:

-Gametek licenses Robotech for a N64 launch game, which got delayed for at least 3 years, then officially became vaporware once Gametek went under. I'm sure most have seen the Robotech Crystal Dreams clips on youtube, and some even played the rom that one of the programmers (penguin something) put up on the web.

-When Gametek went under, its licenses went wholesale, and another videogame company snagged up some of their titles, including the Robotech game. For some reason, looking at their contracts, they got it in their heads that they owned the whole Robotech license, this single act awoke the sleeping Harmony Gold legal team, which caused them to look over "their" contracts, and flaunt around that they owned all Macross licensing internationally (outside Japan).

-Coincidentally, around this same time, George Sohn, & his company Toycom, decided they would start up a Macross Plus toyline, because of his/their love for the old Takatoku/Bandai toys. Seeking out feedback, they started posting on the usenet Alt.Fan.Macross forums, kept everyone informed along the process from Prototype to complete toy. The toyline being a joint venture between Toycom & Yamato.

-Maybe because of the booming anime market at the time (Dragonball & what not), AnimEigo licenses Macross, Manga puts out Plus & II on DVD, Bandai decides to port their new Macross game for U.S. release, and all looks good on the U.S. Macross fan horizon for the first time ever!

-Then HG lays down the smack that would be felt around the world. For full details, obviously head over to the licensing topic, but the short version is that because of Tatsunoko, HG believed they owned all Macross licensing, when in fact they only had distro & merch for the original series. First target, tiny toy company Toycom, second target, Bandai games, neither of which is sure of the situation, because at that point no one knew what the hell was going on. In truth, not even HG could be faulted for thinking they had what they did, since it was Tatsunoko's bone-up. The way they went about things was far from right, and by all means, you'd think they would have contacted all Japanese parties involved before going official. You'll note that after the recent legal battles in Japan, they've corrected their stance. Perhaps to save themselves litigation from using DYRL designs in toylines & comics.

-And of course the ultimate dick move at the time, George Sohn makes a backhanded deal with HG, sells out Toycom by signing a contract with HG stating that they will not release any Macross merch, selling the company to Yamato, then starting up a new company with a shiny new Robotech toy license....and to this day I refuse to support Toynami for that very action. At the same time, HG deals with ADV to hurry out Robotech DVD's to cut off the release of Macross AnimEigo's Macross by a full year.

And all of that lead to the animosity of the time between Macross fans & HG. The reverberations we're still feeling today. HG's current claims are that they're not hindering any attempts at licensing Macross properties, and that its Big West who are refusing to do business with American company's. How much of that is true is anyone's guess, but one thing is nie certain. We probably would have gotten domestic Yammies, the Macross PS2 game, & Zero licensed over here had HG not sent the fear of mysterious legal action into Bandai & what not. Frontier would also probably still be using the U.N. Spacy instead of the NUNS, but that change isn't so bad.

Edited May 2, 2008 by Keith

[Gubaba]

Thanks, Keith.

That's pretty close to what I'd managed to piece together (except for the Toycom/Toynami stuff, of which I'd been unaware), but it's nice to see it all put forth clearly and concisely instead of spread out over thrity-some-odd pages.