The GTC Legacy Project

[505thAirborne]

If only these were 1/12 scale...

[Shawn]

When I arrived Victor was unboxing a case of the old Arii 1/170 HEWAT kits. Grabbed a few pics.
Interesting how they called the VF-1D the 'Dual Special'
Also, this was months before Bandai coined the term 'Strike' to differentiate the beam cannon version...they were ALL Super Valkyries before that.
And another shipping box scale difference-they reused their main 1/100 box for this line, but were too busy to remove that reference by the logo and simply added 1/170 to the top.

At the bottom you can see the Imai 1/200 Monster case was marked 1/100...I wish!
 

[Shawn]

If you ever wanted a FLEET of Arii 1/8000 Arii kits....this is your time
It is 4 rows deep...about 200 kits.

The FRONT

The BACK

 

 

 

Maybe a homage to the TNG Parallels story 😛
or perhaps Max/Milia/Cannon Fodder SDF-1.. or Zentradi colors

[Roy Focker]

I don't think there's enough super glue in my town for all those kits.

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, Shawn said:

Maybe a homage to the TNG Parallels story 😛
or perhaps Max/Milia/Cannon Fodder SDF-1.. or Zentradi colors

Now...why didn't they all decide here to go find the Borg and kick their cabooses?

Edited March 19, 2023 by pengbuzz

[gtc_fan]

I registered just to reply here.

First off, I’d like to thank Shawn for taking the time to write an amazing article about the “old days” with GTC as well as Anthony for taking the time to make videos about the acquisition of the kits. This was a surreal trip down (perfect) memory lane that I’m sure many can relate to.

I was amazed at how my experience with GTC was like Shawn’s. This hit hard and brought back a lot of fond memories. Again – thanks guys for taking the time to write that article and post those videos.

If you’ll indulge me, dear internet reader, I’ll share my story with falling for Japanese animation, discovering GTC, etc.

I would guess it started in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I absolutely loved Star Blazers/Yamato, Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman, Speed Racer/MGGG, etc. Back then, there was not much choice. I only had what was on American broadcast TV.  (This was before video rental, internet, etc.) Around 1985, 1986 along came Robotech. (Yes, I know the controversies around the associated company and the franchise.) I fell in further in love with Japanese animation. 

After reading in magazines and the Art 1 book – I learned much more about the original, independent Japanese series SDF Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. I especially loved Macross. I couldn’t believe there was this huge merchandising machine in Japan cranking out toys, music albums, model kits, detailed books etc. for the original series Macross. I discovered there was even a feature length film! (Yes, DYRL!)  

Around this time a friend of a friend of a friend brought an interesting artifact to school. It ended up being the small advertising insert (almost a mini catalog) from an Imai model kit. It was mostly, if not all in Japanese. (I think the story was, this friend had just come back from visiting family in Japan.) The insert was the one listed under the Imai model kit extras here on MW:
https://macrossworld.com/macross/models/imai/model_insert1-b.jpg

This would have been 1986 based on my memory of the school/grade I was in.
I could not believe, somewhere there was a model kit of Mirya’s/Millia’s power armor/Queadluun Rau battle suit! The Scout Battle pod/Regult! You could actually buy a model of those things! (I think, as it turned out, even though it was depicted in the Imai kit insert, the Scout Type Regult ended up only being made by Arii back in the day. Not sure about options now.)

Within a year or so of that, I was at a local hobby shop and happened to notice that they were selling a few anime related model kits. I believe they had a few Yamato kits and perhaps a few Arii Macross kits. (If memory serves, maybe the Arii Vrlitwai/Breetai’s command battle ship? The box art was amazing!) I was looking at the kits when a guy walked up to me and we started talking about the kits, Japanese animation, etc. 
This guy ended up telling me all about the sci fi/animation convention circuit (as limited as it was in the mid 80’s) and that there were a few mail order shops where you could get amazing Japanese model kits, books, toys, etc. Later, I ended up photocopying this guy’s GTC catalog until I sent off for my own GTC catalog.

This guy from the model shop also had a bootleg VHS tape of the 1984 Macross Movie DYRL. I must have pestered the guy for a month to make a copy for me. He finally did. It was worth the wait. Even with the bad English dub at the time, it still blew my mind. I fell further down the rabbit hole.

Other mail order shops I recall: Books Nippon and Pony Toy Go Round. Both were in California. (I got Macross Perfect Memory from Books Nippon and the Bandai Hi Metal VT-1 Super Ostrich “toy” from Pony Toy Go Round. I sold the VT1 Super Ostrich in the early 2000’s. It made my house payment for a couple of months, LOL. I tried to get the Elint seeker originally, but they were sold out.) 

So, sometime in 86-87 timeframe I finally got my GTC catalog (I think Ron called them the “Long List 6”, or “Long List 7” depending on the last digit of the year.)

I recall finally being able to order the Queadluun Rau Battle suit Imai model kit. 

Yes, just as Shawn described, the process was: Call Ron and have him hold your stuff, get a money order, type up your order, and mail it out to Overland Park Kansas. Wait. In a few weeks the shipment would arrive.

I still have that Queadluun Rau suit Imai kit in a box in the attic along with some other items.

I remember getting the absolutely gigantic Arii Destroid Monster kit. (or was it Imai?) HUGE box.

I wish I had my original GTC lists, but they are gone. The one posted by Shawn is very close to the ones I remember from 86-88 time frame.

I would like to express to Ron, if possible, many thanks for many fond memories.

No idea if it is even possible – but is there any way an interview with Ron could be put together? I’d love to know more about his story. I have no idea if he is willing and/or able for such a thing. 

In any event, thanks to Macross World for this wonderful trip down memory lane. 

I’m counting my pennies and hoping to place an order with Wise Guys at some point. I'd love a few mint Imai Queadluun Rau suits...LOL.

 

  

[Bolt]

1 hour ago, gtc_fan said:

I registered just to reply here.

First off, I’d like to thank Shawn for taking the time to write an amazing article about the “old days” with GTC as well as Anthony for taking the time to make videos about the acquisition of the kits. This was a surreal trip down (perfect) memory lane that I’m sure many can relate to.

I was amazed at how my experience with GTC was like Shawn’s. This hit hard and brought back a lot of fond memories. Again – thanks guys for taking the time to write that article and post those videos.

If you’ll indulge me, dear internet reader, I’ll share my story with falling for Japanese animation, discovering GTC, etc.

I would guess it started in the late 70’s, early 80’s. I absolutely loved Star Blazers/Yamato, Battle of the Planets/Gatchaman, Speed Racer/MGGG, etc. Back then, there was not much choice. I only had what was on American broadcast TV.  (This was before video rental, internet, etc.) Around 1985, 1986 along came Robotech. (Yes, I know the controversies around the associated company and the franchise.) I fell in further in love with Japanese animation. 

After reading in magazines and the Art 1 book – I learned much more about the original, independent Japanese series SDF Macross, Southern Cross, and Mospeada. I especially loved Macross. I couldn’t believe there was this huge merchandising machine in Japan cranking out toys, music albums, model kits, detailed books etc. for the original series Macross. I discovered there was even a feature length film! (Yes, DYRL!)  

Around this time a friend of a friend of a friend brought an interesting artifact to school. It ended up being the small advertising insert (almost a mini catalog) from an Imai model kit. It was mostly, if not all in Japanese. (I think the story was, this friend had just come back from visiting family in Japan.) The insert was the one listed under the Imai model kit extras here on MW:
https://macrossworld.com/macross/models/imai/model_insert1-b.jpg

This would have been 1986 based on my memory of the school/grade I was in.
I could not believe, somewhere there was a model kit of Mirya’s/Millia’s power armor/Queadluun Rau battle suit! The Scout Battle pod/Regult! You could actually buy a model of those things! (I think, as it turned out, even though it was depicted in the Imai kit insert, the Scout Type Regult ended up only being made by Arii back in the day. Not sure about options now.)

Within a year or so of that, I was at a local hobby shop and happened to notice that they were selling a few anime related model kits. I believe they had a few Yamato kits and perhaps a few Arii Macross kits. (If memory serves, maybe the Arii Vrlitwai/Breetai’s command battle ship? The box art was amazing!) I was looking at the kits when a guy walked up to me and we started talking about the kits, Japanese animation, etc. 
This guy ended up telling me all about the sci fi/animation convention circuit (as limited as it was in the mid 80’s) and that there were a few mail order shops where you could get amazing Japanese model kits, books, toys, etc. Later, I ended up photocopying this guy’s GTC catalog until I sent off for my own GTC catalog.

This guy from the model shop also had a bootleg VHS tape of the 1984 Macross Movie DYRL. I must have pestered the guy for a month to make a copy for me. He finally did. It was worth the wait. Even with the bad English dub at the time, it still blew my mind. I fell further down the rabbit hole.

Other mail order shops I recall: Books Nippon and Pony Toy Go Round. Both were in California. (I got Macross Perfect Memory from Books Nippon and the Bandai Hi Metal VT-1 Super Ostrich “toy” from Pony Toy Go Round. I sold the VT1 Super Ostrich in the early 2000’s. It made my house payment for a couple of months, LOL. I tried to get the Elint seeker originally, but they were sold out.) 

So, sometime in 86-87 timeframe I finally got my GTC catalog (I think Ron called them the “Long List 6”, or “Long List 7” depending on the last digit of the year.)

I recall finally being able to order the Queadluun Rau Battle suit Imai model kit. 

Yes, just as Shawn described, the process was: Call Ron and have him hold your stuff, get a money order, type up your order, and mail it out to Overland Park Kansas. Wait. In a few weeks the shipment would arrive.

I still have that Queadluun Rau suit Imai kit in a box in the attic along with some other items.

I remember getting the absolutely gigantic Arii Destroid Monster kit. (or was it Imai?) HUGE box.

I wish I had my original GTC lists, but they are gone. The one posted by Shawn is very close to the ones I remember from 86-88 time frame.

I would like to express to Ron, if possible, many thanks for many fond memories.

No idea if it is even possible – but is there any way an interview with Ron could be put together? I’d love to know more about his story. I have no idea if he is willing and/or able for such a thing. 

In any event, thanks to Macross World for this wonderful trip down memory lane. 

I’m counting my pennies and hoping to place an order with Wise Guys at some point. I'd love a few mint Imai Queadluun Rau suits...LOL.

 

  

Thanks for chiming in with a great story @gtc_fan and welcome to Macross World 👍🏼
while I was getting my Deculture from swap meets and comic shops and Books Nippon , in So Cal, rather than from Ron. I absolutely can relate to the nostalgia and excitement of those times.  And this GTC Legacy Project has certainly reignited those feelings for me.

Cheers!

[MechTech]

@gtc_fan Thanks for sharing! I think my story is similar. Though mine started with the Revell Robotech kits and getting to see the first episode because my track training was canceled that day. I learned how to program a VCR just for that. Then learning what Macross REALLY was on its own.

@Shawn Oh man! I remember seeing the "1/170 HEWAT" in the catalog and Ron saying it had larger weapons. I said "cool!" and ordered one! - MT

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, MechTech said:

@gtc_fan Thanks for sharing! I think my story is similar. Though mine started with the Revell Robotech kits and getting to see the first episode because my track training was canceled that day. I learned how to program a VCR just for that. Then learning what Macross REALLY was on its own.

@Shawn Oh man! I remember seeing the "1/170 HEWAT" in the catalog and Ron saying it had larger weapons. I said "cool!" and ordered one! - MT

My first contact with Macross was through the Revell RT model kits as well; though I had never even ehard of the GTC catalog (and a shame I hadn't, as Ron would have gotten a lot of my money back then if I had! ).

[Shawn]

@gtc_fan, great story! It sounds so similar to the ones all us old timers experienced. If I had know about Ron in the 80's I'd STILL be broke. I did not discover his shop and catalog until the late 90's. I'd love to see some of his older catalogs...never heard of the 'long list' before!

I asked Anthony if he could contact Ron through his connections with the family, no luck yet, but not giving up. Would love to hear Ron's anecdotes on the entire industry as it started and ended. I have lots of other pictures to post (perhaps this weekend) from pictures I took during my visit there, everything got delayed because of another trip.

And yes-the Revell kits were a life-saver in the days. They were widely available at K-Mart and cheap vs the incredibly rare and MUCH MUCH more expensive originals, at least at my hobby stores in SoCal. I had multiples of those Monogram Legioss too(gobot branded). All the COOL kids knew what they really were...freaking Axoid and Vexar...LOL

[foundshaian]

Hey, is there any way to contact or order through wise guys beyond ebay? I would like to see what it's like to personally place an order (like before the internet ) as I have no experience with macross and would like to get some of these ancient kits as a first experience, especially the the ZZ gundam kits BUT my biggest concern is if it's even right to unbox and build such old kits, I know the amount of kits was marked at 100,000 but they will run out eventually.

[Big s]

22 minutes ago, foundshaian said:

Hey, is there any way to contact or order through wise guys beyond ebay? I would like to see what it's like to personally place an order (like before the internet ) as I have no experience with macross and would like to get some of these ancient kits as a first experience, especially the the ZZ gundam kits BUT my biggest concern is if it's even right to unbox and build such old kits, I know the amount of kits was marked at 100,000 but they will run out eventually.

I kinda feel like the older kits are more like a collectible, compared to the Bandai rereleases. I don’t really know what kinda condition those old decals are in the older kits, but if you get a good deal, then I’d check out the section on decal restoration before building. I’d also suggest some of the imai kits, especially the zentraedi ones.

Also keep in mind these are going to require a lot of work compared to modern kits. Lots of glue and repositioning of parts. I don’t think it’s anything that people can’t handle. I used to build them as a kid and I feel like many people got spoiled by Bandai.

[Shawn]

You can contact Anthony direct via his business card (I don't put the actual text due to spam email scrapers)

You have NO worries about depleting the available amount of model kits out there by actually building them
These were all produced in the thousands or tens of thousands quantities. I've seen every kit come up hundreds of times on auction sites.

So buy and build and have fun! Then post up some pictures of your completed kits!

[foundshaian]

@Big s and @Shawn Do they have a online catalog anywhere as well?

[pengbuzz]

(oops, forgot to read post thoroughly)

Edited April 12, 2023 by pengbuzz

[MechTech]

@Shawn Thank you for trying to contact Ron! I think a lot of us would like to say "thank you" to him at the very least - if you can get a hold of him. Especially if his health is bad. Many people never know how they were a positive influence in people's lives. He needs to know. - MT

[pengbuzz]

13 hours ago, Shawn said:

You can contact Anthony direct via his business card (I don't put the actual text due to spam email scrapers)

You have NO worries about depleting the available amount of model kits out there by actually building them
These were all produced in the thousands or tens of thousands quantities. I've seen every kit come up hundreds of times on auction sites.

So buy and build and have fun! Then post up some pictures of your completed kits!

You mean like this?

[foundshaian]

3 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

You mean like this?

Did you brush paint those? I see the palette has been well used

[pengbuzz]

On 4/12/2023 at 12:45 PM, foundshaian said:

Did you brush paint those? I see the palette has been well used

Partially; the base layers are Rustoleum while the colors are acrylic.

The Imai models build nicely enough as long as you follow 6 simple rules:

1) Build and paint everything as modules before building other components around them (thighs, forearm sliders, etc);

2) Replace the tail backpack hinge with a metal one (bend and file it out of coat hanger wire);

3) Test fit, test fit, test fit; you never know when a spur that you didn't see or a glue seam will throw things off.

4) Careful of the joints during construction: some can be fairly easy to snap if you try to force pieces together too hard. Some you may want to drill out and use ABS or metal rod to reinforce.

5) Scrape seams and paint: a part may fit nicely when you first build it, but that one thin layer of paint or line of glue from a glued seam can make things an issue ( PARTICULARLY the slots on the interchangeable nose modules towards the rear ).

6) WATCH THAT CANOPY!!! It isn't all that thick and trying to mold your own after ruining the original is a freaking nightmare!!!

Trust me: they Imai 1/72's are sturdier than Bandai's over-engineered later 1/72 offerings.

Edited April 24, 2023 by pengbuzz

[WiseGuyVic]

On 4/11/2023 at 8:05 PM, Shawn said:

You can contact Anthony direct via his business card (I don't put the actual text due to spam email scrapers)

You have NO worries about depleting the available amount of model kits out there by actually building them
These were all produced in the thousands or tens of thousands quantities. I've seen every kit come up hundreds of times on auction sites.

So buy and build and have fun! Then post up some pictures of your completed kits!

I'd def like to see painted kits and some notes on the build process! I'm Vic, the Inventory Specialist (Unofficial title lol) for WiseGuysHobbies. We're still working on tons of stuff and I've been working on showcase videos and painted builds for our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook. Those pages just go by "Wiseguyshobbies", they're very easy to find. I thought I'd finally stop lurking here after so long lol. 

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, WiseGuyVic said:

I'd def like to see painted kits and some notes on the build process! I'm Vic, the Inventory Specialist (Unofficial title lol) for WiseGuysHobbies. We're still working on tons of stuff and I've been working on showcase videos and painted builds for our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook. Those pages just go by "Wiseguyshobbies", they're very easy to find. I thought I'd finally stop lurking here after so long lol. 

I have several versions of the Macross Models that you folks carry on sale built and painted; I'll see what I have for pics in my inventory.

[Shawn]

2 hours ago, WiseGuyVic said:

I'd def like to see painted kits and some notes on the build process! I'm Vic, the Inventory Specialist (Unofficial title lol) for WiseGuysHobbies. We're still working on tons of stuff and I've been working on showcase videos and painted builds for our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook. Those pages just go by "Wiseguyshobbies", they're very easy to find. I thought I'd finally stop lurking here after so long lol. 

Welcome Vic! It was a wonderful meeting you in person! You have my dream job right now going through all those thousands of kits

For those that don't do Facebook (like mw), could you send any direct links to the videos and builds? I'd love to see them.

Shawn

[Bolt]

2 hours ago, WiseGuyVic said:

I'd def like to see painted kits and some notes on the build process! I'm Vic, the Inventory Specialist (Unofficial title lol) for WiseGuysHobbies. We're still working on tons of stuff and I've been working on showcase videos and painted builds for our social media pages on Instagram and Facebook. Those pages just go by "Wiseguyshobbies", they're very easy to find. I thought I'd finally stop lurking here after so long lol. 

So you're the keeper of the lost city of gold.. welcome to MW ! Were all drooling over the inventory pics and videos. Keep up the good work mate👍🏼

[WiseGuyVic]

39 minutes ago, Shawn said:

Welcome Vic! It was a wonderful meeting you in person! You have my dream job right now going through all those thousands of kits

For those that don't do Facebook (like mw), could you send any direct links to the videos and builds? I'd love to see them.

Shawn

Likewise, Shawn! Here’s samples of my work, the Regult is the most recent kit I’ve done for the store and I built and painted some things from the warehouse right before I began working there! 

[WiseGuyVic]

25 minutes ago, Bolt said:

So you're the keeper of the lost city of gold.. welcome to MW ! Were all drooling over the inventory pics and videos. Keep up the good work mate👍🏼

I’ll try my best! We’re working really hard on organization as our order volumes have increased between the last few months! 

[Shawn]

Love those paint schemes that are simpler and follow the original series colors! (the weathering and panel lines are awesome, but sometimes I just like to go back when the kits looked like the anime a bit more!)

Are you going to build one of every Macross kit in the warehouse? You could have quite the collection!

[Bolt]

2 hours ago, WiseGuyVic said:

Likewise, Shawn! Here’s samples of my work, the Regult is the most recent kit I’ve done for the store and I built and painted some things from the warehouse right before I began working there! 

Awesome job on the kit collection

[WiseGuyVic]

On 4/24/2023 at 10:00 PM, Shawn said:

Love those paint schemes that are simpler and follow the original series colors! (the weathering and panel lines are awesome, but sometimes I just like to go back when the kits looked like the anime a bit more!)

Are you going to build one of every Macross kit in the warehouse? You could have quite the collection!

Believe me, I’ve been collecting all sorts of Japanese mecha and sci-fi kits since I was a kid, having multiple Macross items is very much part of my agenda haha! 
 

I would’ve responded sooner but I went to go organize the storeroom that’s housing the rest of the inventory, I made good progress and found some particular boxes I hadn’t seen before! 

[Shawn]

That VF-1J is the iconic Box Art that inspired Tenjin on his incredible Art Career! And that VF-1S From Imai is a very cool kit too.

So you are telling us you made some progress in the storage room? The room that I could not even walk 2 feet into?
PLEASE share some pictures if you can! I'm dying to see what else you uncover in there. I wanted SO BAD to dive in, but time was ticking.

It wraps about 25 feet to the right...looks just like this...or should I say looked? Floor to Ceiling.

[WiseGuyVic]

6 hours ago, Shawn said:

That VF-1J is the iconic Box Art that inspired Tenjin on his incredible Art Career! And that VF-1S From Imai is a very cool kit too.

So you are telling us you made some progress in the storage room? The room that I could not even walk 2 feet into?
PLEASE share some pictures if you can! I'm dying to see what else you uncover in there. I wanted SO BAD to dive in, but time was ticking.

It wraps about 25 feet to the right...looks just like this...or should I say looked? Floor to Ceiling.

Yes indeed! Organizing the storage will be an undertaking that we’ll chip away at in the coming months. I was able to clear a walkway on my own and Anthony and I will be doing a bit more this weekend. I’ve found a multitude of things we already have in stock as well some interesting non-Macross goods. Rest assured, we will have vintage Macross goods for a long while! I will say though, we are making steps toward carrying modern goods in the near-ish future. 
 

I’ll attach some photos of what the room looks like, these are from when I was just starting to work on the room in the morning, I took pictures for some of my friends in the hobby so they could get an idea of what I was working with haha. 

[MechTech]

Thanks for sharing; that's cool! - MT

[Shawn]

I saw you are selling one of the shipping cases!

Would love to see more pictures of the any cases as you dive deeper into the storage room!
Please share  This is a part of Macross history very very rarely seen

https://www.ebay.com/itm/256054809971

[WiseGuyVic]

I meant to reply sooner but we've been quite busy! I took a few photos of the shipping cases we have in the store. Not all are up for sale as we didn't anticipate people would actually want to purchase them. 

[Bolt]

Wow ! Those are treasure boxes !

[Big s]

6 hours ago, WiseGuyVic said:

I meant to reply sooner but we've been quite busy! I took a few photos of the shipping cases we have in the store. Not all are up for sale as we didn't anticipate people would actually want to purchase them. 

As far as cardboard boxes go, these look awesome. If I had the space, I would definitely get some of those. I can see why they would be in demand