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HI-METAL R Glaug by Bandai (Part 1: Unbox)

HI-METAL R Glaug by Bandai – Available From HobbyLink Japan

By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii

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One of the best parts about Bandai finally making toys again for the classic series Super Dimension Fortress Macross is that it means we not only get lots of variable fighters but also the Zentradi and Meltrandi mecha too. One of the most iconic enemy mecha designs from the series is that of the Glaug and Bandai has thoroughly delivered on this excellent new toy.

The Glaug was one of the commander type units in the original Macross, with the Regult being more of the cannon fodder underdog. As the Zentradi were all giants, their mecha were also quite sizeable and it’s nice that Bandai has retained this scale difference in these new toys. That said, the toys could likely be bigger, as the Zentradi mecha were all pretty monstrous.

Back in the day, we had all manner of kits from Macross and these included the enemy mecha. However, in terms of toys the Zentradi designs were never really given their chance in the sun. This was and still is a huge shame, while many know that Shoji Kawamori famously designed the transforming variable fighters in Macross it was Kazutaka Miyatake that designed almost everything else.

From the titular SDF-1 Macross to pretty much all the enemy mecha, with their eerie alien and semi-organic aesthetic, all the Zentradi designs looked unlike anything we’d seen before but all instantly recognisable. Getting a simple recognisable silhouette from any mecha design is hard work, but the Regult and Glaug are mecha you can instantly identify at a distance.

Sadly, this amazing designwork was openly exploited for its legibility on the original BattleTech, as the Glaug was repurposed into the Marauder (shown below, with the original Glaug on the left and the Marauder on the right). This was one of many mecha called the Unseen in BattleTech and resulted in a legal battle, something Shoji Kawamori talked to me about personally when I interviewed him last year.

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As you can see, the fact that Kazutaka Miyatake did such brilliant work meant that the form of the Glaug followed its function. It’s this element that was appropriated into BattleTech and it’s sad to think that to date Miyatake and Kawamori have never been acknowledged for the original designs, either through proper accreditation or even financially in terms of remuneration.

So this particular toy has a great deal of history behind it and I am so very glad to see that the Glaug is finally getting its time in the sun. Bandai has done a great job with it too and it’s one of those toys that every Macross fan should own.

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This is a genuinely amazing toy, so keep an eye out for the review!

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