Available From HobbyLink Japan
By Cacophanus from Mecha Damashii
Fans of Macross should know of Hidetaka Tenjin, as he has worked on a lot of the more modern series as well as done almost all the contemporary box art for various Macross related model kits, toysm and games. Over the years, his Macross related work has been collated in some very lovely artbooks. The latest of these is Valkyries Third Sortie and it is absolutely magnificent.
As this is the third book in the series, with the first two coming highly recommended, this covers all the work Tenjin has undertaken since the end of Macross Frontier — that includes all manner of artwork for Blu-ray boxsets as well as model kits and games, like Macross 30. There is even some nice Macross Delta art included, so this book is nicely current.
One other facet this book has over its precursors is that it includes bilingual liner notes, in both Japanese and English. This is a lovely addition and helps give context to where these various pieces of art come from.
In any case, here are a few choice selections from the book’s 128 pages.
As you can see, Tenjin does fantastic work and is great at capturing the various variable fighters from Macross with a unique clarity.
One minor problem I had with the book was that while all the liner notes were bilingual, the interview between Tenjin and Kazutaka Miyatake at the end wasn’t translated. It’s a real shame, as everyone in the West has a habit of overlooking Miyatake’s immense contribution to Macross and this interview could have helped to give him a voice.
Bar that though, this book is glorious. Like the prior editions, each page is around A4 sized with a very high quality print and finish. In many instances, these renditions are also much larger and more detailed than how they were original portrayed.
Overall then, this is a great Macross book and comes recommended to everyone who likes their Valkyries to be pristine and shiny.
