Robotech Defenders - Model Review

Model Review

Seeking to capitalize on the Mecha craze of the early 1980s, Model Company Revell went to Japan, the home of the grand-masters in over-sized technological monstrosities, to look for suitable mecha models prior to 1984. They eventually licensed a number of Takara's Fang of the Sun Dougram models for the "Defenders" line. These models were repackaged with the "Robotech" moniker, and released in North America and Europe.

The humanoid Mech models had an average size of 30 cm, the in-scale humans were about 2 cm. One of the features of these plastic models (except for the tiny Human and Grelon miniatures) was that they weren't just static when assembled, but had fully movable joints and removable equipment; kind of like modern toys (seen from today's point of view) that the children had to assemble, glue together, and paint before playing. Because of the complexity and the many details and parts of the high-quality model kits they can be seen as quasi-adult level, though they were sold with the notion "ages 12 and up" on their packages. But even for experienced modellers the details of assembly and painting were partially quite a challenge, especially with the Humans and Grelons. All in all, the model kits are both play-toys and potential centerpieces of a model showcase, assuming that a skilled painter applies his full range of techniques on all the details.

In the North American market, the models met with some success, appealing to both fans of the Robotech Anime and the players of the Battletech tabletop strategy game. In Europe, however, the models sales were disappointing, probably due to the practically non-existent background story and the relatively high prices for the models.