Interest
Life-Size Macross Valkyrie — or Part of It — Unveiled
posted on by Ko Ransom
The "30th Anniversary Macross Super Dimension Exhibition ~Valkyrie de Sasotte!~" opened on Saturday at the Sunshine City complex in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. The event features a full-scale replica of a VF-25F Messiah Valkyrie variable fighter (in the intermediate GERWALK mode) as its centerpiece.
However, due to the small size of the venue, only the nose and arms of the vehicle will be on display during the exhibit's stops in Tokyo (April 28-May 6) and Nagoya (June 1-3). The exhibition will then head to Osaka with the complete replica, from the feet to the cockpit.
The character relationship chart for just the first Macross series — the exhibition has charts for the other titles.
Beyond the full-scale replica, visitors can browse various corners devoted to the characters, history, and stories of the many Macross series. An entire wall was devoted to character relationship charts for each series. Another wall laid out the chronology of Macross from the Big Bang to Macross Frontier.
Unlike many Japanese anime-related events, the Ikebukuro exhibition allows viewers to take photographs with very few restrictions. Visitors could pose with life-sized cut-outs of many famous characters, and three characters in particular — Lynn Minmay from Macross: Do You Remember Love? and Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee from Macross Frontier — got life-size, three-dimensional statues.
Life-size statue of Sheryl Nome from Macross Frontier
Cosplay is also allowed at the event, with many visitors donning costumes from Macross series. Toward the end of the exhibit, a long interview with Macross co-creator Shōji Kawamori on the exhibit and his experiences with the Macross series over the past thirty years is available for visitors to read, and prior to the exit, visitors pass through a large gift shop.
Bow before the Great God of Macross (Macross Daimyōjin)
A second exhibit area was also opened to visitors to the event, featuring a karaoke space where visitors could sing their favorite Macross themes, a cosplay space, as well as a cafe offering Macross-themed food and drink.
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The "Macross: The Design" exhibit also opened in the Parco Museum in Tokyo's Shibuya district on Thursday, and will be held until May 13. The exhibit features designs spanning the entire history of the Macross series, and is split into four sections: "People, Life, and Culture," "Songs," "Mechanical Designs," and "Macross Creator Collaborations."
The "People, Life, and Culture" section focuses on character and town designs from the Macross series, and has production materials on display including character sketches, image boards, and key animation frames.
Menu for the exhibition's Nyan-Nyan Chinese Restaurant, like the ones in the anime
The "Songs" section primarily focuses on the various singing heroines throughout the Macross series, featuring an area with large pictures of various singers throughout the Macross franchise. Production materials featuring these characters are also available to view, such as a long sequence of key animation sketches and completed cels from a scene of Lynn Minmay singing.
34 people can have their nails done Macross Frontier style — for free — at the exhibition on May 5
The "Mechanical Designs" section features production materials and art for mechanical vehicles such as the Valkyrie and the Destroid. Two Valkyrie models made from Lego blocks by Shōji Kawamori are the main centerpieces of this section. Between the Songs and Mechanical Designs sections, visitors pass through a short area featuring original production materials from the Macross series, such as scripts and storyboards.
Finally, in the "Macross Creator Collaborations" section, Macross-related illustrations by modern-day creators such as Noizi Ito, Mori Chack, and POP are on display. For photos from the "Macross: The Design" exhibit, please see the articles at Famitsu, Mantan Web, and GA Graphic.
Images © Big West
