A dispute among the original creators of the Macross/Robotech anime, which resulted in a decision of the Tokyo District Court on February 25, 2002 (see 'Macross Rights Litigation in Japan'), may well create havoc among overseas licensees who have obtained Macross/Robotech licenses from Harmony Gold.  A new company, Sunwards, has received a license to create Macross toys and figures from Big West, the company whose copyright ownership of 41 key Macross items was upheld by the Tokyo District Court.  Big West claims the rights to all the VF-1 fighters, the SDF Fortress, the firepower heavy VOTOMs, and all the key characters from the series including 'Rick Hunter,' Lin-Minmai, Roy Focker, etc., and Big West has licensed Sunwards, not Harmony Gold, to provide overseas distribution of Macross toys based on the original designs.

Sunwards' first Macross item, now slated for an August debut, is Roy Focker's VF-1S transforming fighter.  The plastic and die cast transforming Valkyrie weighs almost a pound and stands almost 9 inches high in its 'battroid' mode, while it measures nearly 10 inches long in its 'fighter' mode.  With 23 points of articulation and no ugly exposed hinges, Sunwards' VF-1S is clearly a quality product, and it comes with 14 cool accessories. Most of the detailing on the VF-1S is actually engraved or painted on, unlike many other toys that use decals. No pricing or distribution information for Sunwards' Macross toy line is available at this time, and ICv2 is waiting for replies from Toynami, which has a Macross/Robotech license from Harmony Gold.  The superbly crafted and long awaited Robotech Masterpiece Collection from Toynami has just appeared at retail (see 'Robotech Masterpiece Collection Ships June 19'), so retailers have a definite stake in this dispute.  Stay tuned for further developments.