Can you see the word 'Bandai' on a typical G1 Jetfire?
If you check the flip side backing of G1 Jetfire, you will mostly likely see a 'Bandai' wording unless the Jetfire is a rare Matsushiro variant featuring the Macross UN Spacy logo on the left wing.
The explanation to the 'Bandai' wording probably came after Bandai took over the rights to produce the valkyrie toys after Takatoku, the inventor company went busted. Somehow in the late eighties, Hasbro managed to market Bandai's valkyrie in U.S and packaged it as Jetfire from Transformers. It might be the reason why G1 Jetfire is only available in U.S Hasbro verison and never released by Japanese Takara toy which is rival company of Bandai.
It should also be the fundamental behind Macross been packaged as Robotech with related toys selling under the license of 'Harmony Gold'.
The explanation to the 'Bandai' wording probably came after Bandai took over the rights to produce the valkyrie toys after Takatoku, the inventor company went busted. Somehow in the late eighties, Hasbro managed to market Bandai's valkyrie in U.S and packaged it as Jetfire from Transformers. It might be the reason why G1 Jetfire is only available in U.S Hasbro verison and never released by Japanese Takara toy which is rival company of Bandai.
It should also be the fundamental behind Macross been packaged as Robotech with related toys selling under the license of 'Harmony Gold'.
4 comments:
Wow, thanks for the info, very detail and useful information.
I hope that solve the mystery. Hee! Hee!
Matsushiro was the company that designed and manufactured the Valkyrie for Takatoku.
When Takatoku went out of business, Matsushiro kept ownership of the toy and its molds, and offered the toy to Hasbro (and also sold it briefly in Europe).
Bandai purchased the toy and its molds from Matsushiro, and continued to make it for Hasbro's Transformers as part of their agreement with Matsushiro.
>> Ray "AcroRay" Miller
Thank you for the in depth narration of the history. Now I understand better.
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