Interest

Bandai Announces Macross F x Top Gun: Maverick Crossover Toy

Bandai's premium toy brand Tamashii Nations announced a collaboration between the Macross Frontier anime and the popular 2022 American film Top Gun: Maverick on Tuesday. Preorders for the DX Chogokin VF-25 Messiah Valkyrie Top Gun: Maverick ver. will begin on April 3, and the toy will then ship in September.

The toy is similar to the three-mode-transforming VF-25 variable fighter toy that Tamashii Nations already offers for Macross Frontier. However, this new one features a livery inspired by the Top Gun: Maverick title character Maverick's F/A-18F Super Hornet. Similarly, its head in Battroid mode features a design inspired by Maverick's personal helmet in the film. Its commemorative stand can display the toy in its Fighter or GERWALK mode.

The toy is priced at 26,400 yen (about US$166) and set to sell in Japan, Asia, the United States, Europe, and Latin America.

After the toy's unveiling, Macross creator Shōji Kawamori released an illustration celebrating the crossover. The illustration features what he calls a "VF-18M Sound Hornet" with Maverick's livery, a Battroid head design inspired by Maverick's helmet, and what appears to be fold speakers similar to those in Macross Frontier. Kawamori captioned the drawing, “Variable Deculture~."

Not incidentally, Hasbro (and later Takara Tomy) offered a Maverick figure that transforms into the first Top Gun film's F-14 Tomcat fighter in 2020 (the originally planned release year for the sequel film).

Sources: Tamshii Nations's X/Twitter account, Bandai Spirits Official YouTube channel, Tamashii Web's website, Shōji Kawamori's X/Twitter account