Part 3: the Explosion

The moment Executive Producer Yoshinobu Nishizaki announced the sequel to Yamato, licensors lined up to develop spinoff products as fast as they could, a far cry from the cautious support they had lent to earlier efforts. The new film was loaded to the gills with intricate spaceships that set new standards for SF animation and the capabilities of Bandai’s model designers. Their success in meeting this challenge boosted Bandai to the very top of Japan’s model kit industry, where it has remained ever since.

Space Battleship Yamato “Image Model” (July 1978)

In November 1977, it was called the “Deform Display Model.” Eight months later, Bandai reissued it in a new box with a new name, “Image Model.” Inside, it was exactly the same, a forced-perspective version that imitated the now-iconic image of the ship. It came with new box art for the release of Farewell to Yamato. Later reissues did not include the prepainted lower hull.

Space Battleship Yamato “Panel Model” (July 1978)

This reissue of the “gold version” Yamato came with a prepainted lower hull and could be mounted onto a special display panel that was both self-supporting and hangable.

The backing board was referred to as the “Teresa Panel.”

Analyzer (Aug. 1978)

Bandai’s releases up to this point were still behind the curve in terms of what fans wanted, but the outcry had been heard and a revolution was soon to strike. Meanwhile, the best they could do in August 1978 was reissue the windup Analyzer kit (originally released in December ’74) with new box art.

1/700 Space Battleship Yamato “Mechanic Model” (Oct. 1978)

At last, Bandai showed what they could do when they put their full innovative might behind a Yamato model kit. The exact day of release is unknown, but October was definitely the month, tied into the premiere of Yamato 2.

The box alone conveyed the wonder of what was to be found inside; not only was it a picture-perfect match to the now-famous profile image that had been in circulation for years, it came with the irresistible feature of a cutaway interior.

Something else that’s easy to miss was the first indication of a scale. We take it for granted today, but in 1978 a “scale model” was something based on a measurable, real-world object like an actual battleship. Yamato‘s in-story dimensions were well known, so it was not a big leap to establish a 1/700 scale reference point. This made for a generously-sized model, about 15″ long.

Among other things, it meant that if you’d built a real-world battleship at 1/700 scale, you could now put the fictional Space Battleship next to it for comparison. This invoked a degree of authenticity that simply didn’t exist before. In other words, this simple inclusion of mathematics moved anime closer to reality.

See a Bandai magazine ad for this kit and the Image Model here

1/70 Cosmo Tiger II (Oct. 1978)

Bandai had more to offer in October. Right alongside the 1/700 Yamato was a nicely-sized Cosmo Tiger that was a near-perfect realization of the anime design. It was later estimated at around 1/70 scale. Like real-world aircraft kits, it came with the option of a display stand or landing gear.

1/900 Dessler’s Battleship (Oct. 1978)

As if to make up for past mistakes, Bandai turned October into a triple threat with the simultaneous release of Dessler’s Battleship from Farewell. This was not only the first enemy kit in the Yamato lineup, it was one of the earliest of any series, since most model manufacturers focused only on the hero mecha. It was later estimated at around 1/900 scale.

Continue to part 4

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