Posted on July 12, 2023

35 Max toys by Max Factory

“You can easily make an original machine, so please enjoy playing with recombinations”

Developer interview, Max Factory

Max Watanabe
President of Max Factory, born in Tokyo. A character modeler who has been active as a modeling writer for more than 20 years. He is a leading figure in anime-related mecha models.

Toshihiro Oyama
Director/designer of Max Factory, born in Tokyo. He has worked on the Guyver Biofighter Collection. He is in charge of supervising modeling and package design for the 35 Max series.

Ashi Yagi
Director of Max Factory, manager of the motion study section. His main products include Guyver and others.

Kenichi Ozawa
Max Factory manager, born in Chiba. The 35 Max Series is the first product line he is in charge of. Also in charge of copyright application and cast kits.

Interviewer: First of all, please tell us how the 35 Max Series got started.

Watanabe: As you know, Votoms is an anime work with a strong military taste. Takara was developing plamodels during the TV broadcast in scales that were compatible with military models, such as 1/24 and 1/35. However, at that time not many people thought of playing military games with character models. Not just general users, but also writers of articles in hobby magazines.

I myself always wondered, “Why aren’t more people doing this?” Votoms [35 Max] is in 1/35 scale, so it can be developed in more interesting ways. It can also be placed side by side with Takara’s military models. However, since Takara was a main sponsor, there was no way we could get permission to do this. I was so disappointed. (Laughs) So, I asked Sunrise, “Please let us do 1/35″…

Interviewer: And you were accepted.

Watanabe: That’s right! It was like, “Even if you say no later, I’ll still make it!” (Laughs)

There’s another reason why we chose 1/35. We’ve been producing 1/24 soft vinyl kits for a long time, but the unit price was too high for this size. I was looking for a product that was inexpensive, easy to collect, and easy to play with.

Interviewer: About the first Scopedog, was its head and body balance made in consideration of Mr. Okawara’s illustration? (Shown at right)

Watanabe: More than that, this is what the Scopedog is all about! My thinking is, “A Scopedog with a small head is not a Scopedog at all!” (Laughs) If you want to make a character with strong appeal, you have to make sure to express the characteristic part.

Interviewer: Come to think of it, this may be the first Scopedog with such a large head.

Watanabe: Right? “Isn’t this what Scopedog is all about?” I’ve been thinking and saying this for a long time. I’ve also expressed it as an example of plamodel modification. But this style was never commercialized, so I thought, “This is a chance!”

As expected, there were controversies within the company. (Laughs) In fact, in order to make the head bigger, there is “overhang” in the back. In other words, we prioritized the image over the anime design. Honestly, what did you think?

Interviewer: To be honest, I was surprised when I first saw it.

Watanabe: People who are used to 3D objects seem to have a sense of discomfort. They said, “The head is too big!” or, “It’s ugly!” (Laughs) But it’s very popular with manga artists and other people who draw. “I wanted something like this!” Those who had an artistic image in mind before seeing it in 3D accepted it. I was very happy.

On the other hand, I could understand the opinions of those who were uncomfortable with it. I guess it’s like suddenly adding hot spices to something you regularly eat.

Interviewer: So Votoms has literally become the spice of the toy world.

Watanabe: I hope so. (smiles) I personally like it very much.

Interviewer: As for the second product, Standing Tortoise, I felt your enthusiasm as a maker.

Watanabe: I’m glad to hear you say so, but in fact there were pros and cons. To be honest, the Tortoise was not very popular. But back in the old days, proper 1/24th scale kits were released. For the generation that’s been involved since the Takara plamodel days, there was no reason not to release the Tortoise. So we took the plunge, overcame the opposition of the staff, and released it at a loss. Some fans liked it, but as I expected, it didn’t sell. (Laughs) But I’m very happy that I was able to release it anyway!

Interviewer: This is the only Tortoise type product currently being developed by anyone, isn’t it?

Watanabe: I myself personally buy a lot of Votoms products, but they’re usually a series of “dogs.” Just to be clear, I’m not criticizing anyone. We’re a manufacturer too, so I understand the situation. But if I were to speak from a user’s point of view, I’d say that I’m tired of it. It’s like, “another dog again?”

Interviewer: I see. Then how did you decide on the subsequent lineup?

Oyama: I’ll answer that. Basically, the lineup follows the flow of the anime. The first two, Scopedog and Standing Tortoise, are for Woodo. The next one would normally be Marshydog or something like that, but for a twist I decided to go with the Turbo Custom and the Bloodsucker.

As Mr. Watanabe said earlier, we thought that if we followed the normal TV development, users would get bored. We didn’t want them to say, “I knew it.” By releasing those two with a bang, we thought we could draw people’s attention to these products.

From there we introduced Brutishdog, Strikedog, Standing Turtle, and Tortoise Mark II. We’ll continue to develop lineups that basically follow the main TV series, but with some twists from time to time. We’ll be releasing a limited edition Red Shoulder Custom for the Christmas and New Year’s sales season.

Interviewer: Why did you decide to make Brutishdog and Red Shoulder Custom limited editions?

Watanabe: It seems everyone was surprised that we decided to do that. It’s true that they’re famous variations in the TV series, but I have the impression that they’re weak products compared to the other models.

Interviewer: That’s true. Even if I buy several other mass-produced models, I wouldn’t buy more than two Brutishdogs.

Watanabe: That’s why we decided to make it limited, so that customers would be aware of it. We said, “If you don’t buy it now, it’ll disappear!” Something like that. (Laughs) Also, regarding the Red Shoulder Custom, it’s not an official Red Shoulder. I have a strong impression of it as a “makeshift” version. I thought it would be good to make it a limited edition too. And it’s a dog-type.

Interviewer: The Brutishdog also has standard right arm parts…

Yagi: That’s the cool point of that product. The new Strikedog will also have normal arms. With these arms, it can carry weapons in both hands. You can use it to build an A.T. with original armament. Actually, while we were working on the prototype, the tension was rising. I begged them, “Please put it on!”

Watanabe: It’s part of the “military play” I mentioned earlier. Like the battling machines in the Votoms world, we want users to build “their A.T.” We’re originally from the modeling field, so our products are in the style of finished toys. We want people to customize it like a model. This product contains such a message.

Interviewer: Please tell me about any difficulties you had in the production side.

Yagi: The deadline.

Watanabe: That’s too normal! (Laughs)

Yagi: Well, anyone can see it in the Scopedog and the Standing Tortoise. I myself am from the generation that didn’t see the original broadcast, so I basically proceeded with the modeling according to the established designs. Of course, I watch anime videos for reference, but there are variations from scene to scene, so I always end up going back to the starting point.

Also, there are six prototype designers for this product line, so it was very difficult to coordinate each person’s taste. A manufacturer should never give people the impression that each product is made by a different person. Specifically, we had meetings with two or three prototype designers. I would draw pencil lines over a sketch or prototype model and say, “This is the way to go.” It was quite contentious. They would say, “This is a circle, this is a square.” (Laughs)

Interviewer: It’s not easy to unify six people’s personalities.

Watanabe: I asked the prototype designers not to show their individuality up front. The original design itself is unique enough. I asked them to faithfully express the image fans have in their minds. Also, although it was not a difficult task, we had some trouble deciding on the size. It was a toss-up between having a sense of unity throughout the series and a scale to match the different heights.

Yagi: That’s right. If we made the height differences between the products match the design settings, then tried to put the Turbo Custom’s weapon on the Bloodsucker, the balance of the body would be off. That was the problem we had to solve. We thought, “We can get by if we make this part bigger, but it would look weird if this it’s too big. So let’s shorten it.”

Watanabe: In the end, we chose the play value over the established heights. But thanks to that, the range of play has expanded dramatically. We’ll continue to develop various parts in the future. Of course, it would be interesting to use parts from Takara-Tomy’s kits.

Interviewer: Also, you introduced color variations on the insert cards.

Oyama: Since the subject is a military-themed work, I wanted to propose “playing with different colors” other than the basic colors. Of course, I think it’s fun to collect them as they are, but we think of this product more like a model, so we thought offering color variations would further expand the lineup. That’s the reason for adding the coloring file cards.

At first, we thought of camouflage specs for the Scopedog and the Standing Tortoise. These two are perfect for camouflage painting. However, it’s not possible with all of them, so starting with the Bloodsucker, the designer and I started sharing ideas. At the same time, we include markings for each color variant, so I think we were able to increase the enjoyment of collecting these products.

Interviewer: Finally, what are your ambitions for the future?

Ozawa: Currently, we’re working on an event-based and mail order limited weapon set for the 35 Max series. Unlike the finished painted figures, this is a resin cast kit, so it will be a more model-oriented product.

Watanabe: The 35 Max figures come with only one weapon apiece, but by going “plus alpha,” the range of play will expand even further. We’re currently developing this in garage kit style. We’re considering eventually doing a complete set in both ABS and PVC, but we intend to continue developing garage kits in the future. We want to keep products available for the modelers who have supported Votoms for a long time.

Ozawa: Right now, we’re proceeding with them as additional parts for the finished 35 Max series. We’d like to eventually release the A.T. itself as a garage kit.

Watanabe: Once we’ve developed the parts to some extent, we’d like to provide a venue for presentations, such as a remodeling contest. I think it would be interesting to have a place for the community to say, “I made this!” This is a project that wouldn’t be possible with bishojo figures.

It’s actually quite rare for us to make a product that can be enjoyed this much. I hope everyone will join us in saying, “It would be better this way,” and, “That’s how it should be done,” and enjoy it in a model-like way. To be honest, the profitability of this series is very low. (Laughs) We’ll continue to do our best.

Oyama: Please cut that last line. (Laughs)

Watanabe: Don’t cut anything! This is the spirit! (Laughs)

Oyama: In order to develop products that satisfy everyone, we hope each and every one of you will buy one. We’ll continue to release high quality products in the future, so please support us.

Watanabe: Why so serious all of a sudden? (Laughs)

Interview conducted October 20, 2006 at Max Factory.

Published in Armored Trooper Votoms Real Toy Collection (Mediaworks, December 2006)

Extra parts set B, resin garage kit

Extra parts set C, resin garage kit

Extra parts set D (Commando Vorct), resin garage kit

CV-01 Rane Custom

CV-02 Vorct Custom

CV-03 Norden Custom

CV-04 Weapon Set

CV-05 Scopedog Assault Rane Custom

Underwater Scooter, resin garage kit

Back to the hub