A Harmony of Robot invaders.

It was about 1986 onwards that a new force of merchandise hit the UK shops, not only toy and hobby shops, but comic book stores and the video shelf on high street stores. This too was a re-branding under the trademark “Robotech” now in agreement with 'Revell' the scale model manufactuer that had a range of kits under the title "ROBOTECH DEFENDERS", and the media company 'Harmony Gold' that had acquired the rights to 3 Japanese cartoon shows, 'Super Dimension Fortress Macross', 'Dimensioal Cavalry Southern Cross', and 'Genesis Climber Mospeada'. 

 [More about what happened to these 3 shows, will follow later, Robotech part 1 & Robotech part 2.].                                                                                                        

Printed and released in America;

MACROSS #1, December 1984,

ROBOTECH MASTERS #1, July 1985,

ROBOTECH THE NEW GENERATION #1, July 1985

                                                                                                                        

Living in a village with its Hobby\toy shop and News Agent, I needed to spread the search further afield, to my two nearest cities which where Leicester and Nottingham (in the East Midlands of England) to find more of what looked like Japanese Imports!

[Searching was done on foot, to find printed matter for the information, phone books, Yellow pages, comic books, magazines, fanzines, toy catalogs! Nobody had a smart-phone or mobile\cell phone, there was NO all knowing oracle called Google or Wiki! If you wanted to find something out YOU did the detective work.]

“How to find Japanese Animation Items” back in August 1988!

“ The Magic of Palladium Books” the “Unabashed House Organ” for Robotech Role Playing Games, had these few pages in issue #2.  

An other British Magazine, this time in 1987;

(White Dwarf magazine, March 1987).

(White Dwarf magazine, March 1987).

Review of Mekton (ONE) Rules, and Roadstriker (Expantion Rules),

by Phil Fances.

(White Dwarf magazine, March 1987).

Review of Mekton (ONE) RPG\Wargame Rules,

by Phil Fances.

(White Dwarf magazine, March 1987).

Review of Roadstriker - Mekton (ONE) Expantion Rules,

by Phil Fances.

(White Dwarf magazine, March 1987).

Virgin Mega Store's Games Centre (White Dwarf magazine, March 1987).

'Battletech' table-top game, and Graphic Novel.

[NOTES: In March of 1987 the reviewer Phil Fances, in that month's issue of 'White Dwarf Magazine, does use the Word "Anime", but in keeping with a lightharted tone, refers to it as "what the Japanese call their giant robot cartoons", and in both the reviews of 'MEKTON' and its Expantion rule set 'Roadstriker', you can note the phrase "in the best possible taste", that to my mind brings up a 'catch-phrase from comedian Kenny Everett.]   

[NOTES: That the 1980's the Retail and mail order Company 'GAMES WORKSHOP' was quite differant than its post 2000 counterpart, and was a haven for Role playing games, Novels, and War games, of Science Fiction, and Fantasy, and other well known IPs, not just its own games and minitures!]

[NOTES: So far I have not found any more writings, or advertisements in regards to Anime, or the American games of Battletech or Mekton in the 1980's issues of White Dwarf Magazine]