Maschinen Krieger ZbV 3000

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Maschinen Krieger ZbV 3000 is a science fiction universe created by Japanese artist and sculptor Kow Yokoyama in the 1980s. It originally began as the science fiction series SF3D which ran as monthly installments in the Japanese hobby magazine Hobby Japan. To develop the SF3D storyline, Kow collaborated with Hiroshi Ichimura (story editor) and Kunitaka Imai (graphic designer). The creators drew visual inspiration from their combined interest in WWI and WWII armor and aircraft. Kow built the original models from numerous kits including armor, aircraft, automobiles and real space. The designs were predominantly of powered armor suits, but Kow also created two lagged walking tanks, anti-gravity flying aircraft, and automated robot walkers. Hiroshi Ichimura and Kunitaka Imai added the graphic style and created the background story for the new models. Together they created a unique series with a very different visual style from the typical "Giant Robot" series in Japan at the time. A small but dedicated fan following soon developed. There was great interest amongst the readers of Hobby Japan to have kits of the designs they saw in the magazine. A small Japaneses model company, Nitto, aware of the growing interest, picked up the license and quickly released 21 injection molded kits from the series.

1 Model Kits
2 Toys
3 Books
4 Brief Maschinen Krieger Background Story
5 External links

[edit] Model Kits

The models are predominantly 1/20 scale with the exception of one 1/76 scale model of a hover tank and a few 1/6 scale powered suits. Kow created hundreds of sketches and built numerous models, but not all of these ever made it to a widely available kit form.

In 1986 there was a dispute with Hobby Japan over the copyright of the series and the magazine dropped SF3D from its magazine and Nitto had to cease production of the kits. The matter was tied up in the courts for a number of years, but finally in the mid/late 1990s, Kow Yokoyama was awarded the copyright to the series and Nitto eventually reissued most of the original kits repackaged under the Maschinen Krieger Zbv 3000 name. The kits were for the most part, exactly the same as the SF3D release although later re-releases featured new box art and new decals. At this time Kow was also createing new designs within the established series. The Japanese model companies Wave and ModelKasten released several new kits based on the original Nitto models. These were typically limited run kits with new injection molded parts or cast urethane resin parts.

As of this writing, these kits are again out of production and are increasingly difficult to find. Nitto ceased production of the re-releases because sales were poor and the molds for the kits required an investment that Nitto did not think they would see a return on their investment.

The Japanese model kit company Wave is now releasing newly tooled kits of the original designs. At the 2008 Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany, the Japanese model Hasegawa, mostly know for aircraft models, announced plans to carry the MaK license. The exact details of their planned release are unknown.

There are also many fans who produce limited runs resin kits and accessories. The continued support and recent surge in activity by all parties has helped to maintain & expand the fan base.

[edit] Toys

The Japanese hobby shop and toy company Yellow Submarine released several 1/35 scale pre-finished display figures.

The toy company Kubrick had a line of cute or super deformed MaK figures.

The Japanese garage kit company released a few 1/16 pre-finished figures.

Most of these toys had limited production and are difficult to find.

[edit] Books

There are currently two Ma. K. 'Encyclopedias' in print by Dai Nippon Kaiga. These hardbound books cover numerous original Kow models.

There are also two recent softbound books covering Kow's model building techniques and another with numerous sketches of the various series he has worked on over the years.

[edit] Brief Maschinen Krieger Background Story

There is a lot of confusion as to the details of the background story for SF3D/MaK. This is partly due to the fact that it has never been officially translated, or has been poorly translated, from its original Japanese language.

The story is set eight hundred and eighty years in the future. Events primarily take place between the years 2882 and 2886. A nuclear World War in 2807 destroys most of the Earth's population and renders the planet uninhabitable. About 50 years after the destruction, the Galactic Federation (details unknown) sent an investigative team to determine the condition of the planet. They discover the planet has restored itself to a natural paradise and begin the process of sending colonists to populate Earth. The colonists prospered on the reborn Earth. Cities and towns are eventually reformed but this growth attracts the attention of criminals, AWOL soldiers, political criminals, mercenaries, terrorists, and other people who had decided to leave civilized society began to make their way back to Earth as a suitable place for refuge. The Colonists had no real form of government to deal with the problem other than a few local militias. The GF, concerned about the civil unrest and the Colonists forming their own independent government, gave the Strahl Democratic Republic (SDR) the right to govern the planet. The SDR's hard handed tactics to restore order; travel restrictions, hard labor camps for the unemployed, etc. created great resentment amongst the Colonists. The Colonists create the Earth Independent Provisional Government and declare independence from the Strahl Republic. The SDR immediately forms a puppet government and attempts to quell the uprising. The wealthy Colonists hire the mercenaries to form the Independent Mercenary Army. They attack the SDR forces and the war for independence and the control of the Earth begins.

SF3D/MaK has no real ending. The storyline ended abruptly with the cancellation of the monthly installments in Hobby Japan. Any stories that are created as part of the Maschinen Krieger universe occur during the 4 year period first laid out in the SF3D story.