The Destroid Defender is a classic design from the Macross universe that was later adapted into the Battletech line of ‘Mechs as the Rifleman. The ‘Mech was designed to be used primarily as an anti-aircraft weapon, but it has also seen service as an assault ‘Mech after extensive weapons retrofits. The Defender/Rifleman was armed primarily with four large lasers deployed in two dual-gun turrets attached to the shoulders. The benefit to this design is that it concentrates the firepower of the guns. But the drawback to the design is that the ‘Mech lacks the ability to engage in hand-to-hand combat without seriously damaging or completely destroying the guns themselves.

The kit was originally released in 1982 by Arii but was reissued by Bandai in 2010. The 91 parts are molded in desert khaki and clear styrene (for the lights in the knees, chest and rear formation lights on the back of the lower legs) and are crisply molded with little or no flash. As this is a reissue of a 1980’s-era kit, the plastic is somewhat thick, with simplified detailing and slightly overstated panel lines. A full sheet of waterslide decals is included, totaling over 50 markings for the completed ‘Mech.

The instruction sheet is both color and black-and-white. The folded front/back page contains a parts map and color photos of the completed model, showing decal call-out locations. The interior black-and-white line drawings provide assembly instructions in nine steps. Paint colors are indicated on the front page of the instructions, but as they are in Japanese, they are somewhat useless. If the builder wants to match the Macross colors, it might be best to scan the instructions and upload them to an online paint matching website. If a Battletech paint scheme is desired, the wide range of ‘Mecha in that universe pretty much let the builder use their imaginations, unless they are trying to model a specific House or unit allegiance.

Although it appears that this is merely an up-scaling of Arii’s smaller 1:100 kit, there are new features, including the ability of the main weapons to not only elevate (as on the smaller kit) but to also traverse by swinging outward from the shoulders. The inward traverse, however, is limited, so the firing arc can be widened but not shortened. The upper sensor pod does rotate.

The large shoulder pods are hollow. In the regular design, I believe these are meant to be ammunition storage locations. The model has each pod made up of left and right halves, meaning a seam has to be removed from the front, top and rear surfaces. The pods are placed in position and can be removed to show a small detail plate on top of the shoulders. I’m not sure what this plate is supposed to be, but is seems to make more sense to just glue the pods in place and forget about being able to see any underlying details. Otherwise, the builder will have to worry about having the pods fall off all the time, as there are no locking surfaces between the pods and the torso to keep them in place.

The completed model appears to stand approximately 8 inches in overall height.

If you are a Macross fan, this is a nice kit to have as it’s in scale with the majority of the Valkyrie fighters (and other 1:72 aircraft from the same series). It represents one of the few land-based, non-transformable designs from the series.

Review by: Rich “Lonewolf” Dula

Entry created: March 6, 2014