New Product Interview] "Coolness, Red Zone! The ultimate "Asrada G.S.X." is here to mark the 30th anniversary of "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula! The person in charge at MegaHouse talks a lot about its charm!

In the commemorative year of the 30th anniversary of "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula" broadcast, the coolest looking "Asrada G.S.X" will be released. It is the "VARIABLE ACTION Hi-SPEC UNITED Athrada G.S.X.".

The anime "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula," which aired in 1991, is a milestone in racing anime depicting "Cyber Formula," a next-generation motor sport in which passionate drivers race against machines incorporating the latest technology, including speed and performance far superior to F1 and AI support. Even after the TV series was completed, four OVA series were produced, and numerous drama CDs and character songs were released, which shows how popular the series was at the time.

The "Aslada G.S.X.," the machine that Hayato Kazami, the main character of "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula," first rode to his destiny, is now available as a "VARIABLE ACTION Hi-Spec UNITED Aslada G.S.X." from threeMega, a collaboration brand between MegaHouse and Hong Kong-based toy manufacturer threezero. SPEC UNITED ASLADA G.S.X" from "threeMega", a collaboration brand of MegaHouse and Hong Kong toy manufacturer threezero.

MegaHouse, which has been producing Cyber Formula figures for many years, and threezero, which specializes in mechanical expressions and bold design arrangements, have teamed up to produce the "VARIABLE ACTION Hi-SPEC UNITED Athrada G.S.X.", which was announced in the press release. As soon as it was unveiled, it shocked many "Cyber Formula" fans.

While respecting the original design to the utmost, this product has been rearranged in a modern way and is loaded with gimmicks that have been carefully designed to make it the ultimate "Asrada G.S.X." at this point in time.

We spoke with MegaHouse's Takao Hamama, who is in charge of this product, about the appeal of this product.

Please tell us about your involvement with the Cyber Formula series.

The first "Cyber Formula" figure I worked on was the Hi-SPEC "Phoenix," which was said to be an ostentatious deformation figure. After that, I was in charge of the Hi-SPEC "Super Asrada AKF-11" and the recently released "Nu Asrada -Livery Edition-", for which I am very sorry for the long wait, and I am currently in charge of this product. In addition to product development, I am deeply involved with Cyber Formula in various ways, such as 30th anniversary events and Cyber Formula distribution programs.

──You have finally commercialized the first main character machine.

If we had to choose what to build for the 30th anniversary year, it would have to be the "Asrada G.S.X"! That's what we decided to do. The response from fans was extremely strong, and when we released the promotional video, it became a huge hit. The number of views has increased tremendously, and we are very happy about that.

─ ─ The first main mecha has a unique charm, doesn't it?

That's right. I can't tell you how many times I've watched the last scene in episode 36, where the Aslada G.S.X. and the Super Aslada 01 pass each other, which gave me goosebumps.

The powerful tag team of threezero and MegaHouse has realized the project!

───This time, MegaHouse and Hong Kong-based hobby manufacturer threezero have teamed up for product development.

Yes, it is. This is the first time for us to work together from the planning stage to commercialize a product. There is a person in our company who used to work in China, and he was good friends with the president of threezero. We were talking about the possibility of working together someday. We agreed that if we were going to work together, it would be good to work on "Cyber Formula," where we could make the most of each other's strengths, and the collaboration was quickly and smoothly decided.

We decided to collaborate with Sunrise because it was the 30th anniversary of Cyber Formula and we wanted to collaborate with Sunrise. Sunrise agreed to the idea because it was the 30th anniversary and they wanted to collaborate with us.

MegaHouse is in charge of planning and sales, while threezero is in charge of design, development, design, and production.

When it came time to start development, it was our first time working together, so we had a lot of difficulties. All meetings were held in English. I can only thank the person in charge at threezero who acted as an interpreter between us.

What left a deep impression on me was when I first saw threezero's design drawings after the design work began. We received a shape with a very sharp front end. Sunrise supervised us many times and talked with threezero's development team as we began to make improvements, such as making the car wider, lowering the height, changing the hood shape and chamfering, and making it more aerodynamic. The three companies worked together to create the shape down to the smallest detail.

─ ─ At first, the arrangement was more aggressive, wasn't it?

It was a little too aggressive. I was a little nervous because the shape was sharper than I had expected. Kelvin's illustration was really cool, but it was one thing to design it and make it look cool as a three-dimensional object, and another thing to make it look good as a three-dimensional object. There was a lot of trial and error, but threezeo's understanding was accurate and precise. Everyone worked very hard to make it better. I was really impressed when I saw the final coloring sample, which was both movable and luminous. I felt that all the hard work was worth it.

─ ─ The shape of the front has changed quite a bit from the original drawing, hasn't it?

I mean the panel lines and the coloring, which had been included in Kelvin's original design. When I was working on the commercialization of Hi-SPEC "Phoenix" with Mr. Satoshi Shigeta, the animation director, we talked about the various parts used in racing machines, and even if we were to paint them the same white, each part would be made of carefully selected materials, with different material hardness and gloss, I understood this and told threezero about it.

However, when it came time to do it, the color of this part was really difficult. ...... If the color was too dark, it would be too assertive and noisy, and if it was too light, it would be too drawn out.

───There is a strong arrangement on both sides to emphasize the feeling of a racing machine.

Yes, both sides are very powerful. There is a lot of detail in the design, and this part was designed and engineered based on the idea that this is how it would be made in a real car.

The hardness and weight of the metal can be felt in the surface composition, as expected from threezero, and it is wonderful. The coloring also enhances the appearance.

The blue color is deep and beautiful.

Thank you very much. We created a coloring sample of the final coloring and submitted it to them, but the final coloring sample from threezero was even more metallic than our sample, and when I saw it, I really felt that the best parts of both companies had come together. When I saw it, I realized that we had really achieved a collaboration that brought out the best in both companies.

─ Compared to other cyber machines, the Asrada G.S.X is designed in a direction that looks like it could be found in a real car, but is it difficult to strike a balance as a sharp fictional mechanism?

Yes, it is. It is difficult, but interesting. If we compare it to supercars, Lamborghini has released a real car reminiscent of the Asrada G.S.X. We live in an age where we can talk to car navigation systems, and Shoji Kawamori (mechanical design) said that we are finally catching up, I put it all together with the idea of creating an Asrada G.S.X. that people would think is cool, striking a balance between the realistic and the fictional that is appropriate for the current era.

───What other orders did threezero receive from MegaHouse?

There were a lot of detailed orders, such as the color of the lights and the color of the hazard, but we were very particular about the proportions in general. We were particular about the volume increase toward the rear, the gradually rising roof line, the size of the boost pots, the size and shape of the rear wing, and so on. Sunrise supervised the entire process, but even though we could confirm that the shape of this size model had been corrected in the data, we still needed to see the volume and the connection of the lines in a 1/1 size 3D model to get the right balance. When we decided to purchase a 3D output machine within the company, we begged for a large output machine that could output 1/1 size as it was, and we got it installed, which was very effective. I printed out many times and brought it in for supervision.

─ ─ And many parts of the work shine through, don't they?

That's right. The headlights, tail lights, hazards, gauges, machine head, and boost pots glow. This is an idea that threezero gave us. The curbs of the course are used as control buttons. Press it once to leave the light on, twice to make it blink or relay, and three times to turn it off. The combination of each light pattern is very fun and makes you lose track of time. I especially like the way the cockpit gauges light up and the hazard lights blink. The head of the Asrada machine also blinks as if it were talking.

This is a bit of a spoiler, but are the lights on both sides blinkers? We were not sure if racing cars have blinkers in the first place, so we asked Sunrise about it.

───So you reconfirmed the settings for this commercialization?

Yes, we did. Sunrise-san was also troubled, and turned over various documents and watched the animation, but could not find any scene in which the blinkers or hazard lights were blinking. We were talking about the fact that since there was a scene in which the car was to be driven on a public road, a blinker should be necessary, and we found one piece of material with a small note saying "this is a blinker" among a large amount of material. I was happy when I found it.

Figures, liveries, and other items that I was particular about!

─ I like the fact that the pedestal imitates the course and has banks on it. In the anime, there were many scenes depicting the car running on these banks.

In "Cyber Formula," there is an image of running on a banked curve with boost on, isn't there? I put that image into this pedestal.

─ I see that the connection parts are hidden in the pedestal.

Yes, it has a connector, and when connected, power is supplied from the battery in the pedestal, allowing each part to light up. In addition, a button battery can be inserted in the body of the car, so the headlight and tail light can be turned on even when the car is removed from the pedestal. It is designed so that customers who buy it can enjoy it in many ways.

...... Let's open all the hatches for a moment.

─ ─ Various parts of the car really move!

It really moves well. This is the full hatch open position. I have rekindled my hobby of plastic models after the Corona disaster, and I have been building various models, but not all "Cyber Formula" fans build plastic models, and moreover, it is extremely difficult to paint them beautifully. Because of this, I wanted to include as many gimmicks as possible, since fans have told me that they would be happy to see a finished product.

In particular, the Aslada G.S.X. does not transform like the Super Aslada. Therefore, we were conscious of incorporating many gimmicks to create a product that would be said to be typical of Hi-SPEC.

─ Was the full hatch opening also a proposal from threezero?

Yes, it was. In the initial planning documents, it was written in one sentence, "The hatch opens. I was surprised when I saw the design data. Since threezero has released a wide variety of mechanical products and has a lot of experience with hatch-opening products, it is highly accurate and very well done.

─ ─ Could you tell us about the points that threezero was particularly particular about?

Kelvin's enthusiasm for expressing the precision of his illustrations in three dimensions is evident in every little detail. This is also true of his suggestion to add a banked pedestal.

And then there was Hayato's proposal to add a figure. Our company was very supportive of this idea, and it became a reality.

─ ─ When the driver gets into the car, the reality of the car is instantly enhanced.

That's right. You could say it has a soul. As a manufacturer, it was a risky challenge to make a movable figure with such thin arms and legs and have it sit in the cockpit, so we had to make the molds and make adjustments.

Also, there is a small detail to this figure: the seatbelt comes with two versions, one with Hayato sitting on it and one without him sitting on it.

─ ─ A very fine art! And there are markings of various sizes throughout.

The Reverie. Actually, it was not a rebarry at first, but as we continued to develop it, we began to see the full picture with more and more high details, and there was a point in time when I was convinced that it would be a cool product if it were a rebarry, with the modeling of each part more highlighted.

The design of the Reverie was created by our company. We asked a designer who has been designing decals for the CFC (Cyber Formula Collection) series for a long time. The company he works for has a lot of car fanatics (laugh), and we worked with them to create the design, as if they were putting all their work money into cars.

Thanks to their efforts, we were able to design the Reverie to match the body perfectly.

───What do you think of the VARIABLE ACTION Hi-SPEC UNITED ASLADA G.S.X.?

Well, as I said, there are many shining points. Until now, the Hi-SPEC series, which has achieved complete deformation, has not been able to achieve luminescence because it is not possible to wire cords. I think this is unique to the Asrada G.S.X. And it is a precise detail. There is a lot of information anyway.

When we decided to make the Asrada G.S.X. for the 30th anniversary year, we thought about what kind of product we wanted to create, and we wanted a model that people could look at for a long time. I wanted a model with a large amount of information that would evoke a variety of imaginations and recollections while being viewed. I wanted to create a model that you could enjoy a good drink while making it shine or moving it around. Of course, the background music was "Winnres.

─ ─ I was surprised to see the new brand name "threeMega" in the promotional video.

We created a new brand (laughs). Since we were going to work together, we decided to use this brand when we work with MegaHouse and threezero.

─ ─ Does that mean that this collaboration is not limited to this time, but will continue in the future?

We hope to continue this collaboration in the future. I think this is the part that everyone is most interested in, but it really hasn't been decided at all yet.

───If it is to be continued in the future, and if the first project is this good, it will be very difficult to follow up. The hurdles have been raised.

No~, it really has (laughs). There is a tradition in the Megahouse Hi-SPEC series of "this is how it should be," "cool to display," and "cool to move the gimmick," so we will work together with threezero!

─ ─ Finally, do you have any comments for our readers?

Thanks to the support of our fans, "Cyber Formula" is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and the Grand Prix in Tokyo and Osaka have been successfully held, which is very exciting. I have seen many tweets from fans who were "very impressed" when they saw the 1/1 Super Athrada AKF-11 displayed in Tokyo and Osaka. I am truly grateful.

I carried it into the venue myself, but it was already too heavy for ....... It just barely fit in the elevator. I had to carry it in with the boost facing up and the body standing upside down as if it were an acrobatic trick, but it was worth it. I was in charge, so I couldn't sleep the day before, thinking, "What if it doesn't fit in the elevator? I digress a bit, but I wanted to thank you all.

As you have read so far, the "VARIABLE ACTION Hi-SPEC UNITED Athrada G.S.X." commemorates our 30th anniversary, and I think it is the coolest Asrada G.S.X. that really combines the best parts of threezero and MegaHouse, so please pick one up! We hope you will take a look at it.

Finally, during the pre-order period, every Friday at 5:00 p.m. when the TV anime was broadcast 30 years ago, the product images that pay homage to the memorable scenes of the Asrada G.S.X in the anime are posted on the Megahobby Twitter, Cyber Formula Official Twitter, and threezero Twitter pages. We hope you will enjoy checking them out as well. We hope you enjoy checking it out as well. We will create a cool, red-zone Aslada G.S.X. Please look forward to it!

Thank you very much for your time today!