Interview just before the reservation deadline! We take a closer look at the 40th anniversary item of the "Fang of the Sun Dougram" broadcast, "HI-METAL R Dougram Real Type Color 40th Anniv!

The TV animation "Fang of the Sun Dougram," produced by Sunrise (now Namco Bandai Filmworks), was broadcast from 1981 to 1983. It is a masterpiece of robot animation that depicts the political background of wartime with a more militaristic battle direction than the preceding blockbuster "Mobile Suit Gundam.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the broadcast of "Dougram," and a special color Dougram will appear in "HI-METAL R" as an anniversary item. We spoke with Teisei Kimura, in charge of planning in the Collectors Division of BANDAI SPIRITS, about the appeal of this product.

--This product is a commemorative item for the 40th anniversary of "Fang of the Sun Douglas," and in February and April of this year, Douglas and Round Facer with Instead were also released as part of the "40th Anniv.

Kimura: The INSTEAD is a mecha with few opportunities for commercialization, so we did our best to include a turret variation. Takara (now Takara Tomy), our sponsor at the time, recommended playing with dioramas, so we tried our best to incorporate that world view into the 40th anniversary items. But the "Douglas Real Type Color 40th Anniv." was a project that had been in the works even before that.

--What do you mean?

Kimura: When the "Kunio Okawara Exhibition" was held in 2015, we were informed that this exhibition would be held overseas as well. That is when I started to plan this as a commemorative item for overseas. However, the project was temporarily suspended for various reasons, and now it has been revived as an anniversary item for the 40th anniversary of "Fang of the Sun Douglas".

--What made you decide to commercialize Douglas in this color?

Kimura: I thought that a reproduction of the illustration that Mr. Okawara had released when "Dougram" was first broadcast would be a suitable commemorative item for the exhibition. Since then, we have celebrated our 40th anniversary, and other companies have taken a variety of approaches to make the anniversary more exciting. In the midst of all this, we thought we should release an item featuring him, and the original color version of the Douglas Douglas project was re-launched. We thought that if we could give shape to the visuals that excited us at the time, fans would be pleased, and we thought it would be a fitting item for the 40th anniversary celebration. We were grateful that the publisher, NAMCO BANDAI FILM WORKS, agreed to do the illustrations, and that he himself was able to draw them.

--Did you design the normal color version of Douglas that served as the base for the figure with this kind of variation in mind?

Kimura: We didn't think that far ahead. At most, it was just a color variation. At first, there was a plan to just use different colors for this Dougram. At the time, there were also color variations for real-type colors, camouflage colors, and for desert warfare. However, since we were releasing this as an anniversary item, we thought we should create a new product with new parts that would look good. The new parts are pinpoint, but I was impressed that they are placed in conspicuous places, as expected of Mr. Okawara. I was impressed.

--What are the selling points of this product?

Kimura: The chest is a new part with a duct guard, and a light has been added to the right side of the chest. The shoulder armor has also been changed to a circular part with ribs. And the shin has additional armor and a pipe has been added to the linear gun. The coloring has been reproduced in a nice way, and we hope that users will be able to go back in time to 40 years ago as soon as they pick this up.

-The sheet that goes under the blister is also specially designed, isn't it?

Kimura: The "HI-METAL R" series is basically a wind-sack box, so the sheet was designed to keep the bottom of the box out of sight. This time, however, the box is windowless, so we made the sheet into an art board so that people can immerse themselves in the memories of that time. It features a full-length view of Mr. Okawara's illustrations, as well as his comments and signature. The illustrations are a compilation of the many real-type images that he has drawn in the past, and the concept of this product is to organize them into a three-dimensional object.

--The package illustration is also wonderful.

Kimura: We asked Naochika Morishita, who worked on the previous "HI-METAL R Dougram" series, to create the illustration. The image is that of a "mysterious Dougram" that has been kept in storage and has been activated, so that even the pilot is unidentifiable. At first, the proposed image was of a fight in the forest, but we asked them to change it to a situation where the aircraft walks out of a hangar rather than on a specific battlefield. The concept was to say, "This is where the story of this aircraft begins. We also wanted to show off the new parts, so we asked Mr. Morishita to "turn on the lights but keep the screen dark," and he did a great job with this impossible task. The double suns of Deloia, which symbolize the work, are also depicted well.

--Kimura: Is there any particular setting for this aircraft?

Kimura: We don't have one in particular, and we don't make suggestions either. We would be happy if the person who gets it can freely think of a setting, such as "Actually, there were two Dougrams," "One of the Dougram reinforcement plans," or "If the Dougram is mass-produced," and so on. We have only cut out the military elements to expand your imagination as much as possible, and the color is a real type color that is not limited to use for XX battle. There was also the idea of "Douglas for forest warfare" as a possible product name, but we settled on "Real Type Color 40th Anniv. I think such a vague product name will stimulate people's imagination. The word "real" was a trend for plastic modelers when "Dougram" was broadcast, and everyone was going for those three letters (laughs).

(laughs) -- With the release of this product, I think you have found new possibilities for "HI-METAL R", haven't you?

Kimura: We were able to make the anniversary more exciting by releasing this item, so I would like to try a similar approach with another work. I would like to discuss with the staff and mecha designers of the time and continue to create products that will please fans.

--Lastly, do you have a message for "Dougram" fans all over Japan?

Kimura: As a commemorative item for the 40th anniversary of "Dougram," please add this real-type color version of Dougram, the art board, and the box to your collection. Since these are commemorative items, we will never re-release them. We would feel bad if we casually resold them to the people who bought them in the first place. And if you buy it, as I mentioned earlier, please feel free to play with it in any setting you like. We look forward to working with you.

(Interview and text by Yutaka Takayanagi [TARKUS])

Product Information

Hi-Metal R Douglas Real Type Color 40th Anniv.

＜Main product information

Retail price: 25,850 yen (including tax)

Delivery date: Scheduled to ship in December 2022

Order deadline: August 5, 2022 (Fri.) 23:00

<Created by

Fang of the Sun Dougram

<Main product details

Retail price: 14,300 yen (tax included)

Delivery date: February 2023 (scheduled)

Order deadline: October 23, 2022 (Sun.) 23:00

<Created by

　 Fang of the Sun Dougram

<Main product contents

Main body

Three interchangeable left wrists and two interchangeable right wrists

2 antennas (including spare)

2 kinds of pilot figures

Linear Gun

Linear Cannon

Turbo zack

Missile pod

Joint parts

Joint parts ・Mounted art board

＜Main Product Materials

ABS, PVC, die-cast

<Product Size

Height: approx. 160mm

<Age Range

15 years old and up

<Remarks

　Before purchasing: Please be sure to read the following information.

　Actual product may differ slightly.

　*The coloring and other appearances may vary slightly from product to product.

　Product specifications and shipping dates are subject to change without notice.

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Product specifications are subject to change without notice.

The photos shown are under development and may differ slightly from the actual product.

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