Destroid Defender ADR-04-MkX

So the first Destroid by Yamato was very cool, and this one, the Defender, really is just about perfect.

The Destroids are the ground based mecha that appear in the Macross TV series (Robotech to some). They don’t fly but they have amazing firepower. In a sense, they are just mobile artillery platforms.

The ADR-04-Mk.X Destroid Defender (AKA Eardrum Buster) is an anti-aircraft defense robot. It’s only weaponry is the dual 78mm automatic cannons on each side. Ammunition is stored in the large grey magazines on either shoulder.

The Yamato Destroid Defender is really a fantastic toy, with the only drawback being the price. At about 9,800 yen (about $100 USD) this makes a huge dent in your paypal account, but it really is the Destroid you wish they made in 1985.

Standing 18cm tall, the 1/60 scale Destroid is in scale with the other current Macross releases from Yamato, and I have to say, it is very cool to have them all in the same scale. The included support crew are great and can be used with any 1/60 scale Macross product.

From the top, the Destroid Defender features a few gimmicks and moveable parts, most of them on the top half.

The radar on the top can turn 360 degrees.

The cockpit door can be opened to see the inside, but you must remove the entire cockpit cover to add the pilot figure.

The magazines on either shoulder are removable and feature nice detail on the underside. Included is a second set of longer ammunition magazines that you can swap out.

The front of the mecha features a moveable targeting scope, but to move it you must remove part of the top section. To do this, you need to release two clamps under the chest and then slide the top section backwards. this reveals a mechanism to move the scope up and down. I’m surprised Yamato went this route, as opposed to making some kind of external lever or dial. What would have been really cool is if the scope went up and down as you turned it at the waist.

The cannons on the side can rotate in almost any position due to a dual jointed shoulder. You have your basic swivel joint at the body, and then another where the assembly meets the cannon. Note that you can pull the cannon out until you hear a click to get a wider range of motion.

Like the Tomahawk, you can separate the halves of the Destroid by rotating it 90 degrees and pulling it apart. One improvement over the Tomahawk though is that there is no pivot joint at the waist so it does not arch backwards.

From the waist down it is essentially the same toy as the tomahawk, minus some surface detail. Articulation is still great and the joints are very tight. There is some diecast metal in the ankle joints, but that’s about it for this figure.

Included is an instruction sheet and a decal sheet. The neat thing about the decals is that they provide different decals for each ship that the Destroid could belong to. (Prometheus or Daedalus)

In all its a great figure, and it cements my decision to get one of each type that Yamato puts out. If you are a Macross fan, you are probably used to spending the money, so this one should be on your list.

Too expensive for you? Well, you’d better get another hobby, because that’s not going to change anytime soon.