What is Maschinen Krieger (Ma.K ZBV3000)? with Lincoln Wright — Paint on Plastic (2024)

Maschinen Krieger (Ma.K ZBV3000) is a science fiction universe owned by Japanese Illustrator (his preferred job title) Kow Yokoyama Sensei. It started as a series in Hobby Japan magazine with the creation team of Kunitaka Imai san, Hiroshi Ichimura san and Kow Yokoyama san in 1982. The then president of Hobby Japan naming the series, SF3D or “Sci-Fi Sunday”. A play on a possible Japanese pronunciation of 3D and to imply an enjoyable weekend spent building plastic models. Hobby Japan then partnered with Nitto Kagaku Kyouzaisha to produce the first generation of SF3D plastic models and who with Imai-san designed the iconic tan box. Ichimura san wrote the story and Kow Yokyama san did the concept art, illustrations and many of the kitbash and sculpted models as original artworks.

By 1984 the series had released 21 plastic models with Nitto.

In 1998, the name was updated to the current Maschinen Krieger Ma.K ZBV3000.

Next in 2008, Kow Yokoyama Sensei was able to start re-releasing the Nitto kits together with WAVE coronation as 3Q Models, or "thank you” based on the Japanese pronunciation of “san + Q”.

Now Kow Yokoyama Sensei leads of small team of artists and modern kits by Hasegawa Models and WAVE Corporation are currently in production and available as well as a large number of licenced toys, garage kits and goods. There is also talk of a movie!

I was most fortunate to work inside the Ma.K or Maschinen Krieger studio for many years as one of the creative team working on the core content and decided that it might be a cool idea to share with you an insider’s perspective on what Ma.K means to me, how it seems for the creator Kow Yokoyama Sensei and how it felt at community events in Tokyo interacting with some fans whose passion for the genre stretches right back to the early 80’s when it started. Working with the creator is fantastic but also learning from people in the community who were involved when it was first released was extremely cool and rewarding too.

Please watch my video below for some thoughts and ideas on this recorded for you;

First of all there is the history and backstory. From what I have read online it’s been dutifully translated and transcribed. Folks outside of Japan have done a wonderful job of writing out the backstory and some of the events that have happened over the past 30 years. I’m also one of the writers for the back story and lore, albeit a more recent addition and I started doing that at exactly the time that Kow Yokoyama san fully came into possession of the property in 2008. It had already been running for 26 years and is now in it’s 39th year so I’ve been involved for 13 years… wow that has flown by! I also hope to be also be able to share more insights on this as well and have recorded the video above as a first step in putting it all together.

Here is an excerpt from the beautifully updated and maintained Wikipedia entry on the back story, translated into English for us;

A nuclear World War IV in 2807 kills most of Earth's population and renders the planet uninhabitable. Fifty-two years after the war, a research team from an interstellar union called the Galactic Federation is sent to Earth and discovers that the planet's natural environment has restored itself. The Federation decides to repopulate the planet and sends over colonists to the surface. Cities and towns are eventually reformed over the next 20 years, but this growth attracts the attention of criminals, military deserters, and other lawless elements who wanted to hide on Earth--away from the authorities. A few militias protect the colonists, but the new interlopers often defeat them.

Fearing civil unrest and the colonists forming their own government, the Federation gives the Strahl Democratic Republic (SDR) the right to govern the planet in the late 2870s. The SDR sends three police battalions and three Foreign Legion corps to Earth and uses heavy-handed tactics such as travel restrictions and hard labor camps to restore order, which creates resentment amongst the colonists. In response, the colonists create the Earth Independent Provisional Government and declared independence from the SDR. The SDR immediately establishes a puppet government and attempts to quell the uprising. The wealthy colonists hire mercenaries who are descendants of WWIV veterans to form the Independent Mercenary Army (IMA), which is bolstered by the presence of SDR Foreign Legion defectors. They attack the SDR forces and the battle to control Earth begins in 2882.

Over the next four years, the SDR and IMA fight each other at several locations worldwide while developing new technology along the way. The war turns up a notch in June 2883 when the IMA deploys a new weapon - the Armored Fighting Suit powered armor - to devastating effect. The SDR eventually builds their own Armored Fighting Suits and units.

In the last SF3D installment published in the December 1986 issue of Hobby Japan, the IMA successfully defeats the new SDR Königs Kröte unmanned command-and-control mecha using a computer virus that also creates a new artificial intelligence system on the moon.

Products

Currently available products include;

Books (including mine!)

Plastic Model Kits

Resin Garage Kits

Toys & Action Figures

Soft Goods

I’ll need more time to expand on this blog entry for you so please check back often, I’ll work to outline the kits and books available and also share news and release information for you. Help on collating this information would be sincerely appreciated!

In addition, I have shared a great many tutorial articles and videos for you throughout this blog, I will feature some below for you.

For a brief outline on the plastic kits and who is making them and how to buy them, please check out the article below as well as maybe look into joining us for our Ma.K Competition 2021!

Thank you very much for reading and I’ll update and expand this for us.

Happy modelling,

Linc

SO WHERE DO YOU BUY YOU BUY YOUR Ma.k KITS LINC?

Great question, friends ask all the time! When I lived in Tokyo, I was working on most releases so the kit makers usually sent me one or two each time. Or Kow Yokoyama Sensei would give me one to make a demonstration version. Lucky right? Other times I would not be involved and would then happily buy my own.

My main shop was the local Yodobashi Hobby Kan shop in Nishi Shinjuku - I could zoom in there, just 2 stations from my home. Other times I would get them in Akiba at the huge Yodobashi store or even at Yellow Submarine along with paints & supplies.

Sometimes I would pre-oder from Hobby Link Japan because even in Japan it was a great service and local shipping was only 980 JPY, so cheap.

Now that I am based in Australia, Hobby Link Japan is super helpful. I can still buy at local Japan retail prices with a pre-order so I don’t miss out and I save them up with their nifty “Warehouse” Function and ship 3 or so kits at a time. With EMS it’s quite economical but still now with COVID restrictions and using DHL, it’s reasonable but good in that it only takes 3 or 4 days. It’s almost like living back in Tokyo. Almost.

Hope that helps!

Linc