In the Macross Japanese anime series and its English adaptation Robotech, the first mass-produced transforming aerospace fighter mecha is called the VF-1 Valkyrie.

The VF-1 was created between 1980 and 1982 by Japanese mecha designer Shoji Kawamori with contributions by his Studio Nue partner Kazutaka Miyatake.

The VF-1 Valkyrie was to be the centerpiece mecha design for the anime series The Super Dimension Fortress Macross which aired between 1982 and 1983.

In Robotech, development of the Valkyrie began at the end of the Global Civil War, when an alien spaceship crashed into Macross Island in the South Pacific.

In this mode, it features a basic fuselage similar to the real-world F-14 Tomcat jet fighter, including underslung intakes and variable-sweep wing, but with outward-canted vertical stabilizers similar to the F/A-18 Hornet's, swiveling under-wing hardpoints (last seen on the F-111 Aardvark, Su-24 Fencer, and Panavia Tornado), and a total lack of tailplanes.

It is armed with 1, 2, or 4 (depending on model) Mauler RÖV-20 laser cannons mounted on a ventral turret, a GU-11 55mm three-barrelled gun pod holding 200 rounds, four underwing hardpoints holding up to twelve medium-range AMM-1 missiles, twelve Mk-82 LDGP bombs, six RMS-1 large anti-ship reaction missiles or four UUM-7 micro-missile pods containing up to 15 Bifors HMM-01 "micro-missiles".

While in fighter mode, the VF-1 can also be equipped with a FAST (Fuel And Sensor Tactical) Pack space booster and weaponry system.

In GERWALK mode, the gun pod is held by the fighter's manipulator "hands" and acts in all respects as a very large automatic rifle.

This mode is the intermediate one which was originally intended to simply allow the craft to land in a combat zone with a maximum of defensive ability.

However, many pilots soon realized that this mode's considerable maneuverability combined with its speed made it formidable in low level aerial combat as well as when making flanking maneuvers on the ground, and most took advantage of these characteristics for such situations.

Early in the development cycle for Macross, the creators planned a main mecha called "GA-WALK", with an ostrich-like leg configuration (similar to the enemy battle pods from the finished series).

[2][10][11] The legs are now straight and bend in the normal direction; the sides of the nose now resemble a human chest and shoulders (where the arms attach), and the laser turret is now a head.

While the Battroid mode has some limited altitude control, its primary purpose is for ground hand-to-hand combat, which enabled Earth forces to fight the giant alien invaders on their own scale as the military had anticipated they would need.

[10] As shown in the original TV series, this mode allowed the humans to disguise their VF-1 as a Zentradi officer and to infiltrate one of their warships during a rescue operation.

The VF-1 valkyrie in battroid mode is also much stronger than the average Zentradi soldier and is able to defeat them in unarmed combat with ease.

However, the superior size, physical strength, endurance and resistance to space vacuum of Commander Type Zentradi makes them much more dangerous and equal opponents for the Valkyrie.

In this mode, the Valkyrie can also be equipped with a reactive armor package called the GBP-1S Ground Battle Protector weapon system.

The four models differ slightly in engines, avionics, and armament:[1][2][3] Information listed here is only canon for the Macross continuity.

The toy was licensed by Hasbro for release in their markets as part of the Transformers toyline, and was retooled to become the character Jetfire.

[23] ThreeZero released the fully transformable VF-1J and VF-1S figures as part of Robo-Dou line under license from Harmony Gold USA and Crunchyroll.

[24] During the run of the original Macross series, model kits of the VF-1 Valkyrie were released in Japan by Arii, Imai, and Nichimo.

In addition, the transformation to Battroid mode utilizes retractable actuators that are accurate to the original line art.