yes, the vic was developed before 1981, and not seen in in the patents until it was filed in 1987, 4826581, even though he patented the control circuits for the plate cell and pulsed alternator in 4798661 filed in 1985, he omitted the resonate charging chokes completely, and as he says in New Zealand in 1989 "there were two things i wouldn't tell them in the lectures back in the states, number one i wouldn't tell them how to restrict amps with the voltage intensifier circuit, and number two, i wouldn't tell them how to produce the magnetized gas"
the fact is, we have information now, and an understanding now, that experimenters did not have 1-2-3 years ago when many got stuck and gave up.