|
For those who want to see photos, ZDnet has a
better coverage.
http://www.zdnet.co.jp/gamespot/g-toys/special/event/02plamodel/index.html
|
[ Bandai ]
|
- Gundam:
- I had a chance to talk to the icon of Bandai hobby division: Mr.
Kawaguchi, or known as Master Kawaguchi in Hobby Japan and other hobby
magazines. I wanted to talk about two subjects, one was about MG
line, and the other was about the Seed. I had an impression that
the release of MG became a routine work, losing a communication
between the modelers and the developer these days. I
suggested setting up some type of discussion board, for an upcoming
kit, just like early days of MG in Hobby Japan. He explained
that Bandai didn't have any idea of how to proceed for the MG line
back then, because it was a different kind of renewal than HG, the
discussion was necessary.
Also, he said, there were only two kit designers when MG line started,
but now there are several teams, so scheduling is a lot
different. Still he said that everyone involved in Bandai kits
are keen on public reaction, and they do read mails, letters and even
discussion board on the net. And he said he'll have to consider
some type of broad communication stage on the net, because it's so
much faster than monthly magazines. He admits that the
customer response is some of the best decision
making factor to pick a new kit. He also said that there are two
types of potential MG kit buyers, ones, who have a very solid idea of how a
particular MS should be, and the other, who simply accepts the kit as
is. Lastly, now that more than 100 MG kits are available, popularity
of the rest are pretty much equal, and it's very hard to pick the next
subject. That's one reason why Hobby Japan is a little reluctant to
release the result of a poll.
-
- As for the Seed, the initial response is very good, he said.
It's the first Gundam series to start in October, and Bandai is
planning to release most of the major kit by the end of Christmas to
see how it affects the sales. They're releasing a simple 300 yen kit, standard HG
line, big scale 1/60 kit, partially assembled model from the Hobby
Division, and the Character Toy division has its own. It's
because the time slot is Sat 6:00 pm, and it appeals to very broad
audiences, so their strategy is to provide as many options as
possible, so that we can pick what suit to ourselves. He was a little
surprised to see many kindergarten and grade school kids at the booth,
and he also hear good responses on the 300 yen kit from experienced
modelers.
-
- I think Seed has a potential to bring those who are tired
of computer game back to modeling, and I hope it happens.
-
- Finally, I thank Kawaguchi-san for casually talking to me, and
talking about behind the scene stories. The first year of his
carrier at Bandai, I was working for Kotobukiya as a master modeler,
and I met him back then, and had a little talk. I don't think he
remembers me or that meeting, but he is still an honest person and an
enthusiastic modeler.
-
- Star Trek:
- This model is a great interior ornament on top of the entertainment
center or something. It's a "must" for all Sci-Fi
fans. The kit is snap together, so construction is easy, but
Bandai's snap kit is no different from some of the glue kit. It
employs the under gate molding, where the gate to connect a part and
the runner is located on the contact surface. (which is found in MG
and HGUC Hyaku Shiki) There won't be any mark after clipping the
gate.
-
|
[ Aoshima ] |
Imai's Thunderbird tools are bought by
Aoshima, and they are not only reissuing those kits, but also improving by
adding new parts, or even releasing a new kit. The first retool will
be the TB5, which has an extra part tree, and all new TB1 will be released
soon.
|
[ Hasegawa ] |
Macross must have drawn huge cash into Hasegawa, as I can tell by the
size of the Hasegawa booth. Anyway, the long waited YF-21 will be
finally released, and the first test shot was done. There were also
a wedding version of Max and Miria Valkyrie
|
[ Yamato ] |
Yamato displayed many variations of its
fully transformable Valkyries, but the highlight of this year is
definitely 1/48 VF-1. It's absolutely impressive, and it's
definitely a must for all Macross Fans. It's a great Christmas gift. Also,
no other web site is talking about this, but Yamato had a study model of a
fully transformable Escaflowne TV version in either 1/48 or 1/35,
which I couldn't tell. I think it was about 40 cm tall.
Unfortunately, no photo taking was allowed, and there were always someone
near the model. But it's definitely not on a planning stage, but in
development stage. It's supposed to be released in May 2003.
|
[ Plaz ] |
Plaz had a multi media kit of the Super Sylph
from an OVA Battle Fairy Yukikaze, based on a novel of the same
title. Although is expensive, it's in standard aircraft scale of
1/72.
|
|