Starting in January 2019, Hachette Collections Japan embarked on a monumental project: a weekly 1/350 Yamato “Diecast Gimmick Model.” Its huge assortment of parts was sold week by week (in stores and via subscription), allowing customers to slowly build the enormous kit in all its unprecedented detail. It took them over two years to release Yamato, after which they embarked on a 1/350 Andromeda and a 1/350 Hyuga from 2205. (Click on the ship names to see complete construction diaries.)

The models were impressive enough for their size and complexity, but they were only one part of the package. The other was an extensive Yamato 2202 encyclopedia, released as a “backup feature” in the weekly instruction manuals. Over hundreds of pages, it covered the story, characters, and mecha with the same attention to detail applied to the models. Without exception, it provides the deepest look into the series that can be found on paper.

Since that material is now out of print and shows no sign of being collected, portions of it will be presented here. Keep watching as new categories are added!