The “relaxing ease of use,” “affordable price,” and “unobtrusive size” blow me away!
Space Battleship Yamato Mecha Collection
Bandai’s Mecha Collection is a plastic model series that has been popular ever since its release in 1979. While casual use is its biggest attraction, what is the reason it continues to fascinate modelers in other areas? To find out, we visited an amateur modeler.
Photos: Kenichiro Ogawa, Text: Mono Magazine Editorial Department
Profile: Masayuki Kato
Masayuki Kato is an amateur modeler who enjoys building plastic models, especially Gundam kits, robot models, and military models such as airplanes, battleships, and tanks. He is also interested in cars and mountain climbing, and was born in 1971.
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The Yamato 2202 Mecha Collection is the top of the line in my collection,” says Kato, “and all 27 ships in the collection are part of a fleet. The size is small and inexpensive, so you can make a lot of them and put them together in a small space.”
The best “relaxation plamo” for casual enjoyment
The Bandai Mecha Collection, first launched in 1979, continues to boast enduring popularity to this day. When Bandai first released the mecha collection, a major selling point was the low price of 100 yen per model, which even children could afford with their pocket money. It boasted a rich lineup, attractive designs, and easy-to-collect size. While its ease of assembly is its greatest charm, what other factors contribute to its enduring appeal for modelers? To uncover the reasons, we visited an amateur modeler. Mr. Kato has been building models since he was a child, enjoying it as a casual hobby even now.
“I started plastic modeling when I was in elementary school under the influence of my older brother, and I continue to do it as a hobby. My usual go-to stress-relieving models are Gundam, Macross, Votoms, Dougram, L-Gaim, and other robot and military collections like tanks. Recently, I’ve been putting effort into creating original custom models by combining them with figures like Chibi-Maruko-chan and Mecha-Taro.”
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Mr. Kato’s policy is to “build what you want, how you want.” He currently owns 44 Mecha Collection kits in the Yamato series, including 27 assembled models and 17 unassembled. “I’m not new to collecting kits, basically,” he says. He enjoys building what he likes as he likes it. “I also appreciate the fact that I can display them without taking up too much space.”
While incorporating original custom builds is Kato’s style, he says his approach to enjoying the Space Battleship Yamato Mecha Collection series differs slightly from the usual style. The Yamato series serves as a relaxing pastime for Kato, allowing him to recharge and think about his next elaborate project after pouring his heart and soul into robot model building.
“The robot model kits I build are for display purposes. I often participate in exhibitions and such. However, unless they feature flashy customizations, they don’t get much attention. Building robot model kits takes a considerable amount of time and effort, so I need a cooling-off period after completing one. During these cooling-off periods, I build the SYamato Mecha Collection kits. I make these plastic models as a way to relax, and I don’t follow the instructions in the manual either. However, I want to pursue a sense of reality, so I try to preserve the atmosphere of Yamato by adding my own worldview that I have cultivated through the creation of plastic models. The Mecha Collection is inexpensive, easy to use, palm-sized, easy to display, and can be assembled in large numbers, so it’s a good thing.”
What is it about Yamato that attracts him?
“For me, as a military enthusiast, it’s the shape of the ship. Yamato, of course, but Andromeda, the Deusula, and the three-stage aircraft carrier are just so cool. I also feel the romance of naval battles in space. The battleship Yamato is at the bottom of the ocean, but the Space Battleship Yamato can be revived many times. I am also attracted to that kind of thing.”
1. Books purchased in childhood are also carefully stored
These are some of the important books that show Kato has loved Yamato since he was a child. The books he purchased, such as the Keibunsha Encyclopedia series, Bandai’s Entertainment Bible series, and Sun Comics manga, are still in good condition.
Just a little effort will greatly increase the level of perfection!
2. Mr. Kato says he loves Andromeda. At left in the photo is the old Andromeda kit priced at 100 yen, and the right photo shows the current 2202 Andromeda kit. “The current version is more advanced in terms of proportions and detailing. But there is no doubt that both have good qualities,” Kato says.
3. The appeal of the current models on the market is that they can be assembled just like the box art without painting or gluing,” says Mr. Kato.
4. Mr. Kato’s “5 masterpieces” are here
Right: He chose Andromeda and the Desler Gunship from the old product lineup, saying, “At that time, kits were assembled by gluing the parts together, which inevitably left gaps at the center. To eliminate this problem, we used more adhesive and after the overflowed adhesive hardened, we sanded to fill the gaps and painted them. Left: Among the current products, I selected the following from Yamato 2202: Yamato, Nazca, and Calaklum.