Hobby Japan magazine has long been a source for Yamato news in the world of models and toys with countless pages of coverage over the decades and the prodigious articles that can be found in our Yamato 2199 reports. Founded in 1969, its very first Yamato coverage came in the December 1977 issue (published in October) just two months after the feature film worked its magic.

At this time, only the first round of Bandai kits had been released (which included the notorious windup motors), but the explosion was coming. Here is that vintage article in full, which also provided a rare glimpse into Yamato fandom – and the delightful bonus of a future star sighting.

We Are Yamato Fans!!

Dreams, adventures, and roman

Space Battleship Yamato‘s fearsome popularity has been revived once again!

Bandai is releasing a new Yamato kit. While the old kit was a spring-powered model, the new kit is deformed so that the image fits perfectly with Yamato‘s appearance on posters and scenes. This is interesting because there has never been a model of this kind before.

It is designed to be easy for anyone to assemble, and won’t be unsuitable for experienced modelers in general. However, if we interpret it as purely an expression for display, we can’t say that it will satisfy a mania. [Translator’s note: “mania” and “maniac” were the precursor words for “otaku.”] Certainly, the oblique view from the front is a powerful image of Yamato, but it is a model that should be viewed only from the front.

As for related models, the Cosmo Zero, Black Tiger, and Analyzer will be sold again. There are rumors that the Cosmo Zero and Black Tiger will be released with new spring-powered motors. Since these models are close to the original designs, it is possible that some modifications can be made to improve them. I think you can enjoy this kit by referring to illustrations.

Caption: The photos above and below are both wooden prototype models. You can see how it is deformed.

TEXT A

Yasusuke Sonoyama

Otokuni High School Model Making Club
3 Takenodai, Nagaokakyo City, Kyoto Prefecture

The photos show models exhibited by our club at the school festival. The workmanship is not great, but this Yamato was modified from Bandai’s old kit. I made the third bridge, rocket anchor, and other parts. The photo was taken with a 28mm wide-angle lens.

Other photos include a Gamilas assault ship, Dessler ship, Gamilas aircraft carrier, Dessler Medal, Cosmo Zero, and the space destroyer Yukikaze. Except for Cosmo Zero and Yamato, all of them were made by myself. I also exhibited the 1/72 Stanley Witch, 90 Degree Descent Shock, and My Youth in Arcadia.

[Translator’s note: this refers to a chapter from Leiji Matsumoto’s My Youth in Arcadia World War II manga, which lent its name to the 1982 Captain Harlock feature film.]

TEXT B

Yutaka Izubuchi

Yamato Association member
Motoohashi Bridge, Totsuka Ward, Yokohama City

These figures were made at the request of the club. It turned out to be a rough work, but the character’s skin color and facial features change between the beginning and ending of the story, so it was necessary to select an episode. I think the skin color changed around episode 11. In the movie, Dessler’s skin color was changed to blue, but Shulz’s skin color was not, probably because of his number of appearances. For the time being, the skin of Gamilas people is blue and for Dessler I chose a narcissistic example with a Napoleonic feel.

For Domel, I chose a point in time with his first drawing, but when it came time to create the figure, it became clear how much of a gap there was between the anime and an actual three-dimensional model. The problem is the face. Because it’s an anime, the face changes when you see it from different angles. If you express it as it is from one view, it will look strange from other views. I wanted to make Starsha, but I couldn’t figure out how to do the hair.

TEXT C

Norikazu Suzuki

Yamato Association member
Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture

I liked the last scene of the first TV episode and I wanted to make a diorama. I was originally an AFV modeler, but I also wanted to try something else. The Yamato in the diorama was made by making holes and breaking things based on the reference materials. The real Yamato seems to be more badly damaged than the anime. The kit is made with WL. Now, I’m wondering if it is possible to make Yamato from an I-19 or other ships.

TEXT D

Toru Hiruta

Yamato Association member
2 Nishigahara, Kita Ward, Tokyo

This heavy assault tank is based on a 1/76 T-34. The only parts that remain in the basic form are the caterpillar, chassis, and wheels. The turret is machined from balsa, and the main gun is made from brass pipe. I have not made many models before, and since seeing Yamato I’m thinking of making a 1/35 model even though it’s not very good. This time I have the TV stills like before, but also some documents and drawings. I am now working hard with Mr. Izubuchi to get Gamilas mecha together.

TEXT E

Takeshi Takahashi

Onda-cho, Higashimurayama City

I am trying to build Yamato by modifying a 1/300 Battleship Yamato. It is not yet completed. Mostly, I specialize in building AFVs. But I hadn’t thrown away the Yamato I built long ago, so I decided to give it a try. I have also built the old Bandai Yamato using brass pipes for the main guns and removing the spring part to make the bottom of the ship more durable. I was unsatisfied in the end, so it has been redrawn in 1/300 scale, but it is still in the parts stage.

TEXT F

Taichi Yamamoto

(3rd year student at Tama Art University)
2 Matsushima, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo

Model photography is my hobby. The kit is a modification of Bandai’s old Yamato using clay and styrene. The background is black felt ground with white poster-color stars. The Earth is made of styrofoam with modeling paste and painted with Liquitex. The Planet Bomb is made of styrofoam with a miniature light bulb inside.

TEXT G

Tamiya doll remodeling submissions

These pieces were done for a Tamiya doll remodeling contest with great workmanship. The feeling of each character is captured well.

Captions:

Yamato Captain Juuzo Okita. Veteran of many space wars and also an excellent physicist.

Leader Dessler, dictator of Gamilas, 8th planet of the Sanzar system in the Magellanic Cloud.

The last two pages of the article were devoted to current and upcoming media:

TEXT A

Sunday Comics Space Battleship Yamato

This work is a collection of the previous serial in Adventure King by Leiji Matsumoto. Because it is a one-volume work, the battle to the death on Gamilas and the time spent on Iscandar are short and abbreviated. The story is not unnatural, and the book is very readable. You can fully enjoy the touch of Leiji Matsumoto. This is a book I would like to recommend to Leiji Matsumoto fans.

Sunday Comics Space Battleship Yamato
published by Akita Shoten, 350 yen

TEXT B

Manga published by Sun Comics

Many of you may have already read it. If you have seen the TV series and the movie, you may be interested in this book. Some may be dissatisfied with the difference in characters on the Gamilas side and the touch of Akira Hio, the artist of the manga. But if you follow the story, you will enjoy the battle scenes. A smaller version of this book is published by Sonorama Manga Bunko.

Published by Asahi Sonorama, 3 volumes, 350 yen each.
(Sonorama Manga Bunko: 260 yen each)

TEXT C

SF adventure novels published in July this year

Even though they are novels, they contain many TV and movie scenes in color as illustrations. This alone is enough to motivate the reader to buy them. The text is in large, easy-to-read type, and the conversations and atmosphere as they were shown on TV can be easily grasped. The message from Starsha, Domel’s last words, etc., bring back the emotions of the TV series and movie. The color pages mentioned above are excellent, and I also recommend it to those who want to create mecha and characters of Yamato and Gamilas. If you are a Yamato fan, you can’t help but get your hands on this book.

Published by Asahi Sonorama, 3 volumes
(Yamato Launch Volume, Yamato Death Struggle Volume, Yamato Restoration Volume)
800 yen each

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