May 2017 was the last full month before the premiere of 2202 Chapter 2, and the Yamato tide was definitely rising with an increase in public events. Chapter 1 made a comeback, hobby shows gave everyone a preview of things to come, the 3-meter Andromeda display model was rolled out, and the first wave of new promotion hit the streets. Here’s the complete roundup of everything that made this a special month…

March 23: Figure King #230

Backing up for a make-good, this issue of Figure King arrived at the Cosmo DNA nerve center after Report 8 was published, and now the 17-page article can be shared. It covered Chapter 1, the history of Yamato model kits, new products, and an interview with Bandai’s Yamato guru Hirofumi Kishiyama.

See all the pages here

May 1: Scale Aviation Vol. 115

As we’ve seen in recent reports, 2202 Designer/Assistant Director Makoto Kobayashi has scratch-built a proto-version of his Cosmo Tiger I and posted photos on his Twitter page. Due to all the demands on his time, Kobayashi seldom takes on idle projects, so it came as no surprise that this model would become the subject of a magazine article.

This may not be the first time a Yamato subject has graced the pages of Scale Aviation (published by Dai Nippon Kaiga), but it’s definitely a first for some of the accompanying text information; a 6-page article examined the “Cosmo One” in depth with background data found nowhere else.

See the article here.

May 1: 1/2000 Yamato on display

On or before this day, one of the many Bandai Collector’s Division showrooms in Akihabara, Tokyo, unveiled the 1/2000 “Shining Ship” Yamato miniature.

These photos, showing the prototype’s exquisite detail, were posted to Twitter by Kin Neko. The ship is scheduled for September release.

By the end of the month, prototypes for Andromeda and the Cosmo Navy Battleship Dreadnought joined the display.

Scaled to match Yamato at 1/2000, Andromeda is due out in December with Dreadnought to follow in early 2018.

May 2: Chapter 2 package art

The slipcase art for the home video release for Chapter 2 was revealed on this day with two striking new images from Makoto Kobayashi. The slipcase will come with the first pressings of both DVD and Blu-ray.

May 2: Key visual

This new promotional image for Chapter 2 appeared on the same day. By the end of the month, it was showing up in public spaces with a weighty new slogan attached: “Yamato, launch again – rise up and fight the Andromeda fleet!”

May 3: 1/130 Yamato Jet model

The next model kit in the 2202 universe did not come from Bandai; instead, Skymark Airlines released this foot-long version of the Yamato Jet. At first it was only available directly from Skymark, but it was picked up for online sales at the Yamato Crew online shop on May 19. Construction is extremely simple; wings on, tail fins on, stand on, done.

See a photo gallery of the model here.

Visit the Yamato Jet’s home page here.

May 5: Osaka hobby show

May is the month that typically launches the big summer hobby shows, but there are smaller ones hosted by private clubs all year long. Such a gathering was reported by Twitter user Yurikonekoneko, which gave us a taste of how deeply the new Andromeda kit has already penetrated the modeling world.

This photo was posted by Twitter user Selene Air, who mentioned original decals being available.

It is not known if these are the same decals, but they did appear that same week in a Yahoo Japan auction listing. Get a better look at them here.

An avid aircraft modeling fan, Selene Air also posted these photos of the freshly-released Yamato Jet kit from Skymark.

May 9: Yamato Crew store

Preorders for three upcoming Megahouse products opened up at the Yamato Crew online store along with new images for both. First up is the Cosmo Fleet Special Yamato miniature for 2202 with the classic asteroid ring. When assembled, it stands about 6.5″ tall.

The ship itself comes with the standard removable wings and rotating turrets, but one altogether new item is a bonus poster with a truly dramatic launch image. The CFSP Yamato is scheduled for a late August release.

Next is the CFSP miniature of the Medarusa-Class Annihilation Heavy Battleship from the Gatlantis fleet. This is a reissue of the Megaluda from Ark of the Stars with one very minor change, the removal of the ship name from the front flanks (shown at right). Otherwise, it is identical with rotating turrets, a removable Flame Strike Gun, and tiny fightercraft.

The final upcoming item is the 1/8 Yuki Mori “private coordinate” figure, which reproduces a peaceful scene we’re not likely to see in the series. This figure is scheduled to appear in September.

May 10: PASH, June issue

Devoted to anime boys and bros, this magazine from Housewife and Life Co. found a way to promote Yamato 2202 by focusing on the “bro dude“ angle.

In addition to a new Kodai-and-Shima-celebrating-their-bro-dude-ness poster, there was also a 2-page article that profiled all the dudes that grace the screen in the new series. See a larger version of the poster at the bottom of this page.

May 11-14: Shizuoka Hobby Show

History was made on this day with the unveiling of the newest large-scale public display model: a 3-meter long Andromeda, precisely as depicted in Yamato 2202. Though not in scale with the 3-meter Yamato (estimated at 1/135 to Yamato’s 1/100), it is the largest Andromeda made so far, whose sleek beauty makes it an immediate eye-grabber.

It was the centerpiece of the Bandai booth at Shizuoka, which put new and upcoming models on display. Original kits by private modelers and clubs could be found elsewhere at the event, and Twitter quickly filled up with an avalanche of photos.

See a gallery here.

May 13: Display models on tour

The Shizuoka Hobby show ended all too soon, but when you invest in giant display models you don’t keep them under wraps for long. The 1/100 Yamato was installed at a shopping mall in Kawasaki (near the Cinechita theater) on May 13 and stayed there through May 28.

Andromeda took up residence in the vicinity of a MOVIX theater in Shizuoka from May 13 to June 4. Both then moved on to other locations to take up the mission of promoting Chapter 2.

And where they went, the fans followed. See photos of Yamato here and Andromeda here.

May 13: Chapter 1 screening

During the weekend of the Shizuoka Hobby Show, 2202 Chapter 1 made a theatrical comeback in a MOVIX theater in the same city. The 3-meter Andromeda was on site for both days, and the screening took place in the afternoon of the 13th with an on-stage talk featuring Writer Harutoshi Fukui and Director Nobuyoshi Habara. Attendees walked away with a free sheet of stickers.

May 17: Chapter 1 Promotion Meeting of Love

Picking up the title of the Youtube series that ran in February (read about it here), this was essentially a Yamatalk event attached to another screening of Chapter 1. It returned to the familiar base camp of the Shinjuku Piccadilly theater in Tokyo.

Once again, MC Osamu Kobayashi hosted a live conversation with Harutoshi Fukui and Nobuyoshi Habara, who were joined by voice actor Eriko Nakamura in her first official 2202 appearance.

May 18: Bandai Visual site

Bandai Visual revealed more of the packaging for the upcoming Chapter 2 Blu-ray. Once again, the theater-exclusive edition will include a pair of booklets, this time containing the storyboards and script for Episode 4. Nobuteru Yuuki’s charming cover art for the storyboard book speaks for itself. From this, we learned that the title of Episode 4 will be Launch to the Unknown.

Visit the site here.

May 24: TV Guide magazine

The July issue of TV Guide was published on this day, containing the first of a two-part interview with voice actors Hiroshi Kamiya (Keyman) and Kenichi Suzumura (Shima), a pairing that hasn’t yet been seen in 2202 media. Look for it in a future update. The image above was posted on Twitter, derived from the photo-shoot for the article.

May 25: Dengeki Hobbylink article

One of the forthcoming kits introduced at the Shizuoka Hobby Show was the 1/1000 Aldebaran, a recolored version of the 1/1000 Andromeda that includes the same “Movie Effect” light-and-sound gimmicks. Dengeki Hobbylink profiled the kit (due out in August) in an article that can be seen here.

May 25: Hobby Japan #577

This issue of Hobby Japan condensed all the latest Yamato news (essentially the highlights of everything so far in this report) into three pages, including the sights at Shizuoka.

There were also photos of the 1/1000 Dreadnought coming in June and the Megahouse products that were up for preorder.

May 25: Yamato 2199 smart phone game

Over on the Yamato 2199 side of the coin, the newest smart phone game was launched on this day by the Mobage company: Yamato 2199 ~ Journey to Iscandar. In this interactive journey, players recreate the story while managing materials and parameters to meet every challenge. A new art style differentiates it from earlier games, and it will evolve into a 2202 game later this year. See more information here.

May 26: Chapter 2 program book news

The official 2202 website released cover art for the Chapter 2 program book (above left), to be published on premiere day. Content will include interviews with Harutoshi Fukui (writer), Taichi Kimura (CG director), Kenichi Suzumura (voice of Shima) and Hiroki Touchi (voice of Saito).

May 26: Etsutan papercraft models

On the same day, a company named Etsutan floated onto the Cosmo DNA radar. Specializing in paper models of naval vessels, they have also been making Yamato models for some time, up to and including a new Andromeda.

Visit their Facebook page here and their official site here.

May 27: Mega Hobby Expo, 2017 Spring

The last weekend of May was struck by twin hobby-related events. The first was a single-day exhibition in Akihabara, Tokyo by Megahouse to promote current and upcoming products. In addition to the CFSP miniatures mentioned earlier in this report, they surprised everyone with their latest prototype: Andromeda. (No release date yet.)

Also on hand was the soon-to-be-released “Advent Nose Art” figure of Yuki Mori and the very first promo image for an Akira Yamamoto figure to arrive at an undisclosed date.

See more photos from the event here.

Find more coverage here and here.

May 27-28: Tamashii Nations World Tour event, Osaka

Held periodically by the Bandai Collector’s Division (a consortium of high-end products under the Bandai umbrella), this event settled in at Osaka for the weekend. Yamato items were few but noteworthy. Here too, Akira Yamamoto was the subject of a surprise unveiling, this time as an action figure in the SHFiguarts line, which previously announced a Yuki Mori (to be released in August).

Also on hand were the same 1/2000 “Shining Ship” miniatures listed earlier in this report.

See additional coverage at Tag Hobby here and here, and at Dengeki Hobbyweb here and here.

The most significant Yamato presence at the Tamashii Nations event happened on the second day when 2202 writer Harutoshi Fukui took the stage for a live talk show appearance, accompanied by animation researcher Koji Igarashio. For about thirty minutes, they discussed Yamato’s history in the hobby world, discussing products new and old.

Their conversation can be seen on Youtube here.

May 31: 1/8 Yuki Mori “Advent Nose Art” figure

The first Yamato Girl figure of the 2202 era arrived to close out the month of May. Naturally, it had to be another Yuki.

Named and sculpted in the image of a “nose art” girl from a vintage WWII aircraft, this Yuki is posed with a loose chain and broken anchor. Her jacket is removable with a hood up or hood down option. This is the first of three 2202 figures announced by Megahouse so far.

---