Hobby shows, 2017-2020
Hobby shows happen throughout the year in Japan, which Bandai has traditionally used to display forthcoming products in all sorts of interesting ways. Here’s a roundup of the shows that took place during the tenure of 2202 with accompanying photo galleries of products and displays.
Wonder Festival 2017 Winter
February 19, 2017
The twice-yearly Wonder Festival is always a great place to look for forthcoming Yamato products and new items from the garage kit world, and this one got the job done.
See a photo gallery here.
Shizuoka Hobby Show
May 11-14, 2017
History was made on this day with the unveiling of the 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.
Mega Hobby Expo, 2017 Spring
May 27, 2017
This was a single-day exhibition in Akihabara, Tokyo by Megahouse to promote current and upcoming products, mainly Cosmo Fleet miniatures
Also on hand was the soon-to-be-released “Advent Nose Art” figure of Yuki Mori and the first promo image for Akira Yamamoto.
See more photos from the event here.
Find more coverage here and here.
Tamashii Nations World Tour event, Osaka
May 27 & 28, 2017
Held periodically by the Bandai Collector’s Division, this event featured the unveiling of the S.H. Figuarts Akira Yamamoto action figure.
Also on hand were the 1/2000 “Shining Ship” miniatures.
See additional coverage at Tag Hobby here and here, and at Dengeki Hobbyweb here and here.
Wonder Festival 2017 Summer
July 30, 2017
The 2017 Summer Wonder Festival in Tokyo had current and upcoming Yamato products on display from both Bandai and Megahouse, various garage kits, and one-of-a-kind custom fan models.
See a substantial photo gallery here.
57th All Japan Model Hobby Show
September 29-October 1, 2017
This event had plenty of eye candy for everyone from new and forthcoming products to the 3-meter Yamato to a live talk show with Writer Harutoshi Fukui and Director Nobuyoshi Habara.
See a photo gallery here.
See a video walk-through of the Bandai booth here.
Tamashii Nations 2017 exhibition
December 1-3, 2017
More 1/2000 “Shining Ship” miniatures were unveiled at this event, and photos were published online at Dengeki Hobbyweb, Anime Now, and Mantan Web.)
See a gallery of photos here.
Wonder Festival 2018 Winter
February 18, 2018
This Wonderfest kicked off a new year of hobby show events with plenty of Yamato 2202 products to arrest the eyeballs. Bandai grabbed everyone’s attention with a display case containing 2202 model kits and a previously-unrevealed set of one-of-a-kind 3D printed reference models used by Director Nobuyoshi Habara for drawing reference.
Naturally, fans flooded Twitter with photos. See a gallery here, along with other Yamato goodies from the event.
Shizuoka Hobby Show
May 10-13, 2018
Bandai gave Yamato 2202 a very prominent spot in its display space, the highlights of which were a Gatlantis warpout diorama and a “top secret” prototype model (later revealed as the Ginga). Other booths showed off Yamato garage kits and finished models.
See a photo gallery here.
See a report on Dengeki Hobby Web here.
See photos by friend-of-the-website Bryan Powell here.
Wonder Festival 2018 Summer
July 29, 2018
Always a good flashpoint for Yamato product sightings, 2202 made a strong showing at Wonderfest in the Bandai booth and elsewhere.
Bandai’s display gave everyone an unrestricted up-close look at the 1/1000 Ginga, along with prototypes for forthcoming models. There was also a new Yuki Mori figure from Megahouse and numerous garage kits to stare at.
See an extensive photo gallery here.
C3 AFA Tokyo Hobby Show
August 25 & 26, 2018
C3 AFA [Anime Festival Asia] is an all-encompassing convention for anime, manga, novels, games, model kits, and everything else that makes Japan great. Attendees got another chance to see new and upcoming Bandai model kits at this hobby show, or take in another viewing of Yamato 2202 Chapter 1.
See a photo gallery here.
All Japan Model & Hobby Show
September 29 & 30, 2018
Yamato products that had been teased throughout the month of September could be found at the Bandai Spirits booth, featuring the 1/100 display model and a Yuki cosplayer. Nearby was a working demo model of the GX-86 and a case showing all the newest and forthcoming Bandai model kits.
See a photo gallery here.
See a comprehensive photo-blog of the event here.
See video coverage here (Yamato stuff at the start) and here (Yamato stuff at 18:30).
Tamashii Nations 2018
October 26-28, 2018
This Bandai-sponsored event gave the company another chance to display the recently-announced GX-86 Soul of Chogokin Yamato with its many bells and whistles. They even brought in a couple of ringers for photo ops: Sound Director Tomohiro Yoshida and Yuki’s voice actor Houko Kuwashima (above left photo, standing in the center). A separate display put recent Yamato products together with others from Gundam, Dunbine, and Macross.
Yoshida and Kuwashima both participated in a Yamatalk that covered their own work and incorporated discussions about new products. See the 45-minute presentation on Youtube here.
See the GX-86 Yamato demo on video here.
See a Tamashii Nations photoblog here.
Photo posted on Twitter by Tamashii Nations
Wonder Festival 2019 Winter
February 10, 2019
2202 was about to end, but another Yamato pavilion was set up to start another year in style. The 3-meter display model was there along with new and upcoming Bandai products.
Yamato Crew was there with fan club merchandise. A new “valentine pack” went on sale featuring Yuki and Yamamoto. The pack contained chocolates and an exclusive clear file, and was limited to 450 units.
There were also garage kits to be found from independent manufacturers. See everything in a Wonder Festival 2019 photo gallery here.
Shizuoka Hobby Show
May 9-12, 2019
The annual hobby event in Bandai’s home town of Shizuoka lured Yamato fans in to see the latest in plastic creations of both professionals and fans alike. Bandai unveiled newly-released kits and prototypes in their Yamato booth, including the “higher-dimension” Yamato.
See a photo gallery here.
International Tokyo Toy Show 2019
June 13-16, 2019
Bandai used this event to officially announce their first-ever Soul of Chogokin Garmillas vessel, the classic destroyer (renamed Destria in Yamato 2199).
59th All Japan Model Hobby Show
September 26-29, 2019
Here, Bandai took center stage in Yamato news, surprising everyone with new model kit announcements even though 2202 was now long over with.
See a photo gallery here.
See video footage by friend-of-the-website Gwyn Campbell here.
See an extended walk-through of the event here. (Bandai’s Yamato display appears at 10:55)
Photos posted on Twitter by Giga.
Tamashii Nation 2019
October 26 & 27, 2019
Bandai’s annual toy/hobby exhibition brought some upcoming products into the spotlight, including the Soul of Chogokin Garmillas Destroyer and its googly eyes.
Read more about the event here.
February 9: Wonder Festival 2020 Winter
February 9, 2020
Before Covid19 came along and started ruining everyone’s fun, the month of February saw the first hobby show of the year where fans could find a few garage kit offerings. It turned out this would be the last hobby show for 2020 until quarantine could be lifted.
See a short photo gallery here.
Fan hobby events
Whereas all the above events are funded by corporate sponsorship, numerous smaller-scale fan-run hobby exhibitions take place all over Japan and Yamato models can be found at most of them, including some very elaborate original creations. Here are all the fan events that took place during the run of 2202.
Yamato Fest
April 29, 2017
This event was held at a modeling shop called Kishida Model in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Held by Twitter user “Shinya2199”, it was a gathering point for Yamato model builders at all levels for one afternoon. Photos are scarce, but some images can be seen at Shinya2199’s Twitter page here.
Doro Off VII
October 7, 2017
Founded by modelmaker Doro Hige, this annual exhibition brings amateurs and professional modelers together in Tokyo to show off their latest projects, and Yamato always makes a respectable showing.
See a gallery of photos from the event here.
Visit Doro Hige’s Twitter page here and his blog here.
Doro Off VIII
September 22 & 23, 2018
Yamato kits were stronger than ever at this one. See a photo gallery here.
See another photo collection at Deculture Shock here.
Hobby Round 20
October 6, 2018
Sponsored by Volks, this one-day hobby show took place in Tokyo and had no specific Yamato connection, but these two garage kits were for sale; one of the Ginga and a another of the Cosmo Tiger 1, as yet unreleased by anyone. (Photos posted on Yahoo Japan by user “mb883g5b”.)
Visit the Volks website for a photo-report of Hobby Round 20 (scroll all the way down for access to categories).
Hokkaido Modeler’s Exhibition
October 7 & 8, 2018
One day after Hobby Round 20, this event convened in Northern Japan and quickly found its place on fan radars when pictures emerged on Twitter of a huge, elaborate 1/200 diorama of Yamato under construction.
See the photos here.
Facebook Society model show
January 5 & 6, 2019
The fifth annual gathering of the Facebook Plamodel Society took place at a bookstore in Akihabara over the first weekend of July, and one modeler’s Yamato display was particularly eye-catching.
See a photo gallery here.
43rd Miyazawa Model Exhibition
April 9, 2019
This Tokyo-based hobby show would have escaped mention here but for something that turned up in a blog post from Digitamin Hobby Shop: photos of an exquisite 1/1 Cosmo Gun water pistol by Daiki Co. (which was released in the fall).
See the Digitamin blog entry here.
Doro Off IX
September 21 & 22, 2019
Modelers came together in Asakusa, Tokyo to show off their latest creations at the 9th Doro-off exhibition. There were plenty of photographers on hand who shared their sightings on Twitter.
See a photo gallery here.
See more photos of the various displays here and here.
Space Battleship Exhibition
September 29, 2019
The Volks Hobby showroom in Osaka was the site of a smaller modeling event with a specific focus. The poster made it clear enough that Yamato would be represented, but there were other items on hand, too.
See a Yamato-only photo gallery here.
See more photos at the event’s Twitter page here.
Photo posted on Twitter by Shinya2199
HOBAS model exhibition
January 25, 2020
HOBAS is an abbreviation for “Hokkaido BBY-01 Association,” a Yamato fan club based in Hokkaido prefecture. On January 25, they made themselves visible with a one-day modeling exhibit in Hokkaido’s capital city Sapporo.
The group is eager to connect with other Yamato fans wherever they can be found, so bookmark them on Twitter and reach out today!
Yokohama Modelers Club exhibition
February 15 & 16, 2020
Modelbuilders in Yokohama assembled for a festive weekend (the last before Covid19 brought 2020 hobby shows to an end) to display their treasures, and Yamato was well-represented.
See a photo gallery here.