Gunpla Expo in Nagoya 2017

The stars aligned when my partner in crime--that crime being plastic model kits--unearthed a pretty neat gunpla related event while he was here visiting me in Nagoya. For the entire month of October, the Parco building would host a small exhibit on gundam model kits, with the main draw being, of course, the catalog of kits that could only be purchased at this event. Free of charge, even those not so hot on model kits could stop by to browse the exhibit...and maybe put the money for admission to something like a new kit.

The small exhibition started with a brief rundown of each line of kits in Bandai's arsenal.

The main floor space was split between painted kits and new releases.

Taking up the most space was probably the most anticipated: the latest entry in the perfect grade line, Gundam Exia. 

Personal favorites from the new lineup of kits. 

There was a creative bear guy display, featuring all the variations of the kit in just about every color. 

And of course, the Build Fighters line of kits is still going. 

A booth held some kits painted by Japanese celebrities: singers, actors, and idols all contributed some interesting kits. The F91 was simple but brilliant. 

These kits were all a part of this year's Gunpla Builders World Cup. 

The real loot was the assortment of exclusive kits available at the end of the display, featuring color variants, clear parts, and the like. I picked up some interesting kits but they actually weren't on this list at all. Stay tuned!

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Chris

Shizuoka Hobby Show 2017: Modeler's Clubs (West Hall) 5/13/2017

Across a large, open walkway displaying tanks and vehicles from the Japan Self Defense Force to curious aficianados is a small elevator that goes up to the West Hall space, a much smaller venue than the stadium like main halls that felt much more like a regular ballroom. Despite their detachment and miniscule size, the talent in this space wasn't compromised in the least and, perhaps, it was here that I saw some of of the most impressive works of the entire convention. The smaller hall perhaps gave way to more interaction with the builders themselves, too, allowing for a more intimate atmosphere that was less crowded, noisy, and bustling than the main halls.

I only realized  after looking at the picture at the end of the event that these two Fuchikomas were decked out in cigarette company logos.

Impressive dioramas. The small explosion on the AT-AT in the Rogue One diorama was lit up by an LED.

A massive scale figure of Haman from Gundam. Sign me up for a kit.

I feel criminal in that I couldn't get a better picture of this impressive bust of Snake.

Large Canti replication from the anime FLCL. I hope this gets a kit treatment sometime.

I'm not so fond of the plain paint job on the Swordfish itself, but this diorama of a scene from Cowboy Bebop impressed nonetheless.

Impressive work on a Figure-Rise bust of Fumina.

This model is based on the cover of an early manga by Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo and surprised me more than anything else. Not to mention the paint job is fantastic.

A great little military diorama.

Great large scale dioramas with a huge sense of scale.

A light up kit/diorama of a soldier from Jin-Roh.

One of my favorite pieces recreates the scene from Nausicaa in which she peers out from inside of the skull of a God Warrior.

Another of the mundane, slice of life dioramas that are always well done.

Wego kits are starting to show up prominently and in imaginative dioramas.

More of a reference kit for when I paint my Arcadia. At least I know that the recently released Hasegawa version, pictured here, is much smaller in scale.

Love Live didn't have as an impressive showing as last year, but these few kits sufficed.

This creator had some great robot designs with a interesting pastel color palette.

Top level Ma.K Dioramas. I especially like the space station.

An underrated suit that I always hoped would be released as a kit someday: Baund Doc.

The size of this thing was enormous. The O, at its feet, is 1/100 in scale.

Great diorama.

These  Okami kits were a surprise as well. I'm not sure if these are scratch built.

I made sure to see just about all the kits on display before leaving and I was just in time: officials came in to announce it was almost 5PM, closing time.
It's hard not to leave the show with something and rest assured, I picked up a few items at the Modeler's Flea Market when I first stopped by which I will save for a separate post.
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Chri