Hi guys. Just reading through the forums, checking to see if Chris (Eagle50) is still around. I’m planning a whistle stop trip to Tokyo for the Yokohama Hobby Forum Show first week in December and wondered if anyone else was planning on being there.
I haven’t been back to Japan since Covid, so a bit sad to hear things aren’t as they used to be.
Cheers
Tania
Model shops in Tokyo?
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F1Xena
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
The four building blocks of the Universe are fire, water, styrene and white-metal.
Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
Well i had good conversation with Chris years ago when he helped by translating the instructions for Studio27 P34 transkit, but i miss him also since a couple of years now, hope everything is well at him!
Take a stand!
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Flemming
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
I'll be there as well Tania!F1Xena wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 10:23 pm Hi guys. Just reading through the forums, checking to see if Chris (Eagle50) is still around. I’m planning a whistle stop trip to Tokyo for the Yokohama Hobby Forum Show first week in December and wondered if anyone else was planning on being there.
I haven’t been back to Japan since Covid, so a bit sad to hear things aren’t as they used to be.
Cheers
Tania
Best regards
Flemming
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F1Xena
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
Good news Fleming. We should meet!
PM coming your way.
Tania
PM coming your way.
Tania
The four building blocks of the Universe are fire, water, styrene and white-metal.
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stubeck
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
To put things into perspective a bit (I'm the OP), I believe the big issue we had was primarily where we stayed. Don't stay anywhere near Senso-Ji and you'll likely have a much better time. We also went right after cherry blossom season, right before Golden Week, and right after they stopped requiring foreigners to be vaccinated. It was likely a perfect storm of bad timing.F1Xena wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 10:23 pm Hi guys. Just reading through the forums, checking to see if Chris (Eagle50) is still around. I’m planning a whistle stop trip to Tokyo for the Yokohama Hobby Forum Show first week in December and wondered if anyone else was planning on being there.
I haven’t been back to Japan since Covid, so a bit sad to hear things aren’t as they used to be.
Cheers
Tania
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dmarek
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
Finishers recently bought a huge stock of older kits mostly 1/20 but some 1/12 as well. Always fun to go there and it's so close to the station. Start from there on Ginza line (Inaricho) Then Leonardo (Suehirocho), Then Tamiya Plamodel and Spark Gallery (Shimbashi) then top it off with Honda Headquarters: Usually a F1 car or Moto GP there (Aoyama)
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allnie
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
Both Leonardo and Finisher have a lot of secondhand kits. Typically the price level at Finisher is much lower than Leonardo.
Br
Allan
Allan
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stubeck
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
I'm curious how people find it now versus when i went in April. Leonardo did not have much different from when I was there in 2019, and the prices were very high.
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Lunokhod
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
Enjoy Japan
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Flemming
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Re: Model shops in Tokyo?
Hi
Currently in Tokyo, for an extended weekend with the Hobbyforum.jp in Yokohama on sunday as the probable highlight ( I hope!)
As I arrived friday morning I have spend a lot of time shopping around all the usual spots and some new. It is not too changed from what I saw back in 2019 - pre covid.
What is apparant is that goddamn Gundam is gradually taking over to the cost of space for 'proper' kits... I am sure someone will be offended!
Anyway here is a rundown of my findings. I am a general modeller so I don't get too upset with the smaller availability of cars.
The big one. Yodebashi at Akihabara station. It is the 5th floor where you will find kits. Some kits... Some cars. Aoshima Japanes hot hatches as well as models from NuNu, Tamiya and so on. Huge amounts of Gundamn. Worth the visit for cheaper prices on tools of every kind.
Shosen book tower. Full pull! Had all the japanese car magazines I was looking for - and some more! 6th floor IIRC.
Yellow Submarine and AmiAmi. YS will be closing I think? AmiAmi had some kits - also cars. But that otherwise fine shop is in a decline I am afraid?
Finisher shop close to Ueno station. A must visit. As had been said before a lot of old kits for sale - but also a lot of decals. SK Decals and some decals to remodel earlier Haas cars. Unfortunately an accident happend while I was there... A guy from Amazon came with a big box. Mr. Kawaguchi-san asked if I build 1:20 F1 cars? I could state that I did. Okay he said here is a new 3D model of the 2022 Aston Martin! I did not know beforehand that I needed that kit - so I accidently bought it!
Tam Tam hobby shop. 4th floor is kits and a lot of Gundam - 5th floor is diacast and trains. They had the Meng MP 4/4 among others. I found the new(ish) Hasegawa Toyota R91 in Denso colours. They have a lot of Hasegawa car kits - a few Nunu. But not the one I needed...
The two LG shops are close to TamTam. LG 2 is actually round the corner of Tam Tam and is the smaller one. It is on the 4th floor of a building beside a coffee shop. The other LG is 4 roads away. Some cars but mostly kits of all other kinds.
Tamiya shop in Shimbashi is a must see - but it has by now been filmed to death on youtube!
Close by is a small Spark shop - that was closed when I was there. Didn't seem to have a colossal inventory though.
The Honda center as suggested earlier naturally didn't have anything racing on display.☹ Mostly some street motorcycles and a hot hatch Civic. But a nice place with a cafe and small shop. Take the Ginza line subway to station G04 (Aoyama-Itchome) and the Honda building is right beside the exit from the subway.
Back to Akihabara and the Electric City. There has been opened a new Volks shop. Volks was back in the day a part of Yellow Submarine. But was missing when I visited that place. So I googled - and Yo and behold a 'Volks Akihabara Hobby Paradise 2' has opened just around the corner from Yodebashi and the big square in front of the station. It was not too convincing when looking in... A lot of dolls - Gundam (again) - and other items I had no interest in. But I gave it a chance - and on the 3rd floor is the old SWS 'outlet' (Super Wing Series of famous aircraft) and a lot of tools. Not other kits, so don't expect that. But the tools section is worth it if for nothing else.
You won't find a lot of resin kits or carmodel afterparts in the general shops. You may find it in LG shops and naturally at Finisher's.
Now for the Hobbyforum tomorrow - so I finally can go broke!
Flemming
Currently in Tokyo, for an extended weekend with the Hobbyforum.jp in Yokohama on sunday as the probable highlight ( I hope!)
As I arrived friday morning I have spend a lot of time shopping around all the usual spots and some new. It is not too changed from what I saw back in 2019 - pre covid.
What is apparant is that goddamn Gundam is gradually taking over to the cost of space for 'proper' kits... I am sure someone will be offended!
Anyway here is a rundown of my findings. I am a general modeller so I don't get too upset with the smaller availability of cars.
The big one. Yodebashi at Akihabara station. It is the 5th floor where you will find kits. Some kits... Some cars. Aoshima Japanes hot hatches as well as models from NuNu, Tamiya and so on. Huge amounts of Gundamn. Worth the visit for cheaper prices on tools of every kind.
Shosen book tower. Full pull! Had all the japanese car magazines I was looking for - and some more! 6th floor IIRC.
Yellow Submarine and AmiAmi. YS will be closing I think? AmiAmi had some kits - also cars. But that otherwise fine shop is in a decline I am afraid?
Finisher shop close to Ueno station. A must visit. As had been said before a lot of old kits for sale - but also a lot of decals. SK Decals and some decals to remodel earlier Haas cars. Unfortunately an accident happend while I was there... A guy from Amazon came with a big box. Mr. Kawaguchi-san asked if I build 1:20 F1 cars? I could state that I did. Okay he said here is a new 3D model of the 2022 Aston Martin! I did not know beforehand that I needed that kit - so I accidently bought it!
Tam Tam hobby shop. 4th floor is kits and a lot of Gundam - 5th floor is diacast and trains. They had the Meng MP 4/4 among others. I found the new(ish) Hasegawa Toyota R91 in Denso colours. They have a lot of Hasegawa car kits - a few Nunu. But not the one I needed...
The two LG shops are close to TamTam. LG 2 is actually round the corner of Tam Tam and is the smaller one. It is on the 4th floor of a building beside a coffee shop. The other LG is 4 roads away. Some cars but mostly kits of all other kinds.
Tamiya shop in Shimbashi is a must see - but it has by now been filmed to death on youtube!
Close by is a small Spark shop - that was closed when I was there. Didn't seem to have a colossal inventory though.
The Honda center as suggested earlier naturally didn't have anything racing on display.☹ Mostly some street motorcycles and a hot hatch Civic. But a nice place with a cafe and small shop. Take the Ginza line subway to station G04 (Aoyama-Itchome) and the Honda building is right beside the exit from the subway.
Back to Akihabara and the Electric City. There has been opened a new Volks shop. Volks was back in the day a part of Yellow Submarine. But was missing when I visited that place. So I googled - and Yo and behold a 'Volks Akihabara Hobby Paradise 2' has opened just around the corner from Yodebashi and the big square in front of the station. It was not too convincing when looking in... A lot of dolls - Gundam (again) - and other items I had no interest in. But I gave it a chance - and on the 3rd floor is the old SWS 'outlet' (Super Wing Series of famous aircraft) and a lot of tools. Not other kits, so don't expect that. But the tools section is worth it if for nothing else.
You won't find a lot of resin kits or carmodel afterparts in the general shops. You may find it in LG shops and naturally at Finisher's.
Now for the Hobbyforum tomorrow - so I finally can go broke!
Flemming