Stories related to shops that specialize in models, toys and modeling supplies.
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Written by L. M. Lloyd
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Sunday, 09 December 2007 11:38 |
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Kotobukiya has always been one of my favorite model houses. They just have wonderful sculpts, and traditionally some great taste in the properties they license. That said, over the years Kotobukiya and I have drifted apart some in our tastes. I am still crazy for wonderful resin sculpts of obscure mechs from little-known side stories and unknown manga. They, on the other hand, have decided to focus, understandable, on a bit more mainstream properties like Final Fantasy and Studio Ghibli. Still wandering around several floors of Kotobukiya shops in the Radikan building was a real treat. I was somewhat disappointed that I never found any stashes of some of their great old resin kits like I had been hoping to, but they did have the complete line of Kotobukiya's cool Modeling Support Goods, which I stocked up on like there was no tomorrow. I will say though, be careful shopping at their store, because a lot of what they have you can find cheaper at other stores in Akiba, and sometimes even right there in the Radikan building. Obviously, the products in the Kotobukiya shops are at full MSRP, and there are plenty of stores that sell for 10% or even 20% under MSRP. Of course Kotobukya does seem to have some sort of frequent buyer club card, which I am sure would be the ruination of me if I lived in Japan, which probably gives you a discount of some kind. See a map after the jump. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 March 2008 18:09 )
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Written by L. M. Lloyd
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Sunday, 09 December 2007 11:11 |
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Asobit is like a big department store of models. Each floor has a different genre. It is all new stuff, and they have just about everything except resin kits. Gundam, trains, airsoft, game-related, if it is new, they have it. That said, it isn't exactly my kind of store, because I tend to go in for the obscure stuff, and they are all mainstream. However, I did buy a few things, and it was fun to look around. Definitely worth checking out if you are into models of any sort. It is right next door to the Radikan building, so give it a look. See map after the jump. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 March 2008 12:42 )
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Written by L. M. Lloyd
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Sunday, 09 December 2007 10:50 |
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The Yellow Submarine store in Akiba both warmed my heart, and broke my spirit. It is this incredibly cramped little shop in the Radikan building, where there is hardly enough room to even see what they have. Once you squeeze yourself in and start looking though, you find some real treasures! I found a couple of resin kits that I never thought I would ever see in my life. They were rare back in the late '80s when they came out, and I really didn't expect to find them now. Unfortunately, the ¥40,000+ pricetags were not something I could afford on this trip. It was actually hard to shake it off after being inches away from something I have wanted for 20 years, and realizing that I couldn't afford to buy it. None the less, It was a sight to see. See a map after the jump. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 17 March 2008 12:27 )
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Written by L. M. Lloyd
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Sunday, 09 December 2007 10:38 |
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I just found out that there is a mall in Nakano that is almost entirely full of toy and model shops! Why couldn't someone have told me about this before my trip? Oh well, I am already starting to plan my next trip, so next time I will hit it for sure! I'll be updating the KMZ with that, and other information I found in the wonderful Tokyo Underground book as soon as I get the chance. |
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Model Shops
