Making and collecting model airplanes, cars and other figurines is a favorite hobby for many in Japan. Here they’re called “plamodel,” a mix of the words “plastic” and “model,” and you’ll find plenty of hobby shops and craft floors dedicated to all aspects of building these miniatures.

When I was I kid, I enjoyed putting together different models, taking great pleasure in the finished robot or car I’d spent hours gluing and painting.

These memories came flooding back when I visited the latest exhibit at the Urasoe Art Museum in Okinawa.

“Tamiya Ten,” which runs till Aug. 29 and is hosted by major plastic model maker Tamiya, features an extensive history of modelmaking in Japan.

According to the exhibit’s manager, Taizo Nitta, the pieces on display go beyond Tamiya’s products and even involve models predating the plastic models on the market today.

“Before plastic models were introduced to the market, however, there were wooden models,” Nitta said, as he guided me to the four sections of the exhibit. “While they evolved into plastic models as we know them today, they also developed as mobile miniatures. Such history is the theme of this exhibition.”

The first section of Tamiya Ten focuses on the packaging of the models. It may sound odd, but it was quite interesting to see each package accurately illustrate the details of the model down to the interior engine, body and pieces. They looked more like blueprints in color than packages for products.  

Nitta said the plastic models created by Tamiya are intended to be true replicas of real cars, aircraft, combat vehicles, etc.

“We want our customers to understand what’s great about each vehicle through touching our plastic models,” Nitta said.

The second section spans the inception of wooden models through to the transition into plastic plamodels. Some notable models include the Tyrell P34, the only 6-wheel Formula 1 car and plamodel of a F-35B Lightning fighter jet. If you’re familiar with the intricacies of the car or fighter jet, you’ll be amazed by how true to life each model is.

To achieve the accuracy in the replica, Nitta said a team visits the real item being replicated and takes great care to take measurements.

“We measure each part of a product on our own by, for example, visiting an F1 race paddock and grasping characteristics not necessarily reflected on spec sheets,” he said. “It is our philosophy to make ‘real’ ones through plastic models, which would be impossible without the process.”

Even if some vehicles and aircraft are classified as fighter jets, Nitta noted, the company made its best effort to make sure they’re authentic.

The third section of the exhibit is for mobile plastic models like radio-controlled cars and tanks, including wooden models with motors. According to Nitta, the models, whether wooden or plastic, were meant from the beginning to have some kind of motor power. 

What caught my attention the most in this section were the various slot cars, which run on rails and were a very popular toy in the 1960s, both here and in the U.S. If you grew up in the 60s or 70s, you might also feel as nostalgic as I did seeing these displays.

The last section of Tamiya Ten displayed unique mobile models including the mini yonku (mini 4WD) cars. These motorized miniature cars have been grabbing the hearts of kids since the 1980s.

To this day, there are many adults and kids alike who passionately fine-tune their mini-yonkus to win a race. Although I had never owned one myself, the enormous variations of the miniature cars were fun to watch.

There was also a real-size monster Volkswagon Beetle, an actual car reversely modeled after a miniature Volkswagen Beetle customized with giant tires. Kids visiting the exhibit were lining up for pics.

According to Freestyle, a shop dedicated to toys, plastic models were first introduced in the United Kingdom in 1936 before they were imported from the U.S. to Japan after World War II.

This history is displayed in the Tamiya logo, which consists of two white stars against the backdrop of red and blue squares. According to Nitta, red stands for passion while blue stands for accuracy.

I spent about two hours at the extensive Tamiya Ten exhibit but could’ve easily spent more time looking at all the intricate details of the plamodels. Before my visit, I thought I had outgrown making models, but this exhibit reminded me that the hobby of my childhood could be a fun pastime now as an adult, too.

Tamiya Ten (plastic model exhibition)

Date: Through Aug. 29

Time: 9:30 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. (last admission at 5 p.m.); 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. (Fridays, last admission 6:30 p.m.)

*Closed on Mondays (open if a public holiday falls on Monday.)

Venue: Urasoe Art Museum

GPS Coordinates: 26.250282, 127.719315

Admission: 1,500 yen for adults, 800 yen for high and middle school students, and 300 yen for elementary school students. (1,300 yen, 500 yen, and 200 yen, respectively, for advance tickets)

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Camp Kinser

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