Do you know what a pro modeler is? It refers to a person who makes plastic models. Tomoe Ogoshi is very special person in this industry, as she is one of only a handful of women in it. Not only this, but she also plays an active role in the plastic model industry, she wrote a book about making models, and she holds a course on plastic modeling. We recently interviewed Ogoshi about the charms of plastic modeling.

TOM: Please tell us in detail, what is your job like, and what kinds of things do you do?

Ogoshi: My main job is making models for hobby magazines or writing articles about them and making samples of merchandise for plastic model makers. In my case, I also opened a classroom that targets beginners and families to make their hobbies more enjoyable, and I also participate in events connected to plastic modeling. Also, I do lectures about new merchandise for makers at conventions.

TOM: Are there any female modelers other than you?

Ogoshi: I think there are, but 99 percent of modelers are men, so they are very rare. However, compared to 10 years ago, the number of girls who are interested in plastic modeling has increased a great deal. Lately, it happens on occasion that I hold a lecture with only women in my classroom.

TOM: Sounds like fun. Please tell us the characteristics of women modelers.

Ogoshi: They mostly make scale models of standard things like vehicles and characters. However, I have the impression that in regard to the coating process, women tend to have a sharper sense of color, since they are surrounded with colorful materials such as makeup and clothes in their everyday lives. There are also women who do plastic modeling as an extension of handicrafting or some other craft.

TOM: Why do you think the number of females interested in plastic modeling has grown?

Ogoshi: I think one big reason might be that there are more and more places on the Internet where people can lightheartedly post things or casually enjoy making plastic models. Also, in Japan’s latest boom, there are more women who enjoy fishing and hiking. On the contrary, there are more men who enjoy handicrafts and cooking, so the gender barriers regarding hobbies has disappeared. I think that also plays a big role.

Another reason is that due to the influence of anime with cool male characters, such as Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Mobile Suit Gundam 00, there are more girls who want to create Gundam models. There also seem to be some who wanted to make the frame of the machine their favorite character uses, and became interested in plastic modeling along the way.

Photos: Oizumi Shoten “Gundam modeling for beginners”