Near the end of its life, legendary toy manufacturer Takatoku Toys approached ARTMIC and essentially asked, “Got any cool robots?”
World Building and Future Pop: Sharon Apple and Macross Plus
Tracing the influences, ideas, and vision of Yoko Kanno’s Sharon Apple and the making of a sci-fi pop idol.
You’ve Probably Seen His Work: A Brief Introduction to Hiroshi Yamaguchi
You may not know his name, but if you’ve watched Armor Hunter Merowlink, Evangelion, or Gurren Lagann then you’ve seen his work.
Animal Style: Rediscovering Remnants of the Garage Kit Boom
The discovery of a third version of Akira Toriyama’s Lisa garage kit spurs a bit of discussion on the nature of small hobby shops during the garage kit boom years of the ’80s and ’90s.
ARTMIC Fan Book Available Now
Bigger and better than our earlier efforts, this one is all about the design studio behind Mospeada and Bubblegum Crisis.
The Iconic Monobike of Venus Wars
When you think of the 1989 classic Venus Wars, you inevitably think of one thing: monobikes.
Suit Up For A Very Minor Bubblegum Crisis Mystery
During the heyday of Crisis, a number of full-sized Hard Suits were made and used to promote the series. Some of these ended up in the fans of fans in the early 2000s.
Akira Toriyama’s 4 Million Yen Model Kit
In 1985, Akira Toriyama partnered with a fledgling model kit company to produce an injection molded plastic kit based on an original design.
Why do we Model? Mecha, Miniatures, and Historical Imagining
For decades, mecha fans have built model kits. What fuels this preoccupation, and what can we learn from the history of miniatures about mecha anime?
Latest Zimmerit ‘Zine Now Available
Hobby Shopping: Japanese Model Shop Ads 1980-89 is now available on our revamped web shop.