Hobby Industry Inside Vol. 10: Interview with Keisuke Sekita, Meister of "Model Factory", the raison d'etre of hobby stores where professional modelers greet customers!

The store is bright and relaxed, lined with not only plastic models but also dollhouse kits and coloring books. The work space is fully equipped with a full lineup of tools, paints, and even a paint booth. Located on the seventh floor of Shinjuku Marui Annex, Model Factory is a store with a mood that sets it apart from conventional plastic model and hobby stores.

The store staff (Meisters), who are also professional modelers, support customers with their wealth of experience and knowledge. We asked Keisuke Sekita, the store's meister and manager, about the management philosophy of the "Model Factory.

A plastic model shop as a source of information on "monozukuri" (craftsmanship)

─ Model Factory is run by Reidenshaft Corporation, isn't it? What kind of company is Reidenshaft?

Sekita: It was started in 2009 by our president, Ritsuo Arima, with the intention of "stimulating people's intellectual curiosity. Arima's hobby was ship modeling, so he established a model store with a work space, with an awareness of the Japanese way of making things. Reidenhaft can be broadly divided into a model department and a science goods department. Science goods are miscellaneous goods such as Galileo models, meteorites, minerals, and dinosaur goods. As the model division, we aim to be a "plastic model shop that conveys information on manufacturing.

──You are actively holding model-making events, aren't you?

Sekita: First of all, I hold lectures focusing on single techniques, such as basic airbrush painting and gradation painting. Secondly, we offer a series of lectures of about five to six sessions where people who have never even touched a nipper can experience finishing and painting. We also have a workshop for women only, taught by professional modeler Tomoe Ogoshi*, since the store is easily accessible to women.

─ You sell not only plastic models, but also many dollhouse-related products.

Sekita: Yes, in a sense, dollhouses are "models" with a longer history than plastic models, and some manufacturers are developing dollhouses in the same 1/12 scale as movable figures such as figma and Revoltech. Some people enjoy both finished movable figures and plastic models, so we consider dollhouse-related products to be an extension of those needs and something we can propose to our customers.

─ It seems that you have succeeded in attracting female customers.

Sekita: The atmosphere of "there are women who potentially want to make plastic models, but it is difficult for them to do so" may be a part of the plastic model culture that has been fostered in the past. In the past, model stores were not very clean, and when you opened the sliding door, you had the image of a man in the back saying "Welcome" in a dark voice. However, there may be many people who, upon opening the box and looking at the disparate parts, give up and say, "I can't do it, after all" - this is true regardless of gender. If such people came to our store, we could help them. When we thought that, the response from women was stronger than we had expected.

The strongest response came when Bandai released a plastic model of "TIGER & BUNNY. We held several one-day intensive classes on "TIGER & BUNNY," and all the classes were immediately sold out. People who have never held a nipper before, and this is not limited to women, are often at a loss even after reading the instruction manual. In such cases, I think I am helping them even if I can directly advise them, "It will be all right if you do this," ....... As a result, I am able to help female customers, but I don't think that I am particularly conscious of only women.