Naoki Terada of Terada Mokei talks about "how to make relaxing models.

People, dogs, and bicycles scaled down to 1/100 scale. ...... These detailed assembly kits made of laser-cut paper are called the "1/100 Architectural Model Accessory Set Series," but the subjects are not limited to everyday scenery. The kits cover a wide range of subjects, from Momotaro and Chushingura to the moon landing and dinosaurs. The result is the "Terada Mokei" 1/100 paper kits designed by first-class architect Naoki Terada. The series even includes a kit created in collaboration with the manga "Slam Dunk," and Terada-Mokei's 1/100 paper dolls have been used in picture books and videos, as well as in the promotion of facilities and products throughout Japan.
And Mr. Terada is also a plastic model enthusiast with a full-fledged obsession. We visited the "Terada Model Store" in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, which combines a Terada Mokei showroom and architectural office, and interviewed Mr. Naoki Terada about the "joy of models.

Even if a 1/100 scale doll is magnified 100 times, does it still look human?

─ I heard that you went to England after graduating from the Department of Architecture at Meiji University.

Terada: I graduated from a graduate school of architecture in London. I now have my own "Terada Design First Class Architect Office," but I do not only architecture, but also interior design, product design such as clocks, spoons, furniture, doorknobs, and everything else.

─ What was it that led you to create the "1/100 Architectural Model ACCESSORIES SERIES" of paper crafts?　Is it for architectural models, after all?

Terada: Yes. When you make a model of a house and present it, you can get a real sense of the house by arranging people, cars, and dogs around it. However, a model of a house is assembled by cutting styrofoam or styrene board by hand, so it is a very rough and simplified model. If a commercially available doll made by a model train manufacturer such as Preiser (Germany) is placed around it, it will not be in balance with the rough model of the house, because it is made of resin and has fine detailing. There were no dolls available that could match the resolution and density of the house models made by design firms. So I started making them myself, using paper.


─ ─ Now they are sold as paper assembly kits, but they are intended for the general public who do not make architectural models, right?

Terada: Of course, in the beginning, we sold kits for our colleagues and students who make architectural models. However, as we observed in the store, we found that people who did not seem to have anything to do with architectural design firms were also buying the kits. After realizing this, we began to produce products with slightly more casual content.

─ ─ What is the reason why you have decided to produce all of your products in 1/100 scale?

Terada: In Japan, 1/100 is the standard scale for house models. Other scales would be 1/200 and 1/50, but 1/200 is too small and not expressive enough, and 1/50 is too large and details become a concern. With 1/100, there is more freedom, and I feel that it is easier for the creator to put his or her feelings into the doll.

─ I heard that the 1/100 doll that serves as the standard is called "Genshiki-kun.

Terada: We call the original that serves as the standard for the unit of measurement "Genshi-kun," like the French "Genshi-ki," or original meter. The female version of "Genki-kun" is "Genki-San," and she is about the standard height of Japanese people.


─ ─ Even if you simply multiply "Genki-kun" by 100, it does not look human, does it?

Terada: "Haraki-kun" has longer arms than a real person, but the arms are just the right length when bent with tweezers. The reason why he has a little bit of a gangly-legged look is because it makes him look like he is standing on two firm legs. It would be technically easy to simply reduce the size of a real person. However, it is the deformation appropriate for 1/100 scale that makes Terada-Mokei miniatures what they are. Deformation appropriate to scale is the essence of modeling.