Why Aoshima is releasing a 1/43 plastic model of "Patlabor Ingram" under its own brand "ACKS" [Hobby Industry Inside Vol. 75

In November 2021, Aoshima will release an assembled plastic model kit "1/43 Mobile Police Patlabor AV-98 Ingram Unit 1" and "Type 98 Special Command Vehicle 2 Set". The company's "PATLABOR" plastic model kits are a completely new series, but at the same time, they are a type of Aoshima's own brand "ACKS" (Ax). What is the "ACKS" brand all about?　And why was Aoshima's Ingram modeled in the international scale of 1/43 miniature cars?　We asked Mr. Tatsuya Kaneda of Aoshima's Planning Department.

Color-coding in units of runners and snap-fit that requires no adhesives: the basics of the "ACKS

─ First of all, please tell us about the "ACKS" brand. Apart from individual series such as "Conan: Future Boy" ( # ), which we covered before, you have several titles included in the "Aoshima Character Kit Selection," right?

Kaneda Yes, "ACKS" is a brand that unifies multiple titles as a new brand, based on the premise of color-coding and snap-fit assembly in runner units. The first title is the "Full Metal Panic! IV 1/48 ARX-8 Levatein" released in May 2018. To be precise, the "Full Metal Panic!" series had been independently developed in the past, but the "Levatein" was released anew as the "ACKS" brand, with an emphasis on color separation and ease of assembly.


───I was surprised to learn that the "Variable Fighter Girls (V.F.G.)," a set that includes a variable fighter from the "Macross" series and a girl, is also part of the "ACKS" brand, isn't it?

Kaneda Yes, we first received a proposal from BIG WEST, the copyright holder of the "MACROSS" series, for a modeling project called "MACROSS MODELERS" that would cut across all the manufacturers. The "V.F.G." project was launched from within our company. Rather, it could be said that the new line, V.F.G., supported the early stages of the newly established brand "ACKS.


─ ─ Don't you have a common standard for "ACKS" that spans across works?

Kanada: We are developing the "New Combination Series" starting with the "Combined Atlanger" released in May of this year, based on the concept of reassembling parts based on a common standard. We are developing this series using common joints and a common frame. If there is anything else to say, it is possible to interchange the girl figure with any V.F.G. model that has the same transformation concept. Having said that, the top priority of "ACKS" is to pursue proportions for each character. There was initial talk of a common standard, but we felt that we would not be able to keep up with the level of BANDAI SPIRITS and other companies unless we first established the optimum specifications for each character.


─ ─ In the "ACKS" series, "Aim for the Top! 1/1000 Gunbuster" was released about 2 years ago, wasn't it, and since it is priced close to 10,000 yen, I wondered if it was a kit for an older age group (......)?

Kanada: It is true that the main buyers are in their 40s or older, but the price was not increased because the kit was designed for that generation. It is just that the inclusion of various gimmicks in the big scale models has resulted in a high price. Our scale models also include high-end models such as the JGSDF's 1/35 "3 1/2-ton truck (SKW-477)" and the 1/45 "diesel locomotive DD51," which became a hot topic because of its total number of parts exceeding 1,000. In addition to these high-priced kits, we are also actively developing kits that can be easily assembled by reducing the number of parts as much as possible, such as "The Snap Kit" series. Since there are two extremes in the development of scale models, the high-priced high-end models and the low-priced snap kits, we have always wondered ...... if we could target the sales demand of the younger generation with kits that are easy to assemble and low-priced, even for character models. I have been thinking about it for a long time.


─ I see. Now, please tell us about the "Mobile Police Patlabor" 1/43 Ingram.