The second first public showing! The revival of the original plastic model "Omoroid" designed by Kunio Okawara! Taiyuki, a voice actor who loves plastic models, interviews a LEAPRO representative about his arduous journey!

The plastic kit "Kunio Okawara Omoshiroi Mecha World Omoroid," which was released in the 1980s and gained popularity, has been revived in the 2025 era!

The "Kunio Okawara Omoshiro Mecha World Omoroid" was a plastic kit series created by Kunio Okawara for the mechanical design and Koichi Tokita for the character settings, and was first released by Nitto Kagaku in the 1980s.

While the robots were what we would now call "SD body type" cute, they were characterized by militaristic designs that were rapidly gaining popularity at the time. The "Omoroid" series, with its combination of both soft and hard elements, captured the hearts of many children.

In April 2022, LEAPRO will revive the "Omoroid" with the first "Pi Bot" and "Darth Boss" kits!

To find out more, Yuuki Tai, a voice actor of the "Omoroid" strike generation, conducted an interview with LEAPRO's representative, Kazunori Maida. He talks about the difficult road to the revival of "Omoroid," his commitment to the product, and his curious plans for the future. He also talked about the company's future plans, which are of great interest to us. (Top image shows Kazunori Maida and Yuuki Tai, from left to right )

Searching all over Asia for molds!

───First of all, could you tell us about LEAPRO, your distributor?

Maida: I was originally with a certain manufacturer, but I started my own company as an independent entrepreneur. I was working underwater for a long time, and it was only two years ago that we started to sell our products. 1/24 Ultimate! Nipako-chan Nipako Copen" was our first product.

I have loved plastic models since I was a child, and while working as a salaried worker, I have always enjoyed plastic models as a hobby, participating in modeling clubs and making and selling my own resin kits. However, it wasn't something cool like quitting my job and starting my own business. I just happened to get involved with a lot of people, and thanks to all of you, I was lucky enough to finally become independent .......

───Do you also make prototypes?

Maida: Yes. When I say, "I want to produce something like this," it is often difficult to convey what is in my head to others, and it is often quicker to show them what I have made myself, so I have been making prototypes. When I was an amateur, I also made resin parts and parts for modification and reproduction.

When I first got involved in the modeling industry, I supervised products and made samples for packaging, so I think I approached my work from a modeler's point of view in the beginning.

─ ─ Mr. Maida was involved in the revival of the "Omoroids" this time, and I think many people were surprised when the information was first disclosed. I think you must have been one of them.

Yasushi: In my dreams, I had seen the package labeled "reprint box" many times. So, I think someone must have been showing me the right dream, because this time it is appearing in a new mold.

───Can you tell us how "Omoroid" came to be revived?

Maida: Fortunately, one of the people who helped me start LEAPRO from the very beginning was someone who was involved with "Omoroids" in the past. I myself liked "Omoroids" in real time and collected old kits, and I happened to have some of the setting materials from that time.

However, the manufacturer at the time was out of business, so it was very difficult to trace back to the original source. ...... There have been many twists and turns since then, and the mold itself is currently missing. So we tried everything we could to find the molds and resell them.

Tai: You also searched all over Asia, didn't you? There were various rumors that it was in China, and I vaguely knew where the rumors were coming from, but none of the information was reliable.

Maida: Eighty percent of the information circulating on the Internet is incorrect. I went to the places where the rumors were heard, relied on various sources, and asked people who were actually involved at the time to find the information. I realized that the stories circulating on the Internet were completely wrong and that rumors are nothing but rumors.

However, I had to obtain the molds in order to re-release the product, so I gave up on "Omoroids" for a while and focused on other products such as the "Nipako Copen" for about a year and a half.

On the other hand, I wanted to produce an original-design robot plastic model, and we did consider that direction at one point.

Pi Bot

─ ─ You mean original content that could be either SD or realistic?

Maida: Yes. We were thinking of doing something that could be reconfigured and customized with various parts, and we were thinking about the framework of which designers would be best, but we weren't sure about the original content. At the time, many kits with similar concepts were starting to be released by other companies, so I felt that I was taking too many chances.

Moreover, we could not just release one product with this concept and call it good, but we had to have a whole lineup of products that could finally be reconfigured.

So, if we had to do that many things anyway, we decided to give "Omoroids" another try. If we couldn't find a mold, then we might as well start over.

Rather than starting from scratch, I thought that it would be better to make use of what I had done and in what way I could revive "Omoroid," and so the revival of "Omoroid" began in earnest.

─ The mold is completely new, isn't it?

Maida: Yes. The first person I met who was involved in the "Omoroid" project had a lot of materials, and I think he had almost all of the setting drawings from that time. When I was shown them, I thought they were amazing, but I also thought it would be a waste not to use them, since I was in a position to be able to see them.

So, at that point, I did not think of reprinting the molds from that time. If we were going to do it, we really had to reboot it.

─ So you made a new plastic kit while using Mr. Okawara's original setting drawings from that time?

Maida: That's right. Basically, our stance was, "How should we make it from the perspective of today? However, I myself know the "Omoroids" kits of that time, so I wanted to reflect as much as possible the contents, concepts, and design ideas that were epoch-making at that time. I thought that if I made a kit that was completely different from the original, I would lose the hearts of fans like Mr. Tai who loved it from that time. There had to be some taste left in the music.

───That is, not only whether the appearance is the same or not.

Maida: I don't think it is enough just to make the exterior. I myself was involved in the development of plastic models, so I would have to make one myself to understand this, but there is a part of the model that you see in a finished photograph on a package and think, "Oh, it's an Omoroid," and there is a part that you can only understand if you have actually assembled the model.

I think that people who develop plastic models have their own ideas and particular ideas about how they would like it to be done. I think I was able to incorporate some of that in the design.

───What specific aspects of the first item did you pay particular attention to?

Maida: For example, with the Pi Bot, when you open the chest, there is a landing gear inside, and when you pull it out, open it outward, change the angle, and push it in again, it locks. This gimmick is the same design mechanism that was used in the product at the time, and it was already not a replacement at that time.

The head opening gimmick is exactly the same. However, the face was split into left and right parts at that time, but we decided to change it to front and rear parts this time because it does not look good to split the face in the middle. We also changed the structure of the inside parts so that the inside of the head would not be too big.

We updated the inside without changing the appearance!

─ ─ From here, I would like to ask Mr. Tai to touch it and talk about his impressions of the kit.

Tai: At the time, Pi Botto was a runaway plastic model that could be built without glue, and you had to do your best to fix the parts with screws where it was difficult to do so. It was a challenging kit in its own right, and that philosophy has been carried over to the new model in that no adhesive is required.

Also, at that time, the model was molded in one color, and the decals complemented the details, but this Pi-Bot is molded in three colors, but I was impressed by the ease of completion by simply applying stickers. There are indeed a lot of stickers, but the accuracy of the stickers is good, making it an easy and highly satisfying kit while enjoying the feeling of the time.

Also, the kit has been updated with settings by Kunio Okawara, such as the slightly downward angle of the main wings in fighter form, which could not be fully reproduced in the kits of the time. I think this is something that is hard to notice unless you are a fan of "Omoroids. And then there is the use of clear parts, which were not used in the kit at the time.

In updating this product, we have done what we could not do then and what we can do now. What we can do now is incorporated in this update. I feel that this is not just a reboot.

Darth Boss

─ How has the response been from users?

Maida: I have the impression that the response has been really positive. As a sender, I am always concerned about whether or not the "part" will be okay, but fortunately, I have not heard any bad feedback yet.

As Mr. Tai mentioned, it is technically possible to achieve complete color separation by molding colors, but the cost of doing so would be reflected in the cost. So, for example, if this were priced at 6,000 yen, I am not sure if it would be accepted. Also, we want to stick to "Made in Japan," so we produce everything from molds to domestic production.

However, I am not at all negative about overseas production. As long as the quality control is proper, I am fine with wherever it is made. There were two reasons why we insisted on domestic production this time. If a port somewhere locks down, we don't know when the product will arrive; it could be two months from now, or it could be next week. I realized that overseas production is difficult because of the lack of visibility.

One more point. It just so happened that I got in touch with the factory that was making the "Omoroid" at the time. In fact, the "Omoroid" this time is being made at the same mold factory that was making it back then.

The parts that make the kit look good together are much easier to glue together. Adjustment of the joints can be made to be too tight or too loose by a few tenths of a millimeter. Unless it is done at a factory that has such know-how, it is difficult to understand no matter how much I explain. It could be that they tried digging out a mold, but it didn't work out.

However, if the head, torso, elbows, neck, and other joints are included, and if they can be properly deformed, there will be many places where the fit will be affected. However, if the head, torso, elbows, neck, and other joints are to be inserted, and if they are to be deformed properly, there are many places where the intuition is affected.

For this reason, we are working with a place that is "Made in Japan. It takes a lot of manpower to produce something that can be assembled in a natural way.

─ ─ Did you consider refining the design for this reboot?

Maida: There was a proposal to bring in a new designer for the remake, but I was strongly of the opinion that it would be better to reproduce the unique taste of Mr. Okawara's "Omoroids" that stuck with me at that time. So, there was no refined design.

─ ─ In the era of "Omoroids," new ideas were being pioneered, such as "MSV" and "VOTOMS," with the idea that "this is what realistic robot expression looks like! and new ideas were being pioneered.

Yasushi: And they weren't bound by any promises. It seems to me that Mr. Okawara's ideas came straight out of the box.

Maida The silhouette of the robot is completely different after the transformation, even though it does not undergo complex deformations. It may be bad to say, but the robot is just lying down, but it looks like a fighter plane. The robot and the deformed state are in perfect harmony. I think anyone with a certain level of skill can come up with at least one or two ideas, but there are about 20 Omoroid designs, including those that have not been commercialized. It is amazing that all of them contain well-developed ideas.

Tai: That was around the same time as "SD Gundam," wasn't it? I think there should be more opportunities to look back on "Omoroids" in the history of robotics. My own memories are of finding an "Omoroid" at Hands with Yonezu-kun, with whom I used to play a lot at the time.

Mr. Maida: Probably the generation of Mr. Yutaka is the last one when "Omoroid" was sold. When it first came out, it was at the same time as Imai's "Robodatch" and before the "Plastic Model Kyoshiro" book was published. I was in the 3rd or 4th grade of elementary school, so it was probably around 1982-1983.

First time in Japan! The long-awaited second lineup is now available to the public!

─ ─ You said that the first Pi Bot and Darth Boss have been released and have been very well received, and next to them is .......

Maida: This is the second product to be released in the future. It will be a variation, but the setting itself was depicted in the "Omoroid" manual at the time. A lot of the variation machines and unreleased kits were listed on the back of the installment of the kit at the time. It was up to you to decide which one would be made into a kit next!" But the kit that was never released is this "Black Beetle," a reconnaissance plane version of the Pi Bot.

I guess it is a reconnaissance plane, so it must have the image of a ninja. It is a pitch-black fuselage. The vernier has been added to the crotch, and the propulsion in this direction has been strengthened.

Tai: Originally, there was only one color illustration on the back of the instruction manual. The symbol "reconnaissance plane" is amazing, isn't it? It is cool. The nose shape is also nice. It looks like it is speeding up.

Maida: It's a bit angular and pointed. Perhaps it was Mr. Kou Torikita who created the settings for the variation of the plane. At that time, Mr. Tokita was in charge of the characters and settings. Incidentally, we also asked Tokita-sensei to do the package illustrations for this project.

Yasushi: That's another point.

Prototype model of the Black Beetle and settings

Maida And here is a variation of the Darth Boss, a new design that we asked Mr. Okawara to draw for us. We are reviving everything that existed at the time. That would be ideal, but we also wanted to add a little punch, so we created a new variation of Darth Boss, which has not had a variation since that time. There were no variations of Darth Boss in the remaining documents. The name will be decided this week (*after which the official name will be "Dark Zarm"!) ). We are currently discussing with Mr. Tokito about this and that.

Tai: I suppose there are circumstances where you can only change this part and this part due to mold reasons.

Maida That's right. There were various restrictions, but as expected of Mr. Okawara. The atmosphere changed considerably within the scope of what we had asked him to do. So, it may be a dream come true to say "which parts have changed," but as a designer, it would be interesting to have you check the differences in the runners.

Prototype model of Dirk Zahm and setting drawing

───What does Mr. Okawara say about the revival of "Omoroids"?

Maida: Mr. Okawara said, "It brings back memories. When I told him that I wanted to revive it this time, and that I wanted to do it with a new mold, he gave me his permission with pleasure.

Also, since the concept of this project was reboot and revival, it would be strange to ask him to draw a new one out of the blue, wouldn't it? However, I wanted to ask Mr. Okawara to do something for me, and he drew a key visual illustration for me very quickly with the words, "It's a new start," and that was the postcard for the initial release. It became a bonus postcard for the initial release and a poster for stores.

─ ─ I feel that the love of various people involved in the project has brought it back to life.

Yasushi: Then there is the love of the children who used to play with them back then. Nowadays, there are probably people who have moved away from plastic models, and although we live in an age where we can look up any amount of information on the Internet, it is difficult to accurately convey that information. That's why I hope that this article will make people aware of their existence.

Maida: I would like people to know that it is being revived. It is not a reprint of a reprint, but a reboot with a new mold, so I always keep using the word "Shinsei" on Twitter. Sometimes when I visit Twitter, some people remark, "Omoroid was reprinted," but I say, "No, no! It's not a reprint!" And.

The future depends on your support!

─ ─ Do you plan to continue the series consistently in the future?

Maida If we can continue to get more and more support from everyone, please contact us at .......

Yasushi: Digging new molds is a high hurdle. We would like to support everyone in this area. I would like to hold a My Omoroid contest.

Maida: Originally, the PiBot was not a special one-off aircraft like the current planes. The Black Beetle is an aircraft that has been modified to reconnaissance specifications, so it would be great if everyone could create their own Pi Botto. In addition, the settings of the variations were only written in the instruction manuals of the kits at the time, but there are actually other detailed settings that have not been made public.

Since I was given the opportunity to be involved in the reissue of "Omoroids," I would like to prepare a dedicated website. As one of the contents, I would like to show the settings that existed at that time in small pieces.

Tai: As for the "Omoroid" revival, there is Kotobukiya's "Evoloid" (*note). At the Shizuoka Hobby Show the other day, there was a display of Pi Bot and Jeton shaking hands, and I was thinking that I would like to have those wrist parts. (*Note: "Evoloid. (*Note: "Evoloid" is a plastic kit series for ages 8 and up, currently on sale from Kotobukiya. (*Note: The "Evoloid" is a plastic kit series released by Kotobukiya for ages 8 and up, based on the "Omoroid," but with a modern look and transformation gimmicks.)

Maida: I originally heard about the "Evoloid" when it was first announced. It was just a coincidence that the timing of the launch coincided, and I wonder why it was such a coincidence.

Later, when we were in the process of creating a preliminary prototype, we had a talk with Kotobukiya and asked them what "Evoloid" was all about. So, anyway, Kotobukiya's concept was a new series of robots, and what I wanted to do was to revive the "Omoroid" of that time. I wondered how I could reproduce the taste of Mr. Okawara's drawings in the current format. Although they share the same designer's concept of robots transforming into something, I felt that there was no reason why the old and the new could not coexist.

I thought that Kotobukiya-san and I should work together to make it more exciting. As we talked about it, we agreed that it would be great if Jetton and Pi Bot shook hands, as they should.

I hope to work side by side with them in the future as well, and Kotobukiya has also expressed an interest in working together, so although we don't have a specific collaboration event in mind, we would like to continue working together at events in the future. We have not decided on a specific collaboration event, but we would like to participate in events together in the future. Coincidentally (!?), the package is the same size. The packages are the same size.

Tai: It makes me happy to see the packages lined up at the sales floor. I have a stack of them at home, too (laughs). It would be a dream come true to see something that has never been made into a three-dimensional figure before. If variations can be created, I am hoping that it will be possible to create that aircraft for which only the settings have been made public.

Maida: I wonder how many of you will be willing to go along with me. ...... (laughs). I really hope that you will enjoy "Omoroids" as much as you like, freely using your own original colors and settings.

[Product information

Pi-Bot

On sale now!
Manufacturer: LEAPRO
Price: 3,300 yen (tax included)
Height: approx. 90mm (in robot form)
Accessories: color-coded, foil stickers for marking

Darth Boss

Now on sale
Manufacturer: LEAPRO
Price: 3,300 yen (tax included)
Height: approx. 90mm (in robot form)
Accessories: color-coded, foil stickers for marking

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