1/700 scale plastic models are interesting now!　Pit-Road Proposes Fun with Miniature Models (Hobby Industry Inside Vol. 56)

Pit-Road, a model company in Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture, has released an interesting plastic model. The set includes the "An-225 Muriya Large Transporter & Orbiter Bran," which includes the "Bran," a prototype space plane developed in the former Soviet Union, and the world's largest transport plane, the "World's Current Fighter Aircraft Set 2020," which includes many fighter aircraft measuring only 2 to 3 cm in length, and the "World's Latest Stealth Fighter Aircraft Set 2020," which includes the "Bran," a prototype space plane developed in the former Soviet Union. The company is also releasing 1/700 scale aircraft such as the "World's Latest Stealth Fighter Set 2020," which includes a large number of 2- to 3-centimeter fighter jets.
1/700 is originally the scale of ship models. Pit-Road has also been actively releasing 1/700 IJN Destroyer Kagero in Service, and 1/700 IJN Battleship Yamato in (several more) Corner of the World. However, by combining 1/700 scale aircraft and ship models, a new world has emerged. ...... asked Toshiyuki Baba and Shingo Nakamura of Pit-Road's Planning and Development Department about the fun of 1/700 scale plastic models.

In 1/700 scale, the Battleship Yamato and the space plane Bran can be contrasted!

─ Pit-Road gives a strong impression of being a ship model manufacturer, but the first floor of your company is a model store called Northport, isn't it?

Baba: First, we started as a store in 1981. The president, Mikio Suzuki, was a former employee of Greenmax, which is known for its model trains, and he became independent by taking over some of the molds from Greenmax. With this background, the company was incorporated as a model manufacturer in the late 1980s and has continued to the present day. From the beginning, we mainly developed 1/700 scale ship models.
However, since that time, four Shizuoka-based companies (Aoshima, Tamiya, Hasegawa, and Fujimi) had developed the Water Line series in 1/700 scale. Therefore, we initially selected items that would not conflict with those manufacturers. There was a winter period when the Waterline series stopped selling well, but during that time we continued to develop products.

Nakamura: We used to develop resin kits as well as plastic models.

Baba: For minor ships that are not expected to be sold in large numbers, it is cheaper to mold them in resin than in injection molding, because the development cost can be kept low. However, even though the main body was made of resin, we used injection-molded plastic parts for small equipment parts. These equipment parts are long-selling products that are still being sold today. We have also started a series of new equipment parts designed with 3D CAD about 6 years ago, which have also been well received.

Baba: So the 1/700 scale airplane sets are also being sold for use on aircraft carriers?

Baba: Not quite. Since the 1980s, we have also released "Mainland Air Defense" sets that combine American bombers such as the Gekko and Shiden Kai, as well as a set of medium-size tanks. Not only airplanes, but also small 1/700 scale tanks and vehicles, landing craft, and buildings such as hangars were also released as plastic models.


─So you are not necessarily releasing 1/700 scale airplanes as accessories for ship models?

Nakamura: That's right. For example, if we release even the "An-225 Muriya large transport plane & orbiter Blanc" in 1/700 scale, we can compare sizes across eras and genres. In the standard aircraft scales such as 1/72 and 1/48, it is impossible to compare a ship and an aircraft, much less a space plane.


─ Are there many core enthusiasts who buy 1/700 plastic models?

Nakamura: It is not like that. There are even some second-year junior high school students who are intensively building 1/700 scale models. The small size makes them easy to collect, and elementary and junior high school students have the advantage that they can simply assemble them after cram school or other activities are over. The "World's Current Fighter Plane Set 2020" and other such sets are also a great choice because they contain a large number of airplanes in one box. When I go to exhibitions, everyone seems to enjoy 1/700 scale models as much as they like.

─ I think the 1/700 scale space plane Bran is a unique item.

Baba: We do go through the approval process, but we are a small company, so we do not have the ability to make decisions on the lineup. ...... We tend to release the same item in a scale that other companies have not yet produced as a kit.

Nakamura: If we talk about the blue ocean strategy, the 1/700 scale is the blue ocean for us. We do not feel the need to release aircraft in 1/72 scale or larger in the highly competitive red ocean. Our unique strength is that we continue to produce aircraft in 1/700 scale, which can be easily combined with ships and made into dioramas.