TOM Interviews Female Plastic Modeler Tomoe Ogoshi [3/3]

They say all good things must come to an end, and the same is true for our time with the talented Tomoe Ogoshi, a leader in the world of Japanese plastic models. Last time, Ogoshi talked passionately about her interest in the world of plastic models. This time, she talks a bit more about the enjoyment of building something from start to finish and offers advice for those just starting their journey as plastic-model builders.If you haven’t read the first or secondo part of this interview, you can do so here:
TOM Interviews Female Plastic Modeler Tomoe Ogoshi 1/3
TOM Interviews Female Plastic Modeler Tomoe Ogoshi 2/3

TOM: When teaching in your plastic model class, is there anything you are careful about?
Ogoshi: I have to restrain myself from giving too much explanation, so I try to teach using my hands instead. In the beginning, I put together a curriculum, but this stifled students’ ideas and desires to create what they wanted to. So I tried getting rid of the curriculum and making a plastic model of a castle with my students, and I realized that each student has a different way of enjoying the class. There are some who want to create a plastic model to be an exact replica of what’s on the package, and then there are some who want to create a snow-laden castle in the winter. Even for those people, there are those who want to light up the castile with LED lights. It all comes down to personal preference. Therefore, I don’t teach my students, I support them in order to make what they want to do a reality. This is what I strive for.

TOM: What advice would you give to those who are just starting out in building plastic models?
Ogoshi: The advice I would give is that becoming skilled at building plastic models means that you will mess up a lot along the way. Plastic model beginners are often afraid of failing. I think this feeling is the same for everyone. However, without it, you can’t improve. The best way to improve is to build a lot and mess up a lot because this brings experience. Furthermore, when you mess up, you can fix it - coatings can be repainted and there are a plethora of ways to recover. You will never fail as long as you don’t give up. However, that’s not to say that you won’t feel down when you mess up, but even when you do, there are many ways to view it positively and keep building more and more.

TOM: What would you say to all the people who have yet to recognize the charm of plastic models?
Ogoshi: When I was a kid, boys played with radio controlled models and plastic models. Now, there are a ton of choices for kids, including games. As such, there are kids who never become interested in plastic models. The generations that don’t know of the plastic model boom are also increasing. That being said, I want to convey the charm of plastic models to these people. In doing so, I think that someday it may broaden to overseas. There are many ways to become interested in finished figures because they originate from anime, but I also want them to know the joy of creating a finished product from scratch. Similar to the interest in model trains in Europe, I think there is a culture overseas of those who enjoy building things. If I get the chance, I want to bring Japan’s love of plastic models overseas. I also hope that a system will be put in place so people overseas will be able to buy tools for use in building plastic models that are only available in Japan.

TOM: It would be interesting if TOM could implement such a system, wouldn’t it? Thank you very much for your time.

Aside from her many other activities to promote the world of plastic models, Ogoshi also participates as a judge in Bandai’s Gunpla Builders World Cup. As the person leading the world of plastic models, we hope her vision of teaching the world the joy of building models comes true.

Photography provided by: Oizumi Shoten’s Gunpla Textbook: Build Skillfully Even for the First Time

This is a TokyoOtakuMode original article.