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You’ve Probably Seen His Work: A Brief Introduction to Hiroshi Yamaguchi
You may not know his name, but if you’ve watched Armored Hunter Mellowlink, Evangelion, or Gurren Lagann then you’ve seen his work.
Animal Style: Rediscovering Remnants of the Garage Kit Boom
The discovery of a third version of Akira Toriyama’s Lisa garage kit spurs a bit of discussion on the nature of small hobby shops during the garage kit…
ARTMIC Fan Book Available Now
Bigger and better than our earlier efforts, this one is all about the design studio behind Mospeada and Bubblegum Crisis.
The Iconic Monobike of Venus Wars
When you think of the 1989 classic Venus Wars, you inevitably think of one thing: monobikes.
Suit Up For A Very Minor Bubblegum Crisis Mystery
During the heyday of Crisis, a number of full-sized Hard Suits were made and used to promote the series. Some of these ended up in the fans of…
Suit Up For A Very Minor Bubblegum Crisis Mystery
During the heyday of Crisis, a number of full-sized Hard Suits were made and used to promote the series. Some of these ended up in the fans of…
Akira Toriyama’s 4 Million Yen Model Kit
In 1985, Akira Toriyama partnered with a fledgling model kit company to produce an injection molded plastic kit based on an original design.
Akira Toriyama’s 4 Million Yen Model Kit
In 1985, Akira Toriyama partnered with a fledgling model kit company to produce an injection molded plastic kit based on an original design.
Why do we Model? Mecha, Miniatures, and Historical Imagining
For decades, mecha fans have built model kits. What fuels this preoccupation, and what can we learn from the history of miniatures about mecha anime?
Why do we Model? Mecha, Miniatures, and Historical Imagining
For decades, mecha fans have built model kits. What fuels this preoccupation, and what can we learn from the history of miniatures about mecha anime?
Latest Zimmerit ‘Zine Now Available
Hobby Shopping: Japanese Model Shop Ads 1980-89 is now available on our revamped web shop.
Latest Zimmerit ‘Zine Now Available
Hobby Shopping: Japanese Model Shop Ads 1980-89 is now available on our revamped web shop.
The ’80s Mechanical Designer Who Left Early: Akira Kagami
A quick look at a little known mechanical designer turned manga artist.
The ’80s Mechanical Designer Who Left Early: Akira Kagami
A quick look at a little known mechanical designer turned manga artist.
Not So Big in Japan: Heavy Metal Miniatures
After the release of Dungeons & Dragons in Japan in 1985, hobby magazines began pushing imported metal miniatures to hobbyists. Despite regular coverage for a few years, miniatures…
Not So Big in Japan: Heavy Metal Miniatures
After the release of Dungeons & Dragons in Japan in 1985, hobby magazines began pushing imported metal miniatures to hobbyists. Despite regular coverage for a few years, miniatures…
Suehiro Maruo’s Rubber Hell: Showa Horror & Tokusatsu
Suehiro Maruo crafted a world of erotic nightmare, but lingering in the corner are Godzilla and Ultraman. Let’s look at how tokusatsu has influenced the work of this…
Suehiro Maruo’s Rubber Hell: Showa Horror & Tokusatsu
Suehiro Maruo crafted a world of erotic nightmare, but lingering in the corner are Godzilla and Ultraman. Let’s look at how tokusatsu has influenced the work of this…
Akira Toriyama’s Mechanical Designs
Our latest video explores the history and influences of Akira Toriyama’s work in mechanical design throughout his career.
Akira Toriyama’s Mechanical Designs
Our latest video explores the history and influences of Akira Toriyama’s work in mechanical design throughout his career.
Super Deformed Swan Song: ARTMIC’s Scramble Wars
While not the last ARTMIC OVA, it feels like the end of an era.
Super Deformed Swan Song: ARTMIC’s Scramble Wars
While not the last ARTMIC OVA, it feels like the end of an era.
Koba-Kondoh Document Now Available
Just a quick post to mention that we’ve re-opened shop.zimmerit.moe with copies of the Koba-Kondoh Document, our latest Patreon-funded ‘zine. There’s some other new stuff on there…
Koba-Kondoh Document Now Available
Just a quick post to mention that we’ve re-opened shop.zimmerit.moe with copies of the Koba-Kondoh Document, our latest Patreon-funded ‘zine. There’s some other new stuff on there…
Syd Mead’s First Mobile Suits
Tom dives further into the publication history of Syd Mead’s Gundam movie concept art and examines rarely seen original sketches.
Goodbye, Daicon Film: When Gainax Made Appleseed
In 1988, Gainax staff produced a three minute live-action promotional video to help market the Appleseed OVA. In 2024, Zimmerit made a video about it.
Genesis Surviver Gaiarth Setting Materials
The 1992 ARTMIC OVA Genesis Surviver Gaiarth was not the most impressive series produced by the beloved design studio, but it certainly has its fans. It also never…
A 1985 Otaku Salad: Fruity Five
From the pages of Model Graphix comes Fruity Five, a photo novel and manga series that was half Sentai, half Gerry Anderson show. 9,800 yen garage kits not…
Gainazine Restock on shop.zimmerit.moe
For those who missed it the first time around, we’ve just restocked shop.zimmerit.moe with more issues of the Gainazine and a few other things.
A Brief History of Hideaki Anno’s Work on Mobile Suit Gundam
A look at legendary animator and director Hideaki Anno’s involvement with the Mobile Suit Gundam series.
Gattai: The Global Interplay of Mecha Design
Shipped overseas and repackaged in the ’70s and ’80s, the Japanese concept of “giant robots” has become a global phenomenon, the stuff of Hollywood films, video games, TV…
shop.zimmerit.moe now open
Grab a copy of the Gainazine while it lasts.
Our Patreon-Funded Gainazine
Thanks to the support of our supporters on Patreon we’re releasing a small fanzine next month.
All the Gundam That Was Fit to Print: Western Gundam Fandom Before Anime Village
While Gundam is everywhere today, for most of the ’80s and ’90s it was up to Western anime fans to carry the torch of Gundam through fanzines, magazine…
From Garage Kits to Action Figures: The First 15 Years of Wonder Festival
The first fifteen years of Wonder Festival was marked with changing tastes in garage kit subjects and shift towards finished models and toys.
Lights, Camera, Garage Kits! The Cinematic Influences of Yasushi Nirasawa
Yasushi Nirasawa helped revitalize Kamen Rider in the ’00s, but could he have done it without the influence of Joel Schumacher?
The Tragedy of Katsuhiro Otomo and Steve Oliff’s Full-Color AKIRA
At a time when manga in English was hot and new, Epic Comics’ release of AKIRA pulled out all the stops and added unparalleled color. If you’re looking…
Japanese Robot Invasion! 1980s Anime Mecha Models Arrive in the US, Part II
The second half of our look at the early history of mecha model kits in the U.S.; including Battletech, R.O.B.O.T., and court battles!
Japanese Robot Invasion! 1980s Anime Mecha Models Arrive in the US, Part I
The first part of a deep dive into the origins of gunpla and mecha modelling in the U.S., looking back to the 1980s when Japanese model kits invaded…
The Unusual Production History of Genocyber
A cult classic in the schlock n’ gore OVA genre, Genocyber took an unlikely road from pitch to production.
Left in the Dust: Uncovering the Secret of the Stampede Valkyrie
Before Macross sequels hit video shelves and airwaves, Shoji Kawamori’s Stampede Valkyrie was one of a handful of rarely seen and now mostly forgotten designs created for Macross…
“Could we do another Macross?”- A curated look at Noboru Ishiguro’s Interview with AnimEigo
Hidden within AnimEigo’s beloved Super Dimension Fortress Macross DVD Boxset lies a candid conversation with series director Noboru Ishiguro. However, the stories shared by (and of) the late…
Whits End: Mamoru Nagano’s Unused ZZ Gundam Design
In the midst of the rushed pre-production process on the third Gundam TV series a last-minute design change created one of the more interesting production footnotes in Gundam…
Gunpla Boom Ephemera: Kunio Okawara’s Gouf Lady
With the gunpla boom riding high and Bandai rolling out its new Mobile Suit Variations series, original Gundam mechanical designer Kunio Okawara tried his hand at sculpting an…
Stream•Base: Riding the Gunpla Boom in the Early Days of Gundam Model Mania
The gunpla boom of the early ’80s saw an explosion of interest in mecha modeling and provided unprecedented opportunities for a group of model enthusiasts that dubbed themselves…
Never Let a Good Idea Die: ARTMIC’s History of Recycled Ideas and Design
Drawing from their experience in TV anime, 3D photo stories, and other media, ARTMIC created rich OVAs that, more often than not, shared familiar thematic elements along with…
Kenichi Sonoda, Lumroid, and Hobby Shop Musasiya
Before he started working for Gainax and ARTMIC, a young Kenichi Sonoda illustrated a series of popular advertisements for a hobby shop in Osaka.
Flip Through Nitto’s Second S.F.3.D Original Catalogue
Take a quick trip back to 1984 and check out the latest SF3D Original kits from Nitto.
Doujin, Cosplay, Garage Kits and Dinosaurs: A Look at Do-Pe Magazine
There was no shortage of anime magazines in the 1980s, but what about all those other things the maniacs cared about? Cosplay, garage kits, doujin, dinosaurs… Do-Pe covered…
Look Both Ways! Railway Crossing Warrior Shadan
During the gunpla boom of the early ’80s, giant robots were everywhere… even safety campaigns for kids. Meet Japan National Railways’ Gundam doppelganger, Railway Crossing Warrior…