I picked up this May 2025 ( number 307 ) issue of the Japanese hobby kit magazine Armour Modelling (アーマーモデリング) during my recent trip to Tokyo. The cover illustration is a gorgeous illustration by Hayao Miyazaki that was first used a long time ago as the cover for the March 1994 issue of Animage magazine. Hayao Miyazaki has a special fascination for tanks and has illustrated quite a few watercolor manga with stories around them, including the 2002 Daydream Notes ( read my review here ).

For this magazine itself, the coverage on Hayao Miyazaki is very minimal and is really just the first few pages; and I purchased it primarily just for the beautiful cover art, although there a couple of other pages that feature great illustrations by other artists. If you’re into tank model kits however, there’s plenty to like in here.

(image above) No Japanese hobby magazine is complete without a few pages dedicated to sexy gravure/cosplay models.

(image below right) Illustrations by Morinaga Yo, whom I am a big fan of. His World Tank Museum art book is like a spiritual successor to Hayao Miyazaki’s Daydream Notes, and I highly recommend it.

I am thankful that this magazine is priced quite cheaply and I was able to pick it up without having to worry too much about my wallet. As I’ve mentioned quite a few times on my blog, Japanese periodicals seldom get reprints, so once they are sold out, it’s very hard to get your hands on a brand new copy. If you desire a copy and it is still available via the purchase links below, don’t wait too long. Recommended.

“Armour Modelling May 2025 – Hayao Miyazaki Special Magazine アーマーモデリング 2025年 05 月号 宮﨑駿” details :

Dimensions – ‎ 0.6 x 21 x 25.6 cm
Softcover, 120 pages
Full color, In Japanese language

  
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