HYPERWEAPON 2014 – Road To Varellous is a collection of illustrations and model craft work by renowned mecha designer/illustrator Kobayashi Makoto. His long list of credits include Space Battleship Yamato, Venus Wars, Mobile Suit Z Gundam, Last Exile and many more. I first introduced this art book in one of my digest posts.

HYPERWEAPON is actually one of his earliest works and this book contains material from old publications that are out of print.

(above) A close up of image of the Yamato spaceship sketch reveals the outrageously detailed drawings.

(above) Some of the models are crafted and created by sculptor Takayuki Takeya – himself a big name in the animation industry with a long list of high profile credits, including the God Warrior short directed by Hideaki Anno. Check out his Drawings & Design art book.

(above) The drawing style and color usage is an unmistakable nod to the late Moebius. I see the influences of his work in so many Japanese artists like Otomo, Terada, Yukito Kishiro and of course Miyazaki Hayao.

(above & below) A short manga segment at the end of the book. To me Kobayashi’s drawing style is quite alike that of another Gundam artist Kondo Kazuhisa ( see his excellent manga MS Gundam War Chronicles here.) and I have some difficulty telling them apart. The former’s work features more detailed line work, I think.

Definitely one for mecha fans, with plenty of detailed, beautiful illustrations. Recommended.

“HYPERWEAPON – Road To Varellous ハイパーウェポン2014バレラスへの道 小林 誠” art book details :

– Dimensions – 25.6 x 21 x 1.2 cm
– Softcover, 126 pages
– Full color, in Japanese language

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