Impressed by the technology to sculpt beautiful girls..! The profound world of “Biplapla,” a new genre sweeping the plastic modeling industry in Reiwa.

The mainstream of plastic models used to be “mechanical” models, such as robots represented by the “Gundam” series. For a long time, mecha models reigned as the king of plastic models, but in the past few years, a major change has occurred.

In the age of Reiwa, plastic models assembled from beautiful girls, known as “Biplapla,” are making great strides.

We asked “Monpuchi,” the manager of the Akiba information site “Moeyo.com,” which provides daily information about the hobby, and an avid Bipla fan, about this trend. What is MIPLA, anyway?

–What is Bipla?

It is a common name for plastic models of beautiful girls, which are three-dimensional plastic models of beautiful girls, in the same way that Gundam plastic models are commonly called “Gunpla. Some people also refer to them as “gal-pla.

–What kind of buyers are you targeting?

I think the main buyers are the light Gunpla users who enjoy building models without painting, as well as collectors of bishojo figures. Prices of hobby items have skyrocketed with the recent price hikes, but among them, the relatively low prices (from 2,000 yen) and large variety of products make it easy for junior high and high school students to get their hands on them. I think they are popular among the younger generation as well.

–What are the leading brands and manufacturers today?

The beauty plastic industry is becoming a battleground, but Kotobukiya’s “Frame Arms Girl” series and “Megami Device” series can be said to be leading the way. The “30MS” series by Bandai, the leader in the plastic model industry, is in hot pursuit of catching up to and surpassing them. Max Factory’s “PLAMAX” series, which introduced the “figma” series of complete movable figures to the market long before the “Biplas” series, is also gaining recognition.

–Please tell us about the history of “Biplapla” from its birth to now.

First of all, around 2010, Kotobukiya released a plastic model called “Ichigeki Hajimushi! The claim at the time was “Hui Hui-san,” which is a plastic model of a small insect. At the time, it was touted as a “plastic kit for beautiful girls. Thereafter, Kotobukiya released several one-off plastic kits of bishojo characters, but they were more of a novelty among plastic models than a genre.

The situation changed drastically when Kotobukiya started the “Frame Arms Girl” series. It became a very popular product that brought bishojo figure users into the fold. As a result, the term “bishojo plastic model” spontaneously came to be used to distinguish it from the already established “bishojo figure,” and the abbreviation “bishojo plastic model” became “bi-pla” in Japanese. I am aware that the term “plastic model” came to be used spontaneously, including as a way to distinguish them from “bishojo figures. However, this is just my interpretation of what I have seen, and may differ from the actual history.

–Do you have any techniques or ideas that are unique to Biplas?

The biggest challenge in plastic modeling Bi-Plastics was the painting of the face. Light users found it difficult, and we tried to deal with this by including decals for the eyes, but even so, the hurdle was still high.

Therefore, Kotobukiya, a well-known manufacturer of bishojo figures, reproduced the face part using a technique called “tampo printing,” which utilizes the know-how of bishojo figures. The facial parts are included in the finished product from the beginning. This made it easier for customers who had been hesitant to purchase the product because of the facial features, and I have the impression that the popularity of the product spread quickly.

I have fond memories of Bandai’s “Figure-rise LABO” series. In particular Hoshino Fumina,” the first in the series, “is a figure that is made by adjusting the thickness of the surface molding color. The first model, “Hoshino Fumina,” was created by adjusting the thickness of the surface molding color to create natural shading by dropping the molding color underneath it, a feat that even today only Bandai, a company that knows plastic models inside and out, could pull off. This is still talked about in the industry today. This is still the talk of the town in the industry today.

What do users actually think of Biplas? We also gathered feedback from fans. First, Kazu, a fan of movable female figures since long before the term “Bipla” was coined, has been following girls plastic models since their early days.

I think the most appealing thing about Biplat is that it feels like a child of my family. You can make your ideal girl figure with your favorite parts. Unlike anime and manga, which have a predetermined background, you can create your own fantasy of the background and the world. I think it is similar to the dress-up dolls and dolls that are popular among women.

As long as the scale is the same, you can use parts from other companies’ products, so the range of play and imagination is very wide. Miniature bags and other accessories available at department stores and other gacha-gacha (toy machines), as well as goods sold at 100-yen stores, can be used in an unlimited number of ways, depending on your ideas.

K.O., who used to be a fan of male-oriented hobbies such as Gunpla and Kamen Rider but is now hooked on Bipla, says, “I feel the appeal of character items.

I like the original Biplas, but I also like Biplas made from popular anime characters. If it’s cute and well done, it’s even better (laughs). Robot items have their own merits, and Bipla has its own merits. In the case of Biplapla, real-life beautiful girls do not have lines on their joints, and their clothes are made of cloth.

Therefore, the lines of the joints are well concealed by the clothes, and the cloth costumes are reproduced in plastic or resin!　I am impressed by such techniques and ingenuity, and this leads to the desire to purchase the next product. That’s the charm, isn’t it? In my case, my love of toys as a child led me to become addicted to MIPLA, so being able to pose them and play with them by moving them is also appealing.

The world of bipla is being enjoyed by all. We asked the aforementioned Mr. Monpuchi about the future of Bipla and its prospects. Mr. Monpuchi, the aforementioned MIPLA designer, told us what he thinks about its future.

Many well-known bishojo figure manufacturers, including Kotobukiya, Bandai, Good Smile Company, Max Factory, Alpha Max, Aoshima, Volks, and PMOA (Plum), which announced its first entry at the recent One Festival, are launching Bipla one after another. Aoshima, Aoshima, Volks, PMOA (Plum), etc., who recently announced their first entry into the market at the One Fest. With the addition of Chinese manufacturers, this genre has become a genre that reminds us of the early days of the bishojo figure boom, with a sense of enthusiasm and momentum.

The world of “Biplat” has moved from an enthusiast’s hobby to a more general one, and is expected to continue to expand. Now may be the right time to get into it.