Former TV Asahi Announcer Yasuma Matsui Fulfills His Middle-Aged Dream of Living Surrounded by Model Kits After Retirement
Interview with a super-enthusiast: He has collected more than 3,000 fan-favorite "treasures" and has been appointed as an advisor to Tamiya.
Packed into four rooms
“Excuse me for intruding.”
As soon as I entered the room, I was rendered speechless by the overwhelming presence. Shelves were packed with boxes, and more boxes. Most of them are extremely rare plastic models that went out of print in the 1960s and ’70s. The owner is Yasumasa Matsui (61), a former TV Asahi announcer.
“At my family home in Inami, Nanto City, Toyama Prefecture, there are four rooms packed full. About 20 years ago, I counted over 3,000 items. Adding the ones stored at my home in Tokyo, I can’t keep track of them all. After retiring from TV Asahi, I live surrounded by my beloved plastic models.”
Matsui, whose passion for plastic models led him to become a modeling history research advisor at Tamiya, a giant in the industry, in March of this year, is living out his “middle-aged man’s dream.” Let’s delve into the extremely obsessive life of this former announcer, who was captivated by the allure of plastic models at the age of 10.
“My uncle offered to buy me something from a local ‘general store’ that sold a bit of everything. He suggested a plastic model, though I can’t remember the exact reason. I chose a Tamiya model of the French fighter jet ‘Mirage’ and the Soviet bomber ‘Ilyushin.’ The reduced-scale forms were true to the real thing, and the assembly instructions were densely packed with explanations, including kanji characters that were difficult for an elementary school student. I was instantly fascinated, realizing this was not just for kids.”
Matsui started ordering Tamiya’s general catalogs and ‘Tamiya News,’ which drew him deeper into the world of plastic models.
“When I looked at the 1974 general catalog, I saw that some kits were already discontinued that year. I felt that I needed to ‘keep them safe’ and started collecting kits that were at risk of being discontinued.”
