Hey there! ZakuAurelius here!
Recently we've had the Toys and Tanks Contest ongoing and were have been blessed with the opportunity to have the designers of the properties join as guest judges! For the Nacchin side, designer Moi will be judging. And for the Maruttoys side, designer MiZ will be judging! They both also agreed to a short interview so I would like to thank them both so much for their time and cooperation! I would also like to thank Kotobukiya for their support!
The following is my conversation with MiZ-san.
Please follow him here: https://twitter.com/MARU
TTOYS_MIZ
Zaku: Thank you for your time!
Could you start by telling us a bit about yourself?
MiZ: I was born in 1992. I attended design school in both high school and university, mainly studying graphic design and illustration.
I became more interested in three-dimensional objects than two-dimensional ones, so I began analog modeling in high school.
I announced “Mamoru” and “Tamotu” at Summer Wonder Fest 2018, and Mamoru was selected as Wonder Showcase at the following Winter Wonder Festival. In 2020, Tamotu was released as a plastic model from Kotobukiya. The series continued with Noseru, Mamoru, and Tamotu Type-S which is scheduled to release in 2024.
Zaku: Was it your dream to design robots? Or are there other subjects you enjoy designing?
MiZ: I was just doing what I liked, and I didn’t set out to become a robot designer. I used to aim to be an illustrator. For some reason, I am now a plastic artist!
However, I have been working with the idea that I would be happy if the products I designed were sold all over the world someday.
I mainly design robots, but I don’t have a particular theme and enjoy creating a variety of works.
Zaku: I think people all over the world are enjoying your work now! Do you have any particular artists or sources of inspiration you look to?
MiZ: Inspiration comes from many different sources.
Overseas, I was particularly influenced by Syd Mead, Daniel Simon, Luigi Colani, and TDR. In Japan, my designs are influenced by a variety of people including Toru Narita, Ikuto Yamashita, Masaharu Kawamori, Yutaka Izubuchi, Makoto Kobayashi, Naohiro Washio, and Mamoru Nagano.
When I started MARUTTOYS, I was particularly influenced by Mr. Kobayashi of Mechatro Wego and Mr. Okubo of Izumo Heavy Industries.
The worldview of MARUTTOYS is built with reference to realistic and humorous designs and concepts that are active in the city.
Zaku: The Maruttoys designs certainly have a lot of personality! What has your experience been like working with Kotobukiya to produce the plastic models?
MiZ: I had never designed a plastic model before, so this was all a new experience for me.
Mr. Kanno of Juya's first job after becoming a planner was to work on a project with me, so the two of us often consulted each other as we proceeded. Basically, I was able to design in the direction I wanted, so I was able to release a product that I was satisfied with from the first TAMOTU.
When making it into a plastic model, I added detailed molds and used clear parts to make it more realistic. I was happy that I was able to create a plastic model with a quality that could not be achieved through personal production.
Zaku: The details are so nice! And I really enjoy the different color variations of the designs. What’s it been like to see everyone’s customized Maruttoys models? Are there any favorites?
MiZ: Thank you for enjoying my work!
I look forward to seeing everyone’s custom work every day. I’m glad to see customization from a variety of approaches, such as installing Kotobukiya's MSG parts using the 3mm points, enjoying painting the work, and using the frame to customize it into a completely different way.
I love all the works everyone has created.
Zaku: Do you have a concept or theme in mind for the next Maruttoys model kit? Is there a particular kind of robot you would like to make?
MiZ: Well unfortunately I can’t discuss plans for future releases. But I would like to make a fully humanoid robot kit!
Zaku: I understand! I will be looking forward to it!
Is there anything else you would like to share with your international fans?
MiZ: I never thought that the work I created would cross the ocean and be sold overseas.
I owe it all to my overseas fans and to Kotobukiya. I'm so grateful! Thank you so much!! I hope you will continue to support MARUTTOYS!
Zaku: Thank you so much for your time! And thank you for making Maruttoys!
MiZ: Thank you very much!
