Japanese Diorama Products Now Available from Zootoyz

Just saw that the online Japanese hobby store, Zootoyz.com, has just added Woody Joe diorama products.

[Note: This was announced on Zootoyz’s Facebook page, but there is currently no link on the website itself. Until the site’s navigation is updated, here’s a link to the new products: https://www.japan-wooden-model-kits-zootoyz.shop/contents/en-us/d2045761143_Diorama-products-by-Woody-JOE.html]

This line of products includes sakura, cherry blossom trees, Japanese pines, cypress trees, box trees, cedar trees, generic broadleaf and conifer trees and other vegetation. There are also bags of ground cover for simulating grass, dirt, and gravel.

There are also several diorama “sets” that include a variety of vegetation selected for specific Woody Joe kits.

Hiroshima Castle diorama vegetation set.

One of most useful additions is a product that actually comes from a Japanese company called Aurora Model. These are 1/150-scale Edo period figures. These tiny figures come in three different sets, each with 14 to 16 figures. These are ideal for bringing life to a Woody Joe castle or temple model. The figures come unpainted, but painted sets are also available.

Sample of painted figures shown on the Aurora Model website.

White metal figures come unpainted. I haven’t seen any particular theme to each set, though one (set B) includes a sitting figure and a sumo wrestler, another (set C) contains a horse, the other set (set A) looks like it contains more samurai or officials. At only ¥1200, which is a bit over $10, it makes sense to just buy all three, and to pick and choose which figures work best for your purposes.

1/150-scale Edo period figure set A

1/150-scale Edo period figure set B

If you’re not into painting small figures, you can buy them pre-painted. The painted figures come in smaller sets and are, of course, more expensive at ¥3000, or about $26 a set.

I’ve personally purchase all three set of unpainted figures. I’ll post photos of my painting job in a future post, but I hope they look as good as the pre-painted figures here.

Again, the direct link to the diorama products is: https://www.japan-wooden-model-kits-zootoyz.shop/contents/en-us/d2045761143_Diorama-products-by-Woody-JOE.html