Monthly Magazine Hobby Japan 2026.11

Cover Feature - Everything You Need to Know—Right Now! "Ora-Zaku" and the All-Japan "Ora-Zaku" Championship (1996–2026)

On September 1st, the submission period for the 29th All-Japan "Ora-Zaku" Championship came to a close. With the announcement of the winners shifting from the January issue to the March issue starting this year, many of you are surely waiting in eager anticipation for the results!

In this issue, we present a special feature looking back at the history of the All-Japan "Ora-Zaku" Championship, showcasing the Grand Prize-winning entries from years past. It has been exactly 30 years since the project that sparked the championship—"My Zaku is the Best in the World! [One Year War Memoirs]"—first appeared in our pages. We trace the evolution of the term "Ora-Zaku"—which carries a slightly whimsical, colloquial ring—as it grew to become synonymous with the ultimate contest for Gunpla modelers across Japan.

We focus on the Grand Prize winners from the 28 competitions held to date, using these iconic entries to explore how the art of Gunpla modeling has evolved over time, while highlighting the passion, ingenuity, and creativity of the modelers themselves.

Furthermore, we are joined by Hiroyuki Noda and Animo—both past "Ora-Zaku" Grand Prize winners who remain active contributors to our magazine today! They have each poured their full effort into creating brand-new, dedicated works in response to the question: "If you were to enter the 'Ora-Zaku' Championship today, what would you build?"

Over the course of the 28 competitions held so far, the total number of entries has reached an astounding 34,254. Don’t miss the November issue of *Monthly Hobby Japan*, which looks back on 30 years of the Ora-Zaku Championship—paying tribute not only to the grand-prize-winning entries, but to every single submission that has enlivened the competition, as well as the passion poured into them by the modelers themselves.