Aoshima

1924 is when Aoshima began life, not as a model company but as an airplane research institute founded by Jiro Aoshima in Shizuoka. Plastic kits followed in 1961, and by 2008 the brand's Itasha, anime-livery car kits, had turned it into a name JDM and anime fans both recognise. Rivals Corner's shelf leans into that crossover: build Brian O'Conner's Fast & Furious R34 Skyline GT-R, Sudo Kyoichi's Initial D Lancer Evolution, or Kiryu straight out of Godzilla: Tokyo SOS. Free UK tracked shipping applies on orders over £99.

From an airplane research institute to Japan's anime-livery car specialist

1924 marks Aoshima's actual beginning, not as a modelling company but as an airplane research institute, founded by Jiro Aoshima in Shizuoka. Wooden model planes followed in 1929, and the brand didn't touch plastic until 1961, when Aoshima Bunka Kyozai Inc released its first plastic kit, a speed boat called Bluebird. Shizuoka is also home to Tamiya and Hasegawa, meaning three of Japan's biggest model brands sit within the same prefecture.

2008 changed what Aoshima meant to a lot of builders. That's when the brand's Itasha kits, cars wrapped in anime livery rather than factory paint, took off, and the crossover between car culture and anime fandom has stuck ever since. You're not just building a Skyline GT-R here, you're building the exact one Brian O'Conner drove, or Sudo Kyoichi's Lancer Evolution from Initial D. Building one means assembling a proper 1/24 scale kit, glue and paint included, but the reward is a specific, recognisable car rather than a generic tuner build.

Rivals Corner's Aoshima shelf currently leans hardest on the licensed side. Brian O'Conner's R34 Skyline GT-R from Fast & Furious and Sudo Kyoichi's CE9A Lancer Evolution from Initial D put you behind two of the most recognisable cars in tuner fandom. Fancy something further from the road? Aoshima's Kiryu, the Multi-Purpose Fighting System mech from Godzilla: Tokyo SOS, is stocked here too, a reminder that the catalogue stretches well past cars. For something with real widebody presence, the LB Works Lamborghini Aventador Limited Edition brings Liberty Walk's aggressive styling to the bench.

Building your first Itasha-style kit? Check Tools & Accessories for the paint and glue you'll need, or browse the wider Gunpla collection if you're switching between mecha and cars. Got a specific Aoshima kit in mind we don't stock yet? Get in touch.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Aoshima founded?

Aoshima traces back to 1924, when Jiro Aoshima founded an airplane research institute in Shizuoka, Japan. The company made wooden model planes from 1929, then moved into plastic kits in 1961 under the name Aoshima Bunka Kyozai, starting with a plastic speed boat kit called Bluebird.

What is Aoshima best known for?

Detailed 1/24 scale Japanese car kits, particularly JDM tuner cars, plus its Itasha range, cars finished in anime livery rather than factory paint, which took off from 2008 onward. Aoshima also produces aircraft, ships, motorcycles and sci-fi/mecha kits, though Rivals Corner's stock focuses mainly on the car side.

Are all Aoshima kits snap-fit?

No, most Aoshima car kits, including the Fast & Furious and Initial D tie-ins, need glue and paint like a standard scale model. Rivals Corner does also stock Aoshima's Volkswagen Beetle Snap Kits, which are a simplified, snap-together alternative if you want something faster to build.

What is the Godzilla Kiryu kit?

Kiryu is the Multi-Purpose Fighting System featured in Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003), a giant mechanical weapon built by the JSDF to combat Godzilla. Aoshima's kit lets you build the mech itself, a departure from the car-focused rest of this collection.

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