At Rio Sul, which still is most famous Shopping Center of Rio once had a store named Hobbylândia on the 2nd floor, very close to the Mesbla store, which was the blockbuster of that time. I simply LOVED that store since the first time that I went to that mall when I was very young around early 80's.
Had anything related with models like trains, cars, planes, boats, houses, animals, soldiers... really anything! The first thing that I made my mom buy there for me was an Electric Train Model Kit, which the owner warned a lot my mother about buy that for me, saying is not for kids, that I'll break the train since is not a toy, bla bla bla... and after many cry I convinced they both to give me that Train kit which I have it until now in great shape.
That's how I met Shigemi Morimoto, the owner of the store, who later I discover did all the hand made models for sale there. And I kept coming several times per month, and buying lots of stuff in a slower process since had very expensive prices and my family never had much money.
Aside I always was a shy boy, I used to talk with the owner from time to time, more annoying him than talking I think, asking about everything since I would like to be able to do that myself, and I really used to enjoy a lot be on that store and stare all the details of all the stuff available on the showcases.
Then one day Morimoto put for sale leaden Star Wars figures! WOW! I become really crazy about them... bought a Stormtrooper and a Darth Vader in the first chance. And started to collecting all of them. All my friends loved them too, and started to buy lots of them too. Remembering that in Brazil on that time there's no such thing as "imported", so we never ever had Star Wars figures for sale over here aside those hand made copies by Morimoto.
So was really a kind of outlaw copies, bootlegs, that's why he named as "Aventura na Galaxia" (Adventure in the Galaxy) instead of "Guerra nas Estrelas" as everything related with Star Wars were called over here on that time.
For that period I almost forgot about my Train, I was always dreaming with the new Star Wars figures and then came the first spaceship! He made a Millenium Falcom! Huge! We can put all the figures inside and play... was fantastic, I think was the only ship made that is in fact from the movies, all the others were original created by Morimoto. My fave was a self design fighter that a close friend of mine had. I'm luck to had the pleasure to play a lot with almost the entire collection among my friends.
The ships and buildings like the Endor's Bunker were made with a mixture of lead, box card, styrofoam, wires, etc... but the result were really cool to a kid's view.
With time he started to create new stuff under the name "Novas Aventuras na Galáxia" like new figures and ships that for our point of view were the ships for the next Star Wars movie (after ROTJ - EP VI) which not arrived in Brazil yet. Yeah, everything were very slow to arrive over here, a new movie sometimes takes a year to be played here. And of course, we were just kids.
One day I got money as a gift of birthday party, and went to the store with my mother to buy new figures but instead I found a Lightsaber in real size, was really huge to me. Called as "Espada de Luz" (Light Sword) was very expensive, My mother didn't want me to buy it, but I bought it in the end and became a very happy kid running around with my Vader's ligthsaber.
All my friends loved and I remember went there with some friends only few days later to let them buy too to we all play with Lightsabers together, but we didn't found any for sale. We asked and Morimoto said will not make anymore because don't worth the production. Dunno if mine is the only produced, but probably was the last one. Sadly I never had a friend to play/fight with me with another lightsaber, but I played a lot with that for many years.
Aside Star Wars and Model Trains related stuff, I used to by several model kits from aircrafts to battleships, other leaden miniatures like WWII soldiers, bunkers, vehicles, etc and even a Yamato ship from the Star Blazers cartoon series. If I had much money I would spent all in that store, I used to wish had one of these radio control planes, but they were so expensive and impossible to me.
At 13 years old I was hit by a car and become at a wheel chair for a long time, then later using crutch until my full recovery. During this period I bought several model kits there. The roof of my room was almost without free spaces for so many planes fixed with thin strings.
After I comeback to walk, run and play football again, I kept away from the store and any model kits, only going few times per year, more to look than to buy anything.
Many years later the oficial Star Wars figures were finally released over here by Glasslite, and aside I wasn't playing with them anymore, I bought Vader just to keep it with my others soldiers, since my original Vader was already in very bad state.
Dunno the exact year, but after several years the store was sadly closed but I already found out they had another store more far away, and I already had enough age to go there alone sometimes.
Saldy in 2011 even the other store were closed, which I used to visit monthly to take a look and remember my youth days. You can see a Morimoto's pic on the upleft of the 1st picture above. HERE you can check a full page about it the most famous newspaper of Brazil.
To get worst, I got to know later about a tragedy involved Morimoto's family which probably caused the end of his legacy. Morimoto died in 2004 because his old age, but his son which was separate of his ex-wife and 2 kids, just after few months after his father's death got his kids to his beach's house like any other ordinary weekend, then did not return them in the right time and his ex-wife started to worry and called the police. Two days later found all dead at his room on the beach's house, saldy he shot both kids in the head and then killed himself with a shot in the month.
This appears all over the news and there's several stuff over internet about it, and even the letter by his ex-wife to a famous newspaper over here. Since wasn't any note left, most of the reasons speculated are aside the death of his father and financial problems with the store, the lost of the guard of his kids to his ex-wife.
It's sad to see something that made me so happy for several years of my life end like this.
The Site is dead for a long time, but the Blog is still online at http://hlandia.blogspot.com.br/
=== FAQ ===
Q: Are you friend/close to his family? Can you ask them to contact me?
R: No, I was just a fan kid which loved that store and the work by the genius Morimoto. I don't have any contact with Morimoto's family aside them lived very close to my home in Laranjeiras.
Q: Hobbilândia or Model Trem?
R: Hobbilândia used to sell his products with the name of the store, later changed to Model Trem and then later to just Model. Dunno why, maybe to sell to also other stores and/or legal reasons. HERE and HERE you can find information about they published that name change to the factory only, not the store.
Q: Model Trem stopped to do Star Wars figures because was sued by Glasslite?
R: Aside I don't know why exactly, for sure this can't be true since Glasslite only released the action figures several years after MT figures stopped to be produced. I think was because the market was open then "Guerra nas Estrelas" became Star Wars, if was sued or even just forced to stop the production was from the Star Wars copyright owners that was entering in Brasil. But maybe nothing of this really happened, he just stop to make because aren't worthing anymore. Because from time to time, even more than a decade later, I saw several leaden Star Wars ships for sale there, and wasn't the official ones, are all in crude lead like many other stuff like Yamato ship that I had, which he make to let us put few parts together and paint.
Q: Did you ever visit the manufactory of these figures?
R: No, I never went there, bought all at the Hobbylândia store of Rio Sul in Rio. By the way this is the pic of the manufactory in 2015 by google maps, seams abandoned.
Q: Where was the Hobbylândia Store in Rio Sul Shopping?
R: Here few pics I took in 2015 of the actual store openned in the same place (dress to), I think were around 2 or 3 others before that since Hobbylândia closed the doors. Renner is now in the place of RIP Mesbla.
Q: Where was the Hobbylândia Store at Ed. Avenida Central?
Q: Do you have links about the tragedy?
R: Is a little difficult to find and you will only find it in portuguese, but you can check these links: HERE HERE HERE and HERE which is a book about suicide which one case is about Morimoto.
=== FOR SALE ===
!!! ALL MY COLLECTION IS SOLD OUT !!!
I bought all of them direct from the owner of the store and creator of this series, all of them are really very old and was from the first release. I bought to play with them when I was a kid and played a lot with them, and I'm saving them for all these years, so I'm the only owner of them.
Luke Skywalker
I use to put some strings to make the figures more rigid, since all are leaden they are heavy and with time become difficult to keep them erect. Can be easily removed. Comes with his lightsaber.
Chewie
In really great shape and still rigid, come with his weapon.
Wicket (Ewok)
Really great shape too, come with his weapon.
Yoda
Sadly his right ear is broken, but aside that is in great shape. Comes with his cape, belt and his weapon. Aside I saw few pics over the internet and some questions, mine is probably the first release, and you all already probably know, all that was made by hand by just one guy with help with his son. So they used to change everytime, colors, weapons and accessories.
Tie Pilot
Really in great shape and still VERY rigid. Come with his blaster.
Snowtrooper
Great shape but also with strings that can be easily removed. Come with his rifle.
Darth Vader (Glasslite)
This is not leaden like the others, but since many people want it I'll sell together in the lot. Is in PERFECT state, aside a little dirt. Come with his lightsaber.
Robot-Vader (Self-made)
I made that bizarre modification after got the Glasslite version and my old Vader lost his arm. I was a creative kid and didn't want 2 Vaders to play. Well, at least is unique. Comes with a blue ligthsaber and a arm-weapon kind. :P
Stormtrooper (Self-Painted)
Was one of my faves and was my first one, I played a lot with him but the paint simply become very bad with the time. So I painted myself with plastic ink and a brush, was all that I know about painting on that time. Since is plastic ink, is possible to remove and do a pro-painting which will be great! Come with his famous blaster. :P
I have some weapons from other figures that I simply can't find them anymore. Dunno what happened, maybe were stolen many years ago or someone put them on the trash by a mistake. I already spent hours trying to find them, and seams I'll never find them anymore. Sadly.
I used to have these ones too:
Obi-Wan : Link
Leia : Link
Han Solo : Link
Han Hoth (broken weapon available) : Link
Hoth Rebel Commander (rifle available) : Link
Bib Fortuna (weapon + cape available) : Link
Ree-Yees (weapon available) : Link
Like you can see, my weapon is completely different than the weapon at this pic. And I'm 100% sure that this weapon was from Ree-Yees.
I used to know and talk since I was a kid with the creator of all this, also his son. Their stores were a very important part of my childhood and youth. Sadly all ended in 2011 when the last store closed his doors. :(
