# Does anyone remember New Type Hobby and Toy?



## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

They were, I think, In Los Angeles? I dealt with them in the early/mid 90s. This was in the pre internet days and he had paper catalogues. The owner was named Jeffery Tom. His prices were not cheap but you could get stuff from him that no one else had. You could send him a photo copy of the Japanese ads in Hobby Japan magazine and he would tell you what the kits were and how much they were. I got some Animie and Godzilla kits from him. I still have a big Kaiyodo Godzilla (from King Kong Versus Godzilla) and a Majin figure by Paradise.


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## derric1968 (Jun 13, 2003)

I remember them. I think I ordered from them once or twice. I believe they were actually located in San Francisco.

The place to go to in Los Angeles in those days for cool Japanese toys and model kits was Pony Toy in downtown LA's Little Tokyo area. Ah, the good old days...


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

New Type was in S.F.they had a store in Giraidelli Square.Not sure,but I think the owner was the same one who owns Jeffery's Toys,now on Market Street.I was good friends with Shiuge Uchino,the owner of Pony Toy go Round,worked for him a few times at Horizon Hobbys which he started.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

falcondesigns said:


> New Type was in S.F.they had a store in Giraidelli Square.Not sure,but I think the owner was the same one who owns Jeffery's Toys,now on Market Street.I was good friends with Shiuge Uchino,the owner of Pony Toy go Round,worked for him a few times at Horizon Hobbys which he started.


You knew Uchino? Man, when I mention to people about Pony Toy, Uchino International, the early days of being Bandai's chief American 'gray market' importer, pricing from the old days and how the Pony style stock code (BAN12345 AOS12345 and such like) is STILL a legacy thing in anime importing...

Nobody even knows.

Say, he connected with Nippon Imports/Bluefin by any chance?


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

Yes,I knew him and his family until the demise of Horizon Hobbys.He is in Japan and no longer in the toy business.


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## Steve H (Feb 8, 2009)

falcondesigns said:


> Yes,I knew him and his family until the demise of Horizon Hobbys.He is in Japan and no longer in the toy business.


I can't recall, did Horizon (model kit producer) manage to stay afloat after Uchino Int'l sold off the Yaohan chain to a South Korean company?

I know the Horizon toy and hobby wholesale arm went away sometime in the early '90s, when the Dollar/Yen rate went insane. Well, more insane, worse than the '85 bubble but not quite as bad as currently. It's hard to believe one might long for the days when the rate was 'only' 125 Yen to the Dollar. Me, I really miss the 250 Yen to the Dollar rate from the early '80s.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Thanks for the replies. Yes I remember Pony Toy Go Round too.


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