JRM at 2023 Otakon Anime Convention

[cteno4]

Sorry this is a bit late, thought I had done it a while back. We are doing Ttrak at Otakon this year again on Saturday July 29 10a-6p in the main dealer hall. It’s a big con at 40k+ attendees. This year’s theme is TRAINS! We get a great response at Otakon, everyone is surprised to see Japanese model trains and we have a dozen or two anime themed trains out for exhibit as well. Many folks are very intrigued when we show them that doing small Ttrak modules is basically diorama modeling and say “Hey I could do that!”. Folks are also super appreciative of us coming to the con with the trains which we always appreciate greatly!

 

I’m bring a bunch of mini Onetrak modules of different sizes and shapes with tracks in different orientations to show off the versatility of the concept. I have about a dozen modules under construction, but decided against bring half finished stuff and keep it more conceptual with the idea dream up a scene then choose a size and shape of module and where you want the track in the scene. I’ll bring some buildings to show size relationships to modules and space. I had hoped to have  a completed loop but ran into too many house projects this summer that sucked up most all the train time and I should have worked on modules one by one and I would have has some fully sceniced instead of all part done. Thought I could get away with that, but no worries and did not want to get super stressed over it as it’s a long hard show to do all in one day!

 

if your going to Otakon, please come by!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Cat]

One of these years I hope to make the pilgrimage!
 
My friend Kit is there running demos at the Japanime Games booth, she may get a chance to come by and say hi.

[cteno4]

Cool, I will look out for her. We are in the back open area in the huge dealer hall, usually where they have the anime coated cars.

 

it is a fun event. I’m not a big anime person, but it’s fun to see the costumes and everyone is in very good mood and pleased and thankful we are there. I think it’s the show we get the most creative interest compared to regular public events or train shows. Train shows now tend to have the lowest interest, little creative talk and sometimes even sort of cranky mood around sometimes…

 

jeff

[Dillon]

I seen your forum on last year’s convention, and this inspired me to my own layout at a local comic convention(I live in Nevada), as much I love anime and pop culture. Trains are my passion, though how many attendee were interested of the layout you guys showed today?

 

Interesting about the last sentence, I went to the National N Scale Convention in June, and seems like everyone is having a good time and interest, maybe that’s just me.

[cteno4]

@Dillon,

 

very glad our otakon experience got you to do something at your local con! It’s fun to get out in the public and share your love and enthusiasm for the hobby! Very good on ya!

 

we wre super well received at otakon. Usual response when folks would walk up and see the layout was “That’s sooo COOL!”. Second is “Hey there’s a sushi train!”. Most folks really love seeing the trains at public events. It surprises them and most all say “I use to have so much fun playing with trains when I was younger!”. They love the detail in the modules to keep looking deeper at. Just super positive. Most anime folks tend to be on the creative side and many do a lot of crafting on their costumes and such and also do various war games and other games with custom figures they paint so the scenery and such is right down their alley. We get a lot of folks saying “Hey I could do that!”
 

One of the big reasons I’ve been developing the mini Onetrak concept to make something simpler, smaller, cheaper, and more accessible to beginners. I had modules out at the show to show the concept to get reactions from total newbies and it was great with them seeing you could start small and easy and work up. They really liked the flipped idea of dream up the scene then find the right size and shaped module and where you want the track to go on the module to suit the scene. Ttrak is kind of the revers with fewer options for size and shape and track location.

 

sorry my comment on the train shows, we usually do the big shows here in Baltimore two or three times a year and a few of the more regional/national shows in the past. Problem there is there are trains everywhere and most are doing their own train layout of some sort so we are nothing new. Even being Japanese trains doesn’t interest most, some even are a big snooty about them not being American, and for the first decade of the club we had some sharp anti Japanese from some older attendees which was a bit shocking when it would happen (luckily that generation of issues is pretty much past now). Some say in a round about (and sometimes directly) that Japanese trains are toys and silly looking, they are just jealous most us trains the last 40 years have been pretty dam boring! We just don’t get a lot enthusiasm or crowds from showing at the train shows and few good conversations. Also just not a very appreciative crowd, few say thanks for coming at all. The public shows we get tons of thank yous and real amazement we just did all this work of setting up a layout for their enjoyment! It’s a nice feeling to see someone jog back to childhood some as well as a few possible converts. At the train show you are preaching to the choir, no new converts to the hobby only just converting to the dark side.

 

train shows I think since everyone there does trains it’s a very shared experience so little in the way of exuberance. Folks have a good time I’m sure at the shows, we just don’t get the same love and excitement that we do at non train events.

 

I may be a bit jaded as we are coming up on our 100th show next show! 
 

I’ll post more once I’ve had a rest, it was a long day and they didn’t open the loading dock so it was schlepping stuff from one end of the 3bloc convention center to the other!

 

jeff

[Dillon]

That's actually nice and sorry about what happened from your experience at train shows, have you guys thought of doing a workshop panel at Otakon? I saw a comment on someone attempting to do a T Trak workshop at Anime Boston but got rejected, and seeing how well it is from 2021 and 2022, maybe try out a workshop panel?

 

I do love Japanese trains, especially JNR/JGR steam, and I wished there were more of that in general train shows, though, even with my own attempt, I'm doing a panel on vintage photo collecting, with trains being a theme. 

 

I love your guy's work!

[cteno4]

Don’t get me wiong, train shows hace been great, just not the same reaction and interaction as non train shows. Plus I’ve done a ton! I just personally like the reaction at public shows and better chances at snagging some new model railroaders!

 

there were like 8 panels on various train things this year at otakon since the theme was trains. I was looking at doing a workshop on the mini onetrak this year but is so physical it’s a bit hard in a larger presentation. They have asked us past if anyone wants to do workshops or panels on Japanese trains or Japanese trains in anime, so they are very open at otakon.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[Dillon]

@cteno4

I can’t wait to see the photos!

[cteno4]

So it was a very good show for us! Otakon’s theme was trains this year so we were even more relevant to the con. They had a ton of wooden train whistles made to give out and they were happy folks snapping them up at the layout. Quite a nice treat for folks and fun to watch adults come giggling little kids when they blew their train whistles! They gave us about a gross of them to give out to kids at our future events, quite generous of them. 
 

other costume attendees I think godzilla on the layout was the next popular thing to photograph. Tons of photos taken and lots of train videos. Sushi train was a hit as usual. Very good constant stream of visitors kept us on our toes.  Most were very surprised to find the layout there. Some came looking for us having been there in the past couple of otakons. Some saw us at the cherry blossom festival Sakura Matsuri this year and came looking for us at otakon.

 

all in all a great show. Would be fun to do more than one day but logistics just make it really impossible for us to do more than Saturday. But otakon is cool with this as it’s the biggest day. Attendance looked to be higher than last year and crowds at the layout bigger.

 

a long, hard day, but very successful and enjoyable!

 

cheers,

 

jeff

[cteno4]

[cteno4]

[Dillon]

I like the last photo where all the models are displayed, is that tiny steamer a C11 model?

[Cat]

Glad it was a great show!

[marknewton]

7 hours ago, cteno4 said:

 

 

Great photos, Jeff - but that T-shirt is the highlight for me! 😍

 

All the best,

 

Mark.

[Tony Galiani]

Thanks for posting.  I still hope to make it to one of your shows in the future.  And I am with Mark - the T-shirt is great.

Tony

[cteno4]

@marknewton and @Tony Galiani Thanks, that’s the Club t shirt. One of the founding members (who also did our logo) had done that illustration a long time back and since Goji is our club mascot it’s only fitting it was on the back of our shirts!

 

@Dillon yes I think it was, but I didn’t set the train display up so not positive. I can ask Garrett. We do a table of primarily anime trains for this show as folks love seeing all the different painted trains. Funny note we use to have 4 or 5 folks that would come to the Baltimore train show and school us on the show, episode, and characters involved with many of our regular trains and all about shows represents! They were hardcore crossover train and anime fans We don’t get that at otakon, usually folks are more curious about the trains in general and the layout.

 

jeff

[brill27mcb]

It's definitely a different crowd than at train shows! 😄

 

Rich K.

[cteno4]

Rich,

 

There have been few odd ducks at Timonium train shows over the years! It’s funny as at first it’s a little hard to talk trains with a 6’ guy dressed like a tele tubby. But after a second it’s total fun and really great conversations with folks showing a lot of interest and you forget about the costume!

 

jeff

[marknewton]

On 7/30/2023 at 3:16 PM, Dillon said:

I like the last photo where all the models are displayed, is that tiny steamer a C11 model?

Certainly looks like a C11. 👍

[ATShinkansen]

On 7/29/2023 at 11:25 PM, cteno4 said:

 They have asked us past if anyone wants to do workshops or panels on Japanese trains or Japanese trains in anime, so they are very open at otakon.

 

cheers,

 

jeff

I’ve actually thought of doing this very thing.  I just don’t know how to backtrack and locate all my sources for my knowledge!  (This forum would be one of them.)