Tobu World Square, the theme park in Kinugawa Onsen, Nikko, that recreates famous buildings from around the world at 1/25 scale, is teaming up with model maker Tamiya again this year. From Saturday, September 19 through Saturday, October 31, 2026, the park hosts Tamiya × Tobu World "Modelers" Square 2026, bringing model-making content to the miniature cityscape. Last year's popular Mini 4WD races and RC car drive-throughs among the exhibits return this year on an even bigger scale.
The event is built as an "experiential modelers' park" where scale models, play, and learning come together against a backdrop of the world's famous architecture — open to families and casual visitors as well as dedicated model fans.
Giant Diorama and Mini 4WD History Exhibit
Normally-unseen giant diorama pieces go on display alongside a history of Tamiya's "Fully Cowled Mini 4WD" line: classic cars, customized machines, and related merchandise. An architectural model of Tamiya's head office in Shizuoka City is also on special display, together with decades of Fully Cowled Mini 4WD history — a line that has kept a loyal following for more than 30 years — its past customized machines, and related goods.
- Location: Historium Theater
- Dates: September 19 (Sat) to October 31 (Sat), 2026
- Photography is permitted.
Tamiya Merchandise and Mini 4WD Sales
Tamiya products and popular goods, centered on Mini 4WD, are sold at a shop inside the park.
- Location: World Shoppers, "Mercado I"
- Dates: September 19 (Sat) to October 31 (Sat), 2026
Visitors who buy a trail Mini 4WD kit such as the ファンブルン on a Mini 4WD race day can also join the trail Mini 4WD workshop described below.
The Real "ワーゲンオフローダー" on Display
The real, full-size vehicle behind Tamiya's popular 1/10 electric RC off-road car "ワーゲンオフローダー" is on special display, letting visitors compare the model and the real thing side by side. It also doubles as a photo spot.
- Location: Welcome Square
- Dates: September 19 (Sat) to October 31 (Sat), 2026
The "Find Tamiya" Challenge
A park-wide scavenger hunt asks visitors to spot dolls wearing Tamiya's star-logo T-shirts, and scale models or Mini 4WD cars bearing the Tamiya logo, hidden throughout the park. For those looking for an extra challenge, harder-to-find figures — a well-known Tamiya character and a Tamiya shop clerk doll — are also hidden somewhere in the park. Visitors use a question sheet as a hint to track down every hidden "Tamiya."
- Dates: September 19 (Sat) to October 31 (Sat), 2026
- Entry fee: Free
- Participation prize: an original sticker (while supplies last)
- Prize draw for those who complete the challenge:
- 1st prize: a Tamiya RC car (3 winners; the model will be announced later)
- 2nd prize: a Tamiya original goods set (5 winners)
- 3rd prize: a Tamiya Mini 4WD (10 winners; the model cannot be chosen)
- How to enter: write your name, address, and contact details on the question sheet and hand it to staff at the information counter inside the ticket counter. Winners will be notified by the prize being shipped to them.
- Answers announced: Sunday, November 1, 2026, on the official Tobu World Square website.
RC Car Track Days in the Pyramid Desert and New Tokyo International Airport
Exhibit areas that are normally off-limits become special driving fields for a weekend, letting visitors run their own RC cars through rarely-seen courses. Last year's RC car track days among the exhibits return this year with an expanded course in the Modern Japan Zone.
- Dates: October 17 (Sat) and 18 (Sun), 2026
- Times: check-in from 9:00 AM; driving session from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
- Locations: October 17 (Sat) — Modern Japan Zone, "New Tokyo International Airport"; October 18 (Sun) — Egypt Zone, "Pyramid Desert"
- Capacity: 30 people per day
- How to join: purchase an admission-included participation ticket from the dedicated ticket site linked on the Tamiya official event page.
- Price: adults ¥2,800; children ¥700 (special rate for children only; free for a second child and beyond)
- Only ticket holders may take part in the driving session; anyone else who purchases a ticket must pay the price difference at entry. Participants' equipment may also be checked at entry.
- See the Tamiya official event page for full details of the driving session.
- The session may be cancelled at short notice due to weather. Any cancellation will be announced at 10:00 AM the previous day via the "Tamiya RC official X account." Cancellations can only be requested before entering the park.
Trail Mini 4WD Workshop and Driving Experience
Visitors who buy a trail Mini 4WD kit such as the ファンブルン from the in-park shop (World Shoppers, "Mercado I") on a Mini 4WD race day can join a hands-on workshop to build it. Those who have never built a Mini 4WD before are welcome too — it's a hobby-crafting experience parents and children can enjoy together. Afterward, participants can try running their finished model on the field.
- Dates: September 19 (Sat), September 20 (Sun), and October 31 (Sat), 2026
- Location: Welcome Square (subject to change)
Mini 4WD Grand Prix: "Tobu World Grand Prix 2026"
A special five-lane, official Tamiya course is set up at Welcome Square for a Mini 4WD race staged inside the 1/25-scale world of Tobu World Square. The event includes a single race, the "Adult Division," open to high school students and above, and a tag-team race, the "Parent-Child Division," for participants paired with a child in ninth grade (the third year of junior high school) or younger.
- Dates: September 19 (Sat), September 20 (Sun), and October 31 (Sat), 2026
- Location: Welcome Square
- Capacity: September 19 — Adult Division, 100 people; September 20 — Parent-Child Division, 50 pairs (100 people); October 31 — Adult Division, 50 people, and Parent-Child Division, 25 pairs (50 people)
- How to join: purchase an admission-included participation ticket from the dedicated ticket site linked on the Tamiya official event page.
- Price: adults ¥2,800; children ¥700 (special rate for children only; free for a second child and beyond)
- Only ticket holders may race; anyone else who purchases a ticket must pay the price difference at entry, and participants' equipment may also be checked at entry.
- See the Tamiya official event page for full race details.
Special Scale Model Photo Session
Visitors can bring their own scale models and place them inside the exhibits for a photo, capturing the feeling of a miniature world trip. Combining a Tamiya scale model with the park's finely detailed 1/25-scale recreations of the world's architecture makes for a shot that looks as if the model has really visited the place — a scene only possible because it's a model.
- Date: October 31 (Sat), 2026
- Locations: America Zone, Japan Zone
- How to join: purchase an admission-included participation ticket from the dedicated ticket site linked on the official Tobu World Square website — the "digital ticket sales page."
- Price: adults ¥2,800; children ¥1,400
- Only ticket holders may take part, and participants' equipment may also be checked at entry.
- The session may be cancelled at short notice due to weather. Any cancellation will be announced at 4:00 PM the previous day under "Important Notice" on the official Tobu World Square website. Cancellations can only be requested before entering the park.
Event Overview
- Event: Tamiya × Tobu World "Modelers" Square 2026
- Dates: September 19 (Sat) to October 31 (Sat), 2026
- Location: Tobu World Square, 209-1 Kinugawaonsen-Ohara, Nikko, Tochigi 321-2593
