This marks the 40th anniversary of Gunpla—plastic models of the mobile suits (combat robots) from the popular anime Mobile Suit Gundam. For four decades, Gunpla have allowed both children and adults to assemble their very own mobile suits. We visited the place where they are produced: the Bandai Hobby Center.
Gunpla: A symbol of fandom
Fans of the Gundam series can own the mobile suits featured in the anime—as plastic models at 1/144 scale. These Gunpla are renewed every time a new Gundam anime or movie is produced, which is why even today, 40 years after the first Gunpla went on sale, the models are still a best-seller for manufacturer Bandai Spirits. (There’s even a meta-anime that features kids building mobile suits from kits and entering them into fighting competitions.) The models are produced in a factory in Naganuma, Japan, called the Bandai Hobby Center. Located just across the street from the nearest train station, it’s the first thing you see when you get off the train. Walk past the entrance, graced by a giant illustration of the RX-78-2 Gundam and you will find yourself in a room full of showcases displaying Zakus and Acguys. “These mobile suits from the original series are still popular,” says Yoshihiro Kano from the Hobby Business Department. “But women tend to prefer models from newer series such as Gundam SEED and Gundam Unicorn.”
Kano says the first Gunpla did not actually go on sale until after the end of the original series. “But there was a rerun, and it was even more popular than the first run,” he says. “And the easiest way to demonstrate your fanhood was to build a Gunpla.” There were robot toys before Gunpla, but very few were authentic to the machines they were based on. Bandai had already produced a series of detailed plastic models based on the spaceships in the anime Space Battleship Yamato, and they applied that experience to producing realistic mobile suit models at 1/144 scale. The results were so authentic that even adults started buying them.
Moving forward with BANDAI SPIRITS
“The factory is capable of injecting four types of plastic materials into a single mold to create parts consisting of up to four colors,” he says. In the past, kits would only come in white, and it was up to the consumer to paint the parts. Thanks to new technology, the factory can now produce parts in many colors and textures at once.
“First, Bandai creates an anime project proposal,” Kano explains. “Sunrise, the anime production company, designs the mobile suits based on that proposal. Using those designs as a starting point, we think of how to craft the joints and shapes before we create 3D models on a computer. We separate the models into individual parts to create kits, and then create molds of the kits. Finally, we create numerous test products before starting production.” Kano shows us a mold for the RX-78-2; it has visibly aged. “We don’t throw away our molds,” he says. “We do slight repairs, so the model might look very slightly different than in the past, but it’s essentially the same. Even the packaging is the same, although the company logo and information are different.”
The iconic Gunpla boxes once lined the shelves of local toy shops—a sight that sadly can only be found in department stores today. The special edition Gunpla produced for the last Gunpla-UT collaboration was packaged in a white box to match the UNIQLO aesthetic, but this time, a typically colorful Gunpla box is used.
Availability of Gunpla may vary by regions.
Dozens of injection molding machines—painted in the colors of the original mobile suits—line the factory floor, injecting drops of melted plastic materials into molds before pressing. Even the staff are dressed like characters from the original series—Kano wears a jacket resembling that of the Earth Federation Army uniform, while the staff dress in navy uniforms with red, white, and yellow accents, just like protagonist Amuro Ray. The latest models might feature a level of detail that puts the RX-78-2 to shame, but looking at these homages to the original series, one is reminded that the first anime will always have a place in the hearts of fans.
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PROFILE
Bandai Hobby Center | This is the only Gunpla factory in the world. The building is 18 meters high—the same height as the original Gundam. Staff wear uniforms based on those worn by the Earth Federation Army in the Gundam series.
