Gundam models
| Type | Scale model kits |
|---|---|
| Company | Bandai |
| Country | Japan |
| Availability | 1980–present |
| Materials | Plastic |
| Official website | |
Gundam models are model kits depicting the vehicles and characters of the fictional Gundam universe by Bandai. These kits have become popular among mecha anime fans and model enthusiasts in Japan and in other nearby Asian countries since the 1980s. Gundam modeling spread in the 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through television, video and manga. Gundam models, as well as the hobby of assembling and painting them, is known in Japan as Gunpla (ガンプラ Ganpura?), a portmanteau of "Gundam plastic model", plastic being the most common material for the retail kits.
Mobile Suit Gundam debuted in 1979 and the first Gunpla kits came in 1980, following the show's cancellation. Nearly every mecha in the series was made into a model kit, from mobile suits to support aircraft and space battleships. Parts came in up to three different colored sprues. These kits lacked articulation and detail, and required glue and paint to build and finish.
Following the completion of the TV series line, Bandai introduced the MSV (Mobile Suit Variation) line, featuring alternate variants of the series' mobile suits. One of the highlights of the line was the PF-78-1 Perfect Gundam, which introduced System Injection (a process where one sprue—sometimes even one part—was molded in multiple colors), which minimized the need to paint the model.
Following a line of kits from the Round Vernian Vifam series, the 1985 Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam kit line incorporated the use of polycaps (soft plastic, typically Polyethylene) as connectors for better articulation of joints. The 1987 Gundam Sentinel model line introduced the concept of snap-fit models, reducing the need to use glue. And starting from the 1988 Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack line, all Gunpla kits feature snap-fit assembly.
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