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Gunpla
Gundam Plastic models, Gundam Plamo, or Gunpla (ガンプラ, Ganpura) are model kits depicting the mecha machinery and characters of the fictional Gundam multiverse by Bandai Spirits.
These kits became popular among mecha anime fans and model enthusiasts in Japan and nearby Asian countries beginning in the 1980s. Gundam modeling spread in the 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through anime and manga.
The name Gunpla derives from an abbreviation of "Gundam plastic model" phrase, since most kits are made of plastic.
Bandai sold over 100 million Gundam plastic model units between 1980 and 1984, and over 300 million units by May 1999. Recently, Bandai had sold an estimated 450 million units worldwide across nearly 2,000 different Gundam models. As of March 2021[update], Bandai Namco has sold 714.84 million Gundam plastic model units, including 538.24 million standard Gundam units (since 1980) and 176.6 million SD Gundam units (since 1987).
Gundam models are based on the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, which debuted in 1979 as a television show. The show was not highly successful, and the toys produced by Clover did not sell well.
In 1980, Bandai obtained the rights to produce models based on the Gundam franchise. While Clover's models were produced in the style of most children's toys - fully assembled and ready for play - Bandai designed theirs as plastic kits to be assembled, similar to military vehicle models. While Clover's products targeted children, Bandai's approach was more appealing to the teenage and adult consumers that were more typical of Mobile Suit Gundam's audience, and was received extremely well.
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 cast-in colors. These early kits are distinguished by their lack of articulation and low detail and, unlike later generations, require glue to assemble.
A later development was System Injection, a technique which permitted a single "part" to be cast in multiple colors of plastic simultaneously, minimizing the need to paint the finished model.
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Gunpla
Gundam Plastic models, Gundam Plamo, or Gunpla (ガンプラ, Ganpura) are model kits depicting the mecha machinery and characters of the fictional Gundam multiverse by Bandai Spirits.
These kits became popular among mecha anime fans and model enthusiasts in Japan and nearby Asian countries beginning in the 1980s. Gundam modeling spread in the 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through anime and manga.
The name Gunpla derives from an abbreviation of "Gundam plastic model" phrase, since most kits are made of plastic.
Bandai sold over 100 million Gundam plastic model units between 1980 and 1984, and over 300 million units by May 1999. Recently, Bandai had sold an estimated 450 million units worldwide across nearly 2,000 different Gundam models. As of March 2021[update], Bandai Namco has sold 714.84 million Gundam plastic model units, including 538.24 million standard Gundam units (since 1980) and 176.6 million SD Gundam units (since 1987).
Gundam models are based on the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, which debuted in 1979 as a television show. The show was not highly successful, and the toys produced by Clover did not sell well.
In 1980, Bandai obtained the rights to produce models based on the Gundam franchise. While Clover's models were produced in the style of most children's toys - fully assembled and ready for play - Bandai designed theirs as plastic kits to be assembled, similar to military vehicle models. While Clover's products targeted children, Bandai's approach was more appealing to the teenage and adult consumers that were more typical of Mobile Suit Gundam's audience, and was received extremely well.
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 cast-in colors. These early kits are distinguished by their lack of articulation and low detail and, unlike later generations, require glue to assemble.
A later development was System Injection, a technique which permitted a single "part" to be cast in multiple colors of plastic simultaneously, minimizing the need to paint the finished model.