Gundam Releases First-Ever English Guide to Gunpla

Mobile Suit Gundam may have just passed its fortieth anniversary since the arrival of the franchise via its first anime series, but this year celebrates another big anniversary for the series in the launch of the first Gundam plastic model, aka Gunplas, and it seems as if an English Guide on how to build these hot ticket items is finally being released! Having sold hundreds of millions of figures over the course of forty years, Gundam fans have been able to snag plastic models that represent mech suits from the original series and the numerous stories that have been told within the franchise.

The guide itself, titled “Handbook of Gunpla Modeling”, was written by Ken-Ichi Nomoto and walks potential builders through the ins and outs of assembling their own Gundam plastic models. During the coronavirus pandemic, Gunplas have become a much sought after item as fans look for ways to pass the time during quarantine, and it certainly is no surprise considering the intricacy that Gundam fans can experience when putting some of these models together. Having sold over 500 million Gunplas to date, the Gundam franchise has certainly discovered new and exciting ways to reach out to fans with these models that are built by collectors.

This year was originally supposed to see the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise hit one of the biggest sporting events of all time, with a “Gundam Satellite” becoming a part of the 2020 Summer Olympics. Obviously, with the Olympics being delayed in Japan due to COVID-19, so to did the G-Satellite’s big introduction. Though fans of Mobile Suit Gundam have a big event to look forward to later this year with the arrival of Japan’s “Walking Gundam”, a life sized statue that will have the ability to walk under its own power unlike any other statue we’ve seen.

One of the big strengths of the Gundam franchise has been the ability to translate the mech suits into new and compelling stories, with the likes of Gundam Wing, Gundam Thunderbolt, Iron Blooded Orphans, and G Gundam being only the tip of the iceberg of anime series that arrived following the debut of the franchise in 1979.

The Gundam Guide can currently be purchased for the Amazon Kindle for around $14 USD, so if you have an interest in building your own Gunpla, this is certainly the way to go!

Are you a big fan of Gundam Plastic Models? If so, what is your favorite? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Gundam!

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Via ANN