My Hobby: Gunpla

What is my hobby, you ask? It’s Gunpla. And what is that, you ask? It is short for “Gundam plastic models” make by Japanese company Bandai. The model kits are based on the vehicles, robots or spaceships in the Gundam franchise.

“Mobile Suit Gundam” or “Kidou Senshi Gandamu” is a anime mecha franchise started in 1979 by the company Sunrise. The first series, know as Gundam 79, or Gundam 0079 or just simple First Gundam as we know it today, is settled in year UC 0079 (short for Universal Century, in the gundam universe, the Anno Domini ended with the launch of the first space colony into space). It follow the main character Amuro Ray, who is piloting the iconic RX-78-2 Gundam built by his father in the conflict between Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon, or Duchy of Zeon.

In the real world, Gundam may just be a model kit for many. But for some, especially me, it is craftmanship, it is passionate, it is more than just a hobby. It is the reason why the franchise has been surviving and still going strong for more than 30 year.

Gunpla has many size, shapes and variants. But the thing that all gunpla builders should know to decide which kit is suitable for you are the scale of the kits, or “grades”. As of 2019, we have about 6 scales or “grades”, they are:

• SD, SDCS (about 8 cm tall): short for super-deformed, cross silhouette. They are very simple model kits, suitable for young children (age 8 and up) and beginner.

• HG (High Grade, scale 1/144, about 13 cm tall): They are the basic gunpla kits, this grade has all model kits from the movie, as they are cheap and easy to produce. The simplicity is depended on the kit. This is the recommended grade for beginner.
• RG (Real Grade, scale 1/144, about 13 cm tall): The revolutionary is here! Combined with the MG frame, and the 1/144 scale we all know and love! Extremely detailed, freely articulated with a high range of movement. It’s pricey, and only recommended for skilled builders.
• MG (Master Grade, scale 1/100, about 18 cm tall): Once regarded as the best line of gunpla, they have the full, complete and complicated frame, imitate that of the human, they are even more detailed than RG, has a lot of gimmicks. And of course, they are expensive, skilled builder favorite.
• PG (Perfect Grade, scale 1/60, about 30 cm tall): The pinnacle of Gunpla, a step up from master grade. Not the biggest, but the best line of Gunpla Bandai has to offer. Extremely pricey, requiring skill and patience.
• Mega Size (scale 1/48, about 48-60 cm tall): Basically an enlarged HG with more gimmick, pricey but not that awesome. But hey, we cannot have everything, eh?

For Gunpla, the one of the most important thing required is patience, the skill, (James’ joke: and a very large pocket). Then why patience? Well, unlike Transformer, or those G.I.Joe toys, a gunpla must be built, they are not already assembled. This can take time, depending on which kit, which “Grade” you are building, are you cleaning the cut mark or not, are you painting the kit or not. As I said, depending on the effort, the kit that you build, it can take like just 30 minutes, or maybe months even.

Then, why skill? Well, we will take the recently introduced MG Gundam Dynames for example. You will have to follow the instruction, cut the part out, clean up the cut mark,… etc. You also have to be gentle as if you press to hard, the part may be broke. So, if you want your gunpla to look great, skill is important. And sometime, you want to modify your gunpla, making it unique. You can paint them, “kitbash” them, etc. You cannot do that without your skill.

But, whether you put a lot of effort into your gunpla or not, your gunpla will be uniquely your. As Heraclitus said: “No man ever step in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man”, the way you build your gunpla will left it mark on the gunpla itself, whether you are a beginner or a skilled builder. Even if you build the same kit twice, there will still be differences between the two. So, that is why I love building Gunpla.

James