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| MG 1/100 Freedom Gundam - OBB (Out of the Box Build) |
a little overview about GunPla
What is GunPla??
Gundam Models refers to plastic and non-plastic model kits depicting the mechas, vehicles and characters of the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam universe by Bandai. These kits have become popular among anime fans and model enthusiasts, especially in Japan and in other nearby Asian countries since the 1980s. The popularity of Gundam models increased in the 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through television, video and manga. These Gundam Models are also called Gunpla (ガンプラ Ganpura?), a portmanteau of "Gundam plastic model". "Gunpla" more commonly refers to the practice of building Gundam models, rather than the models themselves.
Scales and grades
Super Deformed
Not based on any particular scale, the super-deformed style features comically-proportioned models, the most noticeable features of which are their very large heads. Super Deformed Gundam kits are often very easy to construct but offer very limited articulation and require paint and detailing to truly "finish" the kit. The most famous line is the BB Senshi (or "SD GUNDAM BB Warriors" in English). There are also separate product lines: for instance, Superior Defender Gundam Force and Ganso SD Gundam (discontinued in the 1990s). Most kits of this line are from the Musha Gundam series and the Knight Gundam series.
1:144 scale
The very first kits have been running for 30 years (starting with RX-78-2 Gundam) and are routinely re-released by Bandai. As these kits are limited in articulation and require glue (for the early kits) and paint to assemble, these have retroactively been categorized as NG (No Grade), to differentiate them from FG (First Grade).
During the mid- to late-1980s, the quality of molding improved and HG (High Grade) level kits were introduced in 1990, starting from the titular mobile suits of the first four TV series. These limited-run kits featured full snap-fit assembly, an "internal frame" (for the first two kits, which provides better range of motion and were more poseable), and utilized the molding technique known as System Injection, wherein multiple colors would be cast on the same part.
In 2010, RG (Real Grade) surpassed HG as the top-end series of the 1:144 Gunpla line. These kits feature extensive detail and articulation, as well as a poseable skeletal frame comparable to the 1:100 Master Grade kits. The first RG kit was the 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam, followed by the 1/144 MS-06S Char's Zaku II, GAT-X105 Aile Strike, MS-06F Zaku II (Green), ZGMF-X10A Freedom, and FX-550 Skygrasper [Launcher/Sword Pack]. Additional releases in this line are planned through 2011. During early 2012, the RG version of RX-178 Gundam Mk-II was released, available in both A.E.U.G and Titans colors.
1:100 scale
Just like the 1:144 scale model kits, these kits started about the same time with the very first 1:144 model kits, again starting from RX-78-2 Gundam. "Generic" 1:100 kits may also be called "No-Grade" (NG 1:100) to differentiate from other specific 1:100 kits. Later kits (from Turn-A Gundam onwards) are clearly inspired from the post-HG 1:100 kits and features a similar (or greater) level of quality and detail.
Beginning with Victory Gundam in 1993, the HG line would shift to relatively well detailed larger scale kits in the 1:100 scale. There was little need for painting and detailing. These applied for the 1:100 scale models produced between 1993 and 1998, including Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, Mobile Fighter G Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, After War Gundam X, and New Mobile Report: Gundam Wing Endless Waltz. Each TV series would receive on average between six to eight models in this scale and grade.
Master Grade (MG) models were first introduced in the summer of 1995, designed and made to higher standards than most other models. These kits take much longer to construct and are often much more expensive than their lower-grade counterparts. More recent Master Grade plastic models typically feature a movable inner frame system which enables extensive movement and bending of joints. The popularity of this line was so great that a lot of old and new kits from non-graded series were cast as Master Grade models.
The vast majority of MG offerings are from Gundam, with the rest coming from mechas in Patlabor and Dunbine, as well as character figures of Dragon Ball Z, the Kamen Rider Series, and One Piece (under the name of MG Figurerise).
1:60 scale
Bandai released 1:60 scale versions of the main mecha of major TV series. These are Non-Grade or TV-Grade models, and are the main line of the 1:60 scale kits. Early 1:60 kits, like other scales, were simply larger versions of the smaller scales. In the early to mid 1990s, three High Grade EX models of V2 Gundam, Shining Gundam and God Gundam were released, featuring more details and gimmicks than their smaller counterparts. Bandai also created a much more detailed series of figures called Perfect Grade (PG). These kits come in standard 1:60 scale but are superbly detailed in terms of color and its inner frame, as well as normally possessing more points of articulation, such as hands that articulate at the knuckles. Perfect Grade kits were mainly used for developing new plastic model technologies, a function currently taken over by the Master Grade series, and typically need a few years to develop each kit.
1:48 scale
Bandai released the 1:48 Mega Size Model line in 2009 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam. Available in four models - the RX-78-2 Gundam, the MS-06C Zaku II, the MS-06S Char's Zaku II, and the Gundam AGE-1 Normal, these kits are essentially larger versions of their 1:144 HGUC counterparts, but priced much lower than the 1:60 PG line. Once assembled, these models stand 37.5 cm tall (about 15 inches).
Bandai developed these kits with ease of build in mind as they require no tools to build. The individual pieces are attached to the runner by a very thin piece of plastic so that they can be broken off by hand. The assembly process can be sped up even more as the runners have been developed in a way so that you can attach two together and break off the individual pieces that way. Bandai also include a 'Double Separator' tool to help with the new method of building.
The newest model added to this line will be the Gundam AGE-2 Normal, which will be released April 2012. The AGE-2 is the upgraded version of the AGE-1 and will feature the same illuminated head, eyes and chest piece gimmick.
1:35 scale
Universal Century HardGraph does not primarily center around the humanoids of the Gundam universe. Rather, it centers on military things on a more conventional scale such as land vehicles, tanks and troops. However, some kits do include detailed to-scale mecha parts which are particularly useful for the creation of dioramas. For instance, the Anti-MS Squad kit includes an articulated lower Gundam arm.
Other/Mixed Scales
There are other, less common scales, like the Mega Grade's 1:48, the Speed Grade's 1:200.
A 1:400 scale model line is designed for large mobile armours and battle ships in the Gundam Collection line, which the line's ordinary mobile suits are figures, not models. Only extremely large units like Mobile Armours and Warships need assembly. These models are pre-coloured models, and the warships need minimal assembly. An earlier line of model, the High Grade Mechanics, with a scale of 1:550 held a similar function in introducing large mobile units, but the line only consist of 3 mobile units from 0083.
Another high-detail line is the EX model, in scales of 1:144 and 1:100 (non-humanoid units like aircraft) and 1:1600/1:1700 (spaceships), ranging from the Universal Century to Cosmic Era productions. This series is not Gundam-exclusive, having models from other series like some of the jet aircraft from Sentō Yōsei Yukikaze and at least one aircraft from Ace Combat 5.
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