Gundam
From Mod Mania
Gundam S3155294 Tim Kwok
Animation is one of the most famous product from Japan. Every year Japanese produce over 100 different series of animations, it has brought a huge benefit for the Japanese toy industry. Therefore animation and toy have indivisible relationship. I ,as a toy player and animation’s fan, fully understand that mutually beneficial relationship. A successful simple is “Gundam”.
Gundam is a robot’s name which original come from an animation called “Mobile Suit Gundam”(機動戦士ガンダム). It is created by Yoshiyuki Tomino(富野 由悠季). This animation is first showed in Japan in 1979 which then hit the audience by storm. As it is the first realistic robot story in Japan, it become a revolution of robot animation and open the way of realistic robot based story. The success of Mobile Suit Gundam has brought huge benefit for it’s by-product, toy. Until now, Gundam is already 30 years old, however it’s power still remain steadfast and even more that it is occupying 60%-70% of the robot model market. It is because the animation of “Gundam” is not over yet, every few years, a completely new design of “Gundam” with a completely new story will be promoted. Between these 30 years, Gundam has over 10 series of animations, the latest one is called “Mobile Suit Gundam 00”. In those series of animations, a lot of “Gundams” have been designed, beisdes, their enemies are also keep changing looking. Imagine there are 15-20 different designs of robot for each Gundam animation, during these 30 years, there are totally 150-200 different design of robots. So with this huge amount of robot designs, their by-product can never be end which keeping the trend in the toy market. Gundam’s “never end” characteristic mark becomes a symbol which people will never be bored to look at.
First Gundam - RX-78
Latest version of Gundam, Gundam Exia
After understand how the success of Gundam bring to the toy market, I will then talk about it’s by-product, toy. In fact there are two main types of toy with Gundam, one is already been made, another is ready to be make. The first one is quite obvious, it is already made and fully coloured that consumer can play with it directly after discard the package. The second one is something that needs consumer to build or colour. The first one is basically focus on consumer in small age and someone who don’t know how or lazy to build , so those product don’t have a well developed community that build around them. The second one, nevertheless, is focus on older age group, therefore we can easily find a well developed community around them, and I will talk more about it.
Inside the “ready to be make” toy, we can divide it into two parts, a hand built plastic robot toy with all joints for the body, which we can called it model; the other is a hand built robot toy with fixed part(for most), it’s mean that it’s can not move, only for the purpose of display, which we can called it robot figure.
already been made Gundam toy
The model of Gundam is the main stream, it is manufactured by a big enterprise called Bandai. And under Bandai, there are different model’s lines, the four main model lines are “SD Gundam BB Warriors”(SD), “High Grade Universal Century”(HG), “Master Grade”(MG), and “Perfect Grade”(PG). Each of the model’s line are totally different, for example, SD Gundam BB Warriors(SD) produces prettier version of Gundam, the proportion of Gundam will change, it’s mean that head and feet will be bigger than body, this model line is focus on a age group around 6-12 or a beginner of model building, it is very cheap only cost like Aus$9-10. Model itself is very simple, consumer only need to simply assembly parts together. I think this non-serious looking model do attract children, it then draw their eyes on Gundam or more Gundam’s models.
SD - Gundam Exia
High Grade Universal Century(HG) only produce 1/144 size of Gundam and catch the eyes of young model builder or someone who like mini size model, it is less complicated but still contain good quality. It is cheap, most people can afford buying it.
HG - Gundam Exia
Master Grade (MG) is the most popular model’s line of Bandai, it only produces 1/100 size of Gundam with full details. It contains the best quality in robot model’s industry in 1/100 size robot model. It is design for normal model builder. The prices of it around the middle, but most people still can afford buying it. As it is almost fully detailed, it has much more parts than HG (1/144 size), advanced model builder also like to modify it. So this model’s line not only attract normal model builder, however, it also capture advanced model builder’s eyes.
MG - Zeta Gundam
Perfect Grade (PG) is the top model’s line of Bandai, it only produces1/60 size with high quality, they are quite expensive, so mostly only advanced model builder and professional model builder (sometime normal builder also) will buy it.
Latest production from PG - Astray Gundam
Another type of “ready to be make” robot toy is called robot figure. And mostly they are produce by individual figure maker (professional or avocational), so it’s mean that there are only limited amount of products, at least their amounts are not as much as normal model which manufacture by the big enterprise. Robot figure are reproduce in a very traditional way, molding, so it is not very productive. Based on it’s limited amount, it is costly. Robot figure’s joint usually can not move, however, since the skill of model makers have been improved, some joints are adding to the figure. The difference of robot model and robot figure are not only depend on the joint, but also dissimilar with the looking. Unlike the big enterprise, which need to follow what Gundam look like in the animation, robot figure, however, is made by all passion people which they want to modify the original Gundam in their version. Sometime we can see Gundam figure in different design (has been modified) and fully detailed, but it is not on the purpose on play, which is different from model, it is on the purpose of display so only advanced and professional model builder will able to purchase it (Older comsumer). Although robot figure is not the main stream in the robot toy’s market, there are a lot consumers like to play with it, as it can has a lot of freedom on the looking (sometime even look cooler than original Gundam) and need more skill to make (normal model builder will not be able to finish those), which can reflect their attainment on model building and making skill.
Before the Gundam figure builded
A modified version of Zeta Gundam
To sum up, robot model and robot figure are focus on different consumer as the prices, looking and level are different, however, professional and advanced model builder do like to do some modify with model and figure to create their own version of gundam. Sometime they build online discussion board that to share the model making skill with each other and improve their skill among another model builder or share the outcome of the model. This little community also gives them a chance to meet new friend and use their skill to help people, finally introduce Gundam to more people. As model and figure both have a lot of potential for model builder, it become more and more popular that there are more and more new model builders start to engage with it. As soon as the spirit of Gundam remain on the trend, it soon playing a improve role for Japanese toy industrial.
