It’s been 45 incredible years of Gundam, with the franchise celebrating its birthday on April 7th this year - and we just know that you’ve all been stocking up on all the latest, greatest Gundam models to mark the occasion and celebrate alongside.
The brainchild of Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now more well known as Bandai), the franchise first started making waves back in 1979 with TV series Mobile Suit Gundam, a defining moment for the anime genre that seriously set the tone for the future, featuring giant militaristic mechs piloted by people.
It proved to be so immediately popular that before you could say “we are Gundam!”, there were countless films, TV series, original video animations, video games, manga, novels… and, of course, let’s not forget the stratospheric rise of Gunpla, intricate plastic model kits that make up the vast majority of the Japanese character model market.
These kits really came to the fore in the 80s in Japan and neighbouring countries, but come the 90s they had found their way to North America and Europe… and they’ve shown no signs of stopping since!
So how is Gundam planning on celebrating its 45th birthday this year? Well, let us tell you!
There’s a huge amount going on, you’re sure to be pleased to hear, with a potential return of Mobile Fighter G Gundam on the horizon, hinted at via a special anniversary special stream on April 7th… so that’s something to look forward to.
Anime Station Tokyo is hosting a Mobile Suit Gundam Seed Freedom exhibition until May, showcasing the long and illustrious history of Gundam, where visitors can check out iconic mobile suits, get to know the timeline and view an extensive collection of Gunpla models.
Bandai Namco has released Gundam Breaker 4 on Nintendo, with the trailer promising gamers lots of exciting battles against huge models, a lot of flexibility in choosing parts and the ability to take Gunpla into different scenes… perfect for taking dramatic photos!
And last but certainly not least, Bandai has announced the new Real Grade RX-78-2 Ver 2.0 Gundam model kit. That's right! The grandad of Gundams is making a glorious, new and improved return from its Real Grade debut back in 2010.
We can't wait for this kit to drop later this year (we'll take five please!), so be sure to keep an eye out on our socials for updates around its release 👀.
We’d love to hear how you’re marking the special occasion - so drop us a line to let us know!
