Gundam - The Lego of Japan

Image source: MaxPixel, google image labeled for reuse

Do you know that Japan has it's own lego-like toy franchise? It's Gundam!

Gundam franchise is the trademark of Bandai Co. Ltd. from Japan. Both Gundam and Lego are using trans-media (anime series, wide screen movies, toys, memorabilia, music albums, etc) as their main business revenues.

The concept from the anime: Gundam is a gigantic humanoid war robot, which needs a real human pilot to control it from inside it's cockpit. Thus the term "mobile suit", human sitting in a cockpit of humanoid robot, just like wearing a gigantic suit. The anime is placing Gundam as an advanced war machine.

Business comparison, Gundam vs Lego

If we compare Bandai's financial statement to Lego's financial statement for the year 2016 we have these numbers:

• Gundam franchise revenue: 78.6 billion Yen. Which is around USD 677.59 million with the rate of 1 USD = 116 Yen
• Lego franchise revenue: 37,934 billion Krona. Which is around USD 5,371 million with the rate of 1 DKK = 0.1415 USD
• That means Lego is almost eight times (8x) larger than Gundam, business wise.
• Although smaller in revenue comparison, Gundam is a very big brand in Japan. From elite shopping mall to rural convenient store such as 7/11 (a brand of convenient store), you can find Gundam toys for sale.

Difference in audience rating of anime / movies

Although Gundam franchise is using media for children such as animes or toys, the Gundam movies and anime series are not exactly intended for children. The anime series are war centered, filled with military jargon, political plots, genetic mutations, human experimentation, explicit scenes of blood or impaired limbs, and implicit adult relationship scenes.

Source: Sunrise, GundamInfo

Difference adaptability in entertainment culture

Lego is flexible enough to launch the latest "hit" from entertainment industry, such as Star Wars set or Batman set. However, Bandai has never adapt the latest "hit" from entertainment industry for the Gundam franchise, not from outside Japan nor from inside Japan. In fact, Gundam is the "hit" of Japan's entertainment industry. Every two or three years, Bandai will release a new Gundam anime series, which will mark the new cycle of the franchise. You can find new type of video games, toys, etc. Each new Gundam series might have an average of 20 new Gundam robots.

You can check the released year of each series from Wikipedia's Gundam page here.

Gundam Toys complexity level

Gundam is basically a robot. So it's a robot toy. Bandai has tried to create an imaginative working mechanism for the robot movements. Which means when you assemble the robot toy, you will find and build the robots from component such as pipes, screws, pistons, cockpits, etc. All are made from plastic but created with such details. When you buy a Gundam toy, most of the time, you need to assembly it yourself, much like a Lego.

Gundam toys have several complexity levels for assembly:

• HG. High Grade 1:144. Easiest level, smallest toy. Average 12.5 cm / 5 inches tall.
• RG. Real Grade 1:144. Harder level, smallest toy. Average 12.5 cm / 5 inches tall.
• MG. Master Grade 1:100. Harder level, medium sized toy. Average 18 cm / 7.5 inches tall.
• RE. Reborn 1:100. Harder level, medium to big sized toy. This grade is for those unique type of robots from the anime.
• PG. Perfect Grade 1:60. Hardest level, biggest toy. Average 30 cm / 1 foot tall.

World level competition for customized Gundam

Since Gundam is a military robot toy, many people are modifying their Gundams. From the original sales package people try to give different color, different emblems, or adding different parts such as gatling guns, bazooka, etc. With times, the number of people making such modification has grown very large world wide. Bandai, seeing such a trend, is taking an advantage and host world level competition for this modifications.

Original from store (left) vs competition entry (right). Image source.

Outrageous things Gundam fans do

• Tokyo full size Unicorn Gundam. According to the specification from the anime, Unicorn Gundam has a height of 19.7 m or 64.6 feet.
  
  image source

• Pure gold and pure silver Gundam. In 2015, one of Japan jewelry maker, Tanaka Precious Metals, created Gundam statues from pure gold and silver. The gold statue is made of 1,000 grams (35.3 ounces) of solid gold and was selling for 20 million yen (USD $161,212.40 at that time). The silver one was selling for 648,000 yen (USD $5223.28 at that time).
  
  image source from media, original web was taken down

• $9,000+ modified Gundam from auction. In a 2013 auction of paint modified Gundam, one Gundam toy was sold for 926,001 Yen (USD $9,261 at that time). No, it's not real gold or silver plated. It's just painted with such details. The original unpainted toy was sold around 4,600 Yen (USD $46 at that time) on Amazon Japan.
  
  
  Original $46 (left) vs painted $9,000+ (right). Image source from media, original auction page was taken down

How to buy the toys

Luckily, Amazon.com has tons of Gundam toys. You can browse any type that you like. Beware! Chock-able parts, not suitable and keep away from babies or small children.

For a starter it's better that you buy an HG version size (1:144), it normally takes around two (2) to four (4) hours to assembly an HG Gundam. After that if you like finer details you can buy RG / MG size. Both RG & MG have the same details. The difference? The size. Those "pipes" are smaller in RG compared to MG. If you have / would like to avoid an eye problem, go with MG. If you like something small or lack of space to display, go with RG. Don't forget to get a custom clipper to build Gundam. Happy Building!

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