The latest Gundam Shokugan is a monochromatic assembly kit!　What is the planning intent of "Gundam Artifact," which competes on the basis of its attractiveness as a modeled object? Hobby Industry Inside Vol. 66

When one thinks of three-dimensional products from the "Mobile Suit Gundam" series, one might imagine that they are painted to the finest detail and have movable joints in the arms and legs. The "Gundam Artifact" to be released early next year will be a Shokugan that will greatly betray such expectations. Although it is an assembly kit, it is only 55 mm in size, the size of the palm of your hand. It is carved with a sophisticated sense of detail, and despite its size, it has a perfect sense of precision, but it is not painted in color. It is molded in one color, pale orange, just like a garage kit. This color enhances the "materiality" of the sculpture and makes it more substantial as a modeling object.
It is quite rare to find a Gundam product that is so highbrow as a "modeling object. We asked Mr. Jun Miyawaki of Bandai's Candy Toy Division about the planning intent of the "Gundam Artifact.

Like the "Big One Gum" of yesteryear, we wanted to create a low-unit-price, high-satisfaction Shokugan.

─ When I think of Gundam Artifacts, I have a strong image of Gundam Shokugan with detailed coloring and full posability, like the "G-Frame.

Miyawaki: In addition to Gundam, the Masked Rider series' Shokugan "Sodou" also sells painted and movable figures. Both of these products have been well received, but both the "G-Frame" and "SODO" can only be made fully poseable by purchasing two of them and combining them. So, in effect, they are like a ...... toy that costs about 1,000 yen. As you can see from these examples, it is difficult in the current production environment to produce a Shokugan for less than 500 yen for a discerning and highly targeted customer base. However, I believe that the appeal of Shokugan is its affordability and collectability. Like Kabaya Shokuhin's "Big One Gum," which should be considered the starting point of Shokugan, we would like to aim for Shokugan with a low unit price that is satisfying enough on its own. So, what can we do with a shokugan that can be bought for a single coin? ......That is the outline of our "Gundam Artifact" project.

─ Then, did you think about what could be done with 500 yen, and worked out the contents of the product?

Miyawaki: "We worked out the plan while keeping the sales price in mind," is a nuance that comes closer. We had to be as "sharp" as possible in our planning in order to catch the antennae of discerning users who are familiar with the many Gundam products that have changed over the years. To get people to turn around and say, "It's a last-gen Shokugan, but it looks interesting," you can't just do something commonplace. This is why we came up with the idea of a low-priced toy with the value of "modeling" and "precision. In addition, fans of the Gundam series have a strong hobbyist attribute. This made us think that even if the product was a little difficult to assemble, they would enjoy the assembly process. That was the point of the project.
Also, since this is a colorless kit, there is no need for assembly or painting at the factory. While it is true that the development process requires a lot of time and effort for modeling and partitioning, there are no further costs involved once the model is molded as a runner. We thought that we could make the modeling stand out by reducing the cost.


─ ─ Are there any movable parts at all?

Miyawaki: Not all of the five models in the lineup have movable parts, but the neck and arms move a little. Some of the heads can be slightly adjusted when displayed, but we do not claim that they are movable.

─ ─ What surprised me more than anything is the molding color. It is called "pale orange," but in short, it is the color of the resin cast often used for garage kits, isn't it?

Miyawaki: Yes, as you say. As well as resin kits, Kinkeshi (*Kinnikuman eraser) released by our company in the past was also mainly molded in "pale orange," as it was called at that time. The molding colors that are easy to see the modeling are pale orange or gray, but gray makes the model look as if it has been sprayed with surfacer (a primer for modeling). It is true that it makes it easier to see the details, but would you really want to display it on a tabletop in gray? Since garage kits have an expensive image, I decided that a resin cast color (pale orange) would be more suitable for Gundam modeling. It is a color that is easier to display than colors with strong personalities such as red or blue. Since the works and period settings in this lineup are all different, I think that molding them in pale orange will create a sense of unity as an item.


─ How was the size of 55mm decided?

Miyawaki: If you look at the history of Gundam Shokugan, there are two types of miniature kits that cannot be left out. One is the Morinaga Gundam Choco Snack, which was popular in the 1980s. The other is the "Nissin Cup Noodle (mini Gunpla) Pack" released in 2009. Referring to those mini kits, I searched for a size that would look good and not crush the face, and settled on 55mm. However, for aircraft with a width like the Nightingale or the Bialan Custom, the height of the top of the head is slightly smaller than 55mm.

─ So you have not standardized the scale like Gundam plastic models, but you have arranged the size as a Shokugan. Now, tell us about the arrangement of details.