Interview with the Deadline for Reservations is just around the corner! The Zaku and Gundam for Doan from the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Cruz Doan's Island" are now available in the Gundam Fix Figuration Metal Composite!　What are the points that the developers focused on?

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Cruz Doan" is the latest Gundam movie currently in theaters, based on the episode of the same name from the TV anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" episode 15 and following the setting of "Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin".

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who made significant contributions to the first Gundam in terms of visuals, is in charge of directing and character design for this film, following his work on "THE ORIGIN" series.

The newly designed Zaku that appears in "The Island of Cruz Doan" is now available under the "GUNDAM FIX FIGURATION METAL COMPOSITE" brand. We asked Mr. Inayoshi and Mr. Miyabe, who are in charge of development in the Collectors Division of BANDAI SPIRITS, about the "GUNDAM FIX FIGURATION METAL COMPOSITE MS-06F Zaku for Doan [Cruz Doan's Island]" and the "GUNDAM FIX FIGURATION METAL COMPOSITE RX-78-02 Gundam [Cruz Doan's Island]," which is also on order.

(Please note that the product in this article is under development and may differ from the actual product.)

Mr. Inayoshi (left) and Mr. Miyabe

--First of all, please tell us how the product was planned.

First, let me explain about "Gundam Fix Figuration Metal Composite" (hereinafter referred to as "GFFMC"), a brand produced by Hajime Katoki that has been commercializing space century machines such as the transformable Unicorn Gundam and popular mobile suits from "THE ORIGIN". GFFMC is a brand that has been commercialized under the production of Mr. Hajime Katoki. In parallel with this, we have also commercialized the "Penelope" from the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" under the brand "ROBOT Soul (Ka signature)" with the cooperation of Mr. Katoki. The movie version of Penelope itself was designed by Mr. Katoki, and we are proud that we were able to create an item with a very high affinity to the movie. And with the release of "Cruz Doan's Island" this year, the fact that GFFMC has continued to commercialize space century mobile suits, and the fact that Ka signature commercialized the aircraft designed by Mr. Katoki at the timing of the movie's release, these two events were linked to the commercialization of the Zaku and Gundam for Doan. The reason why the GFFMC brand was chosen was because of the quality of the products.

--Why did you choose the GFFMC brand?

Inayoshi: Because we have experience in commercializing "THE ORIGIN" version Gundam and Zaku, and we thought it would be easy to connect them to GFFMC.

--What are some of the unique points of GFFMC that are also reflected in this product? Conversely, if there is anything new that you have tried that was not in the past, please tell us.

Inayoshi: At GFFMC, we always keep two points in mind: "to make the most of the die-cast material" and "to make the most of the coloring, markings, and modeling invented by Mr. Katoki. In addition, in toy manufacturing, there are many cases where development is based on the assumption that the molds will be reused, but for the Duan Zaku, we unexpectedly used newly created parts. For example, the thighs are slimmer than the previous Zaku. That is a major difference from the previous model. We decided to go that far because we wanted to create the definitive version of Doan Zaku.

--Please tell us about the other points in detail.

Inayoshi: We designed the Doan Zaku based on the concepts of "reproduction of a unique silhouette" and "expression of damaged parts. As I mentioned earlier, we reproduced the slim silhouette by newly molding most of the parts. The armor, which has been worn off due to repeated battles, is not merely a detail, but is represented by dividing the parts into layers and coloring them. This is also an expression that could only be realized by GFFMC. The weight of the die-cast armor is also a characteristic of GFFMC, and this time, not only the frame and joints, but also the shoulder armor on the left shoulder and the ankle toes are made of die-cast.

--The markings on the entire body are also very realistic.

Inayoshi: Normally, we would have just used tampo printing with "blurring," but for this product, we used two layers of tampo. First, a thin tampo with "stain expression" was placed, and then tampo printing was done on top of the thin tampo to create a "used look". We discussed this marking with Mr. Katoki and repeated trial and error after making several patterns. Until we found a way to achieve it properly in the factory production process while making it look naturally worn. Some of these markings ...... such as the white lines on the skirt, for example, were not in the CG for the animation and were added by Mr. Katoki to make the density feel appropriate for the size of the GFFMC. Therefore, the GFFMC version of Zaku is even more highly detailed than the original.

--The weathering around the legs is also done by tampo printing?

Miyabe: The ankles are tampo-printed, and the leg hem is painted. The setting for this model is an island on the earth, so Mr. Katoki and I worked together to create the stains that are unique to an aircraft that has "stepped on the earth.

--So you can get a finished product that is as high a grade as a Gundam model kit example.

Inayoshi: The GFFMC is also a product where you can enjoy the aircraft designed by Mr. Katoki as soon as you open the box. In order to achieve this, we had numerous meetings with the factory to discuss coloring, and the time we spent on the Doan Zaku this time was the longest in the series (laughs).

--(Laughs) - The newly created head also captures the characteristics of the Doan Zaku well. I am deeply moved by the fact that the long nose, which was a unique feature of the drawing in the TV version, became an official setting in this movie.

Inayoshi: "It became longer because Doan restored it at a rapid pace" was an excellent setting. Not only for this product, but during product development, Mr. Katoki would ask us about our design concepts, such as "Why such a shape? We always felt that we had to give proper shape to these ideas. Speaking of faces, the head of this Zaku also has a gimmick like this.

Miyabe: In the movie, the mono eye of Doan Zaku is often drawn large in close-ups and small in close-up scenes. In order to reproduce such a different impression in each scene, we prepared three sizes of mono-eyes and made them replaceable.

Inayoshi: This is a first for GFFMC. Both Mr. Katoki and I love gimmicks, so we wanted to include them as much as possible. The same goes for the Giant Heat Hawk of the previously released "High Mobility Type Zaku II". We made the vernier open/close type, which should normally be replaced. Most gimmicks can be reproduced by ignoring the original design, but both Mr. Katoki and I have made it our theme to include gimmicks without destroying the original design.

--The accessories are also gorgeous.

Miyabe: Four types of bazookas for the MS are included. The Type A and Type B bazookas were included in the existing models, but the Type C and Type D bazookas are new models. The black color has been changed to a medium blue, close to the color of the anime, and the heat hawk, which was gray, has been changed to purple to match the anime setting. The bazooka can be attached to the Doan Zaku or Zaku (sold separately), or mounted on the right shoulder shield or waist. Please enjoy the original armament that only a toy can provide.

--Next, what are the highlights of the Gundam that will be shipped in the month before the Doan Zaku?

Inayoshi: Based on the "RX78-02 Gundam THE ORIGIN," the head and school bag have been replaced with new parts. The head, in particular, is the most important point of this product, and we reproduced it exactly as the director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko depicted his face. Yasuhiko-san took great care to balance the "shading" around the eyes, which is a characteristic of Gundam the ORIGIN.

Miyabe: In addition, we added concave details to the shading. It is difficult to see without a magnifying glass, but this detail tightens the area around the eyes. We also used a magnifying glass to check the details (laughs).

Inayoshi: What we were aiming for was "a new face of RX-78 created by Mr. Katoki, but with Yasuhiko's style. Of course, Yasuhiko-san and Katoki-san have different painting styles, so we spent a lot of time trying to fuse their tastes. We made a prototype of the face 1.5 times the size of the product and asked Mr. Katoki to supervise it. Although it is "just one face," it is an important part of the face, and that is why we spend so much time on it.

Miyabe: We also paid a lot of attention to the coloring of the chest, which is a bright blue, just as it is in the movie. The color is actually quite difficult to produce, so we carefully checked the samples as we developed the product.

--Do you have any new models that you are planning to release at GFFMC, or are there any new projects that you are planning in the future?

Inayoshi: We are working on commercializing the Slegger-specific "Jim" shown on our website. This Jimwill come with a broken shield that works with theRX-78 andDoan Zaku, a flashy light-emitting heat hawk, and even a rock. More details will be coming soon, so wehope you will check theSoulWeb as well.
Also, since Katoki is involved with this brand, we would like to commercialize other space century mobile suits besides the RX-78 and Zaku. And since I was able to create a color expression with a lot of information on the Zaku for Doan, I wanted to create a color variation with a lot of information on a different machine this time. Although not a space century mecha, we released the "Wing Gundam (EW version) Early Color ver." in April of this year. When we made a matte finish instead of the conventional glossy finish, it was well accepted by many people. We would like to come up with more color variations like this in the future.

--Lastly, could you give a message to "Gundam" fans nationwide and users who saw the movie "The Island of Cruz Doan"?

Inayoshi: This item is the culmination of the Zaku and RX-78 dedicated to Doan, which we were able to achieve because we are a brand made with Katoki. Please keep it with you so that you can always remember the excitement of the movie. Thank you very much.

(Reporting and writing by Yutaka Takayanagi [TARKUS])

Product Information
Gundam Fix Figuration Metal Composite MS-06F Zaku for Doan [Cruz Doan's Island
・Selling price: 25,850 yen (tax included)
Delivery date: Scheduled to ship in December 2022
Order deadline: August 5, 2022 (Fri.) 23:00

<Creation
　 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Cruz Doan

<Main product contents
　Main body
　4 replacement wrists (left and right)
　Replacement mono eye x 2
　Zaku machine gun
　2 types of magazines for Zaku machine gun
　Bazooka latch parts (left and right)
　Heat Hawk (long)
　Heat hawk (short)
　Dedicated pedestal
　Bazooka A for MS
　Bazooka B for MS
　Bazooka C for MS
　Bazooka D for MS
　Spare magazines for Bazooka A × 3
　Bazooka B spare magazine × 3
　Spare magazines for Bazooka C × 3
　Replacement parts for Bazooka A
　Replacement parts for Bazooka B
　Replacement parts for Bazooka C

<Main Product Materials> ABS, PVC, die-cast
<Product Size> Approximately 180mm in height
<Age Range> 15 years and up
<Order quantity> Up to 2 per person.

Gundam Fix Figuration Metal Composite RX-78-02 Gundam [Island of Cruz Doan
Price: 22,000 yen (tax included)
Delivery date: Scheduled to ship in November 2022

<Creation
　 Mobile Suit Gundam: The Island of Cruz Doan

<Main product contents
　Main body
　Three replacement wrists (left and right)
　Initial type conversion parts (for left shoulder and right shoulder)
　School bag
　Core pod
　Beam saber blade × 2
　Beam rifle
　Hyper Bazooka
　Shield & Grip
　Stand complete set

<Main Product Materials> ABS, PVC, die-cast
<Product Size> Approximately 180mm in height
<Age Range> 15 years and up
<Order quantity> Up to 2 per person.

<Remarks
　Before purchasing: Please be sure to read the following information.
　Actual product may differ slightly.
　*The coloring and other appearances of each product may vary slightly from the actual product.
　Product specifications and shipping dates are subject to change without notice.
　*Orders may be closed when the planned quantity is reached.
　　In the event of a large number of requests, we may accept the order again.
　*This product may be sold overseas.

　Please read the above in advance.

*Check the product sales page for the latest information and details.
*Sales may be terminated when the prepared quantity is reached.
Sales may be terminated when the page is accessed.
Product specifications are subject to change without notice.
The photos are under development and may differ slightly from the actual product.

(C) Sotsu, Sunrise