To be frank the most OG anime accurate is the MG 2.0 it have the inner frame with pretty impressive articulation but lack the hyper detailing newer RX-78 have
Gundam usa still has quite a few of the 1/100 originals. Just type in first gundam, and they will pop up. The zaku and gouf look nice, the dom is one of the earliest ones and doesn't move well, the gelgoog is kinda floppy. If you can find the, the classic 1/60 scale is awesome and has polycaps and if you have leds and wires, they have slots for batteries to light up.
So fun fact, the first snap fit gunpla actually released in the Zeta Gundam line up. The 1/220 scale models included kits that were 100% snap fit. The larger ones like Byarlant needed glue, but smaller ones like Zeta, Hyaku Shiki, and Rick Dias all snapped together with no glue. I was surprised to find that out when I bought them well over a decade ago.
I had the pleasure of making the OG 1/144 Zeta Gundam last year and painting it the way it made to look. I do remember around 1986 or 7 getting this kit and just making it along with the Galbaldy B, Hamma Hamma, and then the 1/100 ZZ gundam. I also had the chance to get a catalog of a mail order store that sold old scifi kits from japan in 89. That store no longer exist but it was recently was pick up by someone I know and now they have the entire stock of classic japan kits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s being sold online. They are now wise guys hobbies!
Really looking forward for the part 2 of the Gunpla History. Can't wait to see what the 90s and later years has came out that you've manages to dug out and put into the part 2 video.
As far as merchandising, it is the Star Wars of Japan. No other Japanese sci-fi franchise has that much merch, which was very evident to me since I came from Macross to Gundam.
I have built many early Gundam kits. I love them because they make me slow down and REALLY put all my efforts into making the best kit I can. I appreciate the modern kits, too, but I hold a place in my heart for all the vintage kits.
The first Gunpla I ever built was the OG 1/100 RX-78 (the 1980 release). I built it in 1991 after getting it through a catalog from a store in Kansas. Had to glue it, had to paint it--and I don't think I did too well on the painting, but it impressed my college roommates at the time and the Core Fighter was removable. Of course I had to deal with people asking if it was a new version of Optimus Prime--but that is another story. That was the start of my Gunpla experience, and it's still going on today.
Very glad someone’s making an actual in-depth video on Gunpla history cause every time I search for one it’s like a 10 minute video that just summarises the grades
I actually got myself a 1/144 CCA-era Nu-Gundam for the holidays. Imagine my surprise when it had a bag of screws inside lol. Definitely a unique bit of history.
In that case you might be interested in the Nilson Works Monument [Repair Type], an unofficial third-party 1/60 "perfect grade" Tallgeese. The quality to price proposition is insane, I've found it as cheaply as 120usd.
WOAH what a treat! I certainly did not expect a whole history book on model kits as a whole tonight. Extremely well-researched and full of information carrying details of kits from all ages. Incredible content, and I'm hard looking forward to the future episodes!
I got into Gunpla around 1991, when the local comic shop started getting Japanese model kits. The first Gunpla they got in were some of the BB Senshi kits, complete with the spring-loaded weapons. Then they'd get a nice mix of kits from 0080, Char's Counterattack, and F-90/F-91. I was used to 80s models that needed glue, so the snap assembly, colored pieces, and articulation were something else! I ended up getting a few 80s kits from OG and ZZ via Mail Order, and was surprised by the old-school single-color plastic, plus needing glue and having water slide decals on a ZZ kit. I loved painting the OG kits (Zaku I, Agg, and Juaggu), though making the Gaza R/L was an experience in various types of paint, back before I used strictly acrylics like I do now. Testor's enamels and spray cans I do not miss.
Psst... The multicolor molding on single runners uses something called Gated Injection Molding. There are specifically gated sections that get gated Off, but as the first injection is completed, each gate is removed in sequence for separate new injections.
Great video. I still have my EX-S Gundam I bought in 1990. After building a couple of glue-together 1/144 Zeta kits, the EX-S was a revolutionary change. Snap-fit, Lots of poly caps, and multi-color runners. It was mind blowing.
Great retrospective, Kakarot. I know you're a Gundam channel but I'm going to mention Macross, Dougram, and Votoms. All had interesting kits that helped launch the mecha anime hobby outside Japan. Modern GunPla kicks all their butts, though, no question.
It's always interesting to see where things first started and how they get to where they are today and gundam model kits are no exception. It's like everything is connected into each other like a connecting piece like how a magazine fee connected to how P Bandai would be made, the scaling of each and how we go from barely any color separation to we are getting there to ok NOW we are in some color separation to even snap fit builds nowadays. I never came across any of the older models but I can say that I like the box art so great first part Kakarot!
I have that original Zetaplus C1 1:144, very cool to see it referenced in your video. It was the first or second kit I built, having picked it up on an out of town trip some time around the time it was released. My brother managed to dust it off for me to reminisce on a couple years ago. I didn't realise it was such a turning point in the line, having only been able to get my hands around the same time on the original Zaku III 1:144 kit. After that I snagged a couple of the original 0080 kits and the original Nu-Gundam 1:144. Caught the Gunpla bug again a few years ago and now HG, MG and RG kits are taking over my appartment. It blows my mind how sophisticated the design and engineering is that goes into modern kits.
I remember buying several of those 0080 kits at a Walmart here in the states sometime in the early 2000s. I had a Rick Dom II, a Zaku II FZ, and a Kampfer I believe. That old Yuji Kaida box art is gorgeous, I miss that style of retro art.
The complete non-mention of MSV is really perplexing given how influential it was to the gunpla community for kitbashing, bandai's profitability (creating variations of existing designs) and also influencing shows themselves. Like Zeta's adherence to the standard scales wasn't at all surprising when there were a dozen or more new kits that were just released a year before in those standard scales, and many of which would appear in Zeta for the first time, like the GM cannon. These kits were also a technical improvement over some of the first generation models, which is noteworthy - its certainly more important than Sentinel in the grand scheme of things - There's even an advertisement video at the end of video for MSV.
I love this look back at early gunpla. I have a few of them still in the boxes never built. I’m a huge fan but those early ones hold a special place with me as it was my first exposure to the franchise when I was a kid. I loved the mecha designs even though I had never seen the anime at the time.
My first Gunplas were the Hambrabi and the ZZ Gundam. Quite an experience since I did have built several Robotech changers, Macross, Orguss and Mospeada kits since 1985. The box arts are gorgeous even if the kit itself lack precision and movement. That's a model kit after all, that needs glue, sanding, paint. :D The good old days :D
I am old enough to have lived through those days, with the new tech in each new release, there was always some new "WOW!" that goes with it, even the original 1980s kits were cutting edge at that time, I still pick up an odd old kit here and there whenever there are re-prints available (not to build them, just for nostalgia).
I was born in 1984, I think I still have my brother's old Ultra Magnus toy from the 80s and when I think of that thing compared to my Gunpla today, I can't help but be awed at jus how far this sort of thing has come, from complete bricks to unbelievable posibility! And then, as you did and a couple have here in the Comments, you have the colours!
My first kits were from the Martian successor nadesico series. The Aestivalis, OG battle frame, and Akatsuki custom. For Gundam it would be the old 1/144 Rose and God Gundam from 1994.
I actually have an interesting story when it comes to these old kits. When I just graduated from Elementary, my mom took me to a mall to buy something as my graduation gift, my budget was 1000 pesos (20$) which was limited but hella big already when I was a kid, already spent the half of it on a cool mini 4wd tamiya kit and was looking for something else to buy. When we visited a Toytown (most goated store to buy gunpla anywhere here in the PH), I laid my eyes on the huge gunpla isle that still remains there today. Many kits to choose from, but it came to a decision between a cool looking 1/144 Zaku II kit (idk if it was HG but it had a cool unique box art) priced at 600 pesos or a 1/100 1980 FA-78 Full Armor Gundam priced at 500 pesos, I had no knowledge when it came to Gundam at this time of course just being a kid, so of course, I just chose the cooler looking kit to me at the time and there I was, a clueless kid trying to build my first gunpla wondering why it always fell apart not knowing it needed glue. So I learnt that it was an old kit, bought myself not hobby glue BUT SHOE GLUE that surprisingly worked. Was proud of my young self building the base RX-78 with glue as my first gunpla, as for the rest of the armor of the kit, I didn't bother anymore lmao. So yeah, thanks for reading if ever y'all read through all that. Kinda interesting story on how I got into gunpla, since the FA-78 (Thunderbolt ver.) is now one of my favorite Gundam designs yet I am a huge Zeon fan. Though I don't build model kits as much anymore, I still come back to it from time to time and now I want to build kits that need glue and maybe even comeback to the OG FA-78 to conquer it. Also a huge fan Kakarot!! Used to always watch the weekly gunpla news, you and many more gunplatubers got me into this amazing hobby and I am forever grateful for it! Maybe I should try to finish my mountainous backlog now lmao
As a kid in the early 90s, the Zeta Plus C-1 was really popular at the time for some reason! My brothers and I returned from Hong Kong back in 1990 with a haul of Gundam toys like some 1/144 kits for my elder brothers and I got a bunch of BB Senshi stuff and toys which were a cool SD Gundam dress up sets which had Amuro/Nu Gundam, Char/Zaku II, Char/Sazabi, Quattro/Hyaku Shiki and Kamille/Zeta Plus C2 with various C2 variant parts like the mega particle cannon and etc. Before Bandai released the first High Grade stuff (Victory?), I had a chance to build the original 1/144 S-Gundam, it was simple and the plastic had a teal-ish tint to it. Went back to HK over a decade ago and got myself the MG Hi-Nu Gundam and MG Sazabi and I was given some extras like Zeon dog tags and two retro reprint classic kits of the Dom and Gouf (tiny boxes). Boxes are glued shut like a cereal box so they have just been on displayed as is lol.
This was awesome. So cool to see these. I remember seeing the Char’s Counterattack kits back than. So glad I stepped in at the first Master Grades in 1999. Sure I put together a Macross, Mospeada and Patlabor kit before the Master Grades came out, but I was scared to put an RX 78 together. I remember glue and toxic paint from Japan;) in the late 80’s.
You're a legend man! Using the Gundam Battle Mobile BGM in the video makes me nostalgic of the mobile game and was the closest I could get to customize my Gunpla kits😢😢😢❤❤❤❤
GOD, this video is insane... Warhammer went through a crazy amount of growth too but this is utterly insane to notice how much happened in a single decade.
My first Gundam shokugan figures, IIRC they were 1/300 or 1/220 scale-ish. Fond memories of my first one- an MSV GM Cannon from an LA Japanese supermarket in the 80s (Yaohan I think)
@ Get out of here! They sold those in the US? I was born in the USA, but grew up overseas in Hong Kong and Indonesia, and also would buy these from grocery and convenience stores which I would ride my bike too. I blew them up with fireworks or shot them up with BB guns as a kid, and later in life wished I still had them. Found a contact in Japan that helped me get literally hundreds of them from the First Gundam series to Char’s Counterattack, to L-Gaim to Dragonar, many that I had no idea they made. Bandai released some too that were sold in Popy machines and those are great too, but a little bigger.
I’m assuming “Gundaman” is a pun/portmanteau of Gundam and B-Daman, a series of chibi figures that fired marbles from their abdomen. Since this was also a series of cute robots firing balls, they probably thought it was funny to make a pun based on a series from their fellow Japanese toy company Takara Also TIL the reason why it’s called BB Senshi is because the series started out with figures that fired BB pellets and that B-Daman was based on Bomberman of all things Edit: B-Damas seems to have been made *AFTER* BB Senshi so now I’m confused as to what the hell Gundaman means
Pretty good video but you forget mention something pretty important: the Mobile Suit Variations (MSV) line, because that line was the first that develop the lore of Gundam beyond the anime and also feature MS not presented in the show, and was pretty popular between fans and military modelist, Bandai get much money so they commissioned Hideaki Anno to create a movie based in the MSV line, what in the end evolve in the creation of Gainax Studios, I read all that in the Zimmerit Moe page, a pretty good 80s anime and manga site with tons of information.
Oh boy the 80’s sure were crazy, I do hope the 90’s doesn’t have something like a nationwide depression, forcing Bandai to constantly cost-cut R&D at the cost of their model kit’s quality :)
Personally speaking, the old kits are very good to fast-track your way to improve your modeling skills. Bandai kits from back in the 80s are some of the best from the big mecha boom from back then. If I had to give you an idea of who was the best engineering for vintage kits it’s something like: 1) Bandai, 2) Imai, 3) Takara… and then everyone else lol.
When I was a kid, I had built some Tamiya 1/35 scale armor kits, and they turned out really really badly. My first Gunpla were a 1/144 ZZ Gundam and Desert Zaku in 1987, and they were very frustrating as well. It wasn’t until I built some Takara Votoms and Dougram kits a year later that I felt like I was starting to get the hang of it. By the time Endless Waltz came out, the experience of building Gunpla had completely changed.
I started building in the 1980s, as Z gundam got me into it. The evolution from the 1980 kits to the 1985 kits was kind of nuts, and from 1985 to 1990 was amazing. then they hit the rocky period in 1992+, and it made me sad. :) The later HG line was a great resurgence though.
Yoo! You talk about the B-Club magazines that's rad. I have a ton of the early issues, with no.11 having a cover based off of Black Magic M-66. A lot of the early issues showed off the resin/garage kits from that OVA. Also had a ton of fan art of the android people sent in at the end of a good few of the issues. I don't know much about Gundam besides playing Gundam Breaker 4, but it was cool to see B-Club mentioned :)
Suddenly i feel like a really cool novelty line would be to make modern designs, but in the style of these super old kits, like, how would Bandai of the 80's deal with making a Unicorn or Barbatos kit? I feel like that would be really fun.
I really love these older kits, so much retro charm packed into relatively cheap packages nowadays. I've got the 1/220 Hyaku Shiki and Messala and while they aren't the greatest in terms of articulation, the Hyaku Shiki was one of the first snap-fit kits and it builds almost like a modern HG. My favourite old kit would have to be the 1/2400 White Base as it builds into a teensy desk companion ship and it isn't difficult to build and paint, although some seamlines need to be removed.
I got one 80's Gunpla, it's some kinda weird aquatic suit with a bunch of blades on it's head and a gigantic area for it's mono-eye. It's the only model kit I've given up on partway through, it exploded while I was trying to glue it together, and I decided I'd just keep the parts and find a use for them later. I think I might use them for terrain for a diorama, I got a new display cabinet in my room yesterday, and I think it would be perfect for something like that.
My first gunpla was actually the 80s Psycho Gundam, given to me by my aunt around early 2000s. Shame I lost it when we went on a vacation and my relatives were in charge of house sitting when we were away. Lost my Strike, Impulse, Zakus, Terien, Flags, and so many more, but most importantly, my psycho Gundam to my younger cousins...and by lost, they were torn, burned, crushed, glued, and chewed. My relatives opened my goddamn room, left it unlocked and when you have children below the age of 10, a locked cabinet that has an amateur diorama with "toys" in it can be solved by smashing it with a chair. I've yet to recover from the loss of those kits to this day.
18:15 Bandai does own the license to Sentinel and AOZ mecha/Gundam, just not the stories and characters. If you check the Gunpla for these related products you will see Bandai-Sunrise as the sole license owners of the product, but the manuals will not have any mention of the pilots. So Bandai does have the rights to all of the Gundams, just not the stories and characters.
the most recent kit i built was the NG 1/144 GM command from 1989, its really nice. i also really like the 1980s weapon sets and use them to outfit my HG kits as extra weapons.
I had a couple of the kits, never actually got around to building them and they disappeared over a few moves. I'd found them in a model shop near where my family lived right after all of the Gundam model kits disappeared from stores for a while post the massive thing with Wing a G-Gundam along with a few Seed. I remember being annoyed after opening the box at the time since they weren't the relatively easy to assmble snap fit ones and I'd just stashed them since I didn't have glue or paints for them. Can't even remember which kits they were...but my collection of kits from that point ended up trashed or lost over the years since before I got back into the hobby with the availability of them
I love the old kits from the 80s, they make excellent customs if you just give them some love. Some even look better than the modern counter parts and as we all know a lot of them never got a modern kit so these old kits are the only way to have a model of them. So it's really sad that bandaid haven't been reprinting a lot of them for a good while now
The only 80s kits I’ve built were the Full Action Auge and L-Gaim, plus the A-Class Heavy Metal Set, from Heavy Metal L-Gaim. The 1/144 kits were not the best, but I was surprised at the cool functions on the 1/100 kits.
Hey what about the MSV series? I had no idea what a Gundam was back then, but the MSV kits were responsible for me falling into the Gunpla rabbit hole. I was in Japan in the summer of 1980, and heard about the now infamous department store Gunpla incident. At the time I had zero interest in Japanese robot kits, thinking them to be nothing more than tacky junk. I also wondered why there were so many kits of the Yamato with a rocket engine in stores everywhere - sacrilege! And that would have been the end of Gunpla for me, as I happily returned from my trip with a bunch of airplane and armor kits. But on a fateful day in 1983 I bought my first Gunpla kit on a whim. It got me curious, so I bought another, a 1/100 Zaku. And then the MSV series appeared and it was all over. I got swept up in Gunpla mania and have not looked back since.
I’ve built the 1/1200 Magellan, 1/550 Grublo, and 1/550 Elmeth. It isn’t terribly hard to paint them, mainly because the molds for them are good at separating detail such as the Grublo’s eye or the guns for the Magellan. One thing I will admit though is that these kits had awful fitting, especially the Magellan since the main hull is just two huge chunks that you had to place the guns between before gluing them together. Those two halves just do not like to align, and the fins on the back near the engine simply cannot be put on do to how poorly fitted they are. Out of the three the Grublo was the best, the manual doesn’t tell where the claws should go but it’s easy to eyeball it and they fit nicely while you glue them, they can also rotate and so can the arms, forward and back. It also comes with a stand like the Magellan. The Elmeth also comes with the bits and some landing gear too.
I remember around 2004 I found a Perfect Zeong MSV model in a Hobbyland (that's long gone now), I was so looking forward to building it. Then I discovered there were no instructions, which in retrospect isn't too surprising since the box wasn't sealed at all. So it just languished on my shelf for years until it ended up being lost. Now MSV model kits cost way too much to justify buying them. Really sucks since I do want a Perfect Zeong, just not a MG-scaled one.
The 0080 ones look really good and I wish I could find reprints for sale. I love the box art. Also I've been thinking about agguguy since they haven't made a modern kit for him.
NGL, some of those late 80s kits can still punch up with some of the older HGUCs. Like, the GM Commands aren’t that far behind the 8 ball compared to their HGUC brethren, what with the clear visor and kinda similar articulation if you modify it slightly.
*puts video on while building gunpla* OoOoOOo history *literally sits there for the whole video holding a runner in one hand and the nippers in the other* Lol
I bought a 1/144 real type zaku ii several years ago. When I try to glue that kit, it keeps falling apart. So after I finished building it, my glue tube was almost empty
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RX 78-2 in 1980 : Only have one color.
RX 78-2 in 2024 : Have all the color scheme and anime accurate.
RG 2.0 and Perfect Grade Unleashed far surpasses any anime in sheer detail.
To be frank the most OG anime accurate is the MG 2.0 it have the inner frame with pretty impressive articulation but lack the hyper detailing newer RX-78 have
I love the box art on those retro models
the box art of the high mobility psycommu zaku from the original MSV is one of my all-time fav box arts, and great kit for the time too tbh
The box art for the 0080 are almost all done by Yuri Kaida. Some amazing art on the boxes and the Zaku-FZ is amazing
Same
If the modern kits had that kinda art I wouldn't hide my backlog in shame
@@gonzoengineering4894 the WFM kits have some decent looking boxart.
I'm realizing half the weird Gundam toys I had as a kid were 80s models my dad bought used on ebay. God I wish I still had them
They still print them, so you could buy them at retail price as they come back around.
Gundam usa still has quite a few of the 1/100 originals. Just type in first gundam, and they will pop up.
The zaku and gouf look nice, the dom is one of the earliest ones and doesn't move well, the gelgoog is kinda floppy.
If you can find the, the classic 1/60 scale is awesome and has polycaps and if you have leds and wires, they have slots for batteries to light up.
So fun fact, the first snap fit gunpla actually released in the Zeta Gundam line up. The 1/220 scale models included kits that were 100% snap fit. The larger ones like Byarlant needed glue, but smaller ones like Zeta, Hyaku Shiki, and Rick Dias all snapped together with no glue. I was surprised to find that out when I bought them well over a decade ago.
I had the pleasure of making the OG 1/144 Zeta Gundam last year and painting it the way it made to look. I do remember around 1986 or 7 getting this kit and just making it along with the Galbaldy B, Hamma Hamma, and then the 1/100 ZZ gundam. I also had the chance to get a catalog of a mail order store that sold old scifi kits from japan in 89. That store no longer exist but it was recently was pick up by someone I know and now they have the entire stock of classic japan kits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s being sold online. They are now wise guys hobbies!
Really looking forward for the part 2 of the Gunpla History. Can't wait to see what the 90s and later years has came out that you've manages to dug out and put into the part 2 video.
Gunpla - the source of income for Bandai and Sunrise needed to fund more episodes and movies of Gundam as a cash cow franchise.
As far as merchandising, it is the Star Wars of Japan. No other Japanese sci-fi franchise has that much merch, which was very evident to me since I came from Macross to Gundam.
It's the opposite. The anime are just glorified advertisements for their true product, the gunplas.
@@HGxDIGI both can be true, Gunpla funds more anime to be made, Anime is made to serve as Gunpla ad
@@fattiger6957I came fro Macross to Gundam too.
@@luisalfonsocecilio7374 except crossbone Gundam anime
Dalong had always been a blessing to mankind.
I have built many early Gundam kits. I love them because they make me slow down and REALLY put all my efforts into making the best kit I can. I appreciate the modern kits, too, but I hold a place in my heart for all the vintage kits.
The first Gunpla I ever built was the OG 1/100 RX-78 (the 1980 release). I built it in 1991 after getting it through a catalog from a store in Kansas. Had to glue it, had to paint it--and I don't think I did too well on the painting, but it impressed my college roommates at the time and the Core Fighter was removable.
Of course I had to deal with people asking if it was a new version of Optimus Prime--but that is another story.
That was the start of my Gunpla experience, and it's still going on today.
Very glad someone’s making an actual in-depth video on Gunpla history cause every time I search for one it’s like a 10 minute video that just summarises the grades
I actually got myself a 1/144 CCA-era Nu-Gundam for the holidays. Imagine my surprise when it had a bag of screws inside lol. Definitely a unique bit of history.
Just when i wanted to get started on my plastic crack addiction with the Wing sets
In that case you might be interested in the Nilson Works Monument [Repair Type], an unofficial third-party 1/60 "perfect grade" Tallgeese. The quality to price proposition is insane, I've found it as cheaply as 120usd.
WOAH what a treat! I certainly did not expect a whole history book on model kits as a whole tonight. Extremely well-researched and full of information carrying details of kits from all ages. Incredible content, and I'm hard looking forward to the future episodes!
It is crazy to think about how far Gunpla Model Kits have become since the 1980s
I got into Gunpla around 1991, when the local comic shop started getting Japanese model kits. The first Gunpla they got in were some of the BB Senshi kits, complete with the spring-loaded weapons. Then they'd get a nice mix of kits from 0080, Char's Counterattack, and F-90/F-91. I was used to 80s models that needed glue, so the snap assembly, colored pieces, and articulation were something else!
I ended up getting a few 80s kits from
OG and ZZ via Mail Order, and was surprised by the old-school single-color plastic, plus needing glue and having water slide decals on a ZZ kit. I loved painting the OG kits (Zaku I, Agg, and Juaggu), though making the Gaza R/L was an experience in various types of paint, back before I used strictly acrylics like I do now. Testor's enamels and spray cans I do not miss.
Psst... The multicolor molding on single runners uses something called Gated Injection Molding. There are specifically gated sections that get gated Off, but as the first injection is completed, each gate is removed in sequence for separate new injections.
Great video. I still have my EX-S Gundam I bought in 1990. After building a couple of glue-together 1/144 Zeta kits, the EX-S was a revolutionary change. Snap-fit, Lots of poly caps, and multi-color runners. It was mind blowing.
Great retrospective, Kakarot. I know you're a Gundam channel but I'm going to mention Macross, Dougram, and Votoms. All had interesting kits that helped launch the mecha anime hobby outside Japan. Modern GunPla kicks all their butts, though, no question.
It's always interesting to see where things first started and how they get to where they are today and gundam model kits are no exception. It's like everything is connected into each other like a connecting piece like how a magazine fee connected to how P Bandai would be made, the scaling of each and how we go from barely any color separation to we are getting there to ok NOW we are in some color separation to even snap fit builds nowadays. I never came across any of the older models but I can say that I like the box art so great first part Kakarot!
Happy 45th anniversary to the greatest hobby.
I have that original Zetaplus C1 1:144, very cool to see it referenced in your video. It was the first or second kit I built, having picked it up on an out of town trip some time around the time it was released. My brother managed to dust it off for me to reminisce on a couple years ago. I didn't realise it was such a turning point in the line, having only been able to get my hands around the same time on the original Zaku III 1:144 kit. After that I snagged a couple of the original 0080 kits and the original Nu-Gundam 1:144. Caught the Gunpla bug again a few years ago and now HG, MG and RG kits are taking over my appartment. It blows my mind how sophisticated the design and engineering is that goes into modern kits.
Man I can't wait for the next part of Gunpla History to come out soon.
I remember buying several of those 0080 kits at a Walmart here in the states sometime in the early 2000s. I had a Rick Dom II, a Zaku II FZ, and a Kampfer I believe. That old Yuji Kaida box art is gorgeous, I miss that style of retro art.
This history video is beautiful. Makes me appreciate Bandai's model kit engineering a lot more. Can't wait for the next part!
Thanks for being awesome!
I believe that the appearance of MSV is the turning point in Gunpla history.
The complete non-mention of MSV is really perplexing given how influential it was to the gunpla community for kitbashing, bandai's profitability (creating variations of existing designs) and also influencing shows themselves. Like Zeta's adherence to the standard scales wasn't at all surprising when there were a dozen or more new kits that were just released a year before in those standard scales, and many of which would appear in Zeta for the first time, like the GM cannon. These kits were also a technical improvement over some of the first generation models, which is noteworthy - its certainly more important than Sentinel in the grand scheme of things - There's even an advertisement video at the end of video for MSV.
I love this look back at early gunpla. I have a few of them still in the boxes never built. I’m a huge fan but those early ones hold a special place with me as it was my first exposure to the franchise when I was a kid. I loved the mecha designs even though I had never seen the anime at the time.
My first Gunplas were the Hambrabi and the ZZ Gundam. Quite an experience since I did have built several Robotech changers, Macross, Orguss and Mospeada kits since 1985. The box arts are gorgeous even if the kit itself lack precision and movement. That's a model kit after all, that needs glue, sanding, paint. :D The good old days :D
You shown my 2 first Gumpla kits, 1/60 Zeta and Zeta plus waverider Thanks!
I am old enough to have lived through those days, with the new tech in each new release, there was always some new "WOW!" that goes with it, even the original 1980s kits were cutting edge at that time, I still pick up an odd old kit here and there whenever there are re-prints available (not to build them, just for nostalgia).
I was born in 1984, I think I still have my brother's old Ultra Magnus toy from the 80s and when I think of that thing compared to my Gunpla today, I can't help but be awed at jus how far this sort of thing has come, from complete bricks to unbelievable posibility! And then, as you did and a couple have here in the Comments, you have the colours!
My first kits were from the Martian successor nadesico series. The Aestivalis, OG battle frame, and Akatsuki custom. For Gundam it would be the old 1/144 Rose and God Gundam from 1994.
Great video. Between your news shows and stuff like, you do a great service to the fandom!
Loving the retro sci fi feel of those classic boxes
I actually have an interesting story when it comes to these old kits. When I just graduated from Elementary, my mom took me to a mall to buy something as my graduation gift, my budget was 1000 pesos (20$) which was limited but hella big already when I was a kid, already spent the half of it on a cool mini 4wd tamiya kit and was looking for something else to buy.
When we visited a Toytown (most goated store to buy gunpla anywhere here in the PH), I laid my eyes on the huge gunpla isle that still remains there today. Many kits to choose from, but it came to a decision between a cool looking 1/144 Zaku II kit (idk if it was HG but it had a cool unique box art) priced at 600 pesos or a 1/100 1980 FA-78 Full Armor Gundam priced at 500 pesos, I had no knowledge when it came to Gundam at this time of course just being a kid, so of course, I just chose the cooler looking kit to me at the time and there I was, a clueless kid trying to build my first gunpla wondering why it always fell apart not knowing it needed glue.
So I learnt that it was an old kit, bought myself not hobby glue BUT SHOE GLUE that surprisingly worked. Was proud of my young self building the base RX-78 with glue as my first gunpla, as for the rest of the armor of the kit, I didn't bother anymore lmao.
So yeah, thanks for reading if ever y'all read through all that. Kinda interesting story on how I got into gunpla, since the FA-78 (Thunderbolt ver.) is now one of my favorite Gundam designs yet I am a huge Zeon fan. Though I don't build model kits as much anymore, I still come back to it from time to time and now I want to build kits that need glue and maybe even comeback to the OG FA-78 to conquer it.
Also a huge fan Kakarot!! Used to always watch the weekly gunpla news, you and many more gunplatubers got me into this amazing hobby and I am forever grateful for it!
Maybe I should try to finish my mountainous backlog now lmao
19:46 😂😂😂😂
Solomon, I have returned!!
As a kid in the early 90s, the Zeta Plus C-1 was really popular at the time for some reason! My brothers and I returned from Hong Kong back in 1990 with a haul of Gundam toys like some 1/144 kits for my elder brothers and I got a bunch of BB Senshi stuff and toys which were a cool SD Gundam dress up sets which had Amuro/Nu Gundam, Char/Zaku II, Char/Sazabi, Quattro/Hyaku Shiki and Kamille/Zeta Plus C2 with various C2 variant parts like the mega particle cannon and etc. Before Bandai released the first High Grade stuff (Victory?), I had a chance to build the original 1/144 S-Gundam, it was simple and the plastic had a teal-ish tint to it.
Went back to HK over a decade ago and got myself the MG Hi-Nu Gundam and MG Sazabi and I was given some extras like Zeon dog tags and two retro reprint classic kits of the Dom and Gouf (tiny boxes). Boxes are glued shut like a cereal box so they have just been on displayed as is lol.
This was awesome. So cool to see these. I remember seeing the Char’s Counterattack kits back than. So glad I stepped in at the first Master Grades in 1999. Sure I put together a Macross, Mospeada and Patlabor kit before the Master Grades came out, but I was scared to put an RX 78 together. I remember glue and toxic paint from Japan;) in the late 80’s.
You're a legend man! Using the Gundam Battle Mobile BGM in the video makes me nostalgic of the mobile game and was the closest I could get to customize my Gunpla kits😢😢😢❤❤❤❤
I have the whole 0080 line mostly all wrapped still in the box, On a shelf.
GOD, this video is insane...
Warhammer went through a crazy amount of growth too but this is utterly insane to notice how much happened in a single decade.
Surprised you left out Morinaga and their mini Gundam model kits. They were super popular and have been re-released over the years.
My first Gundam shokugan figures, IIRC they were 1/300 or 1/220 scale-ish. Fond memories of my first one- an MSV GM Cannon from an LA Japanese supermarket in the 80s (Yaohan I think)
@ Get out of here! They sold those in the US? I was born in the USA, but grew up overseas in Hong Kong and Indonesia, and also would buy these from grocery and convenience stores which I would ride my bike too. I blew them up with fireworks or shot them up with BB guns as a kid, and later in life wished I still had them. Found a contact in Japan that helped me get literally hundreds of them from the First Gundam series to Char’s Counterattack, to L-Gaim to Dragonar, many that I had no idea they made. Bandai released some too that were sold in Popy machines and those are great too, but a little bigger.
I’m assuming “Gundaman” is a pun/portmanteau of Gundam and B-Daman, a series of chibi figures that fired marbles from their abdomen. Since this was also a series of cute robots firing balls, they probably thought it was funny to make a pun based on a series from their fellow Japanese toy company Takara
Also TIL the reason why it’s called BB Senshi is because the series started out with figures that fired BB pellets and that B-Daman was based on Bomberman of all things
Edit: B-Damas seems to have been made *AFTER* BB Senshi so now I’m confused as to what the hell Gundaman means
The Belgian AliExpress screenshot though. Gotta represent my belgian homies.
thanks for this exiting romp through the first decade of gunpla history, Cant wait to see what's in store for us in part 2!
Pretty good video but you forget mention something pretty important: the Mobile Suit Variations (MSV) line, because that line was the first that develop the lore of Gundam beyond the anime and also feature MS not presented in the show, and was pretty popular between fans and military modelist, Bandai get much money so they commissioned Hideaki Anno to create a movie based in the MSV line, what in the end evolve in the creation of Gainax Studios, I read all that in the Zimmerit Moe page, a pretty good 80s anime and manga site with tons of information.
I LOVE CRACK
PLASTIC SPECIFICALLY
Good for you....
Oh boy the 80’s sure were crazy, I do hope the 90’s doesn’t have something like a nationwide depression, forcing Bandai to constantly cost-cut R&D at the cost of their model kit’s quality :)
Personally speaking, the old kits are very good to fast-track your way to improve your modeling skills. Bandai kits from back in the 80s are some of the best from the big mecha boom from back then. If I had to give you an idea of who was the best engineering for vintage kits it’s something like: 1) Bandai, 2) Imai, 3) Takara… and then everyone else lol.
When I was a kid, I had built some Tamiya 1/35 scale armor kits, and they turned out really really badly. My first Gunpla were a 1/144 ZZ Gundam and Desert Zaku in 1987, and they were very frustrating as well. It wasn’t until I built some Takara Votoms and Dougram kits a year later that I felt like I was starting to get the hang of it. By the time Endless Waltz came out, the experience of building Gunpla had completely changed.
Nice history video!
I look forward for Part 2!
I started building in the 1980s, as Z gundam got me into it. The evolution from the 1980 kits to the 1985 kits was kind of nuts, and from 1985 to 1990 was amazing. then they hit the rocky period in 1992+, and it made me sad. :) The later HG line was a great resurgence though.
13:13 OH MY G GUNDAM IS THAT THE ORIGIN OF BDAMAN?!!!!
wasnt it technically a bomberman spinoff line that lead to it ?
Yoo! You talk about the B-Club magazines that's rad. I have a ton of the early issues, with no.11 having a cover based off of Black Magic M-66. A lot of the early issues showed off the resin/garage kits from that OVA. Also had a ton of fan art of the android people sent in at the end of a good few of the issues. I don't know much about Gundam besides playing Gundam Breaker 4, but it was cool to see B-Club mentioned :)
Excellent job 👍👏❤
I still have a pair of early Gunpla kits I bought in my early 20s. Should get around to finishing those
Suddenly i feel like a really cool novelty line would be to make modern designs, but in the style of these super old kits, like, how would Bandai of the 80's deal with making a Unicorn or Barbatos kit? I feel like that would be really fun.
Please do part 2, this is really interesting
Thank you kakarot
I really love these older kits, so much retro charm packed into relatively cheap packages nowadays. I've got the 1/220 Hyaku Shiki and Messala and while they aren't the greatest in terms of articulation, the Hyaku Shiki was one of the first snap-fit kits and it builds almost like a modern HG. My favourite old kit would have to be the 1/2400 White Base as it builds into a teensy desk companion ship and it isn't difficult to build and paint, although some seamlines need to be removed.
I got one 80's Gunpla, it's some kinda weird aquatic suit with a bunch of blades on it's head and a gigantic area for it's mono-eye. It's the only model kit I've given up on partway through, it exploded while I was trying to glue it together, and I decided I'd just keep the parts and find a use for them later. I think I might use them for terrain for a diorama, I got a new display cabinet in my room yesterday, and I think it would be perfect for something like that.
@@henryfleischer404 Sounds like the Zogok. Good luck with the diorama!
My first gunpla was actually the 80s Psycho Gundam, given to me by my aunt around early 2000s. Shame I lost it when we went on a vacation and my relatives were in charge of house sitting when we were away.
Lost my Strike, Impulse, Zakus, Terien, Flags, and so many more, but most importantly, my psycho Gundam to my younger cousins...and by lost, they were torn, burned, crushed, glued, and chewed. My relatives opened my goddamn room, left it unlocked and when you have children below the age of 10, a locked cabinet that has an amateur diorama with "toys" in it can be solved by smashing it with a chair.
I've yet to recover from the loss of those kits to this day.
18:15 Bandai does own the license to Sentinel and AOZ mecha/Gundam, just not the stories and characters.
If you check the Gunpla for these related products you will see Bandai-Sunrise as the sole license owners of the product, but the manuals will not have any mention of the pilots.
So Bandai does have the rights to all of the Gundams, just not the stories and characters.
Gundam Sousei told me everything all I need, but this video allow me to reframe it into something more grounded
I have the Full Armor ZZ Gundam and the belt that came with the beam cannon was a pain to assemble and maintain.
As much as I love Gundam lore, I love learning about the irl history of the Gundam brand. Love how cartoony the old model kits looked.
Dalong is the GOAT.
Old Resin kits :I'm not interested
Nude salya kit....
Im interested tell me more
the most recent kit i built was the NG 1/144 GM command from 1989, its really nice. i also really like the 1980s weapon sets and use them to outfit my HG kits as extra weapons.
One of my first kits was that GM Command you showcased!
I had a couple of the kits, never actually got around to building them and they disappeared over a few moves.
I'd found them in a model shop near where my family lived right after all of the Gundam model kits disappeared from stores for a while post the massive thing with Wing a G-Gundam along with a few Seed. I remember being annoyed after opening the box at the time since they weren't the relatively easy to assmble snap fit ones and I'd just stashed them since I didn't have glue or paints for them. Can't even remember which kits they were...but my collection of kits from that point ended up trashed or lost over the years since before I got back into the hobby with the availability of them
I enjoyed building the re-release 80s MSV kits from HLJ. Wish I bought more.
At 11:56, I always assumed the High Mobility Gundam from the Gundam Factory was an original design. I never knew it was well over 35 years old.
I love the old kits from the 80s, they make excellent customs if you just give them some love. Some even look better than the modern counter parts and as we all know a lot of them never got a modern kit so these old kits are the only way to have a model of them. So it's really sad that bandaid haven't been reprinting a lot of them for a good while now
I have learned so much. Thank you!
The only 80s kits I’ve built were the Full Action Auge and L-Gaim, plus the A-Class Heavy Metal Set, from Heavy Metal L-Gaim. The 1/144 kits were not the best, but I was surprised at the cool functions on the 1/100 kits.
man cant wait to see next one❤!
It was the first commercials that got me hooked.
When you said after Gundam would have been lost in time, but you could say it went beyond the time 😎
The old stuff - in particular the ships - is still the best....
Hey what about the MSV series? I had no idea what a Gundam was back then, but the MSV kits were responsible for me falling into the Gunpla rabbit hole.
I was in Japan in the summer of 1980, and heard about the now infamous department store Gunpla incident. At the time I had zero interest in Japanese robot kits, thinking them to be nothing more than tacky junk. I also wondered why there were so many kits of the Yamato with a rocket engine in stores everywhere - sacrilege!
And that would have been the end of Gunpla for me, as I happily returned from my trip with a bunch of airplane and armor kits. But on a fateful day in 1983 I bought my first Gunpla kit on a whim. It got me curious, so I bought another, a 1/100 Zaku. And then the MSV series appeared and it was all over. I got swept up in Gunpla mania and have not looked back since.
Cant wait for you to cover Gundam Assemble. Very curious on your thoughts.
I’ve built the 1/1200 Magellan, 1/550 Grublo, and 1/550 Elmeth. It isn’t terribly hard to paint them, mainly because the molds for them are good at separating detail such as the Grublo’s eye or the guns for the Magellan.
One thing I will admit though is that these kits had awful fitting, especially the Magellan since the main hull is just two huge chunks that you had to place the guns between before gluing them together. Those two halves just do not like to align, and the fins on the back near the engine simply cannot be put on do to how poorly fitted they are. Out of the three the Grublo was the best, the manual doesn’t tell where the claws should go but it’s easy to eyeball it and they fit nicely while you glue them, they can also rotate and so can the arms, forward and back. It also comes with a stand like the Magellan. The Elmeth also comes with the bits and some landing gear too.
Love all gunpla lines
I remember around 2004 I found a Perfect Zeong MSV model in a Hobbyland (that's long gone now), I was so looking forward to building it. Then I discovered there were no instructions, which in retrospect isn't too surprising since the box wasn't sealed at all. So it just languished on my shelf for years until it ended up being lost. Now MSV model kits cost way too much to justify buying them. Really sucks since I do want a Perfect Zeong, just not a MG-scaled one.
The 0080 ones look really good and I wish I could find reprints for sale. I love the box art. Also I've been thinking about agguguy since they haven't made a modern kit for him.
It didn't sink in until I saw it in this video, Amuro's normal suit in 0079's OP is blue!
One of the things sometimes talk with my friends is How Bandai from 1980-2006 have the valor of launch many models even lesser ones from sentinel
Katoki was over a lot of the product lines during that time, so he had some favoritism.
Never heard of it (as a kid) because Hasbro's Transformers are highly popular in the 80's.
Anyone else getting all those "explore:star" something or other app ads that fake being a Gundam game?
Wild that even in 1987 Bandai was neglecting 1/100 to make chibi stuff that nobody seems to want
Sees a bandi magazine on the screen. Sees Ghostbusters. Wonders if they made Ghostbusters kits
NGL, some of those late 80s kits can still punch up with some of the older HGUCs. Like, the GM Commands aren’t that far behind the 8 ball compared to their HGUC brethren, what with the clear visor and kinda similar articulation if you modify it slightly.
11:44 Sukeban Deka III, Devilman OVA and Nu Gundam
An interesting and eclectic cross-section of 80s otaku culture.
*puts video on while building gunpla*
OoOoOOo history
*literally sits there for the whole video holding a runner in one hand and the nippers in the other*
Lol
I bought a 1/144 real type zaku ii several years ago. When I try to glue that kit, it keeps falling apart. So after I finished building it, my glue tube was almost empty
Gundam wing deathscythe hell or deathscythe H in America was my first gunpla and the rest was history
Right in time for my birthday
Ive done a panel covering the history of gunpla
Bandai sure knows how to steal parents money, between this and Power Rangers.