Bandai did make a post clarifying the Assemble starters. It's $35, includes 3 Gundams/Units PLUS the TCG Starter Deck as it's actually a collaboration item set for July. Edit: This leads to the actual Assemble starter/Core and rules coming later in 2025 most likely.
I kind of assume that the actual starter sets for Assemble will be more than 3. One thing that was shown somewhere, one of the videos on it talked about it where the full runner/sprue for the RX-78-2 one is the gramps with the guntank and guncannon for it, so I'm assuming that the actual starter sets will be something like that plus a sprue of ones for grunt suits. so perhaps that plus one of GMs or Balls. Then a fold out map, rulebook, counters, and dice.
I am a Gunpla hobbyist and Warhammer 40k player (among others) and I am more excited to see how this goes than anything Games Workshop has done in many years.
Im also in both hobbies as well, but Im not as excited for it as I initially was. Once I found out it was just a skirmish board game I kinda lost interest. I dont think this would ever touch 40k or any larger wargames. This would compete with the smaller skirmish games like Necromunda and Warhammer Underworlds at least. Not to mention the numerous amounts of other companies getting into skirmish games nowadays. Sales I think would do great simply because they are model kits at the end of the day but as far a game system goes I dont see it getting too far. Although I would love to see a full scale wargame someday
I expect the Gundam Assemble will be very entry level. A way to get younger people into table top games as we as gunpla as a whole. I dont expect it will ever touch 40k on size or complexity..... or price :P
Personally, I'm a bit sceptical regarding the Gundam Assemble longevity if it's greenlit. Bandai Namco has a history of pulling the plug early for new line/series if early sales are not as they expected.
As long as they don't run out of suits to make it should be ok. Including making alt poses for some. One of the downfalls of X-Wing aside from the 2.0 swap was they simply ran out of ships and how many X-Wings does one person need.
I used to collect Warhammer and play the game occasionally with my friends when I was a kid. As soon as I saw the figure for my favorite Gundam, Deathscythe Hell my reaction was: "Bandai, take my money!"
I may be wrong, as I don't live in the US, but from the outside it seemed that, in addition to weak marketing, the dates of some small leagues of GBWC were close to the dates of other local model shows like IPMS events and people prefer going to these bigger events, especially since there were no restrictions on using only Bandai kits.
Great video! I have a background working in social media marketing, and they could absolutely be doing more to promote GBWC at a very low cost via regular posts, etc. I also think it would go a long way to collaborate with some guest judges / influencers. The 2023 show was really nice. They had a live stream and really talked about each build. Would love to see them go back to that for 2025.
regarding the tcg collab sets, some pics of the showcases hinted that the UC/RX-78 starter set would be the gundam, the guntank and the guncannon, since they were runner A1, A2, and A3 (that plus its called "Heroic Beginnings") and yea, the tcg set also comes with a whole starter deck, so that definitely eats some of the cost of that set also, the tweet discussing this collab only really mentions "put the mini on the associated card" which is kinda funny
Operation V starter set would be one great way to do things, but the associated TCG starter deck is prominently featured as 0079 plus Witch from Mercury, so I'm kind of expecting gramps, Aerial, and either a GM/Demi Trainer or if we're lucky White Base.
I won 3rd place for the 10th university....and I would like to discuss some issues... I also feel that the Hobby town 1st place winners from each state should have been promoted and marketed correctly
Greetings from Peru, the detail and editing in your videos with the kits shown is excellent... I hope that later you can do an analysis or sample of the kits and new designs of Mobile armor 1/144 that are made in Japan, China independently, I have seen the "AMA SHAMBLO and the APSALUS in 1/144 scale, which are incredible!!! Y se me olvidaba Feliz año 2025, que todas tus metas se cumplan!!
Promoting Gbwc more would be great, it would feel like the global event that it is if Bandai would hype it up. Also it’s tough even finding an in person location to even participate in the US. And I always hear about the difficulty of following the rules and still being disqualified with no explanation.
My only gripe with my country's GBWC rules is that we can't enter using regular Bandai Gunpla kits. We’re required to buy kits with 'Bankee' stickers-Bankee being the official local distributor here in the Philippines. This rule really limits our choices since their stores only carry a limited selection of kits. Another issue is how they handle the awarding ceremony. The stage is placed in front of the display area, so the audience has to watch from the sides, other floors, or online.
@isaiasvazquez5792 when its time to display the piece you need to show them the gunpla box it came with and it has the bankee sticker on it. It sucks when you enter multiple kits you had to bring it to the event 😂, i seen people brought their boxes of sazabi verka and multiple mg boxes
I wish the runners were like Nichimo Macross 1/200 mini kits (very vintage ones I do remember as a kid) where parts are basic articulated (moveable arms and legs) instead of fixed pose.
I got into both gunpla and miniature games around the same time as a kid, I’m looking forward to Gundam Assemble, it feels like a game for weirdos like me 😂 I think the USA GBWC winners should have been announced at a different event, something dedicated to the hobby or just reveal it on the official site. Additionally they should have announced the top three on stage at least.
Hey Zack, regarding the best of 2024, i recommend you check out the Hasegawa YF19 Battroid kit. Its a HUGE improvement over their old Macross kits (at least in terms of engineering and stability).
GBWC's major issue is a lack of care from the local distributor, Bandai Namco USA. It goes beyond a "lack of marketing," in my assessment because everything is so haphazard and seemingly thrown together at the last minute, with almost zero consistency in submission deadlines, judging criteria, where and when qualifiers and winners are announced, etc. from year to year. So far, Bandai USA's hobby social media accounts haven't even posted who the winners this year are! It all adds to a sense of resignation and malaise amongst Gunpla modelers in the States; if the local Bandai office doesn't care, why should they? Bandai USA seems to just think of GBWC as a forgettable, vibes-based fun thing "where even beginners can win!" that they put the bare minimum effort into running and promoting, let alone being transparent with how and why they make the decisions that they make. MOST other countries treat their GBWC contests like the Olympic trials... they're trying to give their country the best possible chance to win on the world stage. The way GBWC USA is conducted seems very unserious in comparison, which is probably why America gets so frequently embarrassed at the world finals and has never once even gotten close to a top 3 finish.
This year was a joke. My local Hobby Town found out the date a month before they were suppose to host it. There were only 3 entries this year and the the contestants were the Judges. I wonder what happen to Xaiver from Blue Fin. He was really getting info about the GBWC out to the public when he was involved.
The minis might be cool. Not huge into the TTGs. As for GBWC, it has so much potential, but such a lack of interest from Bandai. Its sad that they did not include announcing the 2nd and 3rd place winners at the Orlando event. You should have included the winners for the U-20 in the video as they also deserve recognition for their work and accomplishment. I agree with you that there was not much promotion for the US. I hardly saw any info on the event from Bandai US's side. Even the offline contest schedule locations list wasn't released until 11/18 and 13 of the 21 offline events listed had already taken place. The Hobbytown that is nearest to me that was participating did not promote it at all on social media. I had to message and call the store to see if they were even hosting it. When I asked about it the employee from Hobbytown (who was running and judging the event) he said they put up flyers in the store to promote it. I saw 2 sheets of paper that said GBWC and the date. I participated in the local event and for the event itself, it was very lack luster. You could bring your builds in from 12p-4p and it was great to be able to see the works coming in and chat with the other builders, but beyond that there was nothing else to do. The judging was done by the employee at Hobbytown but the employee told me they were not going to follow the GBWC rules for judging. I did win 2nd for that event, but Im questioning my win and how fair it was for everyone participating if the GBWC rules were dismissed and what the criteria became. They also told everyone (except the winner) to enter the online contest, but I thought we had to do that to participate. Bandai and Bandai US should... 1) do better at promoting it as an event in the US and not just something that happens and hold to the format that they post. Maybe they could combine it with another Gundam Base Tour for GBWC13. The Gundam base tour was wildly huge for my Hobbytown this past year and there were lines and lines of builders and interested people. 2) have a better signup system for the offline contest. If you pick the offline option you get to pick the one Hobbytown location you are going to participate in and that store will have you on a list that you will check in for at that event. If you are not on that list you do not get to participate in the local event. Also if you are not a winner for that offline event then you are automatically entered into the online contest. 3) have at least 1 Bandai US rep to run and judge the event to make sure that A) the judging is fair and constant between the online and all of the offline events B) they stop anyone who is cheating by jumping from Hobbytown to Hobbytown just so they can get a win 4) Have the separation of U-20 and O-21 at the offline events. My Hobbytown has not done this the last 2 years. I don't know if other hobbytowns did or not... This could be such a cool thing but Bandai just continues to not care about the US. Ill step off the soap box now, its free for anyone else...
The hex grid reminds of how some other older games and older game adjacent products have gone through something similar to a re-launch in terms of popularity and marketing in recent years. Battletech which are connected back to games started in the 80s has had several very successful kickstarters (2019, 2023) and the classic game still gets played on a hex grid. Games Workshop Necromunda (1995; re-launched 2017) and a hex grid based game Underworlds (2017 with continuing rules updates) which mixes models with cards. So there seems to be a solid resurging demand for games of these styles. Wonder if the game is a re-skin of the old one or is something more streamlined like more modern tabletop games are. Regardless of how the game turns out looking forward to the models for painting and seeing how wide spread more dioramas will show up. While definitely MGs the smaller size will be much more convenient for scattered decorations without having to dominate a section of a room. For the GBWC possibly Bandai's approach is less to "chase the market" and instead "take the temperature" or another strategy.
GBWC nowadays in the Philippines are so strict You need to Pre-register first before joining, more like a screening or audition Many people felt lost interest when their entries were rejected because of small Details that they don't even explain A local Gundam Contest known as Gundam Model Kits Contest that is OOTB only with repaints had more participants because they had no pre-registration, like how GBWC was pre pandemic in short "There is no Freedom in Gunpla" in GBWC
I am new to Gunpla (and loving it) but a lifelong on/off gamer and mini painter. I am very interested in the new Gundam game, even if it is just for some cool minis. It will be a bonus if the game is good and anyone I know wants to play :).
Marketing for GBWC and just really Gunpla in general is really needed in the States. unless you are already in the hobby or introduce people to it yourself it is not really marketed here. Models in general are hard to market.
From first glance it looks like itll play like Robotech. Im in it for the minis. Also I havent tuned in for a few year. Have you moved back to the states, am I reading the description right?
premise, i am in europe so things are different, but regarding gbwc i saw on the gram kinda some complaining about both the winner/not winners and the ceremony so i guess bandai really can do more regarding its working, especially as promotion on different channels
as a DnD, Battle tech table top player the Assemble line makes me skeptical. Figures for the table top game may be affordable but that is not only thing your gonna need to start your campaign. Your gonna need also Rules books, Character books or Mobile suit books, stat sheets, some of us know that not all unit figures share the same stats or skills, a likely campaign scenario would be if you have more than 1 Rx 78 or multiple players who want to play Wing 0 in the table campaign, these are needed to be factored in as well.
Gundam meets warhammer in a tabletop game is a match made in heaven TBH, exactly what I imagined a Gundam board game would be like, im very interested.
A multi hex unit means that it doesn't fit in a single hex. ...I know that sounds like a joke, but usually that's what it means. Many games have special rules for larger units, but not all, and the rules vary from game to game. As for the boards. I agree the diorama not being a game board. But I recommend looking up some Battletech or Dropfleet Commander boards to see how modelled boards can look. The coloured hexes seem to be special terrain, as the space map doesn't have any but the ground map does.
The only reason I knew the winners were announced was because Ryan posted his winning entry. (Congrats Ryan!) It's really sad, Bandai hobby posts daily about various things like gunpla duel missions but never anything about gbwc.
Ive been building for over a decade and have always wanted to enter GBWC but in America they make it so complicated and Bandai is not clear enough with their communications to make the entry process more easy. I looked at their site several times this year and had a difficult time understanding when and where I could participate. It's a shame because it felt like Bandai really wanted to get more involvement on a worldwide scale a few years ago but covid really put a damper on that. I'd love to see more interest and care put into the American lead up of the GBWC for sure.
Its possible Bandai has been gauging interest for a miniatures game for some years now considering their smaller offerings in model kits over the past decade. I like that they have a TCG game as well but Im not sure releasing 2 experimental game platforms so close to each other is a good idea, but its smart on them for doing a collab with both. Bandai-Namco has been bit rocky as of late with new concept games so I do question the longevity of this game. Model sales I think would do just fine but as far as a game system goes Im not sure how invested they are in terms of function of the games rules and the ever evolving soon to be player base, especially if it were to ever go competitive
Yeah I definitely wish Bandai would promote GBWC more. It is frequently an after thought for me. If it weren’t for other people tweeting about it I’d constantly forget that it was even happening. I haven’t entered but I really enjoy seeing the entries.
Assemble models will only come with one fixed pose or will come with options? The price seems about right for minis, I thought it was good compared to Games Workshop but you get much more for 150-200 in those. Game itself looks really plain right now though. Maybe later they have terrain unless it's all space fights.
It IS really odd that Bandai US has had the saying that 'even beginners can win!', when they don't even market it enough for such beginners to even know about GBWC to begin with! They don't even do much marketing, period, from what I've seen. Feels like they just don't actually care, beyond the occasional livestream, where they don't even engage with chatters much. (feels like a change in heads is sorely needed, to get the US side back on track, and up to par with the rest of the world. :/ )
GBWC UK had a sizable influencer program but not from the Gunpla community - instead from Warhammer (which is obviously much more popular in the UK). Influencers were given free kits to make a video etc promoting GBWC. They also ran a Influencer subdivision for these people. These people then made timed posts to coincide with Bandai UK postings around GBWC. From a business and awareness point of view I think it was a good idea but the lack of transparency of who was being sponsored to enter/promote was a bit icky. Allowing these influencers to enter the main competition to (which one influencer then placed) feels a bit unethical (i.e. it's in Bandai's business interest that an influencer at leasts places so they can get more social traction from them). Not much fanfare around the announcement of winners either. I find GBWC a fun competition to see a lot of entries but hard to take seriously. I feel a lot of winners often win on diorama quality rather than the Gunpla model quality and a lot of said diromas tend to have parts that I think break the rules as they are written.
My guess is the game will be a mix of a boardgame with cards and dice. Look up "Girls frontline: Luftberry Chess" Or just like 40k tabletop. OR Tabletop gameplay style of SD Gundam G generations.
The worst part of gbwc was even the hobby towns that were running in store competitions were not promoting the contest at all the store near me had a in person competition and their advertisement was a little sticker on the door that most people would miss. I missed the date and had a friend who went and said there was only like 6 people who showed up and entered
😮 $30 for 3 of those is reasonable? I may be missing something but that’s how much like half of the RG line costs in the US. Like $23 is where it ceases to sound completely insane. I think $17-$19 is where it begins to sound reasonable.
I've long suspected that Gundam Artifacts is a test line to see how they can adapt designs to a small scale, to make them look impressive and bigger than they are, and to see what line thickness will work well in casting and will be easy to wash (in the very first volume the lines were way too thin, later it got a little better). I'm happy for the announcement, but in some ways it's a step back for me - the detailing and size have decreased (from 55mm to 50mm), and the designs don`t have that exaggerated look, but rather have cool iconic poses. They will definitely become easier to assemble (also most likely they will be PS plastic instead of ABS), but they are unlikely to become easier to paint: yes, there is less detailing, but there are also fewer places where you can simply touch everything with a wash to add interesrting shadows. We'll see, now everything depends on the rules that have not yet been shown. Perhaps if each miniature in the game has only a role, and a specific armor model and its dimensions doesn`t matter, it will be possible to put Gundam Artifacts on the bases instead and the game itself will be fun to play)
@@ZakuAurelius It`s a safe move for Bandai lol - if it won`t work out as a wargame, they can still sell them as gachapons anytime. Honeslty, I still expect some level of gacha in it - we know they`ll do those 3 minis + cards packs, but they didn`t tell yet if it will be a fixed set of minis or random. As for other miniatures from Bandai - that's true, but I can't remember any that were actually designed for artistic painting other than Artifacts. Maybe I'm wrong!
Hum, I would much rather hoped that the gundam minis be at least posable to some basic degree, sort of like the very first grades that came out but at around 1/250 in scale, at the moment it comes off as just gatyas with the random piece you would get from it. I would say that they would be better off creating a whole series around with their own factions and option parts, as well as to create a base line stats of comparisons and then add the others as expansions sets to please the creatives modelers, collectors and kids.
I would prefer an official tabletop game using gunpla. I know there are a couple out there, but i woulnt mind if bandai made some kind of digital/irl type of game using gunpla
I really like the GBWC event but I feel it's not run well currently. Right now the standards of judging are not consistent between each event. I've been to events where they literally grabbed people off the street for judging. Favoritism in local build group have swayed judging decisions as well. I realize having dedicated judges isn't realistically cost effective but better training and requirements for event organizers would be helpful. Also more communication would be nice. After the submission date, it's radio silence for months with no feedback. Maybe doing a smaller amount of regional events would make more sense. Also, why didn't they announce 2nd and 3rd place right away. All other events did.
The least they couldve did was to stream or hold a seprate show for the show and showcae all the winners and put some respect on their hard work, but who we are kidding , its bandai and they most certainly never did or will give any shit about it when it comes to our side.
Hey ZakuAurelius! I’m the guy who took first for the US and I definitely feel as you do about winning. It’s a huge privilege to represent the US in Japan and that’s enough for me 😅. On the competition side, I had to work really hard to stay up to date on when, where, and how to enter. My local tournament location and time wasn’t announced until 2 weeks prior to the competition on the GBWC website. I was checking it daily for several months leading up to the announcement. Last year it was announced much farther in advance. This year also required you to choose either in-person or online entry. But both required you to register and submit photos. Which I really appreciated, because most hobby towns in the US don’t set up fancy photo booths and use DSLR cameras. My worry was that the store would submit the photos they took with their phones as our entries, if we won. More hype generation is sorely needed. At my local competition in Oregon there were about 10 entries. But the level of competition is dependent on the competitors. Most in my immediate area don’t compete like I do and some didn’t even know about the GBWC. After winning locally your photos are judged by Bandai regionally and then nationally. I found out about the win two weeks before Orlando and it was a rush to get everything sorted. I will say, the venue was very energetic with a large and interactive crowd. Even though it was a card fest where it was announced, they had a nice Gundam base set up and lots of visitors were there to shop the gunpla. But, the GBWC aspect of the convention was definitely a small part of the whole picture. Which is fine, because it was a card fest. If you want to talk more about the whole experience let me know! And thanks for your content. Been an enjoyer for years. ❤
I'm surprised Bandai even went this route to begin with considering how incredibly niche the tabletops/miniature hobby is in Japan. Especially considering all the aversion towards anything foreign and the fact that it has to compete with the much cheaper and much more varied plastic model and figurine market. And even the trading card game industry. Hell, I doubt it will succeed even against the huge line of gundam related capsule toys, which nobody holds you from using instead of having the dedicated tabletop miniatures. It's basically dead on arrival for the home market. All things considered this new gundam miniature thing is clearly aimed at the western market instead.
To finally release their own rules is great. But to do so in a way that disqualifies their entire preexisting gunpla library from the game and severely limits the ability of the players to field custom models/minis is crazy, very crazy.
I can hear my wallet screaming It knows very well that a lot of money will be spent on army building Zakus and GMs I hope they give us minis of all UC suits and not ignore the less popular stuff
I think Bandai trying to cash in on the more recent Gundam hype from WfM and SF is good, but we’ve seen these type of spin off projects before so I’m cautious. They’re entering one market with the card game that is already so oversaturated with so many other tcgs and the other which is heavily dominated by Warhammer. It’s also coming at a time where Warhammer interest is increasing due to things like Space Marine II taking off. For GBWC, I think Bandai was just more interested in generating interest for these new products than they were about announcing the winners, which is classic business 101. People entering and winning GBWC are going to more than likely stick around. They want new consumers. They’ll probably push a bit more when the final round of winners are announced in Japan. For this year, yeah I knew GBWC was happening, but I didn’t know the winners were announced, which is unfortunate since the winners do deserve to be recognized
I am kind of shocked that Bandai doesn't beat the drum every year of "look at the cool things people do with our products" until people are sick of hearing of it. The restrictions on not being able to make content about entries and whatnot are very silly. It's like they don't want to run this contest but feel obligated because people like participating.
I sort of wished that Gundam Assmble would disrupt the miniature market. But nope, it’s a worse per-miniature value when comparing it to a newer Warhammer miniature. insert Obi-Wan “You were the chosen one!” meme here
Why can’t gbwc USA just be structured the same as it is in Japan. Every year it feels like USA gbwc organizers are grasping at straws trying to put out the minimum.
I hope this is not expensive compared to warhammer if this would range to 5k in the Philippines I will not do it coz I have a son who needs me the most. if it would range around 1 to 2k I will for starter kit but the other expansions and get other gundam maybe specific only but not all facti atleast I have one or 3 that would be better so that once my son saw it in the later age I would share my knowledge and bond with him unfortunately I have to wait for him 3 years of he will go back to manila and spend the rest of the years here and never go back to the place where soooo far. got separated when he was 2 years old and her mom got married to his ex so me I just have to wait and support my son :) but this thing I will buy if it's low cost.
Bandai did make a post clarifying the Assemble starters. It's $35, includes 3 Gundams/Units PLUS the TCG Starter Deck as it's actually a collaboration item set for July.
Edit: This leads to the actual Assemble starter/Core and rules coming later in 2025 most likely.
I kind of assume that the actual starter sets for Assemble will be more than 3.
One thing that was shown somewhere, one of the videos on it talked about it where the full runner/sprue for the RX-78-2 one is the gramps with the guntank and guncannon for it, so I'm assuming that the actual starter sets will be something like that plus a sprue of ones for grunt suits. so perhaps that plus one of GMs or Balls. Then a fold out map, rulebook, counters, and dice.
Omg that's super good
I am a Gunpla hobbyist and Warhammer 40k player (among others) and I am more excited to see how this goes than anything Games Workshop has done in many years.
Im also in both hobbies as well, but Im not as excited for it as I initially was. Once I found out it was just a skirmish board game I kinda lost interest. I dont think this would ever touch 40k or any larger wargames. This would compete with the smaller skirmish games like Necromunda and Warhammer Underworlds at least. Not to mention the numerous amounts of other companies getting into skirmish games nowadays. Sales I think would do great simply because they are model kits at the end of the day but as far a game system goes I dont see it getting too far. Although I would love to see a full scale wargame someday
AMEN, BROTHA
I expect the Gundam Assemble will be very entry level. A way to get younger people into table top games as we as gunpla as a whole. I dont expect it will ever touch 40k on size or complexity..... or price :P
Just gonna take the rules and apply em to 144 scale. The map would be the size of my home.
Would be cool if the game were to be played with HG models
@@dropflyballyou could if you want to but it depends on the group their probably would be people who would wanna play with the hg scale
NEO ZEONG、GP03DENDROBIUM「Hi!」
That would be perfect and honestly how they should've approached this....
It's not as large a table as you think! I'm totally doing it.
Gundam Assemble seems like Battletech meets X-Wing meet Warhammer Underworlds with that hexagonal base, but what surprising is the Ship (Archangel)
Yea, as a huge Battletech fan (I'm part of a battletech podcast) and a big gundam fan this is like a perfect storm for my wallet. Lol!
Battletech, being the closest comparison does have rules for both hex grid and full terrain play, so it is feasable to have rules for both.
Personally, I'm a bit sceptical regarding the Gundam Assemble longevity if it's greenlit.
Bandai Namco has a history of pulling the plug early for new line/series if early sales are not as they expected.
yep
"if"? it's not?
duh, that's why if you want the line or series to succeed, support it
As long as they don't run out of suits to make it should be ok. Including making alt poses for some. One of the downfalls of X-Wing aside from the 2.0 swap was they simply ran out of ships and how many X-Wings does one person need.
I used to collect Warhammer and play the game occasionally with my friends when I was a kid. As soon as I saw the figure for my favorite Gundam, Deathscythe Hell my reaction was: "Bandai, take my money!"
I may be wrong, as I don't live in the US, but from the outside it seemed that, in addition to weak marketing, the dates of some small leagues of GBWC were close to the dates of other local model shows like IPMS events and people prefer going to these bigger events, especially since there were no restrictions on using only Bandai kits.
Great video! I have a background working in social media marketing, and they could absolutely be doing more to promote GBWC at a very low cost via regular posts, etc. I also think it would go a long way to collaborate with some guest judges / influencers. The 2023 show was really nice. They had a live stream and really talked about each build. Would love to see them go back to that for 2025.
Love the shirt! Got one as well! Thanks for all the videos!
regarding the tcg collab sets, some pics of the showcases hinted that the UC/RX-78 starter set would be the gundam, the guntank and the guncannon, since they were runner A1, A2, and A3 (that plus its called "Heroic Beginnings")
and yea, the tcg set also comes with a whole starter deck, so that definitely eats some of the cost of that set
also, the tweet discussing this collab only really mentions "put the mini on the associated card" which is kinda funny
Operation V starter set would be one great way to do things, but the associated TCG starter deck is prominently featured as 0079 plus Witch from Mercury, so I'm kind of expecting gramps, Aerial, and either a GM/Demi Trainer or if we're lucky White Base.
I won 3rd place for the 10th university....and I would like to discuss some issues... I also feel that the Hobby town 1st place winners from each state should have been promoted and marketed correctly
Great breakdown for Gundam Assemble 🙏👏
I've been playing a Gundam tabletop for years using GURPS. From the details released so far I'll probably keep doing that.
Finally some Crisis suit size gundam models. Was going to use HGs for my riptide but had nothing for the crisis suits. Models look amazing.
Greetings from Peru, the detail and editing in your videos with the kits shown is excellent... I hope that later you can do an analysis or sample of the kits and new designs of Mobile armor 1/144 that are made in Japan, China independently, I have seen the "AMA SHAMBLO and the APSALUS in 1/144 scale, which are incredible!!!
Y se me olvidaba Feliz año 2025, que todas tus metas se cumplan!!
Promoting Gbwc more would be great, it would feel like the global event that it is if Bandai would hype it up. Also it’s tough even finding an in person location to even participate in the US. And I always hear about the difficulty of following the rules and still being disqualified with no explanation.
I'm excited for this. Not so much for the game since not that big where I am but so I can build, paint and set these up in my cubicle at work.
I was vaguely interested in Gundam for a while, and a tabletop wargame is probably what will make me finally actually watch it x)
Definitely interested in the game!
Can’t wait for Gundam assemble!
My only gripe with my country's GBWC rules is that we can't enter using regular Bandai Gunpla kits. We’re required to buy kits with 'Bankee' stickers-Bankee being the official local distributor here in the Philippines. This rule really limits our choices since their stores only carry a limited selection of kits. Another issue is how they handle the awarding ceremony. The stage is placed in front of the display area, so the audience has to watch from the sides, other floors, or online.
How is the Bankee sticker thing even enforced?
@isaiasvazquez5792 when its time to display the piece you need to show them the gunpla box it came with and it has the bankee sticker on it. It sucks when you enter multiple kits you had to bring it to the event 😂, i seen people brought their boxes of sazabi verka and multiple mg boxes
Damn that's a stupid rule.
@@nobody-bt7mu cuz it is lol, i had to scoundrel kits in marketplace to find what i need 😂
Gundam wing minis, I'm sold
I wish the runners were like Nichimo Macross 1/200 mini kits (very vintage ones I do remember as a kid) where parts are basic articulated (moveable arms and legs) instead of fixed pose.
Use the game board with ship minis for overall play but then switch to hg 1/144 (or Gundam Artifact) when MS launch and use a large table/map
I got into both gunpla and miniature games around the same time as a kid, I’m looking forward to Gundam Assemble, it feels like a game for weirdos like me 😂
I think the USA GBWC winners should have been announced at a different event, something dedicated to the hobby or just reveal it on the official site. Additionally they should have announced the top three on stage at least.
Hey Zack, regarding the best of 2024, i recommend you check out the Hasegawa YF19 Battroid kit. Its a HUGE improvement over their old Macross kits (at least in terms of engineering and stability).
I would like the warships too. Having fleet battles would be fun.😊
Definitely will buy
This has me pretty hyped.
2019 GBWC was such a good time. :)
GBWC's major issue is a lack of care from the local distributor, Bandai Namco USA. It goes beyond a "lack of marketing," in my assessment because everything is so haphazard and seemingly thrown together at the last minute, with almost zero consistency in submission deadlines, judging criteria, where and when qualifiers and winners are announced, etc. from year to year. So far, Bandai USA's hobby social media accounts haven't even posted who the winners this year are! It all adds to a sense of resignation and malaise amongst Gunpla modelers in the States; if the local Bandai office doesn't care, why should they?
Bandai USA seems to just think of GBWC as a forgettable, vibes-based fun thing "where even beginners can win!" that they put the bare minimum effort into running and promoting, let alone being transparent with how and why they make the decisions that they make. MOST other countries treat their GBWC contests like the Olympic trials... they're trying to give their country the best possible chance to win on the world stage. The way GBWC USA is conducted seems very unserious in comparison, which is probably why America gets so frequently embarrassed at the world finals and has never once even gotten close to a top 3 finish.
Kapooooooool! Need this for the Kapool.
7:55
Oh hey, that's a GM White Dingo type
Could be an indicator that there'll be more Rise From The Ashes units released in this new line
Yep and its posed in the jpn dreamcast cover.
This year was a joke. My local Hobby Town found out the date a month before they were suppose to host it. There were only 3 entries this year and the the contestants were the Judges. I wonder what happen to Xaiver from Blue Fin. He was really getting info about the GBWC out to the public when he was involved.
I want the 1/227 scale for the one year war and the suits in Char's counterattack. Nuclear warfare Gundam for the win.😊
happy belated new year!
The minis might be cool. Not huge into the TTGs.
As for GBWC, it has so much potential, but such a lack of interest from Bandai.
Its sad that they did not include announcing the 2nd and 3rd place winners at the Orlando event. You should have included the winners for the U-20 in the video as they also deserve recognition for their work and accomplishment.
I agree with you that there was not much promotion for the US. I hardly saw any info on the event from Bandai US's side. Even the offline contest schedule locations list wasn't released until 11/18 and 13 of the 21 offline events listed had already taken place.
The Hobbytown that is nearest to me that was participating did not promote it at all on social media. I had to message and call the store to see if they were even hosting it. When I asked about it the employee from Hobbytown (who was running and judging the event) he said they put up flyers in the store to promote it. I saw 2 sheets of paper that said GBWC and the date.
I participated in the local event and for the event itself, it was very lack luster. You could bring your builds in from 12p-4p and it was great to be able to see the works coming in and chat with the other builders, but beyond that there was nothing else to do. The judging was done by the employee at Hobbytown but the employee told me they were not going to follow the GBWC rules for judging. I did win 2nd for that event, but Im questioning my win and how fair it was for everyone participating if the GBWC rules were dismissed and what the criteria became. They also told everyone (except the winner) to enter the online contest, but I thought we had to do that to participate.
Bandai and Bandai US should...
1) do better at promoting it as an event in the US and not just something that happens and hold to the format that they post. Maybe they could combine it with another Gundam Base Tour for GBWC13. The Gundam base tour was wildly huge for my Hobbytown this past year and there were lines and lines of builders and interested people.
2) have a better signup system for the offline contest. If you pick the offline option you get to pick the one Hobbytown location you are going to participate in and that store will have you on a list that you will check in for at that event. If you are not on that list you do not get to participate in the local event. Also if you are not a winner for that offline event then you are automatically entered into the online contest.
3) have at least 1 Bandai US rep to run and judge the event to make sure that A) the judging is fair and constant between the online and all of the offline events B) they stop anyone who is cheating by jumping from Hobbytown to Hobbytown just so they can get a win
4) Have the separation of U-20 and O-21 at the offline events. My Hobbytown has not done this the last 2 years. I don't know if other hobbytowns did or not...
This could be such a cool thing but Bandai just continues to not care about the US.
Ill step off the soap box now, its free for anyone else...
Ohlala, i just want to collect them all!
I just want to paint these then actually playing. Can’t wait. Hope they’re cheap enough unlike many miniatures.
The hex grid reminds of how some other older games and older game adjacent products have gone through something similar to a re-launch in terms of popularity and marketing in recent years.
Battletech which are connected back to games started in the 80s has had several very successful kickstarters (2019, 2023) and the classic game still gets played on a hex grid.
Games Workshop Necromunda (1995; re-launched 2017) and a hex grid based game Underworlds (2017 with continuing rules updates) which mixes models with cards.
So there seems to be a solid resurging demand for games of these styles.
Wonder if the game is a re-skin of the old one or is something more streamlined like more modern tabletop games are.
Regardless of how the game turns out looking forward to the models for painting and seeing how wide spread more dioramas will show up. While definitely MGs the smaller size will be much more convenient for scattered decorations without having to dominate a section of a room.
For the GBWC possibly Bandai's approach is less to "chase the market" and instead "take the temperature" or another strategy.
GBWC nowadays in the Philippines are so strict
You need to Pre-register first before joining, more like a screening or audition
Many people felt lost interest when their entries were rejected because of small Details that they don't even explain
A local Gundam Contest known as Gundam Model Kits Contest that is OOTB only with repaints had more participants because they had no pre-registration, like how GBWC was pre pandemic
in short "There is no Freedom in Gunpla" in GBWC
Respect for the Fall of Troy shirt.
The only issue I have is, usually diaramas usually win. Which would be better if it was a separate category with 2 winners
50yr old trying to get into models and painting more so i may try them.. subbed
If they want to tell more people about GBWC they can start putting a flier with the model kits.
I am new to Gunpla (and loving it) but a lifelong on/off gamer and mini painter. I am very interested in the new Gundam game, even if it is just for some cool minis. It will be a bonus if the game is good and anyone I know wants to play :).
Absolutely! 👍
Finally a Kapool/Capule kit- but it's not even in 1/144 scale...
have you ever posted anything about that SD hazel thats over your shoulder? I always get distracted by all the stuff on your shelves lol
Marketing for GBWC and just really Gunpla in general is really needed in the States. unless you are already in the hobby or introduce people to it yourself it is not really marketed here. Models in general are hard to market.
If they do release in a pack I wonder what will be bundled with the Kapool
Toro Hachi is classified as a Mobile Suit. Petit MS as they referred to it in the OVA
From first glance it looks like itll play like Robotech.
Im in it for the minis.
Also I havent tuned in for a few year. Have you moved back to the states, am I reading the description right?
Im 100 percent buying
premise, i am in europe so things are different, but regarding gbwc i saw on the gram kinda some complaining about both the winner/not winners and the ceremony so i guess bandai really can do more regarding its working, especially as promotion on different channels
as a DnD, Battle tech table top player the Assemble line makes me skeptical. Figures for the table top game may be affordable but that is not only thing your gonna need to start your campaign. Your gonna need also Rules books, Character books or Mobile suit books, stat sheets, some of us know that not all unit figures share the same stats or skills, a likely campaign scenario would be if you have more than 1 Rx 78 or multiple players who want to play Wing 0 in the table campaign, these are needed to be factored in as well.
do you know when the bandai bonsai kit is releasing?
Unfortunately not. I saw the price tag and noped out 😅
I’m not really into games but I really want to build and paint those bitty Gunpla.
Gundam meets warhammer in a tabletop game is a match made in heaven TBH, exactly what I imagined a Gundam board game would be like, im very interested.
Don't know how well the game itself will do, but I expect the figures to sell very well
probably not very well. they had a few board games already
A multi hex unit means that it doesn't fit in a single hex.
...I know that sounds like a joke, but usually that's what it means. Many games have special rules for larger units, but not all, and the rules vary from game to game.
As for the boards. I agree the diorama not being a game board. But I recommend looking up some Battletech or Dropfleet Commander boards to see how modelled boards can look. The coloured hexes seem to be special terrain, as the space map doesn't have any but the ground map does.
The only reason I knew the winners were announced was because Ryan posted his winning entry. (Congrats Ryan!)
It's really sad, Bandai hobby posts daily about various things like gunpla duel missions but never anything about gbwc.
Ive been building for over a decade and have always wanted to enter GBWC but in America they make it so complicated and Bandai is not clear enough with their communications to make the entry process more easy. I looked at their site several times this year and had a difficult time understanding when and where I could participate. It's a shame because it felt like Bandai really wanted to get more involvement on a worldwide scale a few years ago but covid really put a damper on that. I'd love to see more interest and care put into the American lead up of the GBWC for sure.
Its possible Bandai has been gauging interest for a miniatures game for some years now considering their smaller offerings in model kits over the past decade. I like that they have a TCG game as well but Im not sure releasing 2 experimental game platforms so close to each other is a good idea, but its smart on them for doing a collab with both. Bandai-Namco has been bit rocky as of late with new concept games so I do question the longevity of this game. Model sales I think would do just fine but as far as a game system goes Im not sure how invested they are in terms of function of the games rules and the ever evolving soon to be player base, especially if it were to ever go competitive
Yeah I definitely wish Bandai would promote GBWC more. It is frequently an after thought for me. If it weren’t for other people tweeting about it I’d constantly forget that it was even happening. I haven’t entered but I really enjoy seeing the entries.
Assemble models will only come with one fixed pose or will come with options? The price seems about right for minis, I thought it was good compared to Games Workshop but you get much more for 150-200 in those. Game itself looks really plain right now though. Maybe later they have terrain unless it's all space fights.
It IS really odd that Bandai US has had the saying that 'even beginners can win!', when they don't even market it enough for such beginners to even know about GBWC to begin with! They don't even do much marketing, period, from what I've seen. Feels like they just don't actually care, beyond the occasional livestream, where they don't even engage with chatters much. (feels like a change in heads is sorely needed, to get the US side back on track, and up to par with the rest of the world. :/ )
I have a feeling this will last longer than their latest attempt at a TCG.
GBWC UK had a sizable influencer program but not from the Gunpla community - instead from Warhammer (which is obviously much more popular in the UK). Influencers were given free kits to make a video etc promoting GBWC. They also ran a Influencer subdivision for these people. These people then made timed posts to coincide with Bandai UK postings around GBWC.
From a business and awareness point of view I think it was a good idea but the lack of transparency of who was being sponsored to enter/promote was a bit icky. Allowing these influencers to enter the main competition to (which one influencer then placed) feels a bit unethical (i.e. it's in Bandai's business interest that an influencer at leasts places so they can get more social traction from them).
Not much fanfare around the announcement of winners either.
I find GBWC a fun competition to see a lot of entries but hard to take seriously. I feel a lot of winners often win on diorama quality rather than the Gunpla model quality and a lot of said diromas tend to have parts that I think break the rules as they are written.
My guess is the game will be a mix of a boardgame with cards and dice.
Look up "Girls frontline: Luftberry Chess"
Or just like 40k tabletop.
OR
Tabletop gameplay style of SD Gundam G generations.
The worst part of gbwc was even the hobby towns that were running in store competitions were not promoting the contest at all the store near me had a in person competition and their advertisement was a little sticker on the door that most people would miss. I missed the date and had a friend who went and said there was only like 6 people who showed up and entered
😮 $30 for 3 of those is reasonable? I may be missing something but that’s how much like half of the RG line costs in the US. Like $23 is where it ceases to sound completely insane. I think $17-$19 is where it begins to sound reasonable.
I've long suspected that Gundam Artifacts is a test line to see how they can adapt designs to a small scale, to make them look impressive and bigger than they are, and to see what line thickness will work well in casting and will be easy to wash (in the very first volume the lines were way too thin, later it got a little better). I'm happy for the announcement, but in some ways it's a step back for me - the detailing and size have decreased (from 55mm to 50mm), and the designs don`t have that exaggerated look, but rather have cool iconic poses. They will definitely become easier to assemble (also most likely they will be PS plastic instead of ABS), but they are unlikely to become easier to paint: yes, there is less detailing, but there are also fewer places where you can simply touch everything with a wash to add interesrting shadows. We'll see, now everything depends on the rules that have not yet been shown. Perhaps if each miniature in the game has only a role, and a specific armor model and its dimensions doesn`t matter, it will be possible to put Gundam Artifacts on the bases instead and the game itself will be fun to play)
They’ve had other mini gunpla before that, and plenty of different similar looking gashapon. Honestly kinda surprised these aren’t just candy toys
@@ZakuAurelius It`s a safe move for Bandai lol - if it won`t work out as a wargame, they can still sell them as gachapons anytime. Honeslty, I still expect some level of gacha in it - we know they`ll do those 3 minis + cards packs, but they didn`t tell yet if it will be a fixed set of minis or random. As for other miniatures from Bandai - that's true, but I can't remember any that were actually designed for artistic painting other than Artifacts. Maybe I'm wrong!
Maybe one of the reasons was that Vallejo-like acrylics were not very known in Japan in the past
Card game, miniatures ufff my money!!!
I want to get the minis so bad! Kinda sad they r not color separated :( im not a huge mini painter guy….
Hum, I would much rather hoped that the gundam minis be at least posable to some basic degree, sort of like the very first grades that came out but at around 1/250 in scale, at the moment it comes off as just gatyas with the random piece you would get from it. I would say that they would be better off creating a whole series around with their own factions and option parts, as well as to create a base line stats of comparisons and then add the others as expansions sets to please the creatives modelers, collectors and kids.
Sick Fall of Troy shirt
Thanks!
so this is where the time and effort went, not the MG line
I would prefer an official tabletop game using gunpla. I know there are a couple out there, but i woulnt mind if bandai made some kind of digital/irl type of game using gunpla
So the story is that these will be hellishly expensive for what they are? At least painting minis won't swallow the rest of my life.
Sick Doppleganger shirt dude
I really like the GBWC event but I feel it's not run well currently. Right now the standards of judging are not consistent between each event. I've been to events where they literally grabbed people off the street for judging. Favoritism in local build group have swayed judging decisions as well. I realize having dedicated judges isn't realistically cost effective but better training and requirements for event organizers would be helpful. Also more communication would be nice. After the submission date, it's radio silence for months with no feedback. Maybe doing a smaller amount of regional events would make more sense. Also, why didn't they announce 2nd and 3rd place right away. All other events did.
The least they couldve did was to stream or hold a seprate show for the show and showcae all the winners and put some respect on their hard work, but who we are kidding , its bandai and they most certainly never did or will give any shit about it when it comes to our side.
PLEAS BUILD/REVIEW THE MASS PRODUCTION EVA
I hope Warhammer could Collab with Gundam so I hope we can see a fully grade kits Warhammer model kits... Caz that would be sick as heaven
I don’t want GW getting their hands anywhere near Gundam.
Ya keep Games Workshop far far away. An HG would be $200…..
Hey ZakuAurelius! I’m the guy who took first for the US and I definitely feel as you do about winning. It’s a huge privilege to represent the US in Japan and that’s enough for me 😅.
On the competition side, I had to work really hard to stay up to date on when, where, and how to enter. My local tournament location and time wasn’t announced until 2 weeks prior to the competition on the GBWC website. I was checking it daily for several months leading up to the announcement. Last year it was announced much farther in advance.
This year also required you to choose either in-person or online entry. But both required you to register and submit photos. Which I really appreciated, because most hobby towns in the US don’t set up fancy photo booths and use DSLR cameras. My worry was that the store would submit the photos they took with their phones as our entries, if we won.
More hype generation is sorely needed. At my local competition in Oregon there were about 10 entries. But the level of competition is dependent on the competitors. Most in my immediate area don’t compete like I do and some didn’t even know about the GBWC. After winning locally your photos are judged by Bandai regionally and then nationally.
I found out about the win two weeks before Orlando and it was a rush to get everything sorted.
I will say, the venue was very energetic with a large and interactive crowd. Even though it was a card fest where it was announced, they had a nice Gundam base set up and lots of visitors were there to shop the gunpla.
But, the GBWC aspect of the convention was definitely a small part of the whole picture. Which is fine, because it was a card fest.
If you want to talk more about the whole experience let me know! And thanks for your content. Been an enjoyer for years. ❤
Thanks for sharing and congratulations! We’ll definitely have to arrange a time to talk!
I'm surprised Bandai even went this route to begin with considering how incredibly niche the tabletops/miniature hobby is in Japan. Especially considering all the aversion towards anything foreign and the fact that it has to compete with the much cheaper and much more varied plastic model and figurine market. And even the trading card game industry. Hell, I doubt it will succeed even against the huge line of gundam related capsule toys, which nobody holds you from using instead of having the dedicated tabletop miniatures.
It's basically dead on arrival for the home market.
All things considered this new gundam miniature thing is clearly aimed at the western market instead.
To finally release their own rules is great. But to do so in a way that disqualifies their entire preexisting gunpla library from the game and severely limits the ability of the players to field custom models/minis is crazy, very crazy.
I can hear my wallet screaming
It knows very well that a lot of money will be spent on army building Zakus and GMs
I hope they give us minis of all UC suits and not ignore the less popular stuff
If they make a solo campaign, i may get it. Really dont want a dead game just wasting space
I think Bandai trying to cash in on the more recent Gundam hype from WfM and SF is good, but we’ve seen these type of spin off projects before so I’m cautious. They’re entering one market with the card game that is already so oversaturated with so many other tcgs and the other which is heavily dominated by Warhammer. It’s also coming at a time where Warhammer interest is increasing due to things like Space Marine II taking off.
For GBWC, I think Bandai was just more interested in generating interest for these new products than they were about announcing the winners, which is classic business 101. People entering and winning GBWC are going to more than likely stick around. They want new consumers. They’ll probably push a bit more when the final round of winners are announced in Japan. For this year, yeah I knew GBWC was happening, but I didn’t know the winners were announced, which is unfortunate since the winners do deserve to be recognized
I am kind of shocked that Bandai doesn't beat the drum every year of "look at the cool things people do with our products" until people are sick of hearing of it. The restrictions on not being able to make content about entries and whatnot are very silly. It's like they don't want to run this contest but feel obligated because people like participating.
I sort of wished that Gundam Assmble would disrupt the miniature market. But nope, it’s a worse per-miniature value when comparing it to a newer Warhammer miniature. insert Obi-Wan “You were the chosen one!” meme here
Not realy into table top games. But im not gna lie its a good idea but i think i prefer building and painting gunpla and making dioramas
Gundam assemble resembles the Battletech Wargame tho.
Why can’t gbwc USA just be structured the same as it is in Japan. Every year it feels like USA gbwc organizers are grasping at straws trying to put out the minimum.
I hope this is not expensive compared to warhammer if this would range to 5k in the Philippines I will not do it coz I have a son who needs me the most. if it would range around 1 to 2k I will for starter kit but the other expansions and get other gundam maybe specific only but not all facti atleast I have one or 3 that would be better so that once my son saw it in the later age I would share my knowledge and bond with him unfortunately I have to wait for him 3 years of he will go back to manila and spend the rest of the years here and never go back to the place where soooo far. got separated when he was 2 years old and her mom got married to his ex so me I just have to wait and support my son :) but this thing I will buy if it's low cost.
thumbnail trickery 😢
I’m really bad at painting.
Captain America: "GUNDAMS ASSEMBLE!!"
Iron Man: "what?"
Captain America: "what?"