Gunpla – Where fandom and artistry meet
Local enthusiast relates his affinity with Gundam model-building world
THE world of ‘Gundam’ is now recognisable not only to the model-building community, but also to many of those outside of it.
What began as an animated television series featuring special mecha-mobile suits meant as weaponry – first aired in April 1979 – is now a highlyrecognisable name that has extended beyond media and toy franchising.
Recently, Netflix had announced that a live action film was set to be directed by 2017’s ‘Kong: Skull Island’ director Jordan Vogt-Roberts; however, the release date has yet to be announced as this project is still in its early days of development.
However, such news has already set tongues wagging as a live action film could elevate this popular culture to a whole new level.
At the moment, Gundam fans and ‘Gunpla’ (Gundam plastic model) builders still have lots of other options on the table as there are hundreds – if not thousands – of Gunpla collections readily available for them to spend their hours on.
The very first Gunpla was released by Bandai in July 1980, and it was based on the first ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ anime television series featuring Amuro Ray’s ‘RX-78-2’ produced in 1:144 and 1:100 scales.
“I was first fascinated by the completely-built model when it was displayed on shelves.
“But very soon after, I found out that the real enjoyment was during the assembling of the Gunpla kits itself,” said Huzaifah Abang Zainuddin when asked about what had inspired him to establish his own collection.
Anyone can build a Gunpla
The 37-year-old Kuchingite believed that anyone could set up their own collection, while advising them not to be intimidated and overwhelmed by the whole process.
“Sometimes, people would ask me if each piece of the Gunpla kit needs to be painted by hand, which is a misconception as most kits come with near-accurate colours out of the box,” he told thesundaypost.
However, he said there were some hardcore ones who would paint their own kits; thus, each model arranged and assembled by them would be categorised as ‘custom-built’ – this, said Huzaifah, would really put a Gunpla builder’s skills to the test.
According to him, the added value of a custom-built unit could portray a Gundam’s specific situation in an anime series such as being battle-worn, or highlight more details that would capture the attention of any sharp-eyed enthusiast.
“At the end of the day, my advice is to just do what you really love.
“Building a Gunpla is not an impossible task, as long as you stay positive and have some rest in between the process, which could take hours or even days,” he added.
Muscled-up version of Lego
Huzaifah likened building a Gunpla to assembling Lego bricks, where each set would come with its own manual depicting diagrams and layouts on ways to bring every piece together.
“If you could build a Lego set, you could build a Gunpla.”
The main difference, however, was that the Gunpla pieces must be separated off from its spruce using a side cutter or a nipper, which could be found in most hobby shops.
“To me, the nipper is the most basic tool when it comes to building a Gunpla.
“Other tools include a hobby knife, tweezers and colour markers,” he said, adding that these tools would contribute to a ‘cleaner, more precise outcome’.
“Having these few tools at your disposal would make your Gunpla-building go a long way.”
Price of a hobby
On ‘the burning question’ of how much a typical Gunpla would cost a beginner, Huzaifah said it would really depend on their preference.
“At the moment, the price of a Gunpla set ranges from as affordable as RM30 up to a few thousands of ringgit,” he said, adding that his latest and most favourite collection is the ‘Dendrobium’ – a build that was produced about 19 years ago.
A quick check on www. gundam.my indicates that this Bandai-manufactured high-grade unit was released in January 2002 and currently, the price is tagged at RM1,080.
Touching on the Gunpla scene in Kuching, Huzaifah said he and his like-minded buddies had been promoting and selling the kits via a mutual friend’s platform called ‘Kuching Pickers’.
According to him, a booth at CityOne Megamall in Kuching is currently selling not only the kits, but also posters and other collector’s items such as toys.
He added before the Covid-19 pandemic, he and a few friends visited an orphanage where every child was given a Gunpla set for them to try their hands at building their own models under his team’s supervision.
“Sadly, due to the pandemic, this and other similar programmes have to be put on hold,” said Huzaifah, adding that all plans to host local gatherings related to Gundam and Gunpla also had to be shelved.
This, he admitted, had made it rather hard to promote this hobby to a larger audience.
However, the lockdown and all phases of the Movement Control Order (MCO) enforced by the government had actually improved the sales of Gunpla kits as more and more people were staying home, with more time on their hands to explore this interest.
“The demand is still there, not only for Gunpla kits but also for board games that we are also selling at our booth in CityOne Megamall,” he added.
In the future, Huzaifah said upon being able to establish a permanent premises, his team would focus on conducting a Gunpla-building class for children on top of their to-do list.
“In view of this pandemic, all we can do now is to remain active in promoting the hobby and sell our toys, which are related to this famous pop culture, to fellow Kuchingites,” he added.
I was first fascinated by the completely-built model when it was displayed on shelves. But very soon after, I found out that the real enjoyment was during the assembling of the Gunpla kits itself.
— Huzaifah Abang Zainuddin, Gundam fans and ‘Gunpla’ builders