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Gundam Conference is an annual event that shares the latest Gundam-related news. This year’s event was held online, and started off with an introduction of the Gundam Pavilion, which is currently being built at the Osaka/Kansai Expo scheduled to take place next year.
Bandai Namco Group Gundam Project Chief Gundam officer Hiroshi Sakakibara revealed the pavilion’s external design and the Gundam statue that will be built beside it.
The statue will use parts from the life-sized Moving Gundam that was displayed at Yokohama, embodying the theme of “connections” while also being an environmentally friendly installation.
Although this is a stationary statue in a fixed pose, you might notice that it has plates on its left shoulder and front armor parts that have never been seen before. These may indicate that it withholds gimmicks that are yet to be revealed.
Furthermore, the fact that a diorama was shown may mean that a plastic model kit of the statue will be available in the near future.
The Pavilion is scheduled to include exhibits featuring Gundam Next Future (GNF), a series of events that will be held in every prefecture in Japan; GUNPLA Academia, classes that are held at schools across the country that use GUNPLA as educational materials; and much more. Further details are to be revealed in the coming months.
For the second part of the presentation, Bandai Spirits Hobby Division General Manager Hirotake Taguchi, Bandai Namco Filmworks Executive Officer / IP Production Group Division GUNDAM Department General Manager Naohiro Ogata, and actor Kanata Hongo took the stage.
Kanata Hongo is a popular actor who is also known as a fan of GUNPLA.
The three guests went on to share a new illustration specially drawn to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Gundam series.
Ogata explained that the first illustration featured the Gundam during its fight with the three Doms from the Mobile Suit Gundam series, and that the new moon in the background symbolized a new beginning toward the 100th anniversary of the series.
The second illustration was revealed, depicting the iconic scene from PHASE 39 of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED where Kira, Athrun, and Cagalli finally reunite and reconcile. It has a beautiful composition where Freedom Gundam looms over the characters while the sun sets and the new moon peeks from between the clouds.
More illustrations are coming soon, so stay tuned to see if your favorite series will be featured.
In the next corner, Taguchi shared more information about GNF.
The event had already begun on June 8th, and the first Saitama venue was packed with guests.
The upcoming RG Gundam 2.0 is to be displayed at each of the venues, and Kanata Hongo was thrilled with the range of articulation of the kit as he moved around the parts on the sample prepared at the presentation.
The kit was created with various forms of GUNPLA technology cultivated through the years, and scenes from the series can be faithfully recreated while also having a realistic, mechanical presence.
Each of the GNF venues will also have a 1/12 scale Gundam Earth Color Ver. on display, and a GUNPLA based on the statue is currently available on Premium Bandai.
It has a cute, pearlescent color scheme inspired by earth, and it comes with stickers to recreate its unique markings. The beam saber blades really stand out thanks to the Gundam’s cool colors.
Each of the GNF venues will have message boards with cards designed after Haro (round robots that appear in many Gundam series titles). Visitors can write down their love for the series, and they will be on display during the event and also at the Osaka/Kansai Expo venue.
Hongo also participated in the project, and wrote that he has watched Gundam throughout his life, and wishes for the series to continue so that he can also celebrate its 50th and 100th anniversary. His card will be on display at the Miyagi Prefecture venue.
The GNF venues will also have Runner Recycle Boxes, where visitors can bring runners (the frames for plastic model kit parts) left over from kits they have assembled and have them recycled. The boxes have screens on them, and special videos will randomly play when the runners are inserted.
The three then went on to introduce other upcoming events such as Gundam Cinema Fes, revival screening events that will be held across Japan featuring the first three Mobile Suit Gundam movies, Char’s Counterattack, and Hathaway.
In Hakata, the place where the life-sized vGundam statue and related facilities reside, there will be a Gundam-themed float at Hakata Gion Yamakasa Festival with a design featuring the Sazabi and vGundam from Char’s Counterattack, Gundam Theater events where films such as F91, Char’s Counterattack, and Awakening of the Trailblazer will be shown, and Garapon Lottery events to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the series.
The final section of the presentation delved into news about recent and upcoming titles.
It was announced that Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM has brought in over 2.9 million viewers and grossed over 4.8 billion yen at the box office, making it the most popular and highest-grossing Gundam movie of all time. The movie is currently available in theaters or on streaming in 22 countries and regions around the world, and is scheduled to be available in over 82 countries and regions in the near future.
Many GUNPLA, figures, and items featuring the movie are available, and more are coming soon.
Hongo was especially excited as he carefully examined the prototype of the Z’Gok GUNPLA.
Next, details about the Gundam GWX 30 project, celebrating the 30th anniversary of each respective title, were shared, and an illustration for the new Mobile Fighter G Gundam side story was revealed. The scenario story written by Yasuhiro Imagawa, the director of the original G Gundam anime series, will be unveiled on July 5th.
The upcoming Gundam Silver Phantom movie will be released on Meta Quest, offering a whole new interactive story with features that have never been seen before. It will take place in the Universal Century and focus on a variant of the Delta Gundam.
Mobile Suit Gundam Requiem for Vengeance is also just around the corner, scheduled to begin streaming on Netflix this fall. It takes place in the Universal Century, specifically during the One Year War that was also featured in the first Gundam series, and depicts the conflict from the eyes of soldiers fighting for the Principality of Zeon.
There have been CGI-animated Gundam titles in the past, but Ogata stated that the visual effects for this new series will greatly surpass those that came before.
Figures and GUNPLA of Mobile Suits from the series are also coming soon, and Taguchi shared that the kits from this series will come with stickers to recreate weathering effects, enabling new types of textures without painting.
The presentation wrapped up with this corner, but Ogata did confirm that the sequel to Hathaway is under production, so stay tuned for future updates!
The entire presentation can also be seen in the video below with English subtitles, so be sure to check it out for more details!
And don’t forget to check out the Gundam-related merchandise on the TOM shop!