Latest news with #KunioOkawara
Forbes
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Classic Gundam's Design Fixed In New ‘GQuuuuuuX' Toy
The upcoming Metal Robot Damashii toy of the classic Gundam from 'GQuuuuuuX'. In the final episode of Gundam GQuuuuuuX, the original RX-78-2 Gundam appears, and its latest toy has a lot more to it than it first appears. To back up quite a bit, the original design of the classic Gundam by Kunio Okawara is surprisingly curvaceous, and that has always caused issues when it gets translated into model kit or toy form. Back in 1999, Bandai did a solid stab at getting the original Gundam 'right' with their Kado Senshi chogokin release. I have it, and for its time, it's very nicely done. More recently, though, the design has been forcibly modernized for model kits and especially toys. The latter being an issue with the Robot Damashii spin-off series Ver. ANIME. The point of these Ver. ANIME toys were to accurately replicate mecha designs from the various host anime, and all of them were wonderfully done. All except one. The classic Gundam still had a modernized sculpt and proportions, which naturally irritated the fans in Japan. Every toy variant of the classic Gundam in this Ver. ANIME toyline had the same issue, and most had given up on ever getting a proper version of the design. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder That was until it was featured in GQuuuuuuX, and in its original Okawara proportions. Following the other Metal Robot Damashii releases from GQuuuuuuX, which feature die-cast in their construction, the original Gundam has been added to that lineup. While we only get a beam saber and shield with this release, so no beam rifle or hyper bazooka, the fact that this toy finally fixes this issue of being faithful to Okawara's design is definitely welcomed. Pre-orders start today in Japan via Premium Bandai, and the price tag is also pretty decent. Coming in at 16,500 yen (or around $114 at the current exchange rate), you will also likely be able to use the hands and weapons from prior Robot Damashii releases to get the full load-out. Gundam GQuuuuuuX is now streaming worldwide via Amazon Prime Video. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Gundam Wing' Celebrates Its 30th Anniversary Today
'Gundam Wing' is now thirty years old. A fan favorite outside of Japan, Gundam Wing celebrates its 30th anniversary today. Released on April 7, 1995, in Japan, Gundam Wing was another alternate-timeline Gundam show, specifically that of the After Colony timeline. It dealt with a team of Gundams piloted by teenage boys sent to Earth to free the colonies in orbit from Earth's tyrannical dominance. It was also one of the first times Gundam came Westward in a big way, as Gundam Wing was released on Cartoon Network's Toonami on March 6, 2000. While the anime itself was very popular, due to the limited availability of the tie-in model kits, the series wasn't able to build momentum. This aspect of the media mix is something that has been rectified in the decades since, and why multiple modern Gundam anime series tend to do far better in the longterm outside of Japan. The production team behind Gundam Wing was also noteworthy, with veteran mecha designer Kunio Okawara handling much of the mobile suit design, alongside Hajime Katoki and Junya Ishigaki. However, it notably featured character designs by Shuko Murase, who would later go on to direct the anime movie adaptation of Gundam Hathaway. While I personally found the original Gundam Wing series overly melodramatic, with the OVA sequel Endless Waltz having questionable mecha designs, I can see their appeal and how they managed to capture new anime fans' attention at the start of the noughties. These days you can watch Gundam Wing over on Crunchyroll, and play with the various mobile suits from the series in games like Gundam Extreme Versus Maxiboost ON. Endless Waltz was also recently featured in Super Robot Wars X. So even though Gundam Wing is now three decades, it still feels suitably current, if still a tad melodramatic. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Metal Build God Gundam Toy Sells Out In Japan, But Is Coming Westward
Since the reveal of the Metal Build God Gundam toy at the Gundam Figure Exhibition, it has sold out three times in Japan, but the good news is that it's coming Westward. At the time of writing this, the Metal Build God Gundam toy has sold out three times on Japan's Premium Bandai website. This is extremely rare, and the only other major release that did something similar was the Robot Damashii Zwauth back in 2017. It's clear that the demand for this Metal Build toy is extremely high, and the fact that it has been a Premium Bandai release has only exacerbated the issue of its availability. Despite the three batches of pre-orders all selling out, there is still a chance in Japan to buy one via a lottery option. The toy itself is still 44,000 yen (or around $299 at the current exchange rate), so it's not exactly a cheap lottery to enter. Obviously, if you don't win the lottery, you won't be charged. The good news here is that Bandai are bringing this toy Westward this September (shown above). This likely means the availability issue won't be quite as much of a problem as it has been in Japan. This is because Mobile Fighter G Gundam is an anime with a great deal of wuxia elements, and Metal Build toys are highly coveted in China. So much of the fervor about this toy's release and its subsequent lightning fast pre-order sales are probably down to Chinese fans wanting to pick one up. The toy itself is indeed lovely and while the original design was penned by Kunio Okawara, this Metal Build iteration is more stylized and comes with extra weapons. The original anime was also released back in 1994 and finished in 1995, so we are still in the window of its 30th anniversary. The latter being likely why the God Gundam has also been featured in the upcoming Super Robot Wars Y. In any case, this Metal Build toy of the God Gundam is nothing if not hugely popular. Here's hoping its Western release will have enough stock to meet demand. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
Forbes
27-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
The Upcoming Metal Build God Gundam Toy Looks Truly Incredible
The Metal Build God Gundam goes on pre-order today in Japan. The upcoming Metal Build God Gundam has finally been given a release window and a pretty steep price tag, but it still looks astonishing. It's taken a good while for this toy to shake out from its previews a good while ago, but we're finally getting a proper Metal Build God Gundam toy this August. The God Gundam is the final iteration of Domon Kasshu's ride of choice in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, replacing the previous Shining Gundam. In the US release, it's often called the Burning Gundam, with the Devil Gundam also being changed to the Dark Gundam. This was apparently because there was an incident where employees at Walmart went through every box of a shipment of Gundam Wing toys and removed and returned all instances of the Gundam Deathscythe Hell, so the names were changed in G Gundam to avoid similar issues. In any case, we haven't had a really good God Gundam toy in a really long time, and this Metal Build version looks to be one of the best yet. As with other Metal Build releases, the styling is overly athleticized, which makes sense considering the host anime it comes from. This Metal Build God Gundam release is certainly comprehensive. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Normally, I prefer mecha toys to be treated as per the anime they originate from, especially when they are designed by people such as Kunio Okawara. However, this stylized version is most certainly in keeping with the spirit of G Gundam, so it does feel right, at least. The only downside is that this is both an expensive toy, coming in at 44,000 yen (or around $293 at the current exchange rate) and also a Premium Bandai release. Pre-orders start today in Japan, and it's not clear whether this Metal Build toy will come Westward, although I'm hopeful we will see it released outside of Japan at some point. After all, G Gundam was a popular anime when it came Westward in the early noughties, and its later release on Blu-ray, which I also reviewed, was received well. It's also still available to stream via Crunchyroll, so it's definitely an available and relevant anime (with a nice high user score, too). The only thing here that does puzzle me is that the Metal Build Zeta Gundam costs the same, but this Metal Build God Gundam doesn't transform. Yes, it has other gimmicks (shown above), but the engineering is arguably less complex, and yet it still has a similar price point. In any case, I'm glad that the Metal Build God Gundam is finally happening. I just hope Western fans get the chance to pick one up in the near future. Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.
