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Gundam Gets New Plastic Model Partly Made From Recycled Wood, Even Has Wood Scent

When Mobile Suit Gundam hit the Nagoya airwaves in 1979, it took a bit for the series to really gain traction. This may have been due to the perception that anime was a medium for children's programming (although 1974s Space Battleship Yamato should have shown otherwise). So when the initial Gundam toys came out they were marketed towards children. It wasn't until the development of the Gunpla (short for Gundam plastic model) brand in 1980 that Gundam toys found their niche. Now, 45 years into the anime franchise's history and 44 years into Gunpla's history, fans have a plethora of models to purchase and assemble at different difficulties and sizes. For the HYPER PLAMO Fes. 2024 event, Bandai Namco, the makers of Gunpla, will release a 1/144 scale RX-78-2 Gundam Vintage Color model. This is no ordinary model, as it's made of recycled wood.

The official website for the Gundam series annnounced the model on February 21. The RX-78-2 Gundam Vintage Color model is a wood-plastic composite (WPC) made from, "trees from forest thinning, sawdust from sawmills, offcuts from construction wood, among others." The page also claims the models are 20% wood and resin mixture, thus greatly reducing the amount of petroleum-derived plastics used in the model. This also, purportedly, gives the model a faint sent of wood, though what kind is not specified.

The RX-78-2 Gundam Vintage Color model will be available at HYPER PLAMO Fes. 2024 between Friday, March 22-Sunday, March 24 for 1,650 yen (about US$10.95). There is no information on how many models will be available at the event or if it will be commercially sold after the event. HYPER PLAMO Fes. 2024 will take place at the Makuhari Messe convention center, coinciding with AnimeJapan 2024 at the Tokyo Big Site.

Sources: Gundam.info's website, and Twitter account, Mainichi Shimbun's Mantan Web