Gunpla 101

Gunpla Pre-orders and New Releases for May-June 2022

Just how popular is Gunpla modeling in 2022? In May, Bandai Namco gave us our first glimpse at the hobby’s growth in a while when it revealed that the Gundam franchise earned 101.7 billion yen (about US$783 million) in a single year for the first time ever. Anime News Network reports:

“The toy segment of the franchise has also seen steadily increasing earnings, with 44.2 billion yen (about US$340 million) earned in fiscal year 2021, almost a threefold increase from 2010’s 15 billion yen (about US$115 million) earnings.”

In other words, fans are spending three times more on Gunpla than they were a decade ago! That’s proof that way more people are discovering this hobby as the years go by. We sure hope that Gunpla 101, which we founded in 2014, could help contribute to that.

I’m once again late on the monthly post. We welcomed our son, future Gundam pilot Bryan Casval, on May 12, and it’s been pandemonium ever since! Without further ado, here are May’s new Gunpla kits and what will be available for preorder in June.

Gunpla New Releases for May 2022

Full Mechanics Raider Gundam

Hailing from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED, the latest Full Mechanics kit is packed with gimmicks and realistic anime-accurate details. Its signature weapon, the “Mjolnir” Spherical Breaker, comes with a display stand and a retractable wire for more flexible poses.

Full Mechanics Aile Calamity Gundam (pictured above)

Another SEED kit—the strikingly teal Calamity—joins the Full Mechanics line this month as well. If you’ve built a Full Mechanics before, you know it’s like a Master Grade with shortcuts built in, and a flexible inner frame that will make posing easier than it would be for an MG as well.

HG Gundam Asmoday (pictured at top)

Don’t worry if you don’t recognize this Iron-Blooded Orphans kit: it’s from the Urdr-Hunt mobile game, a new release that is currently only available in Japan. The neutral palette with neon accents is peak cyberpunk aesthetic, while the wire-attached Gigant Javelin anchor is a unique and poseable weapon.