GunPla 40th Anniversary, What We Know so Far?

GunPla 40th anniversary logo
source: Gundam.info
2020 is the year to celebrate the 40th GunPla anniversary! That also means that Bandai Spirits is working really hard to give us more Gundam models that we have never seen on our shelves before. To start off, they've already announced 11 model kits to be released in by the end of first and start of the second quarter of the year, that includes seven regular retail model kit releases, and four Premium Bandai models. The models were displayed at the NEXT PHASE GUNPLA ~road to 2020~ exhibit at the Gundam Base Tokyo.

Please do note that the 11 models announced does not include the GunPla announcements for the Gundam Build Divers:Re-Rise second season. Please visit our GunPla News section for more info.

Regular retail GunPla release includes the High Grade Gundam Marchosias that was also teased in the official Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans website. Details shows that this Gundam was the calamity war unit before it got upgraded into the Gundam Hajiroboshi. Both Gundam units were featured in the mobile game Mobile Suit Gundam IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS Urdr-Hunt.



The Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN: MSD and OVA series has also surprised us with amazing announcements! That includes the release of the HG 1/144 RX-78-02 Gundam that features vast amount of new gimmicks and equipment conversions for the kit. Fans has been anticipating for this release since the announcement of its Master Grade version years ago.


Premium Bandai also announced that the Zaku II Desert Type will be making its debut sometime this year in HG 1/44 Gundam The Origin MSD lineup.

The announcement continues with another Real Grade entry for the year 2020! A second one for the year 2020 if you include the non-GunPla RG EVA-01 unit from Neon Genesis Evangelion that will be released in March.

The Force Impulse Gundam is yet another entry to our Real Grade collection in April 2020! This kit offers variety of never-before-seen gimmicks and detailing for the RG line. This release also marks the 16th anniversary of the Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny series!

Along with the RG announcement, they also revealed  two significant units from the same series to join the High Grade Cosmic Era; the Infinite Justice Gundam, and Jet Windam which will be both released in May 2020.

The announcement of the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex in the SD Gundam Cross Silhouette line was a huge surprise for the fans. Though it may also make sense if we think that the SDCS line releases mobile suits and Gundam units in a pretty random manner...


Gundam 00 Fans rejoice! The Master Grade GunPla series will be adding the Gundam Kyrios to the lineup to follow up with their previous MG Gundam Dynames release from the same anime series.
The announcement also made it safe to say that we should be getting the Virtue or Nadleeh anytime later this year or early next year!

Bandai Spirits has revealed a gray prototype model for the Gundam Kyrios. Showing its panel line detailing, and possible part separation of the kit. Colored images will be available once Bandai Hobby starts the pre-order for the kit! MG Gundam Kyrios will make it to our shelves in May 2020.


Premium Bandai also surprised us with the exciting announcement of that they are planning to produce the remake or revived versions of the High Grade Gundam W: Dual Story G-Unit model kit series. The announcement started off with the HGAC 1/144 Gundam Geminass 01, even though they've release a prototype image, the exact release month and pricing is yet to be revealed!

In 2018, Bandai Spirits has also started releasing some of the models from earlier anime series coming from the Mobile Suit Gundam W and Mobile Fighter G Gundam! They did start off with the release of the HGAC Leo in April 2018 as part of the GunPla evolution project which features an "easy-build feature" that allows modelers to build multiple grunt units with ease! The release was followed by some of the Leo's variation models via Premium Bandai.

The release was also followed by the announcement of the HGAC Maganac corps models with the same build concept. The Maganac units also made it to the Premium Bandai website and released a 36-piece Maganac set that includes multiple equipment and armor variants for the unit itself that will not be available in retail production.




The HGAC Sandrock custom was also released to lead the corps just a few months after the Maganac's release.

Bandai Spirits has continued the easy-build concept by releasing the HG Future Century Death Army unit in November 2019. The kit also shared the same molds with the Gundam Build Divers:Re-Rise model, Eldora Brute.

Premium Bandai also teased us with the HGUC RX-78-04 Gundam Unit 04 release this year, with an entirely new molded parts! While people are also asking where the the Unit 5 is, it will surely make its way soon enough since molds for the weapon and shield were already made for the HGUC Pale Rider Space Equipment Type! 

In 2019, Premium Bandai has announced that they are working on a huge project for the Mobile Suit Gundam SIDE STORIES series, in which they will start producing models from the series that started off with some more Slave Wraith units and Gundam unit 6 "Mudrock".

Last but not the least for exclusive models is the RE/100 Shokew that was announced to be released in May 2020 along with other 1/100 scale Mobile Suit Victory Gundam model reissues via Premium Bandai website.


The GunPla 40th anniversary has also opened a webpage at the official Bandai Hobby website, showing a never-before-seen RX-78-2 Gundam model that might be a teaser of a design planned for a new RX-78-2 Gundam GunPla to commemorate the 40th anniversary.


Bandai Spirits also partnered with Ken Okuyama in 2019 to release a series of collaborative Gundam projects that includes the release of the HG Gundam G40 Industrial Design version which also marks the transition of Gundam 40th to GunPla 40th anniversary.


EXTRA NOTE: 
Reissues of older model kits were also announced to be released in April 2020. That includes models from Iron-Blooded Orphans, Gundam Wing Dual Story G-Unit, Gundam SEED/Destiny remastered, Gundam Build Fighters / TRY series, and more!

15 Comments

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  1. 2019 was crazy enough with the limited release kits, and it seems 2020 will be much crazier!

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  2. The writer wrote in the sentence after the Kyrios pic about the Seravee. It shoulf be Virtue and Nadleeh.

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  3. Replies
    1. Yes, that's what we meant :) we were thinking ahead ^_^

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  4. "The announcement also made it safe to say that we should be getting the Seravee anytime later this year or early next year!"

    Don't you guys mean Virtue & Nadleeh? Seravee is from Season 2. I think it would be brilliant if Exia got a remastered release in MG since the original is a bit rubbish now.

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    Replies
    1. Yup, we edited the post, thanks for pointing it out. :)

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  5. I did not know about that 40th Anniversary RX-78-2 kit that was shown.
    Seems like a Master Grade, which'll be the 8th MG Gundam i think.
    His proportions seem a bit... odd.
    His waist is narrow and his chest seems puffed out.
    We've had a Miss Sazabi so why not Ms Gundam?

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  6. I thought 2019 had a lot of P-Bandai stuff, so then is Bandai going to use this as an excuse to make even more P-Bandai kits?

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    1. the ratio is almost 1:3 now... 1 regular release for 3 p-bandai

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    2. I wish they'd release an exia rollout colors

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    3. @AsukaKumite And another excuse for the man behind that username of yours to continue putting his bank account on life support by spamming wishlists and hoard boxes.

      Delete
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