Many mecha enthusiasts and consumers love the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise, especially when it comes to the Gunpla plastic model kits. Unfortunately, one fan in Japan recently took his love for this fandom to a somewhat bizarre criminal level.
A man in Japan’s iconic Akihabara was recently arrested for opening the boxes of Gunpla model kits and switching the figures. The perpetrator described the act as a spontaneous crime of passion and certainly ruined the collections of many. Although the individual in question was arrested, a major change has now been made at the chain of stores in question.
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Gundam fan arrested for one of the strangest crimes of 2024
The individual in question was arrested for his unusual actions at the Akihabara location of Japanese store chain Hobby Land, where he was caught removing the intended contents of Gunpla plastic model kits and replacing them with the parts and instructions from other kits. As seen on the store’s Instagram account, a kit that was supposed to be the iconic RX-78-2 instead contained the parts for the Gundam Aerial from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury (also known as G-Witch). After being caught red-handed and filmed, the man pleaded to get away with it before being taken away by police.
Despite his statements that such an arrest would ruin his life, the shop owner pointed out that the offender had already lost his chances of redemption by his alleged “spontaneous” act. Due to the events at this shop, customers can no longer open the model kits freely. Instead, they must purchase them as is or check with a cashier before opening the boxes there. Given the widespread and popular model-building culture in Japan, this is certainly a dampener for the law-abiding population. Gundam fan base.
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Gunpla model kits are the largest part of the Gundam franchise
Gunpla model kits have long been an integral part of the Mobile Suit Gundam Franchise. The first Gundam The anime series was not a huge success and the same was true for the toys that went with it. However, when Bandai got the rights to the brand, it developed a series of model kits that consumers could assemble, which offered an extra level of challenge and quality compared to the franchise’s previous action figures. These plastic kits soon became huge successes and helped convince Sunrise of the potential and value of the entire property. As a result, more anime were produced and all of these shows had model kits that went with them.
Gunpla kits come in a range of scales, with the simplest models being High Grade or Real Grade. Above these are the far more complex Master Grades, while Perfect Grades are the pinnacle of the series’ model kits and feature a wide range of detail. Also available are non-scale, tiny “SD Gundam,” which are “super deformed” kits with squat proportions. The numerous series also continue to include action figures based on the respective works’ mobile suits. The global popularity of building Gunpla kits, especially in the West, has increased dramatically since the early 2020s, with many attributing the new interest in the hobby to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mobile Suit Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam follows Amuro Ray as he learns to pilot an experimental mobile suit called the Gundam. After his home is destroyed in an attack by the Principality of Zeon, Amuro joins the crew of the carrier White Base as they attempt to regroup with the Earth Federation. The show is both a Saturday morning cartoon and a somber meditation on the price of war and the arbitrary lines it draws between people. MSG set the stage for the rest of the entire Gundam franchise, which spans more than 40 years of television shows, manga, films, and video games.
Source: X (formerly Twitter) via Siliconera
