Gundam Action FiguresOne of the most popular themes in Japanese animation, or anime as it is known, is still that of the human powered robot - a fighting machine that looks and acts like a robot, but is piloted by soldiers or fighters much like a fighter plane, complete with weaponry. The Gundam Wing series is one of the all time favorites, following the chronicles of space colonies in the future that are oppressed by the Earth Alliance, which uses huge humanoid fighting machines known as 'mobile suits' to control them. Five young pilots, equipped with advanced mobile suits called Gundams, are sent by the colonists to Earth to defeat the Alliance and free the colonies once and for all. With character and plot rich storylines spanning decades and planets, the Gundam anime series has become one of the all time most popular shows in both Japan and America. It has also produced several different lines of Gundam action figures, with the most popular two being the preassembled action figures and the action figure model kits. Both give Gundam fans the opportunity to bring themselves into the world of the mobile suits, but cater to two very different collectible tastes. The traditional style Gundam action figures come in sizes from 4 ? inches to 7 ? inches, and both of them are fully articulated for hours of battle simulation and play. There are even figures that have battle damage for more realistic scenes, and figures that are specific to the different series such as Gundam Seed, Gundam Wing and G Gundam for collectors and fans who are looking for a particular figure from a particular series. Bandai's Gundam action figure model kits are also great for collectors, with the added dimension of being able to basically build your own mobile suit in the comfort of your own home. You don't even have to worry about being a model building genius with the new skill rating level that Bandai introduced, which ranks the difficulty from 1 to 5 and even allows you to earn a collector's rank from Lieutenant to General by mailing in UPC codes from each model kit after you have assembled it and collecting the 23 available medals. Level 1 kits have over 65 pieces, while Level 5 Model kits have more than 140 pieces and can take over two hours to assemble. The beauty of these Gundam action figure kits is that when you complete them, you not only have a great looking model, it is also fully articulated and ready for battle. Thanks to the recent trend toward importing Japanese animation and toys, it is easier than ever for collectors to find Gundam toys and model kits. Some collectors prefer their figures to be attached to the original Japanese cards and packaging, while others are simply content to have their favorite Gundams displayed in their collection regardless of what country they are from. However, there are also hundreds if not thousands of cheap bootleg Gundam action figures and kits being sold, so be careful. Although they are much less expensive than the genuine article and may look almost exactly like the originals, they are also usually of poor quality and don't hold up well to repeated posing and playing. Over the years many shows and companies have tried to duplicate the success of the Gundam toys, yet none have even come close to gaining the fan and collector following of the original. Though the series may be finished in Japan, there are still plenty of episodes coming to America to enjoy, and lots of Gundam action figures to occupy your time while you're waiting for the next show to come on. After all, there are lots of medals to earn! |