The 63rd Shizuoka Hobby Show (organized by the Shizuoka Model Teaching Materials Cooperative) is a model exhibition being held at Twin Messe Shizuoka (Suruga Ward, Shizuoka City). At the Bandai Spirits booth, new Gunpla (plastic model) products for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, the latest installment in the popular Gundam anime series, were announced.
◇White Gundam and Zaku
Among the new products, the one that attracted the most attention was the Gunpla model of Sayla's special light cannon, "HG 1/144 Sayla's Special Light Cannon." While the light cannon is based on red, Sayla's special machine features a tricolor color scheme. More details will be announced in the future.
The Gundam model kit of Char's Zaku, "HG 1/144 Char's Zaku (GQ)," was also unveiled. With a different design from previous Char's Zaku models, this one is also likely to become a popular item.
It was also announced that the "HG 1/144 Zaku (GQ)" will be released in November, and the "HG 1/144 White Gundam" in December. Both products had been announced, but the release dates have only just been revealed.
◇What is the “mysterious new product”?
In addition to the "HG 1/144 Red Gundam," whose release date of May 31st is fast approaching, other Gunpla on display include the "HG 1/144 Gelgoog Bocata's (GQ)" released in June, the "HG 1/144 Light Cannon" released in July, the "HG 1/144 Rick Dom Gaia's/Ortega's (GQ)" released in September, as well as the already released GQuuuuuuX, Military Police Zaku, and Gelgoog Sugai's (GQ).
The identity of the mysterious new products, such as "HG Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX New Product C (tentative)" to be released in July and "HG Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX New Product D (tentative)" to be released in August, was not revealed. It is possible that it is Sayla's special light cannon or Char's special Zaku, but is it a different machine? Future announcements will be interesting to watch.
The Shizuoka Hobby Show is an exhibition that has been held since 1959 in Shizuoka City, where many model makers' factories are located. This year's show will be held from May 14th to 18th, with the 17th and 18th being open to the public. Advance registration is required for admission.
