The Japan finals of the 12th Gunpla Builders World Cup (GBWC, Gunpla World Cup), a contest to determine the world's best Gunpla (plastic model) builder from the Gundam anime series, were held on December 14th at Gundam Base Tokyo (Koto-ku, Tokyo). In the U-14 course for ages 6 and over and under 14, 11-year-old Yuwashy's "To a Friend..." won and was selected to represent Japan. Using the Strike Rouge from the "PG" series and other models, he created a Duel Gundam diorama.
Yuwashii, who loves Yzak Joule from the "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" series, wanted a Gunpla of the Duel Gundam from the "PG" series, but since it wasn't on sale, he made one himself. It took about six months to make, and he was particular about the shape of the head, knees, etc., saying with love, "I worked hard because I love Yzak."
He created this diorama while imagining the scene in "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom" in which Yzak is unsure about whether to go into battle and visits Nicole's grave for advice. The judges praised the diorama, saying, "The quality is so high that it makes you wonder if there was even a PG Duel Gundam. It depicts a scene that makes you wonder what Yzak was doing in SEED FREEDOM, and it's the scene I wanted to see!"
GBWC is an international competition that began in 2011, where participants compete in Gunpla construction, painting skills, and ideas. There are three courses: U-14 for ages 6 and over and under 14, U-20 for ages 15 and over and under 20, and OVER-21 for ages 21 and over. The competition will be held in 16 countries and regions, including Japan, Australia, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, mainland China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the UK, the US, and Vietnam. From May, regional competitions will be held in each area, and representatives will be selected. Each representative will compete in the world competition finals on February 22, 2025.
