The Gunpla Builders World Cup (GBWC, Gunpla World Cup) Japan finals for the 12th Gunpla Builders World Cup Tournament, 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). GBWC has three courses: OVER-21 (21 years old and over), U-14 (6 years old and over, 14 years old and under), and U-20 (15 years old and over, 20 years old and under), and the winning creations of each course, "Japan's No. 1 Gunpla," were announced. We will explain the winning creations of each course.
◇Combine 40 or 50 different kits!
The winner of the OVER-21 course was FA Green's "Regeneration." He created a diorama of the start-up scene of the Turn X, which has been revived in a new form. It took about four months to create. It is a masterpiece that combines 40 to 50 different kits based on the Turn X from the "MG" series.
He paid particular attention to the shape and color of the moonlight butterfly, and used curved parts to express the terrifyingly beautiful appearance of the Turn X. It may be hard to convey in a photo, but when you look closely, you'll be surprised at the amount of information contained within.
The judges commented, "When viewed from afar, it has a captivating charm, and when you look at it up close, you realize why so many parts were used here! It incorporates designs from previous Gundams, and is a profound expression that gives a sense of the profound history of Gundam."
FA Green was previously selected to represent Japan in the U-20 course in 2022. Although he narrowly missed out on becoming the world champion that year, he will be aiming for the top to get revenge, so please keep an eye on him.
◇Sazabi on the move! Delicate expression of light
In the U-20 course, Hikona's "Beyond The AXIZ" won first place. Using the "MG" series Sazabi Gundam model as a base, he created a diorama with his own interpretation of the Sazabi's sortie scene from "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack." It took about eight months to complete.
He said that he based the diorama on the image board of the scene where the Sazabi launches a raid in "Char's Counterattack," and began making it after saying, "It's a scene I like, but even when I searched online, no one had made a diorama of it." He paid particular attention to the lines and details of the Sazabi, and because it was a hangar, he expressed a light that was neither too bright nor too dark.
As the judges commented, "It's a classic, but difficult. The main body has been carefully crafted, and the hangar and lighting effects are wonderful," one can sense the attention to detail shown in the delicate expression of light.
◇Isaac-loving 11-year-old
The winner of the U-14 course was Yuwashy's "To a Friend...". Yuwashy is only 11 years old and created a Duel Gundam diorama using the Strike Rouge from the "PG" series. It took about six months to complete.
Yuwashy says he loves Yzak Joule from the "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED" series, and wanted a Gunpla of the Duel Gundam from the "PG" series, but since it wasn't available, he made one himself. He paid particular attention to the shape of the head, knees, etc., and said, "I worked hard because I love Yzak." He created the diorama while imagining the scene in "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom" where Yzak is unsure about whether to go out on a mission and goes to Nicole's grave for advice. It is a masterpiece that is not only original, but also has a strong attention to detail.
The quality is hard to believe coming from an 11-year-old, and the judges were amazed, saying, "The quality is so high that it's confusing, as if there was even a PG Duel Gundam. It depicts a scene that makes you wonder what Yzak was doing in 'SEED FREEDOM', and I was moved - this is 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.
The Japanese representative has not been the world champion since the 2018 open course "Gundam Exia Repair II -Taiko-" (Utsugi-san). Will there be a Japanese victory for the first time in about six years? Expectations are rising.
