Giants in animation

       There is more to Gundam than just Japanese robots. To its fans around the globe, Gundam is a passion for life. "Gundam, to me, is like a drug," said Rittikrai Kraikrengsri, 30, a model maker at an animated series production company. "Assembling Gundam figurines has become an activity that I am addicted to whenever I have time."
       FULL HOUSE: Tokyo’s Shiokaze Park is packed with Gundam diehard fans towered over by the 18-metre-tall statue of Gundam RX-78-2 specially created to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
       "I like Gundam's characters. They're real," said Marisa Zennun, 28, an animator. "I have been following the Gundam TV series and reading Gundam comics since I was a child."
       RARE FINDS: Gundam followers buy heaps of Gundam model kits, right, in a shop in Japan despite their exorbitant prices.
       Like Marisa and the majority of Gundam disciples, Rittikrai's zest for the robots started off as a childhood fascination. It was the time, he recalled, when animated series featuring super robots proliferated. In contrast with the concept of super robots featured in stories of transformable, damage-resistant giant robots with an arsenal of superpowers yet unrealistic weapons, Gundam seemed to offer the only "real" robots - common robot machines used by the military forces such as tanks or aircraft - in that era. And that was the main reason why young Rittikrai suddenly fell in love with all of them.
       Gundam maintains a very strong fan base not only in Thailand and Japan, but also in many other countries. Diehard Gundam fans are usually referred to as "Gundam Otaku", a term borrowed from Japanese to describe people who have an obsessive interest in Gundam.
       To celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, Bandai Japan recently held "Gundam Big Expo", an exhibition featuring the long history of Gundam figurines, the Gundam animated series, Gundam video games and every spin-off from the Japanese heroes. In the late morning, hundreds of people lined up patiently to enter the exhibition venue.
       Gundam Big Expo was held in Odaiba, Tokyo, and its star attraction was an 18-metre statue of Gundam RX-78-2, standing firmly and elegantly in Shiokaze Park. It was considered the highlight of the anniversary event.
       IN PRINT: Apart from the animated TV series, Gundam is also available in other media genres, below right, one of which is comics.
       Gundam first came into existence in 1979 as an animated science fiction television series called Mobile Suit Gundam. The story of Gundam is simply about the giant piloted robots or the mobile suits and their pilots fighting in a war some time in the future where total destruction and dehumanisation are inherent.
       The television series found its way to Thailand in 1981. It was first aired on Channel 7 under the name Apiniharn Gundam, which literally means "Gundam, the Super Power".
       The storyline in the original Gundam series later gave birth to a number of sequels, prequels and side stories. The popularity of Mobile Suit Gundam finally expanded to other media genres, including mangas, video games and, of course, figurines.
       According to the Hong Kong-based assistant manager of Bandai Asia, Tsutomu Suzuki, there are several reasons why Gundam has such a strong following, even though it has been 30 years since it was first released.
       "The designs are so cool. The narrative is not complicated, so it is not difficult for people to understand it. More importantly, the stories are closely related to our everyday lives," said Mr Suzuki, who is also Bandai's chief Gundam overseas officer.
       And for those who think that Gundam robots are only playthings created particularly for children, they are absolutely wrong. In Japan, Mr Suzuki said, half of all Gundam diehard fans are, in fact, more than 30 years old, while 30% of all fans are teenagers. Family and children fill up the rest of the pie chart. In Thailand, children account for only 10% of all Gundam devotees, while 50% of all fans are adults and 40% are teenagers.
       Bandai's factory in Shizuoka, a few hours by bus from Tokyo, produces about 15 million Gundam model kits annually. The plant boasts that its model-production technique is one of the most advanced dye-injection technologies in the world, and that it is the only place where 17 patented four-colour injection-moulding machines are located. In 2006, the Bandai Hobby Centre was founded within the factory's compound to function as a mini museum showcasing the proud history of the company's product creation and development.
       The Bandai Hobby Centre and the factory have implemented a number of important environmentally-friendly measures. For example, the solar panels on the building's exterior generate the energy used within the centre as well as the factory. In addition, a system is used to recycle rain and groundwater.
       The model kits manufactured at this factory are sold both in the Land of the Rising Sun as well as in 10 other countries, most of which are in Asia. The annual global sales revenue from Gundam figurines is about 200,000 million (72 billion baht). Despite such a commendable sales achievement, the chief Gundam overseas officers disclosed that the company's plan is to increase its sales performance by 10% every year.
       "Our company's sales strategies are consistently implemented, especially in the area of product development. We conduct a lot of research to see which mobile suit is suitable for people in which period of time.
       "In line with product development is the development of production technology to support our future growth," explained Mr Suzuki.
       Rittikrai now has more than 50 Gundam figurines in his plastic model collection. Even though the prices of Gundam model kits remains high - starting from a few hundred baht for beginner model sets to more than 20,000 baht for perfect-grade figurine assemblies - as a Gundam otaku, his love for the robots will never die, he said.
       "I think one of the major difficulties facing Gundam aficionados is that the model kits are so expensive and are, in many cases, unaffordable, especially as far as children are concerned.
       "And this is the reason why non-fans think that we are crazy when we spend such huge sums of money on Gundam models. I think our case is similar to that of Blythe lovers.
       "Blythe dolls are extremely expensive, but people still buy them simply because they like them. And it is the same with Gundam.
       "Others might think that we are crazy, but to me, passion and craziness are two different things," he said.
       ------------A MODEL KIT MECCA
       'From the Beginning Beyond the Future' is the theme of 'Gundam Expo Thailand 2009', which will be held from October 21-25 in the Fashion Hall of Siam Paragon to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the animated series this year.
       One of the event's highlights will be the six-metre fibreglass representation of the upper body of Gundam RX-78-2.
       The expo will be divided into many different zones, featuring the history of the Gundam franchise in Thailand as well as in Japan dating back to its beginning in 1979; a visual zone featuring images from the Gundam animated series; a music zone featuring the signature and signing-off Gundam songs over the past 30 years; a lifestyle zone highlighting a wide range of Gundam products under the concept of a dream ''Gundam bedroom''; and a not-to-be-missed shopping zone where Gundam model kits, DVDs and limited-edition goods will be available.
       At the event Kunio Okawara, Gundam's mechanical designer and one of the three creators of Gundam, will be giving a talk on his work, and Mark Bakuc, an expert in model assembly and modification, will be conducting a tutorial workshop. Other activities include a Gundam cosplay (a term of Japanese origin and short for ''costume role play'') competition and a Gundam karaoke singing contest.
       Call 02-310-1904/5, or 02-310-1005/6, or visit www.dexclub.com. Admission is free.