BANDAI SPIRITS Hobby Division has announced that the final exhibition for its "Gunpla Recycling Project" and "Gundam R Operation" will be held from November 20-21, 2021, at the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building's Sankaku Hiroba in Tokyo. The event is titled "Gundam R Operation FINAL 2021".
Launched earlier this year, the "Gunpla Recycling Project" and "Gundam R Operation" are a collaborative effort between four Bandai Namco Group companies: Bandai Namco Holdings, BANDAI SPIRITS, Bandai Namco Amusement, and Bandai Logipal. The initiative established collection boxes in nearly 190 Bandai Namco Amusement arcades across Japan to gather leftover plastic runners from Gunpla kits. These collected runners are sent to the development plant of partner company PS Japan Corp. Starting in 2022, the project will utilize advanced chemical recycling technology to experiment with various forms of regenerated materials. The ultimate goal is to reprocess the plastic into resin for new "Eco-Pla" (Eco-friendly Gunpla) kits, returning them to store shelves. Furthermore, the thermal energy generated during decomposition will be harnessed as "waste-to-energy" to help power the Bandai Hobby Center in Shizuoka, establishing a sustainable recycling loop.
The upcoming "Gundam R Operation FINAL 2021" will showcase the initial achievements of this recycling program. A range of "Eco-Pla" products made from the collected runners will be available for purchase. The event will also feature an educational exhibition on the recycling process, free workshops where attendees can build their own recycled Gunpla, and art installations made from the recycled materials in collaboration with artists like Yoichi Ochiai and Ryotaro Muramatsu. A major highlight will be a massive 1/1 scale Gundam head constructed by Bandai itself using these materials.
For event merchandise, the venue will exclusively sell 15 model kits made from recycled and eco-friendly materials. The lineup includes 13 Gunpla kits molded from black recycled runners, and two dinosaur skeleton model kits made from "LIMEX," an innovative, eco-friendly material derived from limestone.
Gundam Factory Yokohama Exclusive Eco-Pla 1/100 RX-78F00 Gundam
Price: 3,960 JPY (Tax Included)
Gundam Factory Yokohama Exclusive Eco-Pla 1/144 RX-78F00 Gundam
Price: 1,650 JPY (Tax Included)
Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla HG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam
Price: 1,047 JPY (Tax Included)
Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla HG 1/144 Guncannon
Price: 838 JPY (Tax Included)
Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla HG 1/144 Guntank
Price: 838 JPY (Tax Included)
Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla HG 1/144 GM
Price: 734 JPY (Tax Included)
Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla HG 1/144 Mass Production Type Zaku
Price: 1,047 JPY (Tax Included)
Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla HG 1/144 Gouf
Price: 838 JPY (Tax Included)
Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla HG 1/144 Gundam Mk-II
Price: 1,047 JPY (Tax Included)
SD Gundam Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla RX-78-2 Gundam
Price: 524 JPY (Tax Included)
SD Gundam Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla Zaku II F Type
Price: 524 JPY (Tax Included)
SD Gundam Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla ν Gundam
Price: 1,320 JPY (Tax Included)
SD Gundam Bandai Hobby Center Exclusive Eco-Pla Sazabi
Price: 1,100 JPY (Tax Included)
Dinosaur Skeleton Plastic Model Tyrannosaurus
Price: 1,540 JPY (Tax Included)
Dinosaur Skeleton Plastic Model Triceratops
Price: 1,540 JPY (Tax Included)
"Gundam R Operation FINAL 2021"
Dates: November 20 (Sat) - 21 (Sun), 2021, 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
*Last admission is 30 minutes before closing each day.
Admission/Participation Fee: Free
Venue: Shinjuku Sumitomo Building, Sankaku Hiroba (2-6-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo)
via： BANDAI HOBBY SITE