Gunpla Czar Talks Tariffs, Covid-19 Sales Bump, and His Favorite GQuuuuuuX Kit

Longtime Gunpla 101 readers might know that when I’m not editing this site or building my own Gunpla models, I’m a professional journalist. Recently, I got the opportunity to interview Bandai Namco’s Naohiro Ogata about Gunpla model kits.

Naohiro Ogata has worked at Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks) since 1997, producing many Gundam titles. He was an executive producer for Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, and most recently, Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, just to name a few. Beyond his work on Gundam anime, however, Ogata is also Bandai Namco’s General Manager of the Gundam Business Division and as such plays a considerable role in the production of Gunpla model kits.

Though Ogata is attending Anime Expo this week chiefly to discuss his executive producer position on the recently completed GQuuuuuuX, I took this opportunity to ask him questions about his other role at Bandai Namco. Here are the results of our email interview, translated into English and edited for clarity:

Gunpla 101: In 2019, you said Bandai Namco recently sold its 500,000,000th Gundam model kit. Can you give me some Gunpla statistics for 2025? Any new milestones?

Naohiro Ogata: As of September 2024, cumulative shipments of Gunpla kits have surpassed 800 million units.

Gunpla 101: Before Covid-19, you said that 2020 would be the year that overseas sales will surpass domestic sales for Gunpla kits. Did that prediction end up coming true? If so, by how much?

Ogata: In terms of revenue, the sales ratio of Gunpla remains approximately 1:1 between Japan and overseas markets. Both domestic and international markets continue to show steady growth.

Gunpla 101: Did Bandai observe a Covid-19 Gunpla bump as people bought kits while quarantining indoors? What are Gunpla kit sales like in 2025?

Ogata: The favorable sales trend has remained consistent from the pre-pandemic period through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, culminating in over 800 million cumulative units shipped as of September 2024.

Gunpla 101: Can you provide an update on the Bandai Hobby Center Factory? Last I heard, it was scheduled to be in production by summer 2025.

Ogata: Our new production facility, “BHCPDII,” is scheduled to begin operations on July 24, 2025. BHCPDII will include a public museum designed to give fans a hands-on experience of the evolution and innovation behind Bandai Spirits’ plastic model kits. Visitors will be able to step into the shoes of a plastic model kit designer—observing, learning, and experiencing how our models are developed—thus discovering new dimensions of plastic model kits. This facility is scheduled to officially open on September 2, 2025, and reservations opened at noon on June 2.

Gunpla 101: Will the American government’s current tariffs impact overseas Gunpla shipments?

Ogata: Current U.S. trade policies have had minimal impact on the plastic model kit category, as the majority of production remains based in Japan.

Gunpla 101: The designs of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX mobile suits look strikingly different from other Universal Century mobile suits. How has this impacted Gunpla kit development for the series?

Ogata: Upon seeing the Mobile Suit designs for Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, it was clear that our conventional Gunpla development frameworks would not apply. Rather than being constrained by tradition, we took this as an opportunity to break away from established norms and approach this new Gunpla line with the concept of reinventing what a Gunpla can be. By developing these kits free from existing structural conventions, we believe we have created a line that offers a truly novel and exciting assembly experience—one that aligns perfectly with the core concept of the title—introducing a bold, unprecedented take on Gundam design.

Gunpla 101: Out of all the Gunpla kits from the GQuuuuuuX line, which is your favorite in terms of appearance? Which one do you think is the most fun to build?

Ogata: Among the GQuuuuuuX series, the main unit “GQuuuuuuX” stands out as a model that excels in both design and assembly. We hope fans will feel the spirit of innovation behind this kit, which represents a new era of Gundam and Gunpla.