The Gundarium Alloy Model 1/144 Gundam is Available at THE GUNDAM BASE and GUNDAM SIDE-F!

The Gundarium Alloy Model 1/144 Gundam is currently available at THE GUNDAM BASE (TOKYO/FUKUOKA), general GUNPLA facilities, and GUNDAM SIDE-F within Gundam Park Fukuoka.

This item was released as the “culmination of materials” from the LINK THE FUTURE lineup, a part of the GUNPLA LINK PROJECT which celebrates the 40th anniversary of GUNPLA.
Gundarium Alloy, a material used for the armor of the Gundam featured in Mobile Suit Gundam has been recreated by using the settings from the anime as a reference and mixing titanium, aluminum, and the rare earth metal yttrium, and casting it with the latest metal molding technology. The kit can be assembled by attaching the armor parts consisting of earth-made Gundarium Alloy to a plastic inner frame. The Gundarium Alloy parts are individually molded and have details on the exterior surface that show off the unique allure of this model and are neatly stored in the package.

They are available in limited quantities, so please contact each store for stock information.

Price: 220,000 JPY (Tax included)
Target age: 15 and up
Number of parts: 71 (47 alloy parts)
Size: Approx. 130mm
Main materials: Titanium alloy, ABS, PMMA, PET
Set contents: Gundarium Alloy Model 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam, acrylic display base, guarantee card, instruction manual (with commentary), construction manual (assembly manual)

・THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO
・THE GUNDAM BASE FUKUOKA
・GUNDAM SIDE-F
*Please contact each store for stock information.
*Purchase limits may be placed at each store.
*This item is available in limited quantities and is available while supplies last.

As the first step in our search for the actual object, we first tried to settle on the definition of Gundarium Alloy. Although there were various theories, it is speculated that the alloy is a titanium alloy created by processing high-purity titanium mined on the Moon (Luna) using smelting reduction in the low gravitational environment on the lunar surface due to the Luna included in its original name.
But can Gundarium Alloy be recreated on Earth without the special environments required according to the settings? High-purity titanium and yttrium can be obtained on Earth, but it is considered impossible to manufacture Gundarium Alloy on Earth due to its essential conditions requiring melting and casting under low gravity.

Metal Injection Molding (MIM): A New Crafting Method That Brings the Real Gundam Even Closer
Alloys can be created on Earth through melting and casting, but it was difficult to recreate fine details and sharp forms. It was also virtually impossible to refine the materials in the same low-gravity environment on the moon. Therefore, a change in perspective was required to overcome these obstacles and we focused on the MIM (Metal Injection Molding) method. The MIM method is a technology to create parts by shaping powder materials with molds and performing diffusion sintering to combine the materials. Although the materials are heated to over 1000°C, due to diffusion sintering, they do not reach their melting points and avoid gravity separation caused by Earth’s gravity. The starting materials are powders and allow for composite designs consisting of various materials. In other words, we concluded that we would be able to create an environment for melting and refining similar to the lunar surface and produce Gundarium Alloy if we could uniformly disperse nano-sized yttrium oxide powder in titanium powder and sinter it.

The Future of GUNPLA Created by a Fusion of Chemistry and Craftsmanship

Although we succeeded in creating Gundarium Alloy through the MIM method, we then had to face the obstacle of incorporating metal into GUNPLAs. Most GUNPLAs adopt snap-fit assemblies and do not require any glue. Snap-fit is a method that could only be created through the designs and molding technology that we have cultivated over the years since 1987. With the Gundarium Alloy Model, we were required to create a product while maintaining accuracy that allows for a snap-fit assembly and to have a form and style with a cool design that is easy to put together. However, due to the difference in the characteristics of the molding materials, the plastic molds, and MIM molds, the molds required processing with special technology. We went through nanoscale trial and error by adjusting and correcting the molds. The kiln casting (sintering) phase during the production stage was especially arduous due to new obstacles in the form of individual differences caused by different shrinkage factors.
All of the non-defective products that successfully went through the kiln casting phase were assembled to inspect the dimensions, resulting in each piece requiring an immense amount of labor, time, and effort. Every one of these processes have enabled us to make the product reach a level of quality that qualifies it to be a GUNPLA.