Like many Filipino kids who grew up in the 1980s, Sidney Ang was into Voltes V, Mazinger Z, Daimos, and the whole robot craze.
One robot in particular, Gundam, caught his attention in a special way — as a toy model that he went on to assemble with his own design and accessories.
Recently, Ang, who runs a car service shop by day, won the Philippine edition of the Gunpla Builders World Cup (GBWC), an annual competition held in 16 countries by Bandai, the maker of Gundam. Gunpla is short for Gundam Model Plastic kits, which enthusiasts use to craft their respective entries.
Besting over 80 aspirants, Ang captioned his entry as, “Gateway to Another World! Battle Across Time and Space!”
Ang had an online chat with ABS-CBN News before he flies to Japan to stake his claim to the 11th GBWC world championship on December 16. Participants, aside from the host country, include China, Hong Kong SAR, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam, the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East, and the United Kingdom.
How old are you, and when was the first time you learned about Gundam? What did you like about it?
"I’m 45, and like most kids my age, I was into Voltes V, Mazinger Z, Daimos and the rest of the robot stars in the 1980s. My very first introduction to Gundam was through the Greenhills Betamax tapes that contained around three to four episodes each, which by no means you can get the whole story, but enough to want more.
"What I like about it was, it’s a giant robot! 'Gundam' was one of those shows that, like 'Star Wars,' has spawned multiple movies, books, comics, TV shows which one can read without having to learn Japanese."
The popularity of Gundam has spawned Gunpla, which is not just about toys but actually making or modeling the toys with your own design for international competition. Why do you think it became so widespread?
"It wasn’t always the case. The very first Gundam plastic model was still marketed for kids, though in the older demographic of 8 years and up. Model-making is a huge deal in Japan such as model cars, model railroads, model sushi. The first Gundam model looked nothing like the TV show—in white plastic and hardly any movement, so it’s something a father and son would work on together. That’s the primary appeal, the kids of yesteryears are now parents themselves and have passed on their love of toy modelling to their kids. The toy models today are a lot better.
"The international competition is a fairly new development, this being only the 11th year. But people have been entering Gunpla since the ’90s, usually with the local hobby club (which Japan has a lot of) and then some national-level competitions, but never an official Bandai event until a decade ago. It currently draws 16 countries, thanks to the internet, YouTube in particular, and Facebook.
"Before, the only way to learn was if someone teaches you, or if you get your hands on a Japanese hobby magazine. Now Facebook and Google let you see what everyone makes, YouTube shows the videos, and Shopee and Lazada offer tools and equipment which are otherwise hard to get."
You said you opened Hajime Model Studio as 'a service to people who don’t have the time and skills to assemble and paint their model kits to a professional degree.' How big is the market for such enthusiasts?
?It’s a niche market in the Philippines, unlike other Asian countries where they have a Gundam culture and commissioned works are on the level of a painting or a sculpture. Then again, there is only so much work a team of artists can do. It’s not a mass production line, usually taking one to two months. How much does it cost? I’m inclined to say that it’s “a service to people who don’t have the time, skill to assemble and paint, and have money.”
You also run a car service shop. Is your interest in modeling toys somehow connected to tinkering with machines?
"I actually have drawn a lot of parallels between the world of cars and toys, much to my surprise. The first group are the customers who come to my car shop, which is pretty much the batang ’80s generation who know Voltes V, Transformers, Macross, and Gundam. Then there are the batang ’90s who grew up on the GMA 7 anime block in the afternoon, which has 'Gundam Wing,' arguably the gateway for most people. So, the interests align.
"It’s all mechanical, so it’s a guy thing — messing, fiddling, assembling and building. It’s almost like a car show, where you bring out your best, prettiest, flashiest car and what you’ve done to modify it."
You topped the 11th Gunpla Builders World Cup Philippines in the over-21 category. What are your impressions of the competition?
"My studio is a second-time winner. One of my artists was the champion last year. He was third place this year and I was first. This is the first real competition, after COVID, with a lot of entries. The best thing about winning is a free trip to Japan to meet and compete with other champions around the world. Next year will be even tougher because when you’re the champion, you’re competing with yourself."
How big is your Gunpla model collection? Do Gunpla collections have monetary value, meaning, do people look for them and actually buy to start their own collection?
"I’ve lost count after the first 100. Ironically Gunpla loses value the second you build it, unlike other collectibles which retain their value as the years go by. I would attribute this partly because it’s a personal thing that you build. That’s one end of the spectrum. On the other end are the professionally-made ones like in other countries, where people would pay top dollar. Like art, it’s what someone is willing to pay that determines the value.
"My studio produces painted gunplay which people buy in our cabinet store outlet because they know that it takes skill and time to make them. As for value, say, if I die tomorrow, the majority in my collection won’t have any value. My Transformers collection, on the other hand, has increasing value.
"However, I have two of each of the most expensive Gundam Collectibles that Bandai has ever produced — the Metal Structure Nu Gundam which I bought for $2,500; and the Metal Structure Sazabi for $3,500. Both doubled in price as soon as the pre-orders closed and the figures were released."
What was your prize as Philippine champion?
"A gold trophy, a crystal trophy and a limited-edition Gundam model kit. Most people would be aghast and ask, 'That’s it, no money?' Well, the gold trophy is made by Bandai only for champions. You cannot buy it and no one will sell you theirs, not even for P1 million."