These kits became popular among mecha anime fans and model enthusiasts in Japan and nearby Asian countries beginning in the 1980s.

[4] While Clover's products targeted children, Bandai's approach was more appealing to the teenage and adult consumers that were more typical of Mobile Suit Gundam's audience, and was received extremely well.

These early kits are distinguished by their lack of articulation and low detail and, unlike later generations, require glue to assemble.

A later development was System Injection, a technique which permitted a single "part" to be cast in multiple colors of plastic simultaneously, minimizing the need to paint the finished model.

In 1999, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the franchise, Bandai released 1:144 First Grade (FG) kits of mobile suits from the original series.

While these still feature snap-fit and color molding, they omit major joints, opting instead to only allow critical pieces to move—typically the neck, hips, shoulders, and feet.

Bandai also released Ecopla, a series of High Grade Universal Century (HGUC) and super deformed (SD) kits molded in black and made entirely out of recycled sprues.

From late 2016 onwards, every Bandai produced model kit, including Gunpla, were made with Japanese and English text on the box and manuals.

Some kits use an internal frame - a complete "skeleton," fully articulated and able to stand on its own - to which panels are then attached to finish the appearance of the mecha.

These models are made of unpainted resin with no decals provided and often require touch-up work by the builder due to the inherent limitations of the manufacturing process.

The High Grade line is not exclusive to Gundam, as other mecha series, such as Mazinger, Kyoukai Senki, and Evangelion receiving HG kits of their own.

HG Amplified IMGN was a subline introduced in 2022, which redesigned smaller robots (namely those from the Wataru series) with more humanoid proportions.

A vast majority of HGs use polycaps, but Bandai has started to abandon the technology with the release of Witch From Mercury kits for better stability.

Most RG kits use a technology called the Advanced MS Joint, where the inner frame for the chest, arms, legs, and feet are prebuilt and fully articulated, requiring the other parts to be attached to it.

Bandai also released a line featuring a series of character figures from Dragon Ball Z, Kamen Rider, and Tiger & Bunny[17] under the name of MG Figure-rise.

Ka, contained an LED light strip that ran across the mobile suit, changing colors between the normal Unicorn and Destroy Mode.

These limitations result in the Perfect Grade line sometimes taking several years between releases to wait for advances in model making technology.

Super Deformed Gundam kits are often very easy to construct and contain original gimmicks but offer very limited articulation and require paint and detailing.

A 1/100 scale model line focusing on replicating surface detail and complex "gimmick points" without the use of an inner frame like Master Grades.

A line of character figure model kits primarily focused on various anime, manga, and tokusatsu hero franchises like Dragon Ball, Ultraman, and Kamen Rider.

Bandai's Shokugan division of candy toys releases Minipla models for combining mecha in the Super Sentai series.

With the exception of weight considerations, there is no strict rule as to what base can be used as long as it fits within the included adapter or x-millimeter peg on the bottom of most models.

HI-Resolution Models are 1/100 scale and, in addition to redesigning the mobile suit, included a pre-built inner frame similar to an action figure.

Universal Century HardGraph (UCHG) was a 1/35 scale line focusing on military vehicles and dioramas that would be seen during the One Year War.

Like any hobby, Gunpla building can be extremely involved and expensive, but with model kits starting at less than US$20[20] and requiring no special tools or materials, barrier to entry is low.

Changeable parts and variant models are often utilized throughout the line, offering the collector a wide variety of display abilities.

represent a more "high-end" line of collectibles, which often contain better detail, more accessories, and the option to build multiple variations in the same box.

[30][31] The 18-meter tall statue was later moved and reconstructed in Shizuoka City, where it stayed from July 2010 to March 2011[32][33] when in August it was dismantled only to reopen in Odaiba, Tokyo on April 19, 2012.

[36] Bootleg Gunpla companies include Daban, TT Hongli, Model GD, Elyn Hobby, and Dragon Momoko.

In the manga/anime series Genshiken, Soichiro Tanaka teaches Kanako Ohno and Kanji Sasahara how to build Gundam models in Chapter 13 (adapted as episode 8 of the anime, where the pseudonym "Gungal" is used).