Blog: ‘Gundam’ At MCM London Comic Con May 2025

The bi-yearly MCM London Comic Con has once again been and gone and for this eager Gunota (the Japanese portmanteau for ‘Gundam otaku’) there was again a bevvy of Gundam to be found. Hosted by Bandai Namco, the focus this time was specifically on GQuuuuuuX (currently streaming on Amazon Prime) with displays showcasing the High Grade model kits, Banpresto prize figurines and high end collector figures. Of course the centrepiece was a massive detailed statue of the original RX-78-2 Gundam posed in homage to its iconic ‘Last Shooting’ pose from the final episode of the original 1979 anime.

A range of upcoming merchandise was highlighted from across the franchise, such as the Entry Grade Wing Gundam and the Master Grade Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex. It’s still kind of amazing to me to finally see the United Kingdom finally at a point where we get to see physical samples of anticipated kits like this on display rather than simply older kits available to purchase.

Speaking of purchasing kits, a range of standard retail kits and event exclusives were available to take home from the three day event. Having enjoyed the experience last year with the comparitive Master Grade of the original Barbatos, I purchased the Ecopla version of the MG RX-78-2 3.0. For those unfamiliar, Ecopla are variant kits produced in limited colours using the excess plastics of the standard Gundam kit factory manufacturing process. As someone who is environmentally conscious, this is a practice I can happily support. Much is now made of the impact of plastics so it’s great to see a hobby that relies on them finding ways to limit its damage to the environment (something that itself has long been a theme of the Gundam stories themselves).

Also receiving focus at the event were the forthcoming tabletop games Gundam Assemble and Gundam Card Game. To be blunt, Assemble is probably best summed up as ‘Gundam Warhammer’. Players build and paint dynamic static miniatures of iconic mobile suits and battleships and then face off across a grid based surface. The game itself has sadly been pushed back to 2026 since its initial announcement last year but a limited number of miniatures from it will be available this summer in special starter decks for the aforementioned card game. Gundam Card Game itself is 1-V-1 deck building game in which players pit famous pilots and mobile suits against one another. I got to try a hands on demo of this game, so I’ll save more detailed thoughts for a forthcoming focus article.

Again, as someone who has been a Gundam fan for two decades it’s amazing to see it getting this bold and consistent push in the United Kingdom now. It sunk its hooks into me at the turn of the century and I’m happy to see the global fanbase for it seems to only be increasing. The stories, the model kits and even new ways for fans to meet and share their love of this soon to be fifty years old mythology.