Making Gunpla models is not an uncommon hobby in Japan, and there are huge stores dedicated to the pastime. You can buy kits, customization equipment, displays, and more. Many people just follow the standard instructions, or make a model to match their favorite Gundam from the anime or games. Others, though, like to really customize their designs, which is exactly what Minamo has been doing.
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She first posted her cute, original Gunpla design on her Twitter this past spring. Minamo used the ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos, from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, to model some cherry blossoms that had fallen from the trees, along with a cute pink and gold ribbon accessory. Minamo calls these custom designs “kawaii Gunpla,” with “kawaii” meaning “cute” in Japanese and often used to refer to this kind of aesthetic in design.
The tweet became very popular, and Mizu Minamo began to share more of her kawaii Gunpla on her Twitter account. She has made posts with other Gunpla models complete with added sparkles, ribbons, and more accessories, always coordinated to match the model’s original color scheme and compliment the original design while making it arguably much cuter.
Minamo says that combining these Gundam with the cute aesthetic is actually easier than you would think. She often uses magical girl-inspired ideas in her designs. Her latest post featured her customized SEED’s Strike Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam complete with a magical girl wand and flowing ribbon on its back, and plenty of gemstones, too.
Minamo’s designs have continued to garner a lot of attention on social media, even internationally, and she has begun to make some posts in English for her new fan base abroad, too. Hopefully her designs will inspire others to not be afraid to share their interests, no matter how strange other people may think they are - and that there is nothing wrong with making things cuter if they make you happy.
Minamo’s latest design of the SEED’s Strike Gundam, which she has titled “Fantasy Strike,” is currently on display for the public in Gundam Base Tokyo, a store in Odaiba. Odaiba is already a pilgrimage spot for Gundam fans because it features a life-size, moving Gundam Unicorn model. Minamo’s “Fantasy Strike” gives fans something new and exciting to see there, too, at least for a little while.
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Source: SoraNewsNetwork
