Are you ready for the Mini Kit Collection?

I have to confess, when I first saw the ads for the up and coming Mobile Suit Gundam Mini Kit Collection I was less than impressed. Not only did it (together with Universal Unit) butt out both STANDart and Assault Kingdom from the official Bandai Gashapon page (and into oblivion), but just exactly what was it we are looking at here?

Well, a bunch of simplistic miniature model kits, each featuring a handful of parts (just enough to require some cutting from sprues and polishing the pieces). The introductory gang featured grandpa RX-78, a Zaku II and some Iron Blooded Orphan suits and didn't exactly wet my appetite. Making the models available in grey, white or transparent seems kinda silly since you really want to paint them anyway but I guess it made the pre-release photos a bit more snazzy. A pig-tailed girl was brought in to sell the deal...

Yeah, the wife has that same look on her face when I bring home plastic junk...

 THIS is what we get instead of STANDart!? I raged. But not everything seemed bad. We also saw some very rare birds in here. There was a little Neo Zeong, a Ra Cailum-class Battleship, even the Shamblo mobile armor and the friggin' Gate of Zedan Titans asteroid base!

Mini Kit Collection Wave 1.

Over time more figures were introduced. A Geze! When was the last time you saw a Geze? A Rewloola-class Battleship. Even the Nightingale alternate represenation of the Sazabi. Suddenly the Mini Kit Collection is starting to look really interesting as complement to other gashapon sets such as Gundam Collection, HG MS Selection etc. (depends a bit on the individual figure sizes).

And now Bandai just unveiled wave 2. I stared at the screen and my mind was filled up by a Garuda-class transport. The world around me melted away for a second. A Public-class missile boat!? Even the Rafflesia!?

Mini Kit Collection Wave 2 (all kits in this set appear not to have been unveiled yet).

I am absolutely stoked about this turn of events. If Bandai continues to chuck out things like these this will be an absolutely vital series. Now I pray for some UC0079 ships like the Papua or Salamis, or how about the Axis asteroid, Gryps or perhaps Solomon Base?

Please Bandai, do not falter. :)

The Mobile Suit Gundam Mini Kit Collection is premiering in Japan on June 28th. Wave 2 is scheduled for September. Individual kits are priced at ¥250 (half the price of a Converge figure) but the international market can not be expected to be so forgiving on our wallets. We are also still a bit in the dark regarding how the figures will be distributed. I forsee random packaging Gashapon style boxes full of Acguys and those Iron Blooded things...

Are you ready?