Earlier this summer, amid the impending typhoon, Game Informer visited Bandai Hobby Center Shinkan, the 132,000-square-foot factory where the entertainment company produces its popular Gundam model kits. If you buy a new Gundam model kit at your local store today, it originated at this facility in Shizuoka, Japan. The factory has 35 plastic color molding machines – 25 electric and 10 hydraulic – all of which help produce millions of models annually.
Bandai Spirits employee Miyuki Nakagiri, a subject matter expert on how the factory works perfectly, takes us inside the building. Our translator during this tour is Atsuo Yoshimura, a video game production manager who has worked at Bandai Namco for the past 17 years. Most notably, Yoshimura worked on last year’s Alden Ring – Game Informer’s 2022 Game of the Year, and most recently, Armored Corps VI Fire of Rubicon. Furthermore, Yoshimura helped create harmony. Informant in the game Journey to the recent Armored Corps VI cover story.