What is "Gunpla"?

Gundam Models, or Gunpla, refers to plastic and non-plastic model kits depicting the mecha, vehicles and characters of the fictional Mobile Suit Gundam universe. These kits have become popular among anime fans and model-lovers, especially in Japan and in other nearby Asian countries since 1980s. The popularity of Gundam models increased in 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through television, video and manga.

Plastic Gundam model kits are manufactured by Bandai in Japan (or China) which has an exclusive license in manufacturing and marketing them around the world, the first of them being sold in 1980 in Japan. These consist of several trays of injection molded styrene parts ("runners" or "sprues") which must be cut out of the frame before assembly. The majority of post-1990 models have snap-fit parts, with models prior to that requiring an adhesive such as plastic cement. Plastic Gundam models kits are typically supplied with stickers and sometimes decals to apply extra colors and markings as seen they are seen in popular media such as TV shows, movies, manga or video games. Smaller or lower grade kits often require paint to give the model a finished appearance, due to colour discrepancies.

The kits range in different scales with the most popular scales being: 1:550, 1:220, 1:144, 1:100 and 1:60, and more recently 1:35 (UC HardGraph line). With a few exceptions, all currently-produced kits bear grade ratings that give a good idea about their final quality. The following lists the most well-known and common categories with humanoid designs (very roughly) in their order of quality, from lowest to highest.

Please note that other categories, such as EX Model, do exist. They are simply not listed here. Additionally, Bandai often produces limited-run kits for special events such as JAFCON or C3. These have different packaging, and usually only differ from their common counterparts in that they are metal-plated or made of translucent plastic.

Bandai has also released some Gundam garage kit under their branch, B-club. These models are composed of unpainted resin with no decals provided, often needing modification by the modeler due to the inherent properties of the manufacturing process. While comparably more expensive (some surpassing $400) compared to plastic kits, they offer an unparalleled level of detail for the dedicated and experienced model builder.
A few select kits have also appeared manufactured from metal. These kits are offered by several different manufacturers and most commonly will result in a finished model of about MG level.
These types of models (real detail) usually take days to build.

For trade shows and toy fairs, Bandai displays some extreme large model in 1:12 scale. True to the scaling, some of these models are well over 5 feet (1.50 meters) tall. Although only mainly used for display purposes, some stores sell these at high prices, topping a whopping price of $2000 CA. But, they are usually only for display and not for sale.
The kit that is being referred to as GIGANTIC or BIG (1.5M) is known as a HY2M model kit, and is actually a model that one can purchase.

Bandai Site: http://bandai-hobby.net/
Bakuc Site: http://www.bakuc.com/