New Gundam Series Announced!

The countdown timer on www.g-tekketsu.com has finally ended.  A new Gundam show has been announced.  And with it, a giant-mecha-sized plethora of action figures, gunpla and other related toys.  Let's take a sneak peek at where this seminal anime/toyline is going ...

The Key Visual

The show is called Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans.  The "Iron-Blooded" part is a translation of the Japanese word, Tekketsu, which is why the show is called G-Tekketsu for short.  It begins airing on October 4th, 2015.  As is the tradition for Gundam series, it is part of a certain timeline, the all new "Post Disaster Era".  (The original Gundam was part of the Universal Century timeline.)  The implication here is that this show is an all-new universe, not part of a previous Gundam show.  The designs and themes might be similar to what has come before, but it is starting its own canon.

The last few Gundam TV shows have been very kid-friendly, many with a heavy gunpla element within the show.  I believe this was Sunrise's (Bandai's animation department) way of capturing younger fans along with older collectors.  (Kids come for the child-centric story, gunpla fans come to see the new customized versions of older kits they loved as kids.)  Well, G-Tekketsu seems to be a bit more mature and is shying away from the gunpla-as-plot-device formula.  Don't misunderstand me, there will be TONS of mecha in the show, and almost every one will receive a kit, but the show doesn't feature an overly fantastic version of the gunpla hobby as its core theme.

Compated to Reconguista, Tekketsu looks much more gritty

G-Tekketsu looks grittier and more grounded than recent Gundams, contrasting the recent Gundam Reconguista in G.  Tekketsu's blocky, military designs are opposite of Reconguista's organic, fanciful mechas.  For me, this is a welcome change, and reminds me of some of the great militaristic designs from Gundam 00's first season.  The least military-looking design in Tekketsu is the main Gundam itself: Gundam Barbatos.  This is to make the lead mecha stand out and seem more advanced, and according to the press releases so far, it is.  A leftover from an old war, Barbatos is far more powerful than any of the current mecha shown so far.

The gimmick for the gunpla and figures seems to be that Barbatos has a inner frame that allows him to steal parts and weapons from his foes.  This is most evident in the 1/100 scale barbatos kit, which is indeed includes a complete inner frame with numerous armor and weapon pieces that can be attached.  No doubt future kits in the line will have swappable parts, utilizing a modular-designed system.  Depending on how believably this is implemented, this could bring a lot of cool customization to the gunplas.  I, for one, think it is an exciting idea.

Also shown were 1/144 HG kits, super-deformed NXEdge Style figures and Gashapon Senshi DASH capsule toys.  What an exciting time to be a Gundam fan!