Gundam models, or Gunpla (ガンプラ, Ganpura), are model kits depicting the vehicles and characters of the fictional Gundam multiverse by Bandai.
These kits became popular among mecha anime fans and model enthusiasts in Japan and nearby Asian countries beginning in the 1980s. Gundam modeling spread in the 1990s with North America and Europe being exposed to Gundam through television, video and manga.
The name Gunpla derives from the phrase “Gundam plastic model,” most kits being made of plastic.
Bandai sold over 100 million Gundam plastic model units between 1980 and 1984, and over 300 million units by May 1999. By 2015, Bandai had sold an estimated 450 million units worldwide across nearly 2,000 different Gundam models. As of March 2021, Bandai Namco has sold 714.84 million Gundam plastic model units, including 538.24 million standard Gundam units (since 1980) and 176.6 million SD Gundam units (since 1987).