I might be a week late for this update, but that doesn’t mean I can’t give my unsolicited thoughts. Last week, Bandai Namco released their Gundam Conference update for Summer 2024. For one, there seems to be no mention of the Gundam Metaverse Project they’ve been pushing for a couple of years, which is good. But more importantly, they are gearing up for the World Expo 2025 which will be hosted in Osaka. As part of this occasion, Bandai Namco will be setting up the Gundam Next Future Pavilion complex which will feature a couple of attractions.
The complex will be comprised of two attractions. First is the pavilion itself, which is designed after a futuristic spaceport and will have exhibits that will highlight the worldviews seen in various Gundam series. The other attraction finally confirms fan speculation following the conclusion of Gundam Factory Yokohama last March.
That being this is where the RX-78F00 Gundam could be seen next. Though it’s not the same as the one in Yokohama. The most obvious being it’s not the moving Gundam anymore, literally, and it will be a statue posed as seen in the concept art here. The other not-so-obvious thing is that you will see some differences in the armor panels, particularly on the left side (our right).
Here’s a 1/100 scale physical model of the pavilion and the “new” Gundam statue, which is also officially named the RX-78F00/E. The new clear panels are installed on the left shoulder, front armor, and legs as well. It’s a rather interesting choice to go with an asymetrical design and much like the RX-78F00, they might create some in-universe backstory on how this configuration came about. And of course, I also expect kits for this version of the former Yokohama Gundam since it will just be a retool of existing molds.
Here’s the teaser video for Gundam Next Future Pavilion they released during Gundam Conference last week.
Gundam Next Future Pavilion will be open from April 13 to October 13, 2025 within Expo 2025.
