As much as I keep tabs on Gunpla releases, and most from Bandai Sprits, there’s just so much out there that I discover some right during release or a little too late. Fortunately for me, I discovered this one weeks after it was released. I’m talking about Gaianotes’ (yes, the paint and tools company) original plastic model kit, the Paint Gear [Gaia Type] released just a month ago.
According to Gaianotes’ official product page, while they were primarily known for their paints and tools, they’ve always dreamed of producing model kits those paints and tools will be used on. And to mark the company’s 20th anniversary, this dream comes into fruition with the Paint Gear.
I’m also putting here the machine-translated lore behind the Paint Gear.
As the 21st century reached its halfway point, human exploration was expanding into more extreme environments. Specialized vehicles were deployed to explore a variety of locations, including Mars, the deep sea, and underground. The Extreme Environments Remote Gear Series, commonly known as the EX Gear Series, was tasked with repairing and painting the exteriors of these vehicles, utilizing universal standards for cost reduction, efficiency, and versatility.
These gears (tools) were remotely operated from inside or outside the vehicle’s control center, using AI to repair, maintain, and paint damaged parts. They come in a variety of sizes and appearances depending on their intended use, and can be broadly categorized as Maintenance Gear, Repair Gear, and Paint Gear. While each gear is specialized for repairing, renovating, and modifying vehicles externally, some also have multiple functions.
As its name suggests, the Paint Gear is an EX Gear used to repaint vehicles when paint peels off due to scratches during operation. The Paint Gear [Gaia Type] is a versatile, humanoid painting gear developed by Moonscore, a leading Japanese company in the field of robotics. Its versatility allows it to paint not only in extreme environments but also skyscrapers and hydroelectric power plant propellers. The central lid, resembling the lid of Gaia Color, a plastic model paint series from paint manufacturer Gaianotes, is a replaceable battery. Based on the history of developing special paints in collaboration with Gaianotes, the shape of the Gaia Color lid itself was adopted as the battery. The latest, high-efficiency, high-capacity fluoride-ion battery can be charged while attached, and after extended work periods, simply replace the battery to resume work immediately. While an internal combustion-like engine can be seen on the back, this is a dummy; the vehicle is actually 100% electric. For fun, the start-up sound and vibration are modeled after a 1.5-liter V6 engine. The original design was 720mm long, but various sizes are available to suit various applications. Combining practicality with a familiar appearance, it became widely known to the general public.
Given that extensive lore, the design of the Paint Gear makes sense, even explaining the how battery unit is meant to look like the cap of Gaianotes paint bottles. For a machine primarily meant to apply paint and not engage in combat, the stumpy proportions are acceptable. You can also check out finely sculpted mechanical details from the rear, as seen in the legs and glimpsed from the back.
As a model kit, the cap is an actual Gaianotes paint cap that’s included, and you can replace it with other Gaianotes caps if you’ve been using their paints already.
I’m totally using the incorrect image above to mention the features of this kit. Anyway, despite coming from a company that encourages you to buy paints for model kits, this guy comes fairly color accurate outside the box. It also has decent articulation despite the proportions so you can put it in a variety of poses. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with any accessories, but it has 3mm hardpoints for use with any aftermarket or third-party option sets utilizing the same connectors.
The kit also comes with three optional parts to build the head unit as either the “Standard Type,” the “Forced Reconnaissance Type,” or as the “OBQ Type” — I’m not sure what the last one means but you have options.
Paint Gear [Gaia Type] is a non-scale kit standing at 120mm, which is exactly how tall a typical 18m Gundam is in 1/144 scale, giving me further justification to get one. Not to mention the novelty nature of this model kit. Given the lore they’ve provided, we should also get kits of the Maintenance Gear and the Repair Gear, though those will likely depend on how the Paint Gear sells.
Paint Gear [Gaia Type]
September 2025 / ¥5,000
Order from HobbyLink Japan
