Going for the Gundam Gold: The Model Builders World Cup

Fame, fortune, eternal glory and tiny plasma cannons

Ho-ho-holy mecha models, Batman! This Christmas, there's a whole lot more to celebrate than yuletide and holiday cheer, especially if you're a fan of building impossibly large robots. On December 25, Bandai will hold the 1st Gundam Model Builders World Cup, bringing together winners from twelve different regional championships worldwide to be exhibited at the Gunpla Expo World Cup Tour Hong Kong 2011.

Gundam model building, or gunpla for short, is by no means a new hobby; Mobile Suit Gundam debuted in 1979 and the first model kits followed suit in 1980, which means these very well may be your pappy's minis. However, these plastic mecha miniatures are by no means recycle-ready as millions worldwide purchase and build them each year. Add in the obsessive attention to detail exhibited by the World Cup competitors and it's abundantly clear that gunpla is no waltz.

With the regional champions selected, the competition on December 25 looks to be hotter than the heat signature from a GX-9900 Satellite Cannon. With two divisions - Junior (for those fourteen and under) and Open (for those fifteen and older) - the competition has been narrowed down from hundreds to a scant twenty-four who will compete on Christmas Day. Want to feel even worse about your hand-eye coordination? The winner from Japan's Junior division is a second grade girl. She's using paste for constructing intricately detailed models; we were using it as a sixth food group.

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