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Check Out the Winners of the GunPla Builders World Cup
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
The winners of this year's GunPla Builders World Cup received their awards on Sunday, and the official Gundam.info portal site began streaming a English-dubbed video of the awards ceremony on Monday. 24 works (11 from the Junior Course and 13 from the Open Course) were on display from 13 different territories. Awards were presented by mechanical designer and guest judge Kanetake Ebikawa (Mobile Suit Gundam 00, Mobile Suit Gundam Build Fighters).
Katsumi Kawaguchi, the head of Bandai's Hobby Department, and voice actress Haruna Ikezawa (Momoka in Sgt. Frog, Porun in Pretty Cure, Yoshino in Maria Watches Over Us) acted as MCs. Bandai CEO Masaru Kawaguchi delivered the opening remarks, in which he praised the increasing originality of the GunPla submissions and described them as "complete works of art."
Special Company Awards:
7-Eleven Award
"Island of The Blood," Christian (Indonesia)
7-Eleven praised the detail in this piece, going so far as to include ripples in the water.
Gundam Games 30th Anniversary Award
"Duke of the Inferno realm, Barbatos Noir," Benny Ma (Australia)
This piece adds Deathscythe parts to a Barbatos and colors them in such a way as to reduce Barbatos's "evil" image.
(Left to right): Katsumi Kawaguchi with Ma and Christian
Junior Course awards (for ages 14 and under):
#1
"Over War," Chiu Hsien Chun (Republic of China)
The model graphics editor appreciated the painting and handwork on this piece, which set it far above its competitors. He points out that the legs are more weathered than the head, for example.
#2
"Strike&Dark Matter," Takuma Fujimoto (Japan)
#3
"Reborn," Wong Yuen Sing Julian (Hong Kong)
(Left to right): Masaru Kawaguchi, Fujimoto, Chiu, Wong and Katsumi Kawaguchi
Open Course awards (for ages 15 and over):
#1
"Eternal Bonds ~Yoshitsune and Benkei Toward a New Country~," Yūsuke Yokota (Japan)
Yokota stated that he wanted to see a Japanese modeler to win the trophy, and he got his wish with this diorama incorporating two new Gundams based on the famous Japanese warriors Yoshitsune of Minamoto and Benkei.
#2
"Love Lost," Vichayuth Eiam-Ong (Thailand)
#3
"Destination," Wang Chang Bin (People's Republic of China)
(Left to right) Masaru Kawaguchi, Eiam-Ong, Yokota, Wang and Katsumi Kawaguchi
Last year's champions were Vichayuth Eiam-Ong from Thailand with "Another Late Night" (Open Course) and Cornelius Caesar Widjaja from Indonesia with "Build Fighters Season 3" (Junior Course). If you're interested in seeing these works in person, they're on display at the Gundam Front Tokyo in Odaiba until January 6.
(Left to right) Ikezawa, Masaru Kawaguchi, Chiu, Yokota, Ebikawa, and Katsumi Kawaguchi
Source: Gundam.info