Best Mecha Collection (ベストメカコレクション)

Launched in July 1980 in the wake of the Gunpla phenomenon, the **Best Mecha Collection** (ベストメカコレクション) is one of Bandai’s first major scale model series aimed at the general Japanese public. Originally designed to accompany the broadcast of *Mobile Suit Gundam* (1979), it quickly established itself as a cornerstone of the Japanese hobby scene thanks to its affordable prices, compact formats, and rich catalogue.The series offers glue-and-paint model kits in various scales — primarily 1/144 and 1/100 for mobile suits, 1/550 for mobile armors, and 1/1200 to 1/2400 for spacecraft — covering the entire Gundam universe across 58 numbered releases. From number 49 onwards, Bandai expanded the line beyond Gundam to include mecha from other contemporary series: Godmars, Space Sheriff Gavan, GoLion, Dairugger XV, Gold Lightan, and Tetsujin 28, reflecting the creative vitality of robot anime and tokusatsu in the early 1980s.Featuring the red Bandai Model logo and the ST (Japanese Safety Standard) mark on their boxes, these kits have become true vintage collectibles. Number 4, the RX-78-2 Gundam in 1/144 scale, remains the best-selling and most reissued kit in Bandai’s entire history, still available in a Revival edition in 2024. The Best Mecha Collection line laid the foundations of what would become the Gunpla empire, while offering a unique snapshot of Japanese mecha culture at the very dawn of the 1980s.