Are Gundam Models a Good Investment? What Makes Gundam Models a Good and Bad Investment?

One of the questions a beginner might ask is if Gundam Models are a good investment. After all, they’ve invested their time and money into building these models. But is collecting and building Gundam models to make them more valuable a good idea?

Gundam models aren’t a good investment since these models tend to lose 50% of their value once built. Furthermore, there is no fun in collecting unbuilt kits. Rather, the fun starts when starting to build the model till finished. However, since Gundam models are easy to preserve, they can increase in value once they become rare.

This post will discuss what makes Gundam models a good and bad investment. Then, we will discuss both sides of the coin so you can decide for yourself whether you should try it or not. Finally, I will share what I think is the conclusion.

Is Gundam a Good Investment?

Gundam model kits aren’t a good investment because they tend to be delicate and lose value once built. In addition, these model’s joints tend to become loose in time which lowers their resale value. Furthermore, these models are less valuable once built since most modelers prefer unbuilt kits.

Generally speaking, Gundam models aren’t a good investment. However, Gundams can also increase in value like other collectibles.

Thus, this post will not only talk about why they aren’t good investments. Instead, we will also discuss why they are.

For now, let’s talk about why you should invest in a Gundam.

Why Should You Invest in a Gundam?

People should invest in a Gundam model because some of their models can get rare in the future. Furthermore, marketplaces for built Gundams are becoming more extensive as some people prefer buying them for display purposes.

I often see people selling their built kits online since there are people who don’t have the time to build their own.

Sometimes, they can sell their models for more than how much they bought the kits.

However, most models sold for more than the kit’s price are painted with cool designs.

Thus, only experienced modelers can earn money by doing this.

There are also other people who hire experienced modelers to paint their models.

Basically, if you have the skills to build a model and you’ve shown them your skills on some online Gunpla communities, you can get these side hustles.

This alone makes collecting and building Gunpla model kits a good investment.

However, it doesn’t end there, as they have another property that makes them a good investment.

Plastics are easy to preserve. To be precise, most Gundam models contain ABS plastics which are very durable.

To give some perspective on how hard ABS plastics are, this plastic is used on Legos.

If you’ve tried stepping on Legos, you’ll understand how hard they are.

Recommended Read: Are you interested in knowing if Gunpla models are eco-friendly? I talked about how environmentally friendly Gundam models are and how Bandai is trying to reduce their environmental impact in this post: How Eco-Friendly are Gundam Models?

Keeping the plastics healthy is as easy as wiping a plastic protectant on the models. Plastics also don’t rust, unlike metal models.

Thus, it is easy to preserve Gundam models, making it a good investment.

But what if you’re too lazy to preserve these models? Is there an easier way to keep them while increasing their price?

Well, there is.

Keeping the kits in the box is the best way to invest in Gundam models. Basically, get the limited edition models such as the Ver. Ka or P-Bandai kits.

Then, hold them for a few years until their production stops.

Once their production halts, you can post it in online Gunpla groups such as Facebook, and people would be willing to pay for these kits for a huge amount as long as they’re unbuilt.

But remember how I said “unbuilt.” That’s because unbuilt kits tend to be more expensive than built kits.

This is why I don’t recommend getting into the hobby for the money. Instead, get into the hobby because you enjoy building kits.

There are some reasons why you shouldn’t invest in a Gundam, which I will discuss in the next section.

Why Shouldn’t You Invest in a Gundam?

You shouldn’t invest in a Gundam because these models tend to lose value once built. Most models lose 50% of their value once built since most modelers prefer unbuilt kits. Furthermore, Gundam models are delicate as their joints tend to lose articulation upon aging.

The main reason why Gundam models aren’t a good investment is that they lose value when built.

While keeping Gundam kits in their box is a viable way to invest your money, it is no fun keeping a box for years to increase its value.

The fun in building Gunpla kits comes from the satisfaction you get once you complete the model.

Furthermore, these models aren’t easy to store as you need to keep a place where they won’t touch other models.

While they are easy to maintain, Gundam models have delicate parts.

That’s why some modelers indicate the model’s joint on marketplaces.

The model’s joints are very delicate and can lose their flexibility in time.

These are the reasons why I do not recommend going into the hobby because it’s a good investment.

Now, it might seem confusing since there are points where I said Gunpla models could be a good and bad investment. So what do I think? Let’s talk about that below.

Conclusion

While there are reasons why Gundam models should and shouldn’t be a good investment, a modeler should not get into Gundam modeling because they believe that building these models is a good investment.

Building Gundam models should stay as a hobby, not as a way to earn some cash.

While it is true that you can increase a Gundam’s value by being good at customizing or by keeping the models unbuilt, there is no fun in doing so.

People who became good at customizing models started with zero knowledge of making their models look fantastic.

So, enjoy building your models and don’t mind their price in the future.

The more you become familiar with the hobby, the more you will understand the types of Gundams, the limited editions, and more.

That’s the only time you should consider investing in a Gundam model.

It would be best if you always started building Gundam models not because it is profitable but because it gives you some sense of satisfaction when building them.

What’s Next? Beginners in Gundam modeling should always start with an HG or High-grade Gundam. The question is if these HG models are worth it, and where are they good at? Luckily, I discussed that in this post: Are HG Gundam Models worth it?