Japan's Most Iconic Artwork Inspires Gundam SEED's Latest Gunpla Kit

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One of Japan’s most famous works of art has found its way onto a new Gunpla release, with Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” providing the inspiration for a dramatic new version of Strike Gundam.

The “ENTRY GRADE 1/144 Strike Gundam [Ukiyo-e Package Ver.]” surrounds Kira Yamato’s mobile suit with huge waves and autumn maple leaves on its newly created packaging, before carrying elements of the same artwork across the completed model.

Strike Gundam first appeared in 2002’s Mobile Suit Gundam SEED as the advanced Earth Alliance mobile suit that becomes Kira’s main machine throughout the earlier stages of the series.

Its ability to use interchangeable Striker Packs allows the mobile suit to change equipment for different combat situations, while its familiar white, blue, and red appearance helped establish it as one of the defining Gundam designs of the early 2000s.

Bandai later adapted Strike Gundam into its beginner-friendly Entry Grade line, creating a simplified 1/144 kit with strong color separation and articulation that can be assembled without requiring glue or paint.

That existing model provides the foundation for the new Ukiyo-e Package Ver., with Bandai leaving the core construction intact and concentrating the changes on its presentation and additional decorations.

The package artwork takes direct inspiration from Katsushika Hokusai’s “The Great Wave off Kanagawa,” part of the artist’s famous “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” series.

Strike Gundam is positioned among the enormous curling waves alongside autumn maple leaves, combining the futuristic mobile suit with imagery taken from one of the most internationally recognizable examples of traditional Japanese art.

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Matching wave patterns can then be added directly to the model’s shoulder armor and shield, alongside stylized Japanese lettering that gives the otherwise familiar Strike Gundam a much more heavily decorated appearance.

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This makes the artwork more than a special box design, allowing builders to carry the same ukiyo-e theme onto some of the most visible sections of the finished kit.

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Strike Gundam forms part of a wider series of four Ukiyo-e Package Ver. Entry Grade releases, with Bandai also applying different traditional Japanese art themes to the ν Gundam, Wing Gundam and original RX-78-2 Gundam.

The “ENTRY GRADE 1/144 ν Gundam [Ukiyo-e Package Ver.]” gives Amuro Ray’s final mobile suit from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack a considerably darker interpretation.

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Its packaging draws from Hokusai’s “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji” series through a winter scene surrounding Mount Fuji, creating a colder and more restrained appearance than the large waves and autumn colors used for Strike Gundam.

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The same Mount Fuji-inspired winter scene can be added across the ν Gundam’s shield through newly designed decals, carrying one of the main elements of the package artwork directly onto the model.

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The underlying 1/144 kit retains the simplified construction, articulation and strong color separation of the standard Entry Grade ν Gundam that first joined the line in 2022.

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The “ENTRY GRADE 1/144 Wing Gundam [Ukiyo-e Package Ver.]” uses another interpretation of Mount Fuji, this time placing Heero Yuy’s mobile suit beneath the mountain alongside an eagle perched on a pine branch.

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Eagle-themed decorations can also be applied to the inner sections of Wing Gundam’s wings, while the original Entry Grade kit retains its Buster Rifle, Shield and ability to transform into Bird Mode.

The “ENTRY GRADE 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam [Ukiyo-e Package Ver.]” takes inspiration from Hokusai’s “Rainstorm Beneath the Summit,” placing Amuro Ray’s original Gundam beneath a dark Mount Fuji surrounded by cherry blossoms.

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Its additional decorations extend the Mount Fuji and blossom imagery across areas including the shoulder armor and shield, giving the RX-78-2 its own interpretation of the shared traditional Japanese art theme.

The “ENTRY GRADE 1/144 Strike Gundam [Ukiyo-e Package Ver.]” is priced at ¥1,430 (approx. $9 USD / £7 GBP), with the RX-78-2 Gundam version also priced the same, while the ν Gundam and Wing Gundam releases each cost ¥1,760 (approx. $11 USD / £8 GBP).

All four Ukiyo-e Package Ver. kits were released in Japan on August 29, with the Strike Gundam, RX-78-2 Gundam and Wing Gundam versions receiving general retail releases.

Those three kits are available through hobby goods stores in Japan and online retailers such as HobbyLink Japan that offer international shipping, while the ν Gundam differs from the rest of the collection by being exclusive to Gundam Base stores and Gundam Side-F in Fukuoka.

No release has currently been announced for any of the four Ukiyo-e Package Ver. kits through services such as Premium Bandai US.