Japan’s new Gundam Museum lets you make your own Gunpla kit - look inside and find out how to get tickets

BANDAI SPIRITS has revealed more details about their BHCPDII MUSEUM, a new facility designed to offer fans an insight into the creation of the company’s popular plastic model kits.

Set to open this September, the museum is integrated within the new “BANDAI HOBBY CENTER PLAMO DESIGN INDUSTRIAL INSTITUTE” factory in Shizuoka, which will primarily allow BANDAI to expand production of their popular Gunpla model kits, based on the Gundam series.

For years, BANDAI has focused on providing enjoyable experiences through its plastic models, constantly adapting to evolving consumer interests.

This new “showcase factory” concept and its accompanying museum signify a further step in this evolution, inviting visitors to delve into the world of plastic model design and manufacturing.

The BHCPDII MUSEUM offers an interactive journey for fans, allowing them to gain insights into the evolution and ongoing developments of BANDAI SPIRITS’ plastic models.

HG 1144 Red Gundam 1 — BANDAI’s most popular and well known model kits are “Gunpla” – buildable plastic figures based on the Gundam series

Visitors will have the opportunity to metaphorically step into the shoes of a plastic model designer, giving them a newfound respect for the creative minds behind the hobby.

The museum will be structured into several key areas, each of which offers a fun and informative insight into the processes involved in the creation process of BANDAI’s model kits:

Study Area

This section serves as an introduction to the essence of plastic models. It includes the PLAMO Theater, where visitors can learn about the manufacturing process of plastic models and discover the BHCPDII’s vision.

Gundam Museum PLAMO THEATER — PLAMO THEATER

The Study Room delves into the creation process of the BHCPDII and its plastic models, emphasizing the dedication to craftsmanship.

The Study Road highlights the technological capabilities of the BANDAI HOBBY CENTER, its contributions to the plastic model world, historical advancements, and the depth of its commitment.

This area also provides views directly into the factory floor, offering a glimpse into real-time production.

Laboratory Area

Here, visitors can experience the plastic model design process firsthand by taking on the role of a designer.

Visitors will be given a “Designer ID”, which acts as a pass to a variety of terminals that allow you to go through the process of designing your very own model kit.

The first phase is MODELING DESIGN, whereby you’ll select the shape and concept of your model, which can be anything from a humanoid or animal form to your very own Gundam like mech.

Gundam Museum MODELING DESIGN — MODELING DESIGN

Next, you’ll head to COLORING DESIGN and set the colors you’ll use to create your kit.

Gundam Museum COLORING DESIGN — COLORING DESIGN

After choosing your color scheme, head over to MOLD DESIGN and finalise the “runner” which, for those unfamiliar with model kits, is a plastic grid on which the parts are placed ready to be snapped off for assembly.

Next, you’ll observe how runners are molded in a real molding machine.

Gundam Museum INJECTION — You can observe an actual Gunpla molding machine in action during the creation of your own model

Finally, the PACKAGING DESIGN phase allows you to create the packaging for your own unique model kit.

Gundam Museum PACKAGING — PACKAGING DESIGN

As souvenirs, visitors can receive their original package design and a runner plate.

Gundam Museum RESULT — You’ll also receive a “grade” for your performance in the Plastic Model Designer test once complete

Intended to be a fun and interactive experience, some fans may want to take the design process seriously, as you could win an award for your creation.

Each visitor will automatically be entered into the “MODEL AWARDS”, where every month BHCPDII MUSEUM staff will select the three best designs from among the designs made by visitors at BHCPDII MUSEUM.

The winning designs will likely feature on social media and potentially, the official museum website – an accolade that will give fans of the hobby bragging rights over their fellow enthusiasts.

PLAMO Gallery

In this final section of the museum, visitors can view plastic model designs created during the designer test and explore various other aspects of plastic models.

If you’re keen to visit the museum, you’ll need to get a ticket which will be distributed via a lottery system in a manner similar to other popular attractions in Japan, such as the Studio Ghibli museum.

Ticket sales for museum visits in September 2025 are scheduled to begin on June 2nd, 2025, at 12:00 JST, via the official website.

There appears to be bad news for any overseas tourists planning to visit though as, upon the application terms page going live on the 2nd of June, some restrictions have been confirmed.

Firstly, you must have a valid Japanese Premium Bandai account to apply – which as the Japan P-Bandai platform has region restricted access, rules out applying if you’re located outside of Japan.

P BANDAI APPLICATION — Access to the P-Bandai Japan website is region restricted

Even if you do manage to bypass the region restriction and register a Japanese P-Bandai account, the application terms currently explicitly state that applications are only accepted from Japanese residents and that ID, including proof of address, will be required to enter the museum.

Bandai Museum Terms — The terms on the official museum website are very clear that only residents of Japan can apply for tickets

This means that anyone visiting Japan as a tourist will not be able to apply at this time.

Bandai Museum Terms 2 — If you do manage to bypass the systems in place, you’ll probably struggle to provide ID that proves your residency, resulting in access to the museum being denied with no refund

It is however highly likely that these restrictions are being implemented to reduce the initial volume of applications as fans clamour to visit immediately after the museum’s opening.

With Gundam and Gunpla being so popular, it’s likely that the demand far outweighs the supply of tickets so these restrictions will likely stay in place for the first few rounds of ticket application lotteries.

There is no indication from Bandai as to when they may remove the restrictions and accept applications from overseas fans looking to visit the museum at this time, but should this change we’ll bring you the latest info as it becomes available.

Location Details:

Address: 500-15 Nagamuma, Aoi-ku, Shizuoka-shi, Shizuoka, 420-0813, Japan.
Access: The museum is conveniently located a 3-minute walk from Nagamuma Station (Shizuoka Railway) and an 8-minute walk from Higashi-Shizuoka Station (JR Tokaido Line).

Operating Hours:

The museum operates from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM.
It is closed on Sundays, Mondays, public holidays, during the New Year’s holiday period, and on other days designated by the company.

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