Robot enthusiasts attend a Gundam convention in Bangkok, Thailand, on Thursday (October 17) marking the 40 years of the wildly popular Japanese creation. <br /><br />Hundreds of fanatics displayed their colourful creations for the event. The most impressive one will be chosen for a competition in Tokyo later this year in December. <br /><br />Gundam, or the Gundam series, began in April 1979 as a science fiction TV show in Japan. <br /><br />The ‘mecha anime’ style of animation has since spawned several franchises as well as a vast industry of model robots that inspire a devout following of collectors around the world. <br /><br />According to the data from Business Wire, the Gundam franchise had amassed more than five billion dollars in global sales by the year 2000. <br /><br />By 2018, Gundam - also known as Gunpla - had become one of the top 15 highest-grossing media franchises of all time with more than 20 billion dollars in total revenue.<br /><br />The creation is owned by Bandai Namco Holdings.
