Gundam rising: Bandai Namco boosts output of hot model kits

Resellers take advantage of market for toys that 'sell out in 10 minutes'

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Gunpla kits are extremely popular among fans of the Mobile Suit Gundam robot sci-fi franchise. (Photo by Takako Fujiu)

JYO CHOU, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO -- A unit of Japanese toymaker Bandai Namco Holdings is raising production and fighting scalpers to ease a chronic shortage of its Gundam plastic model kits, as demand for them soars among homebound fans.

At an electronics store here, shelves dedicated to Gundam plastic models, or Gunpla for short, were covered in out-of-stock signs and signs urging one item per customer.

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