Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
The series aired in Japan on the terrestrial TV Asahi network. It ran for 49 episodes; beginning on April 7, 1995 and ending on March 29, 1996. It received multiple manga adaptations, as well as video games. Four original video animation (OVA) episodes were produced including a retelling of the series, "Operation Meteor", and a direct sequel, "". In 2010, Sumizawa started writing the novel "", another sequel to the series. While the series fared modestly well in Japan, it found greater success in the United States and popularized the "Gundam" franchise in the West.
Gundam model
In 2010, Real Grade (RG) surpassed High Grade as the top-end series of the 1:144 Gunpla line. These kits feature extensive detail and articulation, as well as a poseable skeletal frame comparable to the 1:100 Master Grade kits. The first RG kit was the 1:144 RX-78-2 Gundam, followed by the 1:144 MS-06S Char's Zaku II, GAT-X105 Aile Strike, MS-06F Zaku II (Green), ZGMF-X10A Freedom. In 2011, Bandai released the Entry Grade (EG) line in Southeast Asia. Manufactured in China, the EG line contained fewer parts than the FG kits, thus having very limited articulation. Only four Gundams were released in the line.