Bandai
From a small Tokyo toy business founded in 1950, Bandai has grown into one of the largest toy companies in the world and the toy heart of the Bandai Namco group. Generations of Japanese children grew up with its products, yet the company is just as important to adult collectors through its hobby lines. Among them are shokugan, the candy toy tradition in which a small sweet accompanies a surprisingly sophisticated figure or kit, plus Premium Bandai, the company's direct-order shop through which many of its most sought-after items are released as exclusives.
Collector's Guide
Product Lines
Zero Variant's Bandai range focuses on two shokugan lines that show how serious candy toys have become.
- SO-DO Chronicle: Kamen Rider figure sets supplied as pre-coloured parts for simple assembly, building into compact, highly articulated Riders. The sets in this range are Premium Bandai exclusives.
- SMP Shokugan Modeling Project: the Great Mazinger Fire On! model kit set, a Premium Bandai exclusive that builds the legendary super robot with the engineering depth of a full hobby kit.
Because Premium Bandai items are released through Bandai's direct-order shop in Japan rather than general retail, sourced examples like these are a genuine find for UK collectors.
Why Collectors Rate Them
Bandai's great skill is tooling. Few companies can pack this much articulation, proportion and mechanical detail into formats this small. The shokugan lines have become a showcase for exactly that discipline. SO-DO figures pose as well as figures many times their size, while SMP kits deliver transformation and combination gimmicks that honour their source designs. With heritage licences such as Kamen Rider and Mazinger held close through decades of partnership, these are collectibles with real pedigree behind them.
Shop Authentic Bandai Collectibles at Zero Variant
Everything in this Bandai range is official Bandai product, produced under licence from the rights holders and sourced through legitimate channels, including genuine Premium Bandai exclusives. We pack orders carefully so boxes travel safely and our UK-based team is happy to answer questions. Have a look through the range and discover how much engineering fits inside a candy toy box.
FAQs
Who is Bandai?
One of Japan's biggest toy companies, founded in Tokyo in 1950 and part of the Bandai Namco group, with hobby lines that span model kits, candy toys and collector figures.
What is shokugan?
Literally a food toy, known in English as a candy toy: a Japanese format in which a figure or kit is sold with a small sweet. Modern shokugan such as SO-DO and SMP are engineered to collector standards.
Are these products officially licensed?
Yes. Everything in this Bandai range is official Bandai product made under licence, including the Premium Bandai exclusive releases.
Do SO-DO and SMP sets require assembly?
Yes, both are supplied as pre-coloured parts designed for straightforward assembly, which is part of the fun and needs no glue or paint skills to enjoy.