I never knew I wanted a model of a Cup Noodle.
Bandai's "Best Hit Chronicle 1/1 Cup Noodle" model is exactly as advertised, a 1/1 scale model of the popular instant noodle. The package contains plastic parts to build the iconic cup, a block of noodle to go in that cup, 5 pieces of shrimp, 8 pieces of eggs, and 8 pieces of mystery meat. Like, literally labeled "mystery meat" in the manual. That was the first highlight of this kit.
Actually Cup Noodle's mystery meat has been known as such for a while, but it's just a bit of history that I wasn't aware of until I got this kit. Other bits of history in that manual include how Cup Noodles are manufactured upside down, which was apparently a stroke of genius in enabling proper mass production of Cup Noodles. The manual certainly added a fair bit of value, although it doesn't actually clarify what's in the real mystery meat (there are conflicting sources saying whether it's beef or pork).
The model itself is fairly easy to build. Most pieces are large and fits together nicely. An especially nice touch is how most of the color patterns are built out of plastic inlays, including the large stylized "Cup Noodle" letters. Some of the finer details required patching up using the supplied stickers, including my favorite bit on the bottom that shows infinite best-by date. This it not a kit that can be assembled in under 3 minutes, but it's not something that will take 3 hours.
When I first saw news of Cup Noodle model going on sale, I thought the premise was just kind of ridiculous. Do I really need an inedible replica of a Cup Noodle? But I just bought the thing on a whim and assembled it, and honestly it exceeded my expectations. Bandai is better known for their Gundam models, but this Cup Noodle is definitely one of their more memorable products.
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