Ask John: What is Gundam Evolve?

Question:
What exactly is “Gundam Evolve?” I’m seeing DVDs for it all over the place. Is it a fan film?

Answer:
Gundam Evolve is a series of promotional videos produced by Bandai and Sunrise animation. The first Gundam Evolve DVD includes a documentary look at how plastic Gundam models are made, and a pair of short full-CG rendered Gundam movies featuring the Zeta Gundam Mk II and the G-Gundam. The other Gundam Evolve DVDs include similar content. The first Gundam Evolve DVD was included as a free bonus disc in the first 10,000 units of the Perfect Grade RX-78-2 model kit. The second Gundam Evolve DVD was included as a limited edition free gift in the packaging of the Perfect Grade RX-178 Gundam Mk-II model kit. The third Gundam Evolve DVD was included as a limited edition bonus in the Master Grade GF13-017NJ Shining Gundam model kit. And the fourth Gundam Evolve DVD was included as a bonus in the initial production run of the High Grade RX-78 GP03 model kit. As far as I’m aware, these DVDs were never sold individually in Japan. So beware of the dozens of retailers that sell pirated English and Chinese optional subtitled Gundam Evolve DVDs online.