Well, this is a bit different. This is the Bandai 1:1 Nissin Cup Noodle kit. I believe Nissin were the first company to market instant noodles, back in 1971. I ate them many times when we were in Japan in 2015. The kit is typical of Bandai, with multi-coloured sprues and push fit construction.
There’s a multi-part noodle nest, and a full compliment of accompaniments, including prawns, egg, and soy meat substitute. There’s also a little strip of vinyl to cut in to small pieces to replicate the dried Leek bits. The pot itself is covered in engraved detail that can be painted, but Bandai also supply all the labelling as stickers, along with markings for the prawns. There are more frames than shown here, with parts for constructiong the pot itself. (One panel remains removable on the finished model so you can see the noodles in place, illustrating the ingenius way there are packed to avoid transit damage.) The whole thing is topped off with a self-adhesive foil lid, just like the real thing.
The instructions are a delight, being peppered with little info panels about the noodles themselves, detailing how they are paced, and the methd used to stop the dry noodles being broken up in transit. There’s also a potted (ahem…) history of the development of the noodles. Such a fun idea, and as a big fan of all instant noodles I really look forward to putting this together.
latibuliser.com 