I came across a booth at the Middle East Film and Comic Convention selling these Transformer-esque toys. Little did I know that I’d be falling head-over-heels in love with these Gundam robots, or Gunpla (Gundam Plastic Models), as they’re officially called. The generous folks at www.otakume.com were giving away free Gunpla kits to people willing to register and attempt to assemble these robots. I naturally registered and, after a while, was building my first ever Gundam.

These kits come with complete instruction sets; you have to cut, join and assemble the entire Gundam from scratch. These components come as molded plastic sheets that you have to cut parts of using a cutter. If you happen to love puzzles, you’ll absolutely adore these robots. The precision with which each piece fits into the other is mesmerizing, to say the least. It’s a good hobby for kids and adults alike and serves to be a good distraction from technology. What’s more, it helps hone your hand-eye coordination, a skill necessary for several professions.

With two kids hovering over me, it took me around one-and-a-half hour to assemble this bad boy. These kits start from around $25 and go all the way up to a few thousand. I’m still trying to navigate the intricacies of grades and classes; having said that, I can’t wait to get my hands on the next one!