Designers 3-D scanned an entire instant ramen meal for maximum non-edible authenticity.

If you like ramen, it’s probably hard to look at Nissin’s Cup Noodle and not feel at least a little rumbling in your stomach. For generations, it’s been the archetypal form of cup ramen, and its simple, comforting taste is loved around the world.

But wait, how come the one above is shown not with chopsticks, but pliers? That’s because it’s not meant for eating, but for permanent display, since this is a very special Cup Noodle that’s also a plastic model in exact 1:1 scale.

This is the newest entry in toymaker Bandai’s Best Hit Chronicle model line, which salutes epoch-making ideas that transcended the status of mere consumer goods and became part of fabric of modern Japanese pop culture.

If you’re wondering how Bandai’s designers managed to accurately recreate the contents of a Cup Noodle meal, they used a 3-D scanner to digitize the dimensions of the noodles and toppings.

▼ You get shrimp, egg, chives, and even chunks of Nissin’s famous “Mystery Meat” (which we solved the mystery of a while back).

So great is the attention to detail that the model’s noodles are denser at the top than they are at the bottom, mirroring the phenomenon that occurs when cooking actual Cup Noodles.

▼ Best Hit Chronicle (left) and real Cup Noodle (right)

While the fully assembled Best Hit Chronicle might look like its cup is one solid piece, it’s actually made up of an array of interlocking subsections, and putting it together looks like it should offer the satisfying complexity of a beginner-friendly anime mecha model.

The Best Hit Chronicle Cup Noodle is priced at 2,420 yen (US$22) and is available for online preorder here through the Premium Bandai online shop. Shipping is scheduled for September, but if you can’t wait that long for your model-building fix, there’s always the Best Hit Chronicle 2:5 scale original PlayStation, which is ridiculously detailed and provided us with an emotional trip down memory lane when we put it together.

Source: Bandai Hobby via Japaaan
Top image: @Press
Insert images: @Press, Bandai Hobby,
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