It’s how Char would handle his fan mail.

Though it’s Japan’s favorite science fiction franchise, Mobile Suit Gundam seems to have a soft spot for certain old-school aspects of everyday life, at least in terms of some of its recent merch. Last month saw the release of Gundam personal seals which you can use to legally sign documents in Japan, and now comes another mecha salute to paper media.

Instead of just taking a regular letter opener and splashing a Gundam logo or illustration on the handle, Premium Bandai has instead created a lovingly detailed recreation of the Heat Hawk, the gigantic hand ax wielded by Gundam’s Zeon military faction.

This isn’t just any Heat Hawk, either, but the Char Custom version, taken into battle by scene-stealing antagonist mecha ace Char Aznable, recognizable by its deep crimson color. Going the extra mile in quality, it’s not made from cheap plastic or rubber, but a metallic zinc alloy, which should give it a satisfyingly substantial weight for slicing open important correspondence.

At 13.7 centimeters (5.4 inches) in length it’s unfortunately too large to use as an accessory for most Gunpla plastic models, but that size also makes it an attractive interior decoration when not in use, while still being compact enough for its originally intended purpose as a letter opener (and far easier to use on an envelope than the Heat Hawk cooking knives).

The Char Custom Heat Hawk Letter Opener is available online here through the Premium Bandai website, priced at 3,300 yen (US$31) with shipping scheduled for February, which means they should get delivered right around the same time as those anti-coronavirus Char masks.

Source, images: Premium Bandai
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