[tipsydoo]

Mecha fandom doesn't necessarily cross over with anime fandom (even though the former is arguably the origin of the latter). I find that there's more crossover with hobbyists (plastic models), military fandom, and gamers. Gundam is almost it's own thing (to Sunrise's simultaneous satisfaction and chagrin), and the Site Which Shall Not Be Named split a Mecha board off of the Anime board almost 2 decades ago. I don't know that the fandom will be represented on MAL, which is itself a niche service for the wider anime-watching community.

Suffice it to say, the multiple life-scale Gundam statues that have been put up/dismantled over the past few years speak to its enduring popularity. I will say that there haven't been as many non-Gundam mecha anime as there were in the 2010s. We did get G-Witch and Bravern last year, and Hathaway on Netflix in 2021. And, as someone said, AOT is essentially Meat Gundam.

EDIT: Also, I don't know that I'd even call 86 mainstream. It felt like it actually got way less recognition than it should have.