Gundam Plamodel Thread IV

[Hikuro]

Maybe put it on a display stand, take off the right leg and left hand like in the movie and pop the VSBR's ahead. F91 is a plain ms in neutral poses but looks great in action.

funny cause it comes with the Big Ghinna mobile armor and Im waiting till I have the right kind of paint to detail the cockpit and Ironmask. Thought did cross my mind of just beating the crap out of it since it's not a great build imo.

I ended up having a much easier time building my RGM-79SP and did just a smidge of custom paint to it.

Is that the MG or HGUC F91? He might want to pull out the shoulder wings. It'll make the F91 a bit more interesting. I think F91 looks best when white and clean. I put very little effort in my MG F91 and it turned out ok.

Mines a MG, but once in a while you get a bad molded part, or parts.

I actually just ordered the RG Exia, LOVE Exia...one of my favorite modern designs.

I've never built a PG. From the photos I've looked at, though, the thing with the MG and PG kits is that, while they do add more parts, details, etc, they still look more like 3D representations of the animation models than scale models of military weapons. Gundam Planet has a page where they were showing what the different series mean by comparing all the different RX-78s, and I think that the RG looks better than the PG, and the MG looks like an upscaled HG.

Of course, if you want something bigger, PG is I guess the way to go. I assume that they might be really fun to build, too. Me personally, though, I want something that looks nice to display when I'm done. I think RGs look the best, and the 1/144 size means I can display more of them in the same space.

PG's were nice and not so expensive back in the day, I've built 2, PG Strike Gundam with Aile Pack and Skygrasper set, then I built the PG Zaku II when Amazon flubbed up big time on the price and had to honor all the orders. I don't mind a few bucks I mean it was I think a 75%+ mistake off!

[mikeszekely]

I actually just ordered the RG Exia, LOVE Exia...one of my favorite modern designs.

I'm not a huge fan of 00... honestly, I'm a borderline UC purist. But I did really like the Gundam designs from 00. Considering that Celestial Being was a small, private force (or terrorist group, take your pick), they were a lot more grounded than the ridiculously over-the-top designs of SEED, which are some of my least favorite. It's not so much that I'm against crazy designs, but it's one thing when it fits the setting, and another thing when you have what's supposed to be the regular military building crazy mecha that shoot tons of rainbow beams with names like Destroy, Calamity, Forbidden, Chaos, or Abyss.

Anyway, I was going to try really hard to stick to the UC RG kits, but I'd kind of like Exia myself.

Speaking of RG kits... I know that SEED is my least favorite Gundam, and I know that the mobile suits in SEED are more or less my least favorite mobile suits. But, like I said, there aren't any hobby stores around here that sell Gunpla. And since they're coming FedEx Smartpost, who knows when my RG Gundam and Mk II are coming. And I've been playing a ton of Dynasty Warriors Gundam Reborn (like, I have around 70 hours logged so far), and with an A-Rank plan, the Strike Freedom is kind of an OP beast. So, finding myself at a Barnes and Noble that sells Gunpla, but again only has Strike Freedom and Destiny in the RGs (actually, the only other 1/144 scale Gunpla at all there were the Wing Gudnam Fenice and the Sengoku Astray from Gundam Build Fighters), I broke down and bought both.

PG's were nice and not so expensive back in the day, I've built 2, PG Strike Gundam with Aile Pack and Skygrasper set, then I built the PG Zaku II when Amazon flubbed up big time on the price and had to honor all the orders. I don't mind a few bucks I mean it was I think a 75%+ mistake off!

Yeah. I mean, I'm glad that Bandai is giving hobbyists and Gundam fans a variety of lines and scales and what not. I'm glad they make PG kits, and I'm glad that people enjoy them and all. They do look nice. I just prefer to keep everything on the 1/144 scale, since all the ones I've built are already in that scale (and I happen to really like the RG kits). I mean, I've already built an RG Zeta and HG Wing Zero (Endless Waltz), Zaku I (Black Tri-Stars), Nu Gundam, and an RX-78 that I repainted as a Prototype Gundam, I have RG Destiny and Strike Freedom waiting to be built, and I've got RG Gundam and Mk II coming from Amazon. When I get through that, I'll probably see if I can find a 1/144 HG Deathscythe Hell (Endless Waltz) and an RG Zaku II (standard green).

[Scyla]

Does anyone know where I can order this add-on set for the upcoming Hi-Nu?

http://www.collectiondx.com/news_item/71614/master_grade_hinu_gundam_ver_ka_hws_set

Anyhow. I would love if Bandai puts out MGs of the other Gundam Wing Endless Walz suits. Not the regular ones but the Altron, Heavy Arms and Sandrock Kai and the Tallgeese III . They already release the Gundam Wing Zero, the Deathscyth Hell and the Epyon. So the other suits cannot be far behind right?

[close313]

NY also takes in orders for P-bandai exclusives. Just that their search and category system is pretty terrible if you wanna look for gundam kits.I got my MG Banshee Norn from them. Just be sure not to delay till a month before release since they usually close the pre order for these kits around a month before (just a rough estimate, may be less than a month but its better to be on the safe side)

Im thinking of getting the MG 00 7 Sword inspection colors and the red ver of the MG FA Unicorn from them..

[mikeszekely]

Started building RG Strike Freedom today. So far, he's been a bit easier than Zeta, partly because I know what I'm doing now and partly because he doesn't have Zeta's overly complicated transformation mechanisms built into his torso. Strike Freedom also seems to have less sticker details. I've got the main body built, I just have to build the weapons (including the Super Dragoon and hip-mounted railguns).

Of course, no sooner than I start building when the mail guy brings me a box from Amazon, so now I have three RG kits waiting to go after Strike Freedom.

EDIT: Stayed up too late, but Strike Freedom is done.

Edited July 17, 2014 by mikeszekely

[Nekko Basara]

Sounds like you are thoroughly hooked on the RGs, Mike. I think that's great, and I love the picture.

I don't know much about SEED at all - my wife and I couldn't work up much enthusiasm after two episodes - bit I feel like the over-the-top designs have a certain charm. They mostly seem to be very slender and lithe mobile suits with outrageous backbacks. Realistic military equipment? Heck no... but does any red, white, and blue giant humanoid robot really look like plausible military hardware?

If you want a cheap and fun side-project that gets a lot closer to "realistic" looking, check out the HGUC LOTO 2-pack from Unicorn. Those things could pass for destroids, IMO.

[mikeszekely]

Sounds like you are thoroughly hooked on the RGs, Mike. I think that's great, and I love the picture.

I don't know much about SEED at all - my wife and I couldn't work up much enthusiasm after two episodes - bit I feel like the over-the-top designs have a certain charm. They mostly seem to be very slender and lithe mobile suits with outrageous backbacks. Realistic military equipment? Heck no... but does any red, white, and blue giant humanoid robot really look like plausible military hardware?

If you want a cheap and fun side-project that gets a lot closer to "realistic" looking, check out the HGUC LOTO 2-pack from Unicorn. Those things could pass for destroids, IMO.

Yeah, I went from "I'll try one or two" to "I'll get all the UC kits" to "if it says RG on the box, I'm buying it!"

I know that "realistic" is relative. And it's not that I don't like unrealistic mecha, but they have to be appropriate to the setting. The Gundams in G Gundam are ridiculous, for example, but it's a pretty ridiculous setting. I hate on SEED because it was a lousy remake of the original Gundam that ended with ridiculous mecha being ostensibly fielded as regular military units shooting rainbows at each other. Put another way, I like Deathscythe Hell, especially the Endless Waltz version. It fits the Gundam Wing setting, as a one-off machine built by a colony as a symbol of resistance. If the Federation built it and fielded it against the AEUG during the Gryps War, though, I'd hate it.

But, like I said, I have a feeling I'll wind up with most of the RG kits. I definitely want the GP-01 and GP-01fb, and the green Zaku II. I'm iffy on Char's Zaku II, and while I do want a Z'Gok, same deal, I'm waiting to see if they release the blue one, because I'm not sold on a Char's. Aile Strike and Exia are making my list. I think I'm passing on the Skygrasper and the Titans Mk II. I'm not sure if Freedom is different enough from Strike Freedom to warrant a purchase. Likewise, I'm not sure if I want to get Justice if they might release Infinite Justice later.

As for HG kits, I'm still going to try to track down a D-Hell (EW) to go with the Wing Zero I found. Beyond that... there's a couple of mobile suits I want in my collection no matter what. Whether I go HG or not depends on how much I want them, how likely they are to be released in RG kits, and how much I think they'll benefit from RG's extra details. I think, for example, that I might get a HGUC Unicorn Gundam (Destroy Mode), but I won't get a ZZ Gundam until/unless it turns up in the RG series.

[Nekko Basara]

I hear you on the Freedom / Strike Freedom choice. I just split in the other direction and did Freedom because I couldn't stomach that mustard-colored frame. But yours looks great, and my wife has actually been making noises about wanting to try the Strike Freedom as her first RG!

I haven't been building much, but I have Char's Zaku II on deck (I also lean towards green over red, but looking at other Gundam and Macross kits on my wish list, there seemed to be more red options, so I decided to go for a theme). Mk II and Aile Strike also look tempting, although I think the former is on the same frame as the GP-01, and I'm not thrilled with how those hips work.

[mog_kupo]

Can't believe I didn't see this topic before, I just started in the Gunpla a few months ago, and I just can't remember why haha

So far I've only been focused in the RG line having finished the MK-II, Destiny, Exia, Freedom, Destiny orange variation and the pink Zeta, and in the next months I will be gettin a few MG ver Ka

[mikeszekely]

the pink Zeta

Pink Zeta?

...you're not talking about the Zeta 3, are you? Amuro's mostly white Zeta from Green Divers? It was a web exclusive or something, and one of the few repaints I actually really want (although it's tough to find for less than $70).

If I did ever get my hands on one, I'd want Bandai to do an RG RX-78-3, too.

Nice MK II, BTW. I'm building one after I finish my RX-78-2.

[mog_kupo]

Pink Zeta?

...you're not talking about the Zeta 3, are you? Amuro's mostly white Zeta from Green Divers? It was a web exclusive or something, and one of the few repaints I actually really want (although it's tough to find for less than $70).

If I did ever get my hands on one, I'd want Bandai to do an RG RX-78-3, too.

Nice MK II, BTW. I'm building one after I finish my RX-78-2.

Yep, Zeta 3, only problem was that I made a mistake with one of the chest stickers

Mnadarake has a few, around 5k yens plus shipping

http://ekizo.mandarake.co.jp/shop/en/search.do?action=keyword&doujin=all&keyword=RG&searchStrategy=keyword

[Nekko Basara]

I made a little album of my RG Freedom.

[Hikuro]

Good job.

I'm waiting on paint to dry on my GM's before I start trashing them up....sooooo I started working on the MG Wing Zero Prototype....hm, not bad, it's coming together nicely at least! But the build is going so fast! I gotta slow 'er down.

[mikeszekely]

Finished my RX-78.

On the plus side, he looks fantastic. You can even take that little Core Fighter, fold it up, and jam it inside (although they include, and the instructions have you use, a Core Fighter-shaped piece for building it). On the minus side, I think this was my least favorite RG kit of the three I've built. He's got four main issues:

1. The bronze-colored stickers on his elbows and the backs of his knees do not want to stick. I could lick a sheet of copy paper and it would stick better to this model.
2. Maybe this is just because it's the first in the series, but the engineering of the "advanced joints" don't seem to match the rest of the kit. Moving his elbows or his knees will, at best, create gaps in the seems between parts. At worst, parts will come off.
3. His shoulder armor isn't connected to anything. The pegs coming out of the torso are threaded through holes in the armor before pegging into the shoulder joints. This makes them sort of floppy.
4. Stuff pops off when you handle it. Take your pick... the thruster nozzles on his backpack, his skirt armor, heck, even his arms. The pieces of his shoulder armor come apart so easily that I'm thinking about breaking out the glue.

As a display piece, the RG RX-78 is probably the best-looking RX-78 you can buy. I even think it looks better than the PG (although I'm going by pictures). I think the HG version is more fun to play with, though.

[Nekko Basara]

Looking good! Better action pose than I can usually manage.

All of your observations on the RX-78-2 match my experience with it, and what I have read in reviews. Bandai clearly learned a lot from this kit, and later ones reflect improvements in several of those areas. The front skirts and thruster nozzles are the worst parts for me.

Having said that, I don't think any other RG uses color separation (in the sense of having multiple hues of the same color) as extensively or as well as that kit. Part of the reason it falls apart so easily is that it has more parts than strictly necessary just to achieve the contrast of, say, three slightly different light grays in each limb. Later kits will still have two or even three shades of each color, but there doesn't seem to be as much effort put into using them in interesting ways on the same area.

Also, I personally think the way the armor moves around the joints is not worse on the RX-78-2, it's just different. The animated design is so simple relative to later ones that it just doesn't have any of that complexity inherent in the armor, so it's all "invented" for the models. And rather than having armor move around in really dynamic ways that don't fit the base design, it mostly just shifts and opens up gaps. I dig it, but I see that it's a matter of taste.

Oh, and those joint stickers? Yeah, they just suck. I started just skipping them and using copper paint or even metallic Sharpie instead..

Here's a little gallery of my RX-78-2 and GP-01.

[anime52k8]

If scale isn't a problem, the 1/48 mega size rx-78 is a good choice. It has the sculpt of the RG with the build of an HGUC and it's bigger than a PG. And they make decal setsvfor it so if you've got some basic painting skills, you can make it look like a giant RG.

[mikeszekely]

If scale isn't a problem, the 1/48 mega size rx-78 is a good choice. It has the sculpt of the RG with the build of an HGUC and it's bigger than a PG. And they make decal setsvfor it so if you've got some basic painting skills, you can make it look like a giant RG.

Well, scale is a kind of a problem. Aside from the fact that I want to keep all my models in the same scale (and I guess I've settled on 1/144), I don't have room for the kits I have, let alone bigger ones. Right now, I have an RG Gundam, RG Strike Freedom, RG Zeta, HG Wing Zero, HG Nu Gundam, HG Gundam (that I repainted to look like the Prototype Gundam), and a HG Zaku I Black Tri-Stars sitting on my kitchen table (plus an RG Destiny and RG Mk II AEUG in boxes waiting to be built). Thankfully my wife and I usually eat in the living room.

Then there's the the basic painting skills... I don't have any. I'm not sure that there's anything I have less aptitude for.

Here's a little gallery of my RX-78-2 and GP-01.

I see you're a bit better with the stickers than I am!

How's the GP01? I'm not sure if I want to do it, the Zaku II, or Exia next (after the Mk II and Destiny).

[mog_kupo]

Does anyone know where I can order this add-on set for the upcoming Hi-Nu?

http://www.collectiondx.com/news_item/71614/master_grade_hinu_gundam_ver_ka_hws_set

Anyhow. I would love if Bandai puts out MGs of the other Gundam Wing Endless Walz suits. Not the regular ones but the Altron, Heavy Arms and Sandrock Kai and the Tallgeese III . They already release the Gundam Wing Zero, the Deathscyth Hell and the Epyon. So the other suits cannot be far behind right?

Nippon-Yassan put them on this morning, I saw them around 6 am but I didn't ordered them

And now they are out of stock

SUCKS

[CrazyDude]

With the RG kits I paint most of the decals, easier for the copper etc.

Yes, some parts like to drop off so I glue all parts to the attachment points, this way I can still move it after assembly. Tamiya thin cement works well for that.

[close313]

Nippon-Yassan put them on this morning, I saw them around 6 am but I didn't ordered them

And now they are out of stock

SUCKS

WHAT?! Never had that happen before!

[mog_kupo]

WHAT?! Never had that happen before!

I couldn't believe it too

http://www.nippon-yasan.com/gundam/8084-mg-1-100-hi-gundam-verka-hws-expansion-set-limited-edition.html

[mikeszekely]

So, the other day my buddy texts me to tell me I can get Call of Duty: Ghosts for the Xbox One for $6 from Rakuten. Now, I prefer my shooters on the PC, but I figure for $6 it's something people can do when they come over.

Meanwhile, my buddy has a birthday. He wasn't really into Gundam, but he likes the Dynasty Warriors games, and he likes games where you have to unlock a bunch of stuff, so I loaned him Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3. Without actually watching much more than Wing back when it was on Cartoon Network and the 08th MS Team, he starts getting into Gundam. So, for his birthday, his wife decides to get him some of his favorite mobile suits. She ordered and built for him a 1/100 HG Gundam Epyon, and a MSiA Infinite Justice. She also got him an MSiA Gouf Custom, because ever since he saw Norris Packard wreck a bunch of Federation mobile suits with it it's been his favorite non-Gundam mobile suit.

The other day, I get an email from Rakuten thanking me for my order and giving me a promo code for $10 off of a $20 purchase. I figure I'd look to see if they have any RG kits. No dice. So I look to see if they have any HG kits, which they did. I see lots of SEED, 00, and AGE kits; nothing I'm too interested in. But eventually I found a kit worth ordering.

An HGUC Gouf Custom.

[Hikuro]

Man, Bandai really pumped out HG Wing, SEED, 00 and AGE kits back in the day....just pump 'em out like Fing baby units, KABOOM! KABOOM! oh look twins KABOO-OOM!

I was at the hobby store very far from home and their first few levels on the shelf are either BF HG kits or Wing. Almost walked away with a Thunderbolt FA Gundam which looked pretty neat, but instead I thought "I've never built the Gundam(G) type" and picked that MG up instead and been having a good time with it.

[Nekko Basara]

How's the GP01? I'm not sure if I want to do it, the Zaku II, or Exia next (after the Mk II and Destiny).

Well, I'll preface briefly by saying that I recently gave up on Stardust Memory halfway through, because I found it dull, wooden, and horrendously sexist (even by 90s anime standards!). But I do love the Kawamori MS designs, and although Wing is the only Gundam series I have much history with, I owned an awesome 1/60 toy of the GP-01fb fifteen or so years ago, so it holds a special place for me. I chose to do the "plain" Zephyranthes in RG, though, because I always found those back boosters to be awkward.

Anyhow, the RG is slightly compromised by the fully functioning core fighter (which cannot be skipped like in the RX-78-2). The waist can be a bit loose and may not have as much flexibility as other suits (although it stil has some!), and the top of the torso does like to detach. Basically, it just makes it more fiddly and troublesome to pose, but I think it's well worth it for that amazing feature.

The design is very brawny and dynamic compared to the RX-78-2; any way that you pose it, it looks like it is either in motion or coiled like a spring. I think that's fantastic, but the thicker limbs do mean a bit less range of motion. And the hip skirts aren't going anyplace on this one - they are constructed much better. Aside from the easily-detached torso, my only big gripe with the GP-01 is that the hip joint does not allow the legs to swing straight under the pelvis to assume an "at attention" type pose. The suit must always have its legs spread in a slight A-stance, which is, again, very dynamic, but also limiting to the looks you can get. In a nutshell, if the RX-78-2 can pose like a real human, the GP-01 is limited to posing more like a burly anime boxer. I may be overstating it, though - it's still fantastically poseable, and the way the armor moves in the process is masterful.

Accessories are what you'd expect and not much more. It has some trigger/beam saber holding hands, so you don't have to rely on the fully articulated ones, but no splayed or emotive hands. It has no bazooka, but it does have spare beam saber handles, so you can show the ones without pegs on its back and use the peg ones to hold. The rifle and the shield look nice enough, although my shield had some molding marks that had to be sanded out, followed with a clearcoat.

Just a few other observations. It has absolutely miniscule cleats or something that fold out of the soles of its feet; I have no idea why, but they are one of the smallest mechanisms I have seen on a model kit, so I am impressed. In a strange move for a RG, the canopy of the core fighter needs some white paint to look show accurate. However, you won't see that if you keep it tucked away. The suit does have all the hinges to let you open the canopy and chest for pilot access in MS mode - more insane engineering.

On an aesthetic level, the RG GP-01 looks very different from the RX-78-2. Not only is the design itself chunkier, more detailed, and more dynamic, but the kits differ in some key details. The color-separation of multiple whites/grays is much less pronounced, usually separating only large sections of armor and being much less noticeable overall. The panels lines are also much heavier on the GP-01; on the RX-78-2 they are like fine spiderwebs, whereas the GP-01 is covered in deep, dark trenches by comparison. It's very striking, but again lends a slightly more cartoonish look (if you don't detail the panel lines, this is probably much less apparent). I don't know if my pictures captures this, but I find the two suits almost look like they came from different lines when placed together.

Alright, so I wrote way too much. Bottom line is that the GP-01 is another amazing RG. It's fiddly in the extreme, but that's to be expected. It would probably be very redundant to build both it and the "Full Bernen" version, but I definitely suggest getting one of the pair.

[Hikuro]

the RG GP01 is a decent kit. Due to it's small size I had a bit of an issue with the core fighter's construction, not much, just a bit. There are some incredibly tiny pieces to this that were difficult such as putting on the radio antenna, not the V Fin, the radio bleeping antenna it has!

[mikeszekely]

While I love the detail that goes into the RG line, I don't think I've built a kit yet that isn't fiddly. The question is usually "how much"?

In trying to re-pose the RX-78 with the bazooka instead of the beam rifle both arms popped off, causing the shoulder armor to fall and explode into their component pieces, both thrusters came off, and one of the hip skirts came off. Move Strike Freedom and his shoulder armor comes off. After putting it back, he falls over because the weight of the wings/Super Dragoons means he has to be positioned just so. And Zeta, well, you can pose him how you like, as long as you accept that when you're done you'll have to peg his chest back into place and pull his head back out. I think I said it before about the RX-78, but I'm starting to think it might be true for the whole line... RG makes for some gorgeous display pieces. I think they look better than than PG kits, to be honest. But posing them seems to require careful, deliberate manipulation. Unlike the HGs, you can't really play with the finished model.

We'll see if my opinion changes. I have the inner frame done on the Mk II, so I'll probably wrap him up today. I thought I'd hate it when I saw the cloth sheathe and wire you have to cut to make the little hoses/cables in the legs and backpack, but I wound up really loving them. The results look fantastic. We'll see if applying the armor changes things, but so far the Mk II might be my favorite RG kit.

[Nekko Basara]

Really curious about your experience with the Mk II. It is on my short list because I have read that it is very solid and less fiddly than some of the other RGs. I think it uses the same inner frame as the GP01 (but with a full torso), so I'd like to hear what you think of the hips in particular.

[mikeszekely]

Really curious about your experience with the Mk II. It is on my short list because I have read that it is very solid and less fiddly than some of the other RGs. I think it uses the same inner frame as the GP01 (but with a full torso), so I'd like to hear what you think of the hips in particular.

What about the hips did you want to know? The actual joint, which I have done, or how it is when the waist armor and skirts are attached? All I can say so far is that the frame seems nice. You can't see it once the front of the frame is attached, but there's a red round panoramic cockpit. And like I said, I was a little put off at first when I opened the box and there's a plastic bag with a length of wire and a similar length of a woven cloth sleeve. At various points in the instructions, there's a guide that shows you to measure off that much of each, cut them, feed the wire through the sleeve, then stick one end in one area of a part then the other end in another area. I thought it'd be difficult to get the right length, or that they'd pop out, but it turns out that it's pretty easy to use the guide in the instructions, and the way other parts will stack lock the hoses in place. They give you maybe a cm more material than you need, too, so it's ok if you're not perfectly precise. The end result looks simply fantastic (although, since they're on the back of the legs, you can't see it in this picture...)

Since I haven't built a GP01 yet, I can't really compare. Does it look like the same frame? I didn't think that the GP01 has hoses?

[Nekko Basara]

I'm not totally sure if it's the same frame, but the details I can spot make me think so (but, no, the GP01 has no hoses). The big thing is those double pistons on the front of the ankles. Anyways, what I mostly want to know is if it can bring its legs down straight below the pelvis to knock the feet together, or if they must always be slightly spread. It's a small detail, but I find it really changes some of the posing options.

I also appreciate your thoughts on the hoses. I was skeptical about how those would go together - glad to hear they aren't bad. The Zaku II has something a bit similar with its hoses, which are flexible plastic rods that you sort of string cylinders onto like beads. They have me concerned; I'll let you know how they work out.

Edited July 21, 2014 by Nekko Basara

[Mommar]

I've been interested in Gundam stuff for awhile but I'm confused about what sizes all of these RG's, HG's, MG's etc... are. I have some old Gundam Wing kits that were 1/144 High Grade, I think, and my brother preferred Master Grade which was 1/100. I have no idea where any of these different models and rankings fall in with one another now.

[Nekko Basara]

HG = 1/144 Simpler kits, easy to build and pose. Rarely have an inner frame.

MG = 1/100 Greater detail, usually with some "gimmicks." Inner frames (or partial ones) are common on recent kits.

PG = 1/60 "Perfect" representations, replete with detail and gimmicks. Use full inner frames with layered armor.

RG = 1/144 Detail similar to MG or PG, but much smaller and less expensive (and very fiddly as a result). Full inner frame system.

[Mommar]

Thanks. It was the addition of the Real Grade that started to confuse me I guess. Since it's a new grade with the same scale as HG.

[mikeszekely]

Anyways, what I mostly want to know is if it can bring its legs down straight below the pelvis to knock the feet together, or if they must always be slightly spread. It's a small detail, but I find it really changes some of the posing options.

I don't have the skirt and waist armor done yet, but it looks like his ankles can touch.

I've been interested in Gundam stuff for awhile but I'm confused about what sizes all of these RG's, HG's, MG's etc... are.

There's a great comparison of the different scale Gundam kits with the RX-78 as an example at Gundam Planet.

[Hikuro]

I don't recall if I ever had issues with the rx782 Rg. I DID have tubing issues with the Zaku. They didn't stay secure most of the time during posing and I learned to deal with that over time.

The most problematic RG kit I've had and seems to be this way with ANY of its HG and MG variants is the ZETA Gundam. The transformation is just the crappiest I've ever encountered!

[mikeszekely]

Ok, I finished my Mk II!

After completing it, I'll say that the Mk II is hands-down the best RG kit I've done, by a very wide margin. Like I said before, the other RG kits looked great but there was always something fiddly with them, in some cases it was minor (Strike Freedom's shoulder armor coming off, being back-heavy) in others more serious (if you look at Zeta the wrong way his head is going into his chest like a turtle). Well, there really isn't any of that with the Mk II. He moves the way you want, with nothing popping off or anything. Even his skirt armor and backpack thrusters have stayed put for me. He's very solid, plus he was a the most fun to build. Plus, stuff that wasn't really a problem on other kits actually works better here, like the cockpit door or the clip to carry the bazooka on his butt-skirt. My only complaints would be that his feet have less articulation than the RX-78's, so the bent-on-one-knee pose is a little more work to balance, and that the vulcan pod on his head doesn't leave his head with a lot of room to move. Personally, I'm cool leaving the vulcan pod off.

Seriously, if you only buy one RG kit in your life, make sure it's the Mk II. This kit is so good I'm rethinking my decision to just to do the AEUG version.