War in the Pocket Model Kits

Gunpla Build - High Grade Gelgoog Jäger 2022-05-31

I am kinda/sorta/not seriously trying to collect all of the mobile suits from 0080: War in the Pocket. I’ve come to like all of its mobile suit designs more and more over time, and because it’s a short OVA, there aren’t that many unique mecha (though there are more than you might think!) If ever you wanted to get a full set of Gunpla from a given Gundam show or film, this is about as easy as it’s going to get.

That being said, I don’t think I will literally collect them all - I don’t think, for example, that I necessarily need to have a Z’Gok E if I can get the standard version. My rule is more like “If a 0080 model is in stock, and I can afford it, I might as well grab it, but it’s not worth going on a wild goose chase (and/or breaking the bank) for any of them”.

As it turns out, one of these models did recently come back in stock, and I did have funds (in the form of reward points) to spend. So here now is the High Grade Gelgoog Jäger:

Gunpla Build - Gundam Alex (Final) 2021-04-17

The Gundam Alex is complete, and I’m ready to show it off in all its glory - but only after I show it in its Chobam Armor. That way I can get it out of the way:

Okay, I’ll admit it - the armor doesn’t look terrible. With all the dark shading and other minor detailing, it has some nice depth and texture to it. Plus, it doesn’t cover the body quite as much as I remember. You can still see a lot of nice detail from the Alex’s main body.

That being said, there isn’t much the model can do in this form. The arms, which means the guns can’t deploy. It could hold its beam rifle, but I don’t think it can hold onto its shield.

That’s the big problem with the armor - whether or not it looks cool, all you’re really going to get out of it is a standing pose. Imagine if it tried to fight with it on. What would it even do?

Gunpla Build - Gundam Alex (Part 2) 2021-04-11

Now we finally get to the part of this build that I actually worked on in the month of April.

As I mentioned in the intro, the Alex has a lot of tiny detailing work to be done, and I finally got it done on a night were I was feeling particularly low. My IDGAF attitude caused me stop worrying about how it would turn out and just push through it.

The results are better than what I did on the F91, though not quite perfect either. Let’s just say it is “good enough not to bother me”.

A sneek peak at some of the many (many!) tiny circles I had to paint

Gunpla Build - Gundam Alex (Part 1) 2021-04-09

Writer’s Note: I wrote this post back in February when I first started the build. That’s why I am posting it now, the same day that I’m posting the intro. No use keeping it unpublished when it’s already in the tank.

Runners

This model doesn’t have that many runners, but they are all quite large. The two runners in the top right corner are as long and wide as the box is.

One of those large runners is devoted entirely to the Chobam Armor. If we take it away - and then remove all the parts used for the weapons and accessories - we get roughly this many parts that are devoted to the actual body of the mobile suit:

That’s … actually still a lot of parts! This should be a fairly detailed High Grade.