Last post I posted a teaser of the Kämpfer’s arsenal, but refrained from going into any detail. It would simply cause that last post to run to long. So let’s start fresh. Be warned, it is still going to take a while.
The first thing I built was Kämpfer’s most iconic tool, the chain mine. I built it while watching several episodes of Gundam 0083, and it took up the entire night all on its own. The reason is that the chain mine is made up of thirteen separate mines, each of which is made out of two pieces. That’s a lot of snipping, trimming, and sanding. Here’s what it looks like once it is done:
The mines are strung across a piece of black wire. You can slide the mines along the length of it, and if you bend it in any direction it will stay in place. Dutiful and dedicated builders should be able to make some very dynamic looking action shots (though I haven’t tested whether the wire will stay in place when hoisted high up in the air).
Each side of the mine pieces has a different set of grooves for panel lining. I’m not sure if I’m actually going to bother, however, since it would be a lot of work. Also, there’s a section on the top of each mine that’s supposed to be colored yellow. I don’t see any decals for these, so I’m assuming I’m supposed to paint it in myself. I don’t have any yellow paint or markers, so I guess I’ll have to leave it alone.
Next up are the Sturm Fausts. There’s not much to look at here, just a pair of handheld RPG’s. They don’t fire or anything.
After that we have the beam sabers. I love these sabers thanks to the colors. The blue handle and yellow beam are a far cry from the standard white/red combo most Gundams have. I also noticed that the handles are a bit longer than the EZ8’s were, though the size of the EZ8’s beam sabers is likely due to the fact that they had to be small to fit within the unit’s leg armor.
The Kämpfer has not one, but two shotguns. They have the same barrel, and they both come with a long and a short stock. I guess you could make them look the same, but what’s the fun in that?
These shotguns have a few panel lining grooves, but not much. I think the most interesting thing about them is how different they end up looking just by changing the shape of the stock. My mind knows that they’re more similar than they are different, but my eyes don’t believe it.
Last (but certainly not least) are the rocket launchers, the biggest of any I’ve assembled. What they have in size they lack in other areas. For one, the main body is made out of just two big halves snapped together. It makes the weapon look like it is made out of one big chunk of plastic. There’s nothing that differentiates the trigger from the barrel from the ammo clip on the back.
Second, there’s not a ton of good opportunities for panel lining, though I did what I could. Lastly, I noticed one photo in the manual that shows just a little bit of green color in the scope. I see no decals for this, so I’m assuming it’s another instance of “paint it this color if you’d like to”. I’d very much like to, as it would give the rocket some much needed color and pop. But once again, I don’t have the resources.
All told, while the individual weapons aren’t the most detailed, the overall arsenal is impressive for its sheer size and variety. It was fun building them, but now I’m itching to get to the Kämpfer itself.
Other Thoughts
I’m trying to figure out whether the chain mine is actually a piece of standard equipment for the Kämpfer. Fans online insist it is not, but I don’t think the answer is obvious. On one hand, yes, the Kämpfer doesn’t start out equipped with the mines. The pilot ends up grabbing them out of a supply truck that it happens to be standing by when it encounters the Gundam Alex.
That suggests it was an improvised weapon. But how did the pilot know what would be in the truck, and why would there be chain mines there in the first place? If they were Federation equipment meant for the Alex, you’d think they wouldn’t leave them outside. And if it wasn’t standard equipment, how did the pilot know how to use them? It’s still possible it was improvised, but another possibility is that the rest of the Zeon team snuck supply trucks into the base while they were disguised as Federation troops. They would know where the entrance to the mobile suit hangar would be, so they would know where to place the supplies so that the Kämpfer could grab them on the way to its target.
Amazingly, the model is able to carry almost all of its weapons at once. The only ones I’m unsure of are the beam sabers. If those are stored somewhere on the unit, then the Kämpfer can in fact carry its entire arsenal at once (as long as you place a weapon in each hand). The only other kit I have that can do the same is the Gundam Mk. II.
Since those two big runners were used for (almost) nothing but weapons - and since the beam sabers are on a runner of their own - I’ve already gone through three runners without building a single piece of the mobile suit itself. This makes me believe that it will actually be made of fewer pieces than the EZ8. Color me intrigued.
- While I complained about the lack of complexity in building the rocket launchers, I probably shouldn’t be surprised. While it’s true that two of my Gundam models have detailed, nice looking bazookas, the Real Grade Zaku II has one that is also plain and grey (and not a ton more complicated than this one). The Zeon mobile suits appear to look at these kinds of weapons as disposable, hence their simplicity.
Phew, we made it to the end. Check out the gallery for (mostly the same) pictures.