Gunpla Build - HG GM Command Space Type (Part 1)

Despite being so similar, the runners for the Space Command are not identical to the regular GM Command:

The most obvious difference is the dark grey “C” runner. Each kit has a different version of it containing its unique parts (mainly their gun and thrusters).

But there are also some subtle differences in their “A” runners. It’s easiest to demonstrate with some illustrations from their instruction manuals:

On the GM Command’s runner , there’s a unique section in the top left corner containing the parts for its backpack. But on the Space Command’s runner, there is a different section, with the parts for its backpack, in the top right corner.

Also, for some reason, the GM Command’s version has an extra part, A-18, that’s not present on the Space Command’s.

I’m not an expert on injection mold techniques, but my guess is that adding and removing small sections like this is something that’s easy to do on the manufacturing line. Bandai loves to reuse runners as much as possible, and I refuse to believe they would have created new, separate molds for this runner.

(PS - as far as I can tell, the two “B” runners are identical, with no caveats)

Now let’s dig into the build itself. Fair warning - as you might expect, this is extremely similar to the GM Command. Here is a link to its build post if you’d like to compare and contrast.

Shield

This is the same shield as the GM Command, but in a different color:

The only “problem” is that because of this, the back of the shield contains two magazines for the Command’s bullpup machine gun, which clearly the Space Command has no use for.

I still painted them in for the sake of consistency.

Beam Saber

In the old days of the HGUC line, you had the “toothpick” style beam saber, where the blade and the handle were molded together in a single piece. I just recently encountered this design with the old High Grade GM.

And of course, modern High Grades use a separate beam blade made out of clear plastic.

But Bandai didn’t just jump from one design to the other. There was at least one brief intermediary step, in which the toothpick style saber was molded into the hand:

This is the style used by the High Grade GM Cold Districts, GM Command, and Space Command models¹. That means I’ve seen this design before, though I had honestly forgotten about it until this build.

But now that I’m reminded of it again, I remember how much I dislike it. It has one thing going for it, namely that because it’s all molded together, the handle literally cannot slip out of the hand. But that’s offset by a whole bunch of flaws:

• You have to do extra color correction. Not only must you paint the beam blade, but also the hand and fingers. I’ve done it before, and it’s a pain in the butt.
• Because it is all molded together, your model can’t go with a reverse grip of the handle. Maybe this is minor, but there are a lot of fun poses you can do with a reverse grip.
• Because it is all molded together, you also can’t pose the model with its beam saber in its left hand (unless you equip it with a beam saber from another model).

This design works okay for something like the Cold Districts Type, which has only one beam saber. But both of the GM Command variants have two sabers. That means that, out of the box, you can’t pose it with both sabers in hand.

Basically, you have one pro against a whole list of cons. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

Whatever. I’m not going to use it anyway, so it’s a moot point.

Beam Gun

This was the hardest part of the build.

The Space Command’s Beam Gun is the rare weapon that is color coordinated with its mobile suit:

Red and White are two of my least favorite colors to work with, and I had to use them both.

This is not my best work, but it might be one of my best works with white paint (which isn’t saying much). Honestly, all I’m hoping for is that it looks good enough in photos, and on the shelf.

Head

It’s the same as the GM Command, but in a different color:

As we just saw with the Guncannon Revive, modern kits of Earth Federation mobile suits tend to have some kind of surface detail hiding behind the clear head visor. But these War in the Pocket GM’s are very old, and lack such detail. In fact, the Gunpla wiki actually suggests you sculpt some details yourself and stuff them inside the head (though it doesn’t recommend what kind of material to use).

Alas, I did not go that far.

Chest

Again, same as the GM Command, right down to the annoying antenna on its clavicle:

Backpack

I think this backpack is cool in the sense that I like how the thrusters are placed all along the perimeter, so it can generate thrust in different directions while out in space.

Visually, however, I don’t think it’s quite as cool as the GM Command’s backpack. That one has a lot of cool surface detail that gets striped out here:

Lower Torso

Same as the GM Command’s:

There’s a bunch of markings on all the skirt armor, and in the past I filled those in completely with paint. This time, however, I went with a lighter bit of highlighting around the perimeter. This is the way it’s done in the instruction manual, and it’s a style that’s slowly growing on me.

Legs

This is where it (almost) went all wrong.

After assembling one of the legs, I realized I forgot to insert the top polycap:

That meant having to pry the whole thing apart. This is when I learned that the Tamiya cement I use to remove seam lines actually does cement the parts together. Not only because it was tough to disassemble, but also because of how gnarly the plastic looked along the seam line when I was done.

After fixing this mistake (and reapplying cement), I then realized that I put the bottom polycap in backwards. On both legs:

That mean a second and third attempt at prying them apart. Only this time it went much worse. I broke the housing that holds the bottom polycap. Twice:

In doing so, I broke off a small chip in the leg armor. If this happened even two years ago, I likely would have given up and thrown the model away. But this time I used super glue, cement, and sandpaper to patch it all back up. You can still see the damage, but it’s not nearly as bad as it otherwise would have been:

I have no excuse for this kind of sloppiness. I attribute it to being cocky and not comparing what I was doing to what was on the page in the manual, like I used to. Folks, this is what you get when you think you are too good for the fundamentals.

Anyway, here they are finished:

Visually, they’re (surprise!) the same as the GM Command’s.

Feet

These were super easy. On most Gundams and GMs, there’s some degree of color correction to be done on the top of the foot, but that’s not the case here. At most, all you need to do is paint the bottom of the foot, which is easy enough.

Oh, and would you believe me if I told you they were identical to the GM Command’s =)

Arms

Same as the GM Command’s:

Finished

And we’re done!

We’ll take a closer look in the next post.

Other Thoughts

This kit only comes with three holding hands. That in and of itself isn’t uncommon, but what’s weird here is that there’s only one right hand, and it’s a trigger finger hand. There’s no standard closed fist, so no matter how you pose it - or what you have it hold - that index finger is going to be in the trigger position. Not the end of the world, but it’s a bit tacky.