In Part 1 we covered the weapons and accessories for the Master Grade Gundam Mk II, and now it’s time to build the mobile suit itself.
We already saw how the weapons had quite a few seamlines that, while unwelcome, were ultimately not dealbreakers. It’s roughly the same thing with the mobile suit; it’s got some seamlines, and it needs some color correction here and there, but ultimately none of it was nearly as bad as I feared it would be.
Let’s get this build going, starting with the:
Body, Head, and Backpack
Head
The optical terminal installed in the RX-178 is almost the same as the RX-78, albeit with its basic performance improved. Of course, in order to support 360 degree monitors, secondary functions have been added, and sub-cameras and sensors have been added to various places on the mobile suit.
The main computer is placed around the cockpit, and the co-processor frame on the head performs armor condition monitoring and fire control installed in a "floating" state in the moveable frame. This is also convenient for controlling the Vulcan Pods, and this concept was later adopted for mass production models such as the Barzam.
The head is where we find the mobile suit’s worse seamline, as it runs right down the sides:
I did my best to buff it out, at least along some of the larger surfaces. I gave up near the top of the head, as there just wasn’t enough space to work in.
In terms of assembly, it largely comes together like a High Grade head, though the fact that it’s so much larger means that the eye decal is at least easier to apply and align.
In regards to color correction, you’ll have to paint in all of the grey vents running along the side of the face. It’s not too bad, though I can guarantee that if this was a newer model, they’d have figured out how to do that with color separated plastic.
Upper Torso
The power source and control systems are structurally extended and rearranged the core blocks, and the life support function is concentrated in the escape pod. At the tme of escape, the cockpit hatch is eliminated with an explosive bolt at the base, and the pod is ejected.
Just like on the Real Grade Mk II, we get this spherical ejection pod that houses both the pilot and the 360 degree cockpit:
I assembled this before I decided to paint the standing pilot figure to look like Emma Sheen, so this one still has a standard white normal suit. At this point it’d be too much of a pain to paint it, and I’m probably not going to open the cockpit that often, so it will just have to stay that way.
That cockpit is then enclosed by the inner frame:
There’s some nice detail here in case you wanted to paint it up and pose it with a fully (or even partially) exposed inner frame. In particular, I love that there are chest vents behind the yellow chest vent covers. It’s vents on vents on vents.
The final step is to attach all the outer armor, including the cockpit hatch:
In regards to color correction, you’ll have to paint the two green sensors in the front. I’ll say the same thing I said about the seamlines on the head; it’s not hard to take care of, but it feels like something I shouldn’t have to do. Would it really have been that hard to toss in a couple of foil stickers? And what if you’re the kind of person who likes doing straight builds, and doesn’t have a bottle of green paint lying around?
Backpack
The backpack is a unit for the operation of the vernier thrusters that support the mobility of the mobile suit. The junction point with the back is not structurally replaceable, and was not standardized, so additional equipment was never developed.
The backpack also contains hardpoints - complete with energy supplies - for the beam sabers.
One of the best things about the Mk II is its backpack. It just looks so big and powerful, and this Master Grade version does the design justice.
In regards to assembly, this is the first time we’re using some of that fabric piping. The manual comes with a tiny measure you can use to ensure it’s cut to the proper length:
Then, to attach it, you have to feed it through one part, and plug it into another:
My advice is to glue it into place, otherwise it’s going to slip out and make your life more difficult.
As for the other end of the piping, you just kind of tuck it away inside the body of the backpack, much like what we saw with the leg of the Zaku III:
In regards to color correction, you can paint the inside of the verniers red, and that’s really all that’s needed. I also added a bit of gunmetal to some of the surface, though it’s so subtle that even I have trouble seeing it.
When we’re done, this is what we end up with:
When attaching it to the back of the Mk II, you first plug it in, and then push down to hook it into place. This is the second time we’ve seen this hook-shaped fastener on this model (the first time being the shield), and while it’s kind of a pain, it’s certainly quite secure once you get it into place.
Leg and Waist Units
Lower Torso
The waist is structurally functional as a hanger for weapons and options. This is because in both mobile suits and the human body, the waist is the center of gravity of the whole body, and its position is most stable when moving.
It can be said that the reason the mobile suit carries equipment at the waist is the same idea as gun holsters.
This has one of those special hip joints that you can pivot onto a secondary axis to improve articulation:
It’s something I’ve seen on plenty of 1⁄144 scale models, though they’re all much newer than this. It’s cool to see that Master Grades had the gimmick all the way back in 2005.
Overall, assembly of the lower torso is not that much different than you’d expect for a High Grade. Aside from the flip-out bazooka holster on the back, there’s no other fancy assemblies. You will, however, need to do some color correction on the front vents.
Here it is all assembled:
You will notice that there are a whole lot of little surface markings that I painted and panel lined grey. You will continue to see these kinds of marks all throughout the white parts of the body, and as far as I’m concerned painting them in is all but mandatory, as they make up the majority of the model’s surface detail.
Feet
These might be the biggest Master Grade feet I’ve ever built. They’re certainly bigger than the Origin version of Gramps, and they’re a bit wider than the Zeta’s.
Like any good Master Grade, it has a toe bend, but that’s old news. The biggest, most important, most monumental thing about these feet are those chrome plated pistons:
I mean, they’re just the best.
In regards to color correction, you’ll have to paint those grey bits on the ankle armor, but everything else is good as-is. You can panel line the bottoms of the feet if you really want to, though the color separation is already pretty great.
Legs
The legs of the RX-178 are essential for the feedback of balance that interlocks the whole body and ensures mobility in space combat, and are very important points that support the fundamentals of the mobile suit's "human body"-like athletic performance.
The legs have the same basic moveable points as the RX-78, but the structure itself has been significantly improved due to the advancement of armor materials and the accumulation of combat know-how. The biggest difference is mainly the exposure of some of the moving parts, a measure that was the result of the spread of beam weapons.
During the One Year war, mobile suits were designed to avoid exposing moving parts as much as possible to increase resilience, but excessive armor reduced the mobility and range of the mecha. Naturally, clearance for maximum movement was secured, but it became clear from combat data that armor it was almost meaningless if the suit was directly hit by a beam weapon.
Therefor, it was proposed that if it is damaged when hit directly with a beam weapon, it is preferable to improve mobility by reducing weight, thus improving the probability of avoiding fatal damage. The Mk II is designed on the very basis of that idea, with little unnecessary equipment or excessive armor.
The legs have the usual, nicely detailed inner frame, and despite the age of the model, they still do the thing where the armor splits apart as you bend the knee:
That being said, there’s a lot of optional detailing to do, particularly on the inner frame, but also on the side mounted thrusters. None of it is strictly necessary, but it does add quite a bit to the overall look:
The legs are also the second place where we encounter that fabric piping, in two different places. You should definitely use some glue here to keep them in place, otherwise they may move around when the knee bends, which will not only knock them out of place, but may also exacerbate any fraying.
When attaching them to the feet feet, the chrome pistons plug into an equivalent piston casing on the leg, making look like they actually work:
It’s a minor, but still very cool detail.
Arms
The operation of the arm of the RX-178 is fed back to the entire moveable frame, and the advanced balance sensor and high-performance processor enable exactly "human-like" movement.
The moveable frame equipped in the RX-178 is exactly an imitation of the human body, and it is said that it also had the function of distributing the burden on each joint to the whole body. Of course, the actuator equipped on the arm is for operating the arm, but if it is under gravity, it is balanced with the whole body according to the load, enabling more efficient AMBAC maneuvering even in weightless space.
And the overwhelming degree of freedom is also due to the adoption of moveable fames. Also, unlike the RX-78, the arm of the RX-178 does not have a built-in energy supply capable of operating the Beam Rifle. This is partly due to the fact that this machine is a prototype, and it was judged that parts with a high energy consumption rate should not be built-in. But this was also coupled with the fact that the Earth Federation's E-CAP technology was advancing rapidly; basically, beam weapons were designed based on the premise that each one would be equipped with its own energy source.
Optional equipment such as the shield is linked through the I/O port of the mount latch.
The arms on most mobile suits aren’t very exciting to build, and that remains the case this time around.
By far the most interesting thing is the hands. Like the Origin Grandaddy, it only comes with a single pair of hands, the ones with the individually articulated fingers. However, the way they assemble is much different than the Origin model, such that the fingers are much sturdier. You’d have to go out of your way to try and remove any individual digit, so there’s no worry about them falling off mid-pose.
Shoulder Armor
These are very simple, almost akin to a High Grade in their assembly:
This is also by far the highest concentration of dry rub decals, with four in total.
For detailing, there’s some panel lining to do, including on the frame, and I also painted the shield mount area grey.
Shading
I tried to do some light, light shading on the corners and edges using weathering compound. I wanted to try and recreate the kind of shading you often see on fully airbrushed kits. It took a lot of work (mostly erasing the compound in places where it was too heavy), but all told it came out the way I wanted it to.
Complete
That’s it folks; the Gundam Mk II is completed. See you next time for some photos.