The best way to celebrate the new year is with a Nu Gundam. 😛
ANOTHER Nu Gundam?
Yes, another one. My third one in fact. And that doesn’t count the Real Grade Hi Nu that’s still on the backlog.
What can I say? I guess I really like the design.
About the Mobile Suit
I did a writeup on the Nu back in 2021, when I built the Real Grade model, and much to my surprise I think it still holds up pretty well. There’s not much to it that I’d want to add.
About this Ver Ka
As usual for a Ver Ka, the instruction manual has the Gunpla equivalent of liner notes, in which Hajime Katoki himself talks about the inspirations behind - and goals for - this particular design.
With the Zeta Ver Ka, the goal was to create a model that preserved the look of the mobile suit as it existed in its original lineart, something that was previously considered nigh impossible.
With the Wing Gundam Ver Ka, the goal was simply to create a model depicting Katoki’s Endless Waltz redesign.
But what about the legendary Nu Gundam? Unfortunately, the manual is untranslated, but now that I can get PDF copies of Gunpla manuals, I can feed the text directly into Google Translate, rather than taking snapshots using the translation app on my phone.
I think it worked better, but there are still bits and pieces that I found confusing. The following is my best attempt at interpreting the information; I make no guarantee that all of it is accurate.
The liner notes begin like so:
However, as you know, the Nu Gundam has already been made into a kit once in the Master Grade series. Simply adjusting the proportions without compromising the body style, adding panel lines to the armor, and updating the articulation mechanisms would result in something rather underwhelming for a second MG challenge of the Nu Gundam.
You’ll excuse me if I say that I find this really funny, because “adding panel lines to the armor/adjusting the proportions” is exactly what a lot of online Gundam fans accuse Katoki of doing with all of his redesigns. But one thing I’ve learned over the years is that online Gundam fans say a lot of things, and not all of it is founded in truth or reality.
Let’s proceed with the notes:
While thinking about something more interesting and enjoyable for everyone, the idea that crossed my mind was Gundam Evolve
Gundam Evolve was a series of experimental short films originally released from 2001-2003 (with a later batch released between 2004 and 2007). The fifth short depicts an alternate version of the encounter between the Nu Gundam and the α Azieru from Char’s Counterattack. The important thing to note here is that they redesigned the Nu Gundam for this film, presumably so that it would look better in CG:
Gundam Front Tokyo
Before we look at more of the liner notes, I wanted to provide a bit of context. The notes are going to refer to something called "GFT". This is a reference to Gundam Front Tokyo, which is the store/museum that used to exist before it was replaced by the current Gundam Base Tokyo.
One of GFT's big attractions was DOME-G (not to be confused with D.O.M.E.), a big dome shaped theatre onto which they projected promotional films. One of the first (if not the first) films depicted a whole bunch of Gundams flying around and fighting, including the Nu Gundam.
This is what Katoki's is going to be talking about in the next part of the notes.
On to the next section:
The ν Gundam from "EVOLVE 5" is incredibly impactful. It was a hot topic when it was first announced. I've long wanted to get my hands on a physical model of the "EVOLVE 5" version, but "GUNDAM EVOLVE" is a somewhat niche title, so I wondered if it would be understood in the mainstream Gunpla market.That's why, when I was consulted about the design for the new movie being made at GFT, and I heard that director Takayuki Masuo, who created "EVOLVE 5," would be directing the Nu Gundam again, I suggested that this was an opportunity to link the highly detailed "EVOLVE 5" version with the regular Nu Gundam and appeal to a wider audience.
While I know that it's best to utilize the materials as they are for Gunpla, I wondered what would happen if we boldly created the Nu Gundam using the latest technology. I was prepared for it to be a radical trial, like the RB-79 Ball in the Ver. Ka series.
My interpretation of this section is that Katoki wanted to use the Evolve design as the basis for the new model, but didn’t believe he could use something so obscure as the source of a Ver. Ka kit. But if he could (re)introduce it through the DOME-G video, that might be his “in”.
The liner notes then go into more detail about the production of the GFT film, and it’s not super relevant to the origins of the model, so let’s skip that and get to the next important bit:
Katoki: "The luminous phenomenon of the psycho-frame is currently used in the Unicorn Gundam, but the Nu Gundam can be said to be the originator. The work was difficult, but thanks to this Nu Gundam, I was able to enjoy the production."....
Katoki: "The Unicorn Gundam Ver. Ka, which overcame the transformation gimmick, was a milestone even among Gunpla, and the 1/1 scale [statue] in Odaiba ..."
The RG series, which started with condensing the density of the RX-78-2 Gundam to 1/144 scale and incorporating the Psycho Frame around the cockpit in the anime, is a recent milestone. This time, the Gundam is a meticulously crafted work, incorporating the precision of the RG series into the structure of the Unicorn Gundam.
In this Ver. Ka version, the Psycho Frame is also incorporated into the structure of the limbs, resulting in a visually fresh interpretation. When the Psycho Frame is activated, light will surely leak out from the gaps in the armor.
Let’s spend a minute to unwind all of this.
Canonically, the Nu Gundam was rushed into combat before it was finished, and one of the consequences of this is that it was deployed with only a little bit of Psychoframe material in its inner frame (specifically around its cockpit).
This stands in contrast to the Unicorn Gundam, which has Psychoframe throughout its entire body:
What Katoki is saying here is that they wanted the Nu Gundam Ver Ka to be an alternate design, one that is essentially “Unicorn-ified” by having more Psychoframe elements through its inner frame.
So basically the Ver Ka is the Gundam Evolve design with extra Psychoframe.
Controversy?
In writing this post, I realized that I didn’t actually know how the Gunpla community feels about this Ver Ka design, so I went online to take a look.
To put it bluntly, some folks really seem to hate it. Specifically, they don’t like the idea of Unicorn-ifying the Nu, either because they’re sticklers for cannon, or because they don’t want the Unicorn aesthetic to bleed into other designs.
As certified Unicorn hater, I understand that sentiment. But I’ve also looked at a lot of images of the finished model, and it doesn’t look like the Psychoframe is super visible most of the time, so I’m personally not bothered by it. Still though, if this is something that turns you off, I’m the last person who is going to tell you you’re wrong.
There are still others who hate it simply because Katoki worked on it, but I largely ignore that camp. It’s too hard to tell how many of them genuinely dislike the man’s work, and how many do so because they think it’s cool and trendy (and quite frankly, I’m not going to bother to find out).
Of course, there are also quite a lot of folks who really like the design, and others that don’t think it looks decidedly different than other versions of the Nu (like the Real Grade). It’s far from being all negative.
Personally, I’ll reserve judgement until I’m finished with it.
Gimmicks and Stuff
Here are some of the main gimmicks on this model. First, it has a custom display base shaped like Amuro’s personal logo:
That’s great and all, but now I’m wondering whether they added it because they wanted to, or because they needed to in order to keep the thing standing.
The base includes a bunch of additional parts for mounting the fin funnels around the mobile suit, which was very nice of them to include.
Like many other Master Grades, it also has a space in the chest for you to insert an LED light (with green being the suggested color). I might actually have to get on that one of these days.
Lastly, the “big” gimmick is its “Activation Mode”, in which some of its armor flips open (to partly reveal the psychoframe), or simply expelled. I actually can’t find many good photos of how this looks, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Timeframe for the Build
As I hinted at a few days ago, I’m probably going to work on this build in parallel with others, as I’m probably going to need to take some breaks. The Nu Gundam is pretty tall, and this is a Ver Ka we’re talking about, so I’m going to assume that it might take a bit longer to build than even other Master Grades.
I’m also going to try and apply all the decals, which I’ve never done before with a Ver Ka, and I’m not sure how long it’s going to take.
I want to do this one right, and the best way to ensure that is not to rush through it.