Series: Master Grade (MG) 1/100
Title: RX-178+FXA-05D Super Gundam
Release Date: 01/1999
Suggested Price: ¥ 4000
No. of Parts: > 300 + polycaps + film stickers + dry transfers + nylon tubing
Plastic colors: black, red, grayish white, yellow, gray, blue
Gimmicks: removable G-Defenser, long rifle, clay bazooka, beam rifle & beam sabers

Introduction

Contributor: Elliott "Hiddenpower" Solomon
Date: October 20, 2003

The MG Super Gundam is all in all a great kit, despite the fact that I haven't built that many models. Before this I found it fairly easy to build, albeit somewhat time consuming (took me around 15 hours to complete). The instructions are as always detailed and well labeled despite being in Japanese. The pictures show all you need to know as with any other MG kit.

G-Defenser

The first part you build is of course the G-Defenser. It's fairly standard fare and is mostly just repeating certain part combinations to create the desired parts. The only thing I found unnecessary was the fact that each individual missile was molded as a separate part and had to be removed and attached to the pod. Some care needs to be taken with the wings on the cockpit capsule as they are very flimsy and may break if too much pressure is placed on them.

Torso

Next up is the torso and backpack. These are fairly easy to make, and there is a nice linear cockpit with a small pilot figure that requires painting. One thing I suggest is that because of the cockpit doors being separate from the actual hinge mechanism, you should glue the doors to the hinge polycaps or else you end up having the doors falling off every time you open it. The backpack is nicely made as a separate piece to the torso with individually moving binders, but again be careful here with the nylon tubes as the length can vary for the link between the beam saber racks and the main pack.

Arms & Legs

The next part is making the arms and the legs, which fit together nicely. There is nice internal detail on the legs. I had a few problems with the little pieces of nylon tubing that are supposed to look like electrical cables. The problem was that I kept cutting them too short and the manual says 10mm, but just to be sure you should make them a little longer (they should fit anyway).

Weapons and Accessories

The weapons for this model are brilliant. The model has its full armament of the long rifle, two beam sabers, beam rifle, head vulcan pod and hyper bazooka. There's also the shield, which holds two e-pacs as well as separate ammo for the bazooka, which fits on the skirt armor. All in all a nice treat for those of you who like lots of weapons. My only complaint is that the hyper bazooka has a visible end inside the barrel, bringing it down in realism.

Conclusion

As for the poseability of the model it is somewhat hampered by the
heavy G-Defenser on it's back, but with some work it can be made to
stand upright and make a few poses. If you want it to aim the long rifle anywhere other than at the ground then be ready to break out the Blu-Tac so you can stick the butt of the rifle to the shoulder. Overall this model is well worth buying just for the number of gadgets that come with it, and it impresses most people that see it.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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