HGUC RMS-197 GM II - Review by Team GG

Review of the HGUC RMS-197 GM II

Review by Team GG [PatrickGrade]

Introduction:

If you ever find somehow find yourself in the Gundam universe, there are several places you don’t want to be. Most space colonies or orbital elevators seem to be common targets as well as a large asteroid somewhere in the Lagrange Point. But for god’s sake, if you ever find yourself inside or near a grunt suit, get as far away as possible. Whether it be a green Zaku II, Astray, or Guntank, they are usually no more than 10 minutes away from being blown to smithereens. And this rule seems to hold especially true for the GM line. I think any enemy friend-or-foe targeting system automatically targets the nearest GM unit and prioritizes as first to be destroyed. So, do yourself a favor and run with all do haste in the opposite direction of any grunt suit.

This is the first version of the GMII to get a release in the HGUC line but it’s predecessor, the GM, has had around 10 different version that has come out in the main line over the years. The GMII is a grunt main-stay in the Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam anime series from the 80’s, and its physical design follows the limitations set forth by the animators at the time. For animators to quickly, and more importantly cheaply, churn out explosion after explosion involving the grunts, the grunt suits had to have a basic design of mostly simple shapes, very little color variation, and sparse details. So that’s why a lot of the cannon fodder looks so plain.

The GMII is of course the successor of the original GM, but has little in the way of improvements. Other than having a 360 degree panoramic cockpit display, all upgrades were minor at best. But it did fill the role as a support mobile suit for a while until more powerful suits were able to be mass produced on a similar scale. Although it was phased out in favor of the more powerful suits, the GMII design eventually leads to the substantially more powerful GMIII.

Packaging & Instructions:

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The box lid has a nice illustration of 3 GNIIs guarding the Titans color Gundam Mk II from an unseen enemy. The lid also has the insignia for the Mobile Suite Zeta Gundam anime as well as an “Illustrated by:” line that I don’t think I’ve seen before. I think it’s good that Bandai is giving credit to the artist/artists that provide the usually pretty great artwork for the lids. And there is the standard complement of product shots and gimmick explanations along the edge of the box. The manual is pretty standard issue, providing the typically well laid-out instructions and several additional product shots and painting/decal guide.

Runners & Colors:

We get an average amount of plates for the 1400 yen this kit costs. A four color A-plate, a B-plate with only one part for the shield, 2 C-plates, 2 D-plates, a plate of polycaps, two beam saber blades and finally a sticker sheet.

This kit has all the traditional colors that a normal Gundam would have except for blue. There is a lot of white and red for the main body with a few yellow accent pieces, all the joints and inner-framish parts are in grey as well as the hands and beam rifle. The beam sabers are clear yellow and the sticker sheet is different from the typical foil stickers we’re used to seeing for a high grade kit.

Build & Gimmicks:
This build is really painless. It follows along similar lines that all the GM based kits seem to have gone down over the years. It’s all pretty simple construction for most areas, typically a few large pieces that hold a polycap or two inside with a small amount of actual color separation in the chest unit. The stickers are used sparingly on the major areas; the only two that are used for non-customization purposes are the two that go around the neck to make it look grey. Other than a couple of stickers for the cameras on various locations, the rest of the stickers are for personalization if you choose to do so.

Weapons & Accessories:

Grunts usually don’t get issued a lot weapons, because it doesn’t really matter what they have since they’re going to blow up as soon as an enemy comes around anyway. Likewise, this kit comes with the typical single beam saber handle with two blades, a simple but heavily channel lined beam rifle, a standard issue shield and a backpack that holds the beam saber handle as well as two, dual nozzle thrusters. There are three manipulators included; two semi-closed fist hands to hold the beam saber handle and a third trigger-finger handle to hold the rifle.

Appearance & Articulation

This kit looks good as long as you can accept the overwhelming simplicity of the overall design. Because the kit holds true to the source material, it’s simple and clean, which is in definite contrast to the recent slew of modern kit designs. Sometimes, it’s good to revisit the early roots of Gundam history and appreciate where everything comes from. The GMII looks good after a straight build, and with a little creativity and talent, I’m sure this kit can look a thousands timesbetter.

Along those lines, the articulation of the GMII is a little lacking. The feet have a fair amount of action, but the knees can only bend a little more than 90 degrees. The torso can only swivel side to side a little bit, and there is no ab-crunch or and mid-section movement. The head can turn either way about 45 degrees before it runs into the neck armor. The arms can rotate 360 at the shoulder and beneath the shoulder. The elbows can bend little over 90 and there is a little extra forward movement for the shoulders thanks to the newer jpolycap design. All-in-all, the articulation is neither a strong hindrance nor is it a selling point, but it’s enough for a kit this price.

Conclusion:

Is this kit for everyone? Thanks to the classic design, limited articulation and amount of accessories, probably not… at least not if you’re unwilling to look past those limitations. But, if you can get past any pre-conceived notions that you may have just based on the looks, you will probably be surprised by the character & charm you find in this kit. As for those of you who like what you see, or can appreciate the place this mobile suit occupies in the pantheon of Gundam History, you’ll get what you’re expecting out of your purchase.

Yes, it’s a grunt. Yes, it’s an older design and yes been done several times before, but if you’re a grunt addict, and you know who you are, you’ll proudly display this guy along with all of your other GM suits.

Review by Team GG [PatrickGrade]