Released in 2002, this model is touted as the 'best' of the God Gundam MG kits and it's easy to understand why as it features a skeletal inner frame and double jointed knees and elbows.
G (God) Gundam is the wildest show of the bunch, taking a radically different approach to the franchise in the form of a martial arts tournament between Gundams representing different countries, to battle for government control. This model represents the mobile suit of the main antagonist, Master Asia (this is not a subtle show).
Aesthetics:
This kit has a dark navy blue, a lighter navy blue, a saturated red and a grey plastic mostly, with a few smaller parts in other colors.
Since a lot of it is rounded plastic, there aren't a lot of defining lines and requires paint moreso than just panel lining to add depth and make it stand out.
Surprisingly, almost all exterior parts are undergated with a few notable exceptions (rounded shoulder parts) which are quite obvious and take some care and effort to remove without stressing the plastic.
Some hands are a clear pinkish red plastic.
The model has a vampiric/bat motif and design, notably the huge ears, 'wings' and clawed fingers.
The proportions are old school and satisfyingly chunky.
There is a sticker sheet with yellow color correction stickers for the wing binders and the usual eyes/camera foil stickers.
There is also a sheet of decal stickers with kanji symbols and the 'King of Hearts' mark (avoid using on dark plastic, the sticker edges will look bad).
Mechanics:
Since it's an old kit it features a lot of phillips/star screws and nuts. Worryingly I have 4 different screws and 2 different nuts left over..!
These all determine how strong/stiff the various joints are, so you have to take great care not to over-thread them, but also not to have them be too loose, otherwise the limbs will not hold their pose.
The articulation range is fairly large (despite the ball-and-socket leg joints) and the model can accomodate most any martial arts pose that you can put it in. Notably it can even cross its arms, for a superior and arrogant pose.
You position the wing binders in order to balance the model, such as when it's standing on one foot.
The foot spikes move along a rail and can tilt up and down. The cockpit hatch seems like it should open, but doesn't.
The wing binders themselves mvoe around on several joints and have movable flaps (no screws and the pegs don't hold the weight very well), but they are missing a a key feature of this mobile suit, namely that they are meant to fold out and cover the suit in a cape that closes in the front.
While this would be an involved mechanic, the 2011 HG version solves it via partsforming. No such luck here.
This is a martial arts Gundam and as such its weapons are mainly its hands.
Each of the forearms extend about a centimeter.
There are also 10cm insulated copper cables (that you cut to length) on pegs, which you can replace the elbow joint with. Or you can leave the cable in one piece and extend one arm a little over 20cm.
Equipment:
There are no guns, only different hands.
2 relaxed hands - Grey rubber
2 hands with extended fingers (like the box art) - Grey rubber
1 palm forwards right hand - Grey rubber
1 palm inwards left hand - Grey rubber
2 fingers spread and clawed hands - Transparent red plastic
1 fingers spread and palm outwards hand - Transparent red plastic
1 rubber hand holding a transparent "beam sash"
As a bonus there's an extra hand (transparent red) for the MG God Gundam, as an opposing 'special move' for a scene from the show.
There is also a 1:20 scale Master Asia 'Undefeated of the East' statuette in a martial arts pose.
Conclusion:
It's an old kit and the screws are a pain to tighten just right. Fiddling with the model it's clear that I've not tightened some as much as I should.
The majority of the parts being undergated is surprising for such an old kit.
There's a lot of rubber parts which is unusual for gunpla (and all of it has flash that needs to be clipped or cut), not just the hands, but the bottom of the feet, which gives the model great grip, and the inside of the ears as well as internally on the side skirts, which allow the small flaps to move out of the way when posing the model.
The notable downside is the lack of the 'wings' having any function and there being no cloak. It might simply not be possible without a lot of compromise, but it's still a disappointing absence.
Still, this is an interesting kit to build, especially to see how much gunpla has evolved since. Still, this is not a bad looking kit and it does work almost flawlessly. It's fun and imposing.
