Most Wanted: Honorable Mentions

I've been thinking about what gundam model kits could be released in the MG scale which would most quickly part me with my hard-earned money, and I think I've got my entire top-10. But before I start handing out those awards, here's the best of the rest: why I want them, why they would make great kits, and why they (probably) won't happen. Also, take note that I tend to favor the Universal Century Timeline and Gundam Wing over many of the more recent series. I don't care at all for Gundam G-Fighter, nor Build Fighters (the show was fine, but I'd rather have original kits than fake kit-bashed kits).

OZ-06MS Leo

Robot Damashii

I've always loved grunt suits and the Leo is one of the first mobile suits I ever saw, so there's definitely some nostalgia. To me it is the perfect mass-produced mobile suit: it still looks particularly gundam-brand, but totally lacking in any of the flourishes that so often make you wonder whether a military would invest in that type of artistic design. This is a no-nonsense suit and would make a fantastic master grade. The reasons it would make a great kit? 1. It should be supremely posable. Not alot of bulky or high-designer armor to interfere with movement. 2. There's a lot of room for re-colors: the original olive green, the desert brown/tan, the space purple, etc. and 3. You could make it a really cheap kit with lots of accessories. If you could pack it with the shield, dober gun, machine gun, bazooka, space pack, beam sabers, etc. Or, you could sell separate accessory packs for it. It would probably make for a fun kit to kit bash with. Also, give it room for an LED. Plus, Bandai has already made it in HG and Robot Damashii form, to some pretty impressive and fun results. If they managed to put it in the $35-45 range, I'd probably get multiples. But that doesn't overtake the main reason this kit won't be put into production: there's probably just not much demand for it.



PMX-002 Bolinoak Sammahn

Robot Damashii

Paptimus Scirocco sure had an interesting imagination when it came to designing unique mobile suits. This was his second design and it's a fun and unique looking weapon. It's from my personal favorite and probably overall best gundam series in Z Gundam. This suit holds true to the style of the gundam universe while looking nothing like an actual gundam. The green would help it stand out on the shelf (I would certainly go with an otherwise obnoxiously bright lime-ish green). It's got great details all over it, and I really think that the pincer would be a big draw. The recent master grade of the Turn-X gives me hope that there might be some willingness to make a kit like this, but I just don't know that there'd be enough demand to make it worthwhile for Bandai.


RX-110 Gabthley

 

HG 1/144

Another Scirocco designed suit, I was never that impressed by it visually in the series itself, but the Gabthley always cuts an impressive figure in lineart and smaller-scale models. I love the brown, green and gold, and I love the shape of the legs on this thing. While I'm not big on transformations, it seems that most others like that type of gimmick, and this one has some interesting transforming abilities. The head has an awesome Y-shaped visor that will definitely help it stand out among other kits. Plus there's the opportunity for variation in the Hugin/Munin forms (love the Norse reference). But, alas, again there's probably not enough interest in the fan base to justify producing a master grade of this particular kit.


RX-139 Hambrabi

HGUC 1/144

These weren't meant to all be from Z Gundam, I promise. But the Hambrabi has been a significant member of the gundam lineup for a long time and I'm amazed that it hasn't made MG yet. The Hambrabi, and more notably pilot Yazan Gable, shot down several key mobile suits/members of the AUEG including Reccoa Londe in the Methuss, Katz Kobayashi in the G-Defenser, and Emma Sheen after she left the Gundam Mk. II. Yazan Also destroyed the battleship Radish. This suit may be more responsible for character deaths than any other mobile suit in a full series. It also has one of the cooler looking transformations, basically turning into a stingray. It's got a unique silhouette and some fun weapons. And it's probably got a decent amount of fan recognition even in the US after appearances in Gundam Build Fighters and Dynasty Warrior Gundam. This really should be a Master Grade right now, and probably belongs by all rights in my top-10 list (I've just still got a grudge over the Emma Sheen thing...).


YAMS-132 Rozen Zulu

 

HGUC 1/144

So here's the most recent design to make it onto my list of honorable mentions, and to be honest this probably should knock another one of my top-10 down into the honorable mentions, except I foresee an issue with this kit in MG form: It looks like it would be incredibly top-heavy and therefore lack posability without an action base (those dainty-looking legs...). That said, it is a truly awesome design and I love the purple/magenta/black/gold color scheme on this thing. The HGUC version really makes use of its interesting weapon payout and it would be even cooler to see in MG form (again, assuming we can compensate for what I imagine would be some weight issues). The only possible issue is that Unicorn Gundam is still not incredibly well known in the US, and this suit plays a fairly minor role in the OVA. Either way, Bandai, please make it happen. It'll look fantastic on the shelf with my Sinanju and my Sazabi.


MS-08TX/S Efreet Schneid

 

Custom built 1/144 (LINK)

I have to admit, between the time I put this on my list and the time I wrote up this post, Bandai announced a RE/100 version of the Efreet, so I feel like this particular kit could be seeing a 1/100 build pretty soon. This suit from the Unicorn OVA is much cooler than the original (and quite obscure) Efreet, and made a pretty badass impression -- a lot like the Gouf custom in 08th MS Team (which is fitting because that's the kit people are using to custom build this guy). The suit was developed during the One Year War, but never went into full production. This particular suit was passed down and continually upgraded until it could play a role in the Zeon Remnant raid on Torrington Base in Unicorn Gundam. This guy would be a great addition to any shelf, but we have yet to even get an official 1/144 scale, so it feels like a RE/MG version is probably a ways off.


YMS-16M Xamel

Custom built 1/144 with Zaku I

 This particular mobile suit appeared in only one episode (maybe two?) of 0083: Stardust memory, but boy did it make a visual impression. Its a hovercraft artillery piece, and it is giant. This will probably never get a MG (or even an HG based on its limited screen time -- it did apparently appear again in Build Fighters Try), but it would dominate pretty much any display. Perhaps it could be made as a RE/100? It couldn't be much different in size than the Nightingale.