Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining

1/400 Ptolemaios - Size comparison with a cigarette pack. The kit is around 70cm, so it's way too big for the pho

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
The kit is around 70cm, so it's way too big for the photo studio;
So some shots were taken on the floor with natural light.

First up, shots taken outside the studio in natural light

Close-up shots

1/400 Ptolemaios - The quality of the pre-painted parts on the runners is really nice. Even as a straight build i

The quality of the pre-painted parts on the runners is really nice. Even as a straight build it's quite colorful.

The verniers are pretty unique.

Underside

1/400 Ptolemaios - The 4 containers are integrated and can rotate. To rotate them, you need to press a hidden swi

The 4 containers are integrated and can rotate.
To rotate them, you need to press a hidden switch on the bottom

With the containers detached

The 4 containers.

The detail is pretty good.

The 4 Gundams that dock with the Ptolemaios are included as Gundam Collections.

Gundam Collection Exia.

Gundam Collection Dynames

1/400 Ptolemaios - Gundam Collection Kyrios. Only the flight mode is included — the MS mode is not. (No transform

Gundam Collection Kyrios. Only the flight mode is included — the MS mode is not. (No transformation, obviously!! lol)

Gundam Collection Virtue.

You can also use the dedicated stand to display it at an angle.

Hmm.. they look great all together, but it kind of gives off a coffin vibe;;

1/400 Ptolemaios - Stored configuration photos (1/4)

1/400 Ptolemaios - Stored configuration photos (2/4)

Stored configuration photos

The locking gimmick inside the containers is pretty flexible.

It can slide up and down.

MS launch bay deployment at the front.
The gimmick is pretty impressive.

Separate panels can be inserted on both sides and the bottom of the launch bay.

1/400 Ptolemaios - The stand mount on the bottom has a cover, so you can close it off when not using the stand. T

The stand mount on the bottom has a cover, so you can close it off when not using the stand.
That said, the kit is so big that it's basically impossible to store without the stand.. ^^;

1/400 Ptolemaios - You first attach the Gundam Collections to the launch bay base, then mount the whole thing ont

You first attach the Gundam Collections to the launch bay base, then mount the whole thing onto the main body.

1/400 Ptolemaios - Launch bay mounted on the main body. (1/3)

Launch bay mounted on the main body.

Remove the cover on top of the container mount and you can see the interior.

1/400 Ptolemaios - After removing the cover, rotate the container to a vertical position to recreate the function

After removing the cover, rotate the container to a vertical position,
and you can recreate the function of moving the MS to the launch position.

As shown above, the gimmick at the bottom of the container extends and drops down...

...and slides deep into the main body like that.

1/400 Ptolemaios - So the function of moving the MS from the container to the starting point of the launch bay in

So the function of moving the MS from the container to the starting point of the launch bay inside the ship
is perfectly recreated. Excellent!!

Containers fully open!

Action scene shot outdoors(?)

MS launch scene

1/400 Ptolemaios - If you flip the launch bay upside down and plug it in, you can recreate a MS lineup scene like

If you flip the launch bay upside down and plug it in, you can recreate a MS lineup scene like this.

Fully open!

Full open action

Looks awesome~

Together with the Gundam Collection large warship kits, White Base and Musai.

The lengths are all in the same ballpark, but the difference in volume is huge.

The first-run limited edition includes one extra clear parts container.

Yeah... it's transparent so you can't really make out what's inside, but...

With the MS stored inside

1/400 Ptolemaios - All 4 MS stored inside. Being able to faintly see the interior is the charm of the clear conta

All 4 MS stored inside.
Being able to faintly see the interior is the charm of the clear container, if you can call it that..

With the clear container attached.

The Celestial Being mothership Ptolemaios from Gundam 00 has been released as part of the Gundam Collection Mechanic Series — a line of 1/400 scale pre-painted assembly kits. Ptolemaios is the name of a Greek astronomer, and since it's commonly rendered as "Ptolemy" in English, most people just shorten it and call it "Ptolemy."

Previous warships released at 1/400 scale include the White Base and Musai, and as you can see in the comparison photos, this kit is quite large at around 60–70cm. It was simply too big to shoot in the mini studio, so for the full-body shots I had no choice but to take them on the floor with natural light. ^^;

First of all, the overall detail is a big step up from the older kits — the molding is more refined and there are a lot more panel lines. Gundam Collection kits are usually made at a factory in China, which can make the molding and plastic quality feel a bit rough around the edges. The Gundam Collection Musai was notably produced at the Shizuoka factory in Japan, which gave it better quality, but the Gundam Collection Ptolemaios feels like an upgrade even over the Musai, despite being made in China.

Beyond the improved molding and panel lines, the pre-painted runner quality that Gundam Collection is known for has also gotten much better. The Gundam Collection Dendrobium/Neue Ziel already had excellent paint quality, and the Gundam Collection Ptolemaios is right up there with them. ^^ Thanks to that, the kit's design colors are almost perfectly reproduced even as a straight build.

The biggest highlight of the Gundam Collection Ptolemaios is how well it recreates the various functions of the ship as seen in the show. The front MS launch bay opening is of course included as a basic feature, and the opening gimmick and rotation function of the 4 central containers are all properly implemented. In particular, using the gimmick at the bottom of the containers, you can move the MS stored inside to the launch position at the central bay of the Ptolemaios. As explained in the photos above, it's a pretty nice gimmick when you see it in person.

The quality of the 4 included Gundam Collection MS figures is above average, though it's a bit of a shame that Kyrios only comes in flight mode instead of MS mode. Since transformation would be difficult anyway, it would've been nice if they'd just included both forms...

The first-run release of the Gundam Collection Ptolemaios comes with a bonus — one container rendered in clear parts. It seems to be designed so you can see the MS stored inside, and it's a pretty decent first-run limited option in its own right.

Compared to the previously released Gundam Collection warships, the Ptolemaios has noticeably more luxurious packaging and better molded colors, and it definitely feels like a modern product. The Gundam Collection White Base had a rather toy-like appearance, the Gundam Collection Musai was a big step forward in terms of precision, and the Gundam Collection Ptolemaios takes it even further — showing the most advanced quality of the bunch in terms of both precision and molded color. It's honestly on par with kits made at the Shizuoka factory in Japan.

If you're a fan of Gundam 00 and have any interest in the Ptolemaios, this is a very worthwhile kit to build. Sure, the price is an issue given the sheer size of it, but it's not just big — the color separation and paint are spot-on and the features are all there, so I think it's well worth the money. ^^

1/400 Ptolemaios | 2007.11 | ¥12,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.