Kit Review

Straight build + Partial paint + Panel lining + Decals

The universal yardstick — size comparison with a cigarette pack.

With backpack attached

MG Char's Gelgoog - That's what the back looks like. Normally it holds the beam saber unit and shield, but to attach the

That's what the back looks like. Normally it holds the beam saber unit and shield,
but to attach the backpack you have to remove one layer of armor.

MG Char's Gelgoog - There's a mounting point just above the rear end that's revealed when you pop off a small piece of a

There's a mounting point just above the rear end that's revealed when you pop off a small piece of armor...
it's not used on Char's Gelgoog,
but it's the spot the Gelgoog Cannon uses later to secure its beam saber unit.

Cockpit hatch open. You can just barely spot him inside.

The cockpit hatch has this double-layer structure, so...

MG Char's Gelgoog - you can actually remove just the round door on its own. But the fit is pretty loose and it falls off

you can actually remove just the round door on its own.
But the fit is pretty loose and it falls off easily, so...
you might just want to glue it in place. -.-

MG Char's Gelgoog - Soft rubber parts are used for the shoulder joints. The left one is as it comes out of the packaging

Soft rubber parts are used for the shoulder joints.
The left one is as it comes out of the packaging — you need to cut it with a knife to separate it into two pieces like the one on the right.
It doesn't cut very cleanly, so getting a nice smooth cut is a bit tricky ;;

Attached to the shoulder joints like so... looks pretty convincing!

MG Char's Gelgoog - A sneaky little spot that needs some partial painting. The verniers at the shoulder tips are just mo

A sneaky little spot that needs some partial painting.
The verniers at the shoulder tips are just molded in the same color as the shoulder...
This applies to every Gelgoog kit across the board.

View from below. Lots of verniers catch the eye.

Aww~♡ A perfectly heart-shaped skirt. The internal molding has quite a bit of detail put into it too.

MG Char's Gelgoog - Pop off the top of the head and you can move the mono-eye. Just use your fingernail or something to

Pop off the top of the head and you can move the mono-eye.
Just use your fingernail or something to turn the slot groove.

The weapons feel fairly generous in number.

Inside of the shield. The pin that attaches to the back can fold in and out.

MG Char's Gelgoog - Surprisingly... the shield holds on pretty well considering how loose the joints are. The back of th

Surprisingly... the shield holds on pretty well considering how loose the joints are.
The back of the hand and the grip lock together tightly. But in the end the arm and wrist are still loose, so yeah;;;

The Gelgoog-exclusive beam saber unit and beam sabers.
You can plug various things into both sides.

MG Char's Gelgoog - Just like the Zaku, you get three pairs of hands: rock-paper-scissors poseable hands, fists, and ope

Just like the Zaku, you get three pairs of hands: rock-paper-scissors poseable hands, fists, and open hands.

The detail is a bit soft, but still — his 1/100 parts are in there...

The head antenna can be swapped between the real type and TV type.

Some odd frame-type parts also go inside the shoulder armor.

MG Char's Gelgoog - The knee structure is the weakest point among the Gelgoog's already notoriously loose joints. The po

The knee structure is the weakest point among the Gelgoog's already notoriously loose joints.
The polycap doesn't connect directly to the part — it gets inserted into a housing frame first, which then fits into the part,
so the polycap has play inside the square housing and won't stay put, making everything feel even looser.
To fix this, it's best to fill the inside with putty or lock it in place with super glue (CA glue).

MG Char's Gelgoog - The early versions have seriously loose joints, so a very effective fix is to apply super glue (CA g

The early versions have seriously loose joints, so applying super glue to the ball joints and peg sections of the main joints
and letting it cure is very effective. Since the root cause is the polycap being too loose, apply super glue to the plastic parts
and let it harden to tighten up the play.

Outer armor removed

Internal frame

The body frame. Detail is a little soft...

The arm's inner frame.

The leg frame. Using mesh pipe to represent
the black pipes is a nice touch.

Articulation is a bit better in frame-only state. Makes sense with no bulky armor in the way...

A pose in frame-only state. It looks decent enough like this, but...

MG Char's Gelgoog - The articulation in full armor is a massive dis-ap-point-ment... The skirt doesn't move, the knees b

The articulation in full armor is a massive dis-ap-point-ment...
The skirt doesn't move, the knees barely bend, and the joints are all loose...

MG Char's Gelgoog - At least the shoulder joints are somewhat flexible (though still loose), so they can raise up about

At least the shoulder joints are somewhat flexible (though still loose), so they can raise up about that much.

MG Char's Gelgoog - The grip strength is also poor so it can't hold the rifle properly... and there's a well-known worka

The grip strength is also poor so it can't hold the rifle properly...
and there's a well-known workaround for this;;
If you rest the end of the rifle's stock on the forearm joint,
it at least looks like it's holding the rifle.

Action pose

MG Char's Gelgoog - Since this kit doesn't lend itself to many different poses, I just shot the same pose from multiple

Since this kit doesn't lend itself to many different poses, I just shot the same pose from multiple angles -.,-

You can see the Gelgoog's mono-eye through the hole in the shield~

Beam naginata action pose

MG Char's Gelgoog - You can also configure it as beam sabers, but since they plug in on both sides it ends up way too lo

You can also configure it as beam sabers, but since they plug in on both sides it ends up way too long;

Still, I'm a Gelgoog!

Just like the Zaku, the Gelgoog also includes optional detail-up parts.

MG Char's Gelgoog - Together with the MG Char's Zaku II. You can really see just how big the Gelgoog is. It's hard to te

Together with the MG Char's Zaku II. You can really see just how big the Gelgoog is.
It's hard to tell in the photo, but the molded color on the Gelgoog is waaaay better.
The Zaku has a bit of a shiny, candy-toy feel to it, while the Gelgoog has this subtle, matte-like quality that just looks great ^^

Following the MG Zaku, the Gelgoog has arrived. And of course, the first one out of the gate is Char's Gelgoog. The overall concept is very similar to the MG Zaku — it's a kit where bold, ambitious ideas and technical limitations exist side by side. When it first came out, a lot of people were blown away by the incredible proportions. Refined proportions on a completely different level from the old kit, and a massive frame that towers over the Zaku! A big box, big parts, a more detailed and elaborate inner frame, and so on.

But looking at it now by 2005 standards as I update this review, it's a kit that sometimes gets listed as one of the worst MGs ever — a real tragic case. The reason is the articulation and joint strength. The terrible articulation alone is forgivable, but every single joint from head to toe was loose without exception, making it nearly impossible to hold any kind of pose. A wobbling waist, legs that dangle like jelly, loose knees and ankles, shoulders and forearms that droop the moment you raise them, fingers that can barely grip a rifle... it was pretty much a panic situation.

So a lot of people ended up reinforcing the joints with super glue and putty, which does work to a reasonable degree. Since the main cause is insufficient polycap tolerance, you can apply super glue (CA glue) to the plastic pegs and ball joints that fit into the polycaps, build them up, and let them harden to tighten the play. Of course, the Gelgoog also has some quirky structural issues with its joint design, so it's not a perfect fix — but it does make things noticeably less floppy.

That said, there must have been a lot of complaints about the Gelgoog's ultra-noodle joints right from the start, because it seems like there was a revision at some point. Since I'd mostly been buying first-run copies up until now, it was hard to confirm whether any changes had been made... but when I built what appears to be a more recently reprinted Gelgoog, the polycap tolerance had clearly improved to some degree. The joints that used to be absurdly loose had gotten better to the point where they weren't flopping around quite so badly. The problem is, I have no idea exactly when this revision happened (-_-;)r

In the end, buying an MG Gelgoog might come down to luck of the draw. Or you could go to a physical store rather than buying online and carefully check the import date — though even that's not a reliable method, since it's just the import date and the stock could have been sitting in a warehouse over there for a while. Otherwise, you can just go in with no expectations and plan to do a quick super glue fix to get it into reasonable shape. And honestly, even the revised version — while much better than the first run — isn't rock solid, just a bit less floppy. Either way, joint strength is always going to be the issue that comes up whenever anyone talks about the Gelgoog...

Setting aside the joint strength issues, the Gelgoog is actually a pretty great kit. For the price, you get a very large frame, a more elaborate inner frame, and impressive proportions that look genuinely imposing just standing there on display. The large, cool-looking shield and beam saber unit are well-realized. Compared to the MG Zaku in particular, a lot of effort went into hiding seam lines on this kit. From the shoulders, arms, and legs to the feet and skirt — lots of single-piece parts were used to keep seam lines nearly invisible. The molded color is also quite nice, showing noticeably better color quality than Char's Zaku. Of course, there are those who point out that the proportions feel quite different from the original design — the criticism being that it's been refined into something too sleek and modern.

So a lot of people go in with low expectations given all the bad press, but then actually see the Gelgoog in person and think "oh hey, this thing's actually pretty cool~". The sheer size, the smooth surfaces with no seam lines, the great molded color, the sharp proportions... then they start handling it and get a little disappointed again (^^;), but either way, it's genuinely a great display model.

It's also clearly a kit where the developers' passion shines through, following the MG Zaku. (Despite being an older kit,) the remarkable attention paid to seam lines, the frame and verniers, the use of mesh pipe, the optional detail-up parts — this kit is packed with the craftsmanship of the early MG developers. The only problem is that the technology of the time didn't allow it to reach its full potential in terms of quality, but the kit itself is genuinely excellent. For ¥3000, the box is also surprisingly huge — it'll catch you off guard the first time you see it ^^;

The joints are still a nagging concern with this kit, but there's no denying it's a landmark MG — the Gelgoog. If you go in without high expectations for the joints (or are prepared to do some fixes), it's actually a pretty great kit. If you've been on the fence, trust your luck and just go for it!! ^^;

- Footnotes -
The Char's Gelgoog I built doesn't appear to be a true first-run release.
According to information from Zakurer, the very first release was missing several things, and the version shown in this review is already a partially revised one. There were multiple revisions following complaints from many modelers, and the changes from the first release are listed below. Either way, this MG sure has had quite a story and a rocky road~

- Added molding inside the leg armor
- Added cover armor for the crotch area
- Added mechanical frame parts inside the shoulders

If you happen to have a first-run copy missing all three of the above, that's a genuine rare item. :-)

MG MS-14S Char's Gelgoog
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★☆	Seam lines are handled quite well. Only slightly visible on the head and torso.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★☆	Color separation is nearly perfect. Molded colors look really good.
Proportions	★★★★☆	Strike a pose and it looks absolutely stunning. Large-sized even among MGs.
Articulation	★	Worst articulation among MGs;
Joint Strength	★	Worst joint strength among MGs; though a revised version does exist.
Internal Frame	★★★☆	Frame covers a relatively large number of areas. The leg frame and pipes are great!
Detail	★★★★	External detail is nice, but the frame is a bit plain.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★	All the weapons you'd expect for a Gelgoog are included. Looks very well-stocked.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★	234 parts total (+ 24 detail-up parts). Parts per ¥1,000: 78
Uniqueness	★★★★	Despite the worst articulation and joint strength among MGs — the Gelgoog still looks great just standing there on display.
Dalong's Point : 70 pts.

MG Char's Gelgoog | 1996.12 | ¥3,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.