Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + decals

1. Basic photo

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body and head close-up

Back and duct section.

Lower body front and rear.

The Guntank's signature weapon, the 120mm low-recoil cannon

The hand, made up of a 40mm 4-barrel missile launcher.

The drive unit where all the engineering of this kit comes together..

MG Guntank - The individually linked caterpillar tracks look pretty convincing, but they do pop off a bit too easily.. OTL

The individually linked caterpillar tracks look pretty convincing, but
they pop off a bit too easily.. OTL

Underside view.

MG Guntank - Finally! The Guntank with a Core Block storage function has been made into a plastic model.. (Well, of course —

Finally!
The Guntank with a Core Block storage function has been made into a plastic model.. (Well, of course — it's MG after all..)

The Core Fighter is the same as the one from MG First 2.0,
except that clear-plastic landing gear has been added.

For the Core Fighter pilot, you get to choose between a yellow Ryu Jose figure and a white Hayato figure.

MG Guntank - The MG Guntank comes with an unusually generous number of bonus figures.. There are 4 x 1/100 figures included —

The MG Guntank comes with an unusually generous number of bonus figures..
There are 4 x 1/100 figures included — Hayato, Mirai, Bright, and Ryu Jose.

2. Mechanic Frame

Outer armor removal shot

MG Guntank - Inner frame shots. Turns out you can display the Guntank as a full 100% inner frame too..! (1/3)

MG Guntank - Inner frame shots. Turns out you can display the Guntank as a full 100% inner frame too..! (2/3)

MG Guntank - Inner frame shots. Turns out you can display the Guntank as a full 100% inner frame too..! (3/3)

Internal frame.
Turns out you can display the Guntank as a full 100% inner frame too..!

MG Guntank - Upper body front and rear. The overall feel of the frame is very similar to that of the Zaku 2.0. (1/2)

MG Guntank - Upper body front and rear. The overall feel of the frame is very similar to that of the Zaku 2.0. (2/2)

Upper body front and back.
The overall feel of the frame is very similar to that of the Zaku 2.0.

Upper body viewed from above.

MG Guntank - Looking closely at the cockpit, you can see that seals are applied over clear parts to represent the instrument

Looking closely at the cockpit, you can see that seals are applied over clear parts to represent the instrument panel.
This is also the spot where an LED light can be added later.

The cannon barrel support on the chest opened up

MG Guntank - Look closely at the ducts on the backpack.. and you'll see they're not just plain ducts — they're actually packe

Look closely at the ducts on the backpack..
and you'll see they're not just plain ducts — they're actually packed full of what appear to be bullets.

MG Guntank - What you see on the back is the ammunition magazine for the 120mm low-recoil cannons mounted on the shoulders. N

What you see on the back is the ammunition magazine for the 120mm low-recoil cannons mounted on the shoulders.
Not sure if this was part of the original design specs, but the detail is pretty nice.

MG Guntank - The arm frame. Rather than fine surface detail, the Guntank's frame goes for a solid skeletal look with great sc

The arm frame.
Rather than fine surface detail, the Guntank's frame goes for a solid skeletal look with great sculptural presence.

All the arm armor pieces are single solid panels..
Very much in line with the latest MG style.

Waist frame

The section where the Core Fighter is stored has a similar feel to the MG First 2.0.

Lower body frame.

The drive unit frame has excellent three-dimensional depth.

The inner detail of the drive unit is pretty intense;

MG Guntank - Each wheel even has suspension, rendered with impressive three-dimensionality. They've done a clever job recreat

Each wheel even has suspension, rendered with impressive three-dimensionality.
They've done a clever job recreating the spring shapes in plastic..
though it does make you wonder if it would've looked even cooler with real springs, like the Kotobukiya Zoids series.

There are 7 wheels on each side.

MG Guntank - There's also a detailed three-dimensional frame inside the body where the drive unit connects. It's a part you'l

There's also a detailed three-dimensional frame inside the body where the drive unit connects.
It's a part you'll barely see once assembled... but you can really feel the craftsmanship.

Bottom frame

MG Guntank - The joint connecting the body to the drive unit — essentially the Guntank's hip joint — features a movable cylin

The joint connecting the body to the drive unit — essentially the Guntank's hip joint —
features a movable cylinder.
However, the cylinder's range of motion is a bit awkward,
it tends to pop out or actually get in the way of movement, so the design feels a little iffy here..

The hip joint(?) connecting to the drive unit moves up and down like that.

On top of that, it can also splay outward, just like a real hip joint with legs.

So the drive unit can splay outward like that..

and it also drops down quite a bit, so..

you end up with some surprisingly flexible movement overall.

You can spread the drive units with the caterpillar tracks apart, almost like spreading legs.

MG Guntank - Additionally, by moving the lever on the side of the drive unit, you can angle the suspension downward so the wh

Additionally, by moving the lever on the side of the drive unit,
you can angle the suspension downward so the wheels drop lower, as shown on the right.
They've really thrown every imaginable gimmick at the wheel section..

The arm section has an extending elbow structure to increase the range of articulation.

The waist can also move side to side..

Remove the side armor frame and you'll find a movable cylinder built inside.

Thanks to the linked waist joint, the entire waist can also move forward and backward within a certain range.

MG Guntank - When you lean the waist forward, the four armor panels on the sides each move independently — like a skirt — and

When you lean the waist forward, the four armor panels on the sides each move independently — like a skirt —
and settle into the right position.

MG Guntank - Frame action. The wheels splayed out and holding their ground as if they were actual legs — pretty impressive..

Frame action.
The wheels splayed out and holding their ground as if they were actual legs — pretty impressive..

MG Guntank - Just like the MG Exia, the molding on the inside of the outer armor panels is completely gone.. It seems like at

Just like the MG Exia, the molding on the inside of the outer armor panels is completely gone..
It seems like at some point they decided to stop adding any detail to the inner surfaces of MG outer armor..

3. Gimmick

The biggest highlight of this kit has to be the individually linked caterpillar tracks.

The detail on both front and back looks great.

MG Guntank - Popping each one off the runner, cleaning it up, and snapping it together.. it's just as meditative a process as

Popping each one off the runner, cleaning it up, and snapping it together..
it's just as meditative a process as stringing Zaku beads, if not more so..

Once you've got them all linked up, they move with a satisfying rattling sound and look pretty convincing.

You can even coil them up like a snake.

You need 38 caterpillar track parts per side,
and 4 are left over as spares.

MG Guntank - The LED unit used in the head requires 2 x LR41 batteries. They're very small button cells, but on the plus side

The LED unit used in the head requires 2 x LR41 batteries.
They're very small button cells, but on the plus side they're fairly cheap ^^;

MG Guntank - However.. there's a bit of unnecessary play in the battery compartment, so the contact is poor and the light kee

However.. there's a bit of unnecessary play in the battery compartment, so the contact is poor and the light keeps flickering on and off.
In that case, slipping a small piece of paper in to push the battery more firmly toward the contact terminal fixes it right up.

To turn the LED on or off, you need to remove the head and flip the switch underneath it.

Head and chest cockpit hatch open

MG Guntank - You can open the yellow chest ducts. A screw gimmick links the upper and lower yellow ducts together, so opening

You can open the yellow chest ducts.
A screw gimmick links the upper and lower yellow ducts together,
so opening or closing one automatically opens or closes the other.

MG Guntank - At the front lower section, there's a bulldozer blade gimmick that drops down. It's the part used to anchor the

At the front lower section, there's a bulldozer blade gimmick that drops down.
It's the part used to anchor the Guntank to the ground during artillery fire.

A carrier gimmick opens up at the rear of the body.

MG Guntank - The 40mm 4-barrel missile launcher on the arm has a unique gimmick. Rotating the forearm causes the four barrels

The 40mm 4-barrel missile launcher on the arm has a pretty unique gimmick.
When you rotate the forearm, the 4 barrels alternately slide in and out.

MG Guntank - Rotate the middle section of the forearm and 2 of the 4 barrels alternately slide in and out. Seeing is believin

Rotate the middle section of the forearm and 2 of the 4 barrels alternately slide in and out.
Seeing is believing — check out the video below to see how it works :-)
(You can spot some gate marks in the video.. please don't complain too much T_T)

Articulation shots..
Being a tank and all, there's not a whole lot to show... ;;

MG Guntank - Elbow gimmick. You need to pull the elbow out slightly to get more than 90 degrees of movement. (1/3)

Elbow gimmick.
You need to pull the elbow out slightly to get more than 90 degrees of movement.

MG Guntank - The drive unit with the caterpillar tracks moves and rotates all over the place just like legs. I'd guess this w

The drive unit with the caterpillar tracks moves and rotates all over the place just like legs.
I'd guess this was probably the gimmick the MG Guntank developers agonized over the most..

MG Guntank - There are various height-adjustment gimmicks built in, so you can move the drive unit through quite a wide range

There are various height-adjustment gimmicks built in,
so you can move the drive unit through quite a wide range of heights, as shown above.

Lower the side cover on the drive unit and a switch for adjusting the wheel height is revealed.

MG Guntank - Move the switch and the suspension angle rises, dropping all 5 wheels down and making the overall unit taller an

Move the switch and the suspension angle rises,
dropping all 5 wheels down and making the overall unit taller and chunkier.

MG Guntank - The one on the right is the drive unit with the height adjusted — as you can see, it's not that the drive unit d

The one on the right is the drive unit with the height adjusted,
and as you can see, it's not that the drive unit drops down, but rather the whole drive unit gets taller overall.

Anyway, the lower body is packed with way more articulation gimmicks than you'd expect.

Waist movement using the internal linked gimmick.

As the waist moves, the outer armor panels around the waist each move individually.

MG Guntank - The outer armor around the waist has a structure just like the skirt armor on an MS. What a surprise articulatio

The outer armor around the waist has a structure just like the skirt armor on an MS.
What a surprise articulation point... splitting the waist armor into 6 separate moving pieces!

Range of motion for the 120mm low-recoil cannons on the shoulders.

You can open the support rest on top of the chest and prop up the cannons.

4. Action

MG Guntank - (My own) hangar standby pose. (1/3)

(My own) hangar standby pose.

To represent the standby state, you can attach muzzle cap seals to the ends of the barrels.

Guntank on standby with the cannons resting on the support and the muzzles sealed..

MG Guntank - High-angle firing pose. The hip joints connecting to the drive unit are nice and flexible, so poses like this co

High-angle firing pose.
The hip joints connecting to the drive unit are nice and flexible, so poses like this come together easily..

MG Guntank - Assault firing pose using waist and hip joint articulation (1/5)

MG Guntank - Assault firing pose using waist and hip joint articulation (2/5)

MG Guntank - Assault firing pose using waist and hip joint articulation (3/5)

Assault firing pose using waist and hip joint articulation

MG Guntank - Drive unit height comparison shot using a cigarette pack. The idea is that it can naturally climb over obstacles

Drive unit height comparison shot using a cigarette pack.
The idea is that it can naturally climb over obstacles like that.

MG Guntank - A dynamic action pose making full use of all the articulation gimmicks. I never expected the Guntank to be able

A dynamic action pose making full use of all the articulation gimmicks.
I never expected the Guntank to be able to pull off ~~Legs~~ a pose with its caterpillar tracks spread wide like that..

LED on!
But hmm.. the lit-up area of the LED feels a bit smaller than I expected.

But looking at it from the back.. there's some kind of glow coming from inside the cockpit!

MG Guntank - Ooh.. the instrument panel lit up by the LED looks pretty convincing. It's done by applying a semi-transparent s

Ooh.. the instrument panel lit up by the LED looks pretty convincing.
It's done by applying a semi-transparent seal over a clear part and lighting it from behind with the LED..

MG Guntank - Action shots with the lighting dimmed to show off the LED. (1/5)

MG Guntank - Action shots with the lighting dimmed to show off the LED. (2/5)

MG Guntank - Action shots with the lighting dimmed to show off the LED. (3/5)

Action shots with the lighting dimmed to show off the LED.

The MG Operation V trio finally assembled.. how long has it been T_T

MG Guntank - Together with the HGUC Guntank released way back in the day. The difference goes well beyond just the age gap an

Together with the HGUC Guntank released way back in the day.
The difference goes well beyond just the age gap and grade difference..

Straight build

1. Finally.

Finally! The MG Guntank has been released, 14 years after MG kicked off and opened a new chapter in Gunpla history.
This is truly a kit where "finally" is the only word that fits... T_T

For a long time, so many people had been waiting for the MG Guntank to come out, and yet Bandai kept dragging their feet to the point where it started to feel like the whole thing had gone stale before it even arrived.. In the end, most people figured Bandai had been holding it back as a hidden card to play when things got tough — but as time went on, that must have become an increasingly heavy burden for the developers.

The Guntank is structurally and fundamentally very different from your typical MS. Sure, there's the Zeong with its whole "legs are just decoration!" thing, but the Guntank doesn't have no legs — it has caterpillar drive units instead of legs. When you think about it carefully, the only things that really move are the waist, arms, and head, which makes it a genuinely tricky kit to develop something special for under the MG premium brand.

One thing many people predicted before release was that the caterpillar tracks would be done as individual linked pieces. Slapping on flat rubber tracks just wouldn't feel right for an MG, so it seemed almost certain they'd go with the resin-style linked track approach used on high-end tank model kits. Sure, there were some doubts about durability for a Gunpla that's closer to an articulated action figure, but hey — it would look the part for sure.

Beyond that, though, it was hard to predict or even hope for what the MG-exclusive special features might be. There was a lot of talk for a while about it coming out with remote-control functionality, but that felt too toy-like to be realistic, and spring-loaded suspension like you see on high-end auto model kits didn't really seem like something Bandai would go for either.

So for over a decade, the only thing that kept growing was the question of — just what on earth are they waiting for!?

2. Back to Basics + Fresh Ideas

Overall, my impression is that the MG Guntank tried to rely on doing things "the right way" rather than taking shortcuts. Instead of going for something flashy and novel, you can see the effort to bring together all the accumulated know-how and aim for top-tier quality on par with the legendary Zaku 2.0. In short, there's a clear commitment to nailing the fundamentals first, and I think that was the right call.

First off, the frame is reproduced perfectly from head to toe, and the frame style feels very similar to the Zaku 2.0. Rather than the fine detail you'd find on something like the MG F91, this is a full-body frame where the detail is a bit simpler but the sense of volume and sculpt quality is excellent — and just like the Zaku 2.0, it has this indescribably smooth yet tight, satisfying feel to the material.

The frame on the torso, arms, and head is one thing, but the lower body frame is something a bit unfamiliar. You got a taste of it with the G-Armor, but it's more of a solid-mass type frame rather than the robot-leg style you'd see on a regular MS. What takes it a step further beyond the G-Armor's single-piece frame, though, is the additional inner structure layered inside the inner frame. And the hip joint system that makes this layered lower body frame possible is really the heart of the MG Guntank.

The most impressive part of the MG Guntank is how the crawler drive units are treated almost like legs on an MS. This is genuinely a shift in thinking, and you can tell it's the result of a long period of deliberation by the Bandai development team. By using a multi-joint connection between the body and each crawler drive unit, they've made it possible to vary the height, fixed width, and angle of the crawlers — and even rotate them — essentially making them function like the multi-purpose hip joints you'd find on a Gunpla. When you actually handle it, you'll let out an involuntary "oh wow~" — the crawler drive units move with a surprisingly flexible, almost unsettling smoothness.

Thanks to that, you can pull off dynamic action poses with the Guntank that you'd never have expected, and it really makes you go "yep, MG is MG!" When it first came out, the linked-track caterpillar got some attention, but honestly, since it's been used in tank model kits for ages, it didn't feel all that fresh. Looking at this fantastic hip joint system on the Guntank, the linked tracks almost feel like more of a hindrance than anything (they keep falling off...).

On top of that hip joint articulation, the ten suspension units on each side — sculpted with great depth — can have their angles adjusted via a separate switch, adding a premium option to control the overall height of the crawlers. With this option included, the Guntank's crawler drive units deliver a level of articulation that's truly unprecedented.

The next clever idea is the articulation gimmick on the forearm armor, where rotating it causes the four 40mm quad missile launchers to alternately pop in and out. It's a simple but really fun gimmick — the kind of special treat you can only get with an MG.

The MG Guntank also features an LED gimmick, and at first I thought it might just be a gimmick thrown in to make it feel special — kind of unnecessary. But it's actually put to great use illuminating the control sticks inside the head cockpit. A semi-transparent instrument panel seal is applied over a clear part, with the LED light shining from behind, and it creates a surprisingly convincing look. The light doesn't really show much on the outside, but as a way to light up the cockpit interior, it really does feel like a proper MG-worthy gimmick.

There's also a newly reinterpreted design detail — the 120mm shell storage located inside the duct on the back. By embedding a nicely sculpted shell component deep inside that duct, it firmly establishes the ammo supply system for the low-recoil cannon on the shoulders.

Beyond that, the Core Fighter/Core Block system reproduction — which almost goes without saying — along with the front bulldozer gimmick deployment and the rear carrier opening all feel like they're packed with that extra bit of fan service spirit.

3. The Downsides

Well, with high expectations come inevitable disappointments.

First, the linked-track caterpillar involves a seriously hefty amount of work — easily surpassing the bead-stringing on the Zaku — and requires a good deal of tedious effort for cleaning up gates and panel lining. That said, once it's done, the sculpted look is definitely better than rubber tracks. The downside, though, is that the linked joints are a bit fragile by nature. They don't seem to snap easily (and there are 4 spare links included, so it's not a huge worry), but when you move the crawler drive units up, down, or sideways, the tracks tend to pop off pretty easily. Handle with care.

Also, since the linked tracks need to be fitted tightly without any glue, it's a bit tricky to recreate the natural sagging look of real tracks. If you added one extra link per side and glued it in place, you'd probably get a nice natural sag — but with just the standard 38 links connected, it's already tight enough that it barely feels "linked" at all.

With tank model kits, you can let the linked tracks sag naturally and fix them with glue to get that characteristic realistic look — and that "natural sag" is really one of the biggest strengths of linked-track systems. The MG Guntank, being closer to an action figure, makes gluing feel risky, so it's a bit awkward to fully take advantage of what linked tracks have to offer...

Even the MG Guntank's impressive hip joint system has a blind spot — the movable cylinder attached to the front of the inner hip joint ends up being a bit of a nuisance. After posing it multiple times, the cylinder tends to subtly shift out of position, causing the connection point to pop out or even get stuck inside and interfere with the hip joint's movement. It doesn't happen every single time, but it comes up pretty often when you're trying out various poses. The clearance just feels too tight for the cylinder to move freely, and it seems like a minor design oversight. When you lower the hip joint and try to fold it back up, it sometimes refuses to close properly — and if you force it, the top connection of the cylinder can snap, so be careful. (In my case, it was such a constant annoyance that when shooting action poses from various angles, I just removed the cylinder parts entirely.)

And then there's the clear canopy that's been drawing complaints since launch — according to the design specs it should be a green clear part, but it comes out plain clear, presumably as a consideration for users who want to paint it their own color, which makes it look a bit off. If that was the intention, it would've been nice if they'd included both a clear part and a colored clear part like Kotobukiya does... That's a real shame. Personally, I've built most of Kotobukiya's kits, and there are many times I wish Bandai would take a page from their book when it comes to that service-minded spirit they use to compensate for their technical limitations. ^^;

The suspension connecting the five lower road wheels shows impressive depth thanks to clever slide mold work and part combinations — but honestly, I can't help wishing they'd just used real springs instead. Like Kotobukiya's Zoids series, even if they weren't functional, real springs would've looked so much cooler. In the MG Guntank, they used advanced plastic molding technology to mold a hollow coil spring shape all in one piece — which is genuinely impressive from a technical standpoint. But it makes you wonder if all that time and money spent on that could've been saved by just cleanly dropping in real springs. It feels like they were a bit too stubborn about expressing everything in plastic.

So yes, there are a few disappointments — but that's also a testament to just how high the expectations were. :-)
(It's your own fault for making us wait so long, Bandai...)

4. Living Up to the MG Name

The detailed gimmicks and overall look you can check out in the review photos — but perhaps what really matters is what this kit actually *feels* like after such a long wait. Of course that'll vary from person to person, but speaking for myself as someone who's built every MG out there... my honest feeling is: The wait was worth it— that's where I land.

Truth be told, the expectations and the wait were so enormous that no MG Guntank might ever have been fully satisfying. Or maybe just having it finally exist was enough to be grateful for. That's how much this kit stirs up mixed feelings for so many people.

Overall, it really does seem to reflect a lot of careful thought from the Bandai developers, and it's undeniable that coming out later meant it benefited greatly from the latest technology. It's a good thing it came out after the Zaku 2.0 — if it had come out ten years earlier, it might have ended up as a pretty mediocre kit. So when I say "the wait was worth it," what I really mean more than anything is that I'm just glad it came out when it did, with the latest technology behind it. At this point in time, you simply couldn't ask for a technically superior MG Guntank than this.

Anyway, the excellent frame material and sense of volume, solid joint strength, and the variety of new gimmicks all more than earn a passing grade in my book. The key factor is how much expectation each person was carrying going in — that's going to have a big impact on how satisfied you feel with this kit. As I mentioned above, it's a strange mix of the slightly sour feeling that comes from being worn down by the wait, and the genuine warmth of just being glad it's finally here. At least, that's how it felt for me. :-)

GOOD 3 : Unexpectedly unique hip joints, a complete full frame, and high quality built on solid fundamentals.
BAD 3 : I'm so tired of waiting — wasn't this way too late? And now that the MG Guntank is finally out, what's the next thing to look forward to? :-)

MG RX-75 Guntank
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	One-piece part parade.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	The Guntank was always an easy design for color separation. But single-piece molded parts are everywhere.
Proportions	★★★★★	A model student that doesn't stray too far from what you'd hoped for.
Articulation	★★★★★★	It's nothing like an MS! The range of motion on the drive section is beyond imagination..
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	The link-style caterpillar tracks are a little loose..
Internal Frame	★★★★★★	Who knew the Guntank could have a full frame too! Top-tier frame work.
Detail	★★★★★	Detail worthy of MG standards. The link-style caterpillar tracks are a nice touch.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	No separate weapons to begin with, but various gimmicks make up for it.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	335 parts total. 69.8 parts per ¥1,000. A little on the pricey side, but..
Uniqueness	★★★★★ ★★	A round of applause for their creativity, which more than makes up for the long wait.
Dalong's Point : 107 pts.

MG Guntank | 2009. 9 | ¥4,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.