Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

The verniers on the backpack and rear legs all have great color separation.

Outer armor removed

Internal frame

MG GM Sniper II - Frame detail shots. The base frame is built on the First 2.0. (1/4)

MG GM Sniper II - Frame detail shots. The base frame is built on the First 2.0. (2/4)

Frame detail shots.
The base frame is built on the First 2.0.

Frame articulation.

Frame kneeling pose.

Weapons loadout.

The sniper rifle's movable bipod can also be repositioned forward and backward.

The Bullpup Machine Gun's magazine is detachable, and two extra magazines are included.

There are quite a few moving gimmicks on the inside of the shield.

You can also pull out the stand like this and prop it up.

MG GM Sniper II - Or you can detach the entire beam saber holder on the rear skirt and store it inside along with the magazin

Or you can detach the entire beam saber holder on the rear skirt and store it inside along with the magazine.

The beam saber holder on the rear skirt can also rotate slightly forward and backward.

Four types of interchangeable fingers are included.

The rifle-gripping fingers lock securely onto the rifle using pegs and holes.

The head visor is articulated.

Cockpit hatch open.
The opening is pretty narrow — looks like it'd be a real struggle to get in and out...

Leftover parts.

MG GM Sniper II - The limb articulation is excellent overall, though I do wish the hip joints could swing up just a little bi

The limb articulation is excellent overall,
though I do wish the hip joints could swing up just a little bit more.

MG GM Sniper II - The arms raise up nicely, but the waist also bends quite a lot in all directions — forward, backward, and s

The arms raise up nicely, but the waist also bends quite a lot in all directions — forward, backward, and side to side.

MG GM Sniper II - The two-section mid-waist piece rotates, and it looks like this structure was designed specifically to allo

The two-section mid-waist piece rotates,
and it looks like this structure was designed specifically to allow waist rotation while clearing the beam saber holder that sticks up on top.

Using the First 2.0's gimmick, the shoulders can swing forward dramatically.

The neck also tilts forward quite a bit, which is a huge help for pulling off sniper poses.

The wrists also rotate 180 degrees forward and backward.

The thumb's middle knuckle is also articulated.

That said, the ankle articulation feels a bit limited in all directions compared to the rest of the joints.

MG GM Sniper II - Kneeling firing pose with all the special articulation gimmicks in full use. This one pose alone really sho

Kneeling firing pose with all the special articulation gimmicks in full use.
This one pose alone really shoots the kit's value way up.

You need to push the neck and shoulders to their full range of motion to get the pose above.

MG GM Sniper II - Natural prone firing pose. (1/4)

MG GM Sniper II - Natural prone firing pose. (2/4)

Natural prone firing pose.

MG GM Sniper II - Aerial firing pose (1/3)

Aerial firing pose

MG GM Sniper II - Beam saber action pose. The waist bends so far to the side that you get an even more dynamic stance. (1/4)

MG GM Sniper II - Beam saber action pose. The waist bends so far to the side that you get an even more dynamic stance. (2/4)

Beam saber action pose.
The waist bends so far to the side that you get an even more dynamic stance.

Together with the HGUC GM Sniper II.
The molded colors are quite different.

Together with the MG GM 2.0, which shares the same frame.

Together with the GM Sniper from the 08th MS Team.

Straight build

After a long stretch of MG lineup releases dominated by version-up kits and Ver.Ka kits, the GM Sniper II has arrived as a welcome return to an original Universal Century MS. It was generating buzz even before release thanks to its striking box art, and it was a kit many were looking forward to for its up-to-date quality based on the MG First 2.0.

Opening up the MG box — which is refreshingly small compared to recent releases — you're greeted with a reasonable amount of runners, along with a straightforward set of seals and dry-transfer decals. The part count is 318, the lowest of any MG in the past three years, so assembly goes by pretty quickly. And since it's based on the legendary First 2.0 frame, the building experience is excellent — though it does feel slightly stiffer compared to the smooth, buttery feel of the Zaku 2.0.

The highlight of this kit is all the articulation gimmicks designed to pull off sniper poses. The forward-tilting neck joint, the 90-degree rotating wrists, the highly flexible waist that bends in all directions, and the excellent limb articulation all come together to recreate a perfect kneeling firing pose. Sure, it takes a bit of time to dial in the position of each joint to get the pose just right, but the natural-looking firing stance you get from tilting the neck down, bending the wrists, and swinging the shoulders forward is genuinely impressive~

The prone firing pose — a sniper staple — can also be pulled off naturally, and the flexible waist gimmick in particular lets you get more dynamic-looking shots and beam saber poses than you'd get from most other kits. On top of that, there are bonus gimmicks like the shield stand, the articulated visor, and the forward-and-backward adjustable sniper rifle bipod. Overall, this kit sets a great example of nailing the fundamentals without cutting corners anywhere.

On the downside, the interchangeable fingers tend to pop off easily — especially the open-hand fingers on the left hand, which can fall off with even a slight bump. Ironically, the right hand gripping the weapon stays put just fine, but the connection between the hand and fingers does feel a bit loose overall. Also, despite the excellent articulation everywhere else, the ankle range of motion feels a bit restrictive, which is a minor disappointment.

There are a few minor issues like these, but overall this is an extremely satisfying kit. I'm not sure about everything else, but in terms of the kit's name alone, "We're going to nail the sniper pose, no matter what!"— you can really feel that burning passion from the developers, which made the whole building process a joy. How do I put it... after a long stretch of MG releases that felt a bit commercially driven, it finally feels like a proper MG that gets back to basics. It's like the veteran developers all got back together and went all-in to make something really special...

Anyway, ¥3800 feels like an absolute steal for this kit — the value for money is outstanding, and I'd recommend it to every Gunpla fan out there. After a long time, this is one of those kits where you find yourself thinking, "Yeah... this is what Gunpla is all about!!" — and you can feel it right through your fingertips. :-)

MG RGM-79SP GM Sniper II
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Near-perfect aside from some of the weapons
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Color separation right down to the verniers. The molded colors might be a love-it-or-hate-it thing though.
Proportions	★★★★★★	The posing is excellent.
Articulation	★★★★★★	An upgrade on the already great First 2.0! The sniper-specific joints are the standout.
Joint Strength	★★★★★	The body is perfect, but the fingers pop off a bit too easily..
Internal Frame	★★★★★☆	Feels like a slight step up even from the already excellent First 2.0.
Detail	★★★★★	Clean and very MG-like.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	Accessories are well-chosen and effective.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★★★	318 parts total. 83.7 parts per ¥1000. Feels like a real bargain for the quality.
Uniqueness	★★★★★★★★	Finally, a proper MG that feels like a real MG again.
Dalong's Point : 115 pts.

* The scoring system used only for MG has been carried over from First 1.0 twenty years ago,
so applying it uniformly even to the latest kits — whose quality has leveled up across the board — is honestly a bit ambiguous.
Since it's just my personal take and can't clearly capture the differences in kit quality over the years,
please don't read too much into it and just use it as a loose reference.
(For kits scoring above 100, take it to mean the quality is much better than kits of the past.)

MG GM Sniper II | 2017. 1 | ¥3,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.