Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

MG GM Sniper Custom - Detail shots (1/4)

MG GM Sniper Custom - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Outer armor removal shot

MG GM Sniper Custom - Inner frame. (1/2)

MG GM Sniper Custom - Inner frame. (2/2)

Internal frame.

MG GM Sniper Custom - Frame detail shots. Based on the RX-78 2.0, but the torso is a new design and some additional leg frame

Frame detail shots
Based on the RX-78 2.0, but the torso is a new design and some additional leg frame parts have been added.

Frame articulation

MG GM Sniper Custom - Just like the GM Sniper II 2.0, the waist frame has excellent flexibility. (1/3)

Just like the GM Sniper II 2.0, the waist frame has excellent flexibility.

Natural frame poses.

Weapons loadout

Articulation of the R4-type beam rifle and folding beam handgun.

MG GM Sniper Custom - The R4-type beam rifle can be stored on the rear skirt by folding the stock and detaching the barrel to

The R4-type beam rifle can be stored on the rear skirt by folding the stock and detaching the barrel to mount it underneath —
— it mounts onto the rear skirt.

The Hyper Bazooka can also be stored in the same spot.

MG GM Sniper Custom - The beam spray gun / twin beam spray gun can be secured to the side of the waist and legs using a fixin

The beam spray gun / twin beam spray gun can be secured to the side of the waist and legs using a fixing pin.

The folding beam handgun can be stored on the back of the right arm using a dedicated mounting part.

The beam saber plugs into the right forearm when in use.

Cockpit hatch open

Pilot figure.

Leftover parts from the GM 2.0.

Arm and leg articulation is top-notch.

True to its role as a sniper unit, the neck and waist are very flexible.

Kneeling firing pose with the folding beam handgun.

MG GM Sniper Custom - The head visor can be lowered, but the part is fragile so be careful not to break it. (I already snappe

The head visor can be lowered, but the part is fragile so be careful not to break it.
(I already snapped mine and had to glue it back together T_T)

MG GM Sniper Custom - Aerial sniping pose with the head visor lowered. (1/3)

Aerial sniping pose with the head visor lowered.

Beam spray gun + twin beam spray gun action.

Twin beam spray gun + beam saber action.

Hyper Bazooka action.

Beam saber action

Together with the MG GM 2.0, the kit it's based on.

Together with the MG GM Sniper II 2.0.

MG GM Sniper Custom - Together with the old MSV 1/144 GM Sniper Custom. Who'd have thought I'd live to see this guy get the M

Together with the old MSV 1/144 GM Sniper Custom.
Who'd have thought I'd live to see this guy get the MG treatment!

Straight build

After striking gold with the GM Sniper II, Bandai has gone ahead and released the GM Sniper Custom as an MG as well. The GM Sniper Custom previously came out as an old 1/144 MSV kit, and after all these years it's finally been honored with an MG release.

At its core, it's based on the MG RX-78 2.0 just like the GM Sniper II — though it's actually closer in configuration to the MG GM 2.0, which shares the same base. The basic arm and leg skeleton uses the GM 2.0 as its foundation, while the torso combines that with the greatly improved waist articulation seen on the GM Sniper II. Thanks to that, it's managed to come out as a kit that rivals the quality of the excellent GM Sniper II.

With a top-tier MG frame like this, it delivers outstanding detail as well as class-A articulation and solid joint strength. Add in a relatively generous weapons loadout and premium exterior detailing, and it's come together as a solid A-grade kit overall.

The weapons loadout in particular is pretty satisfying — on top of the standard beam spray gun, you also get a twin beam spray gun, Hyper Bazooka, shield, R4-type beam rifle, and more. There's also a clever storage system that lets you fold up the weapons and mount them all over the place — the forearm, side skirts, leg sides, rear skirt, you name it.

That said, compared to the flawless GM Sniper II, there's something about this one that feels ever so slightly lacking. The GM Sniper II manages to feel like a significant departure even though it shares the same First 2.0 base, whereas this kit feels like it stays squarely within the bounds of a First 2.0 variation. I think it's because the outer silhouette still smells a lot like the First 2.0 — compared to the GM Sniper II, which felt more boxy and less GM-like, this one definitely feels less fresh.

There are also some practical issues: the beam spray gun storage on the leg sides is loose and keeps falling off, and the movable visor on top of the head is fragile and prone to breaking. On top of that, the color scheme feels oddly downmarket, and stylistically it comes across as more old-school than the GM Sniper II.

All that said, taken on its own merits, this kit is a step above the original First/GM 2.0 kits in terms of quality — it's just that the previous MG GM Sniper II was so good that this one unfairly ends up looking like the lesser kit by comparison. Still, for longtime fans who've been waiting to see the MSV GM Sniper Custom get the MG treatment, this will no doubt be a thrill. The kit's own quality is clearly top-tier, so it's definitely worth building — a premium MG through and through. :-)

MG RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Near-perfect aside from some of the weapons.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	The basic color separation is clean and well done.
Proportions	★★★★★	Clean, but less inventive than the GM Sniper II.
Articulation	★★★★★★	Top-tier GM 2.0 articulation, plus a flexible waist and neck!
Joint Strength	★★★★★	The joints themselves are very solid, but some of the storage mechanisms are a bit iffy…
Internal Frame	★★★★★☆	An even more upgraded top-tier frame compared to the GM 2.0.
Detail	★★★★★	Clean and reasonably detailed.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	The weapons loadout is quite generous.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★★★	389 parts total. 97 parts per ¥1,000. Outstanding value for money.
Uniqueness	★★★★★★★	Excellent, but not quite on the level of the MG GM Sniper II.
Dalong's Point : 111 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 Custom | 2017. 11 | ¥4,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.