Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

With the wings spread out, it's roughly this wide — they spread out pretty long and wide.

It bends back 90 degrees.

MG Master Gundam - Unfortunately... the left head antenna is broken. The cruel fate of it already being broken when it arrive

Unfortunately... the left head antenna is broken.
The cruel fate of it already being broken when it arrived... T_T

MG Master Gundam - The cockpit hatch... it opens sort of like it should, but inside there's just a bare action frame with not

The cockpit hatch... it opens sort of like it should, but inside there's just a bare action frame with nothing in it;

MG Master Gundam - Inside the side skirts. The structures attached to both sides of the skirt are connected with soft parts,

Inside the side skirts. The structures attached to both sides of the skirt
are connected with soft parts, so they move smoothly.

MG Master Gundam - The protrusion on the top of the foot folds forward dramatically — it's a gimmick needed when fully foldin

The protrusion on the top of the foot folds forward dramatically...
It's a gimmick needed when fully folding the ankle forward. Nice~

Outer armor removed

Internal frame

MG Master Gundam - The ankle section of the legs and the forearm section of the arms are a bit different from God Gundam's ac

The ankle section of the legs and the forearm section of the arms are a bit different from God Gundam's action frame.
The arms use a more mechanical-looking frame.

MG Master Gundam - As expected, articulation in the frame state is very good... but the top of the skirt is blocked, so the k

As expected, articulation in the frame state is very good...
But the top of the skirt is blocked, so the knees can't raise as high as on God Gundam.

Bolero of Love and Sorrow...?

A bashful frame action pose

MG Master Gundam - Master Gundam can't escape the obligatory squatting pose either. But it looks less like a squat toilet and

Master Gundam can't escape the obligatory squatting pose either.
But it looks less like a squat toilet and more like sitting on a flush toilet — the butt is kind of floating up...

An incredibly luxurious hand selection. A whopping 11 types included.

The limbs fold completely, but it's still a shame the knees can't raise very high.

The shoulders pull forward and bend dramatically, just like on God Gundam.

A cocky action pose

Since the legs don't raise very high, the kicking pose looks a bit awkward T_T

A pose that really brings out Master Gundam's signature charisma

The detail on the special hand parts is pretty nice.

Kneeling down
The wings in the back sometimes double as a support stand ^^;

The Master Cloth action — basically a piece of cloth — is done up to look like a beam weapon.

The arms have an extending gimmick built in.
A straight punch pose using the extending gimmick. Strike!

The setting where the arm shoots out can also be recreated using the pipe.

Darkness Finger action!

MG Master Gundam - But... if you look closely at these fluorescent hands, besides the eagle-claw-like hand unique to Master G

But... if you look closely at these fluorescent hands, besides the eagle-claw-like hand unique to Master Gundam on the left,
there's one plain, slender regular-type hand included. What on earth is this for???

MG Master Gundam - Oh wow! It turns out it's meant for the MG God Gundam. A gift from Master Gundam~ It was ultimately a bonu

Oh wow! It turns out it's meant for the MG God Gundam.
A gift from Master Gundam~
It was ultimately a bonus included to recreate the scene from the anime shown on the right.

If you've watched the anime, you'll probably get the vibe right away ^^;

The included 1/20 Master Asia figure

A proper, respectful shot taken together with God Gundam.

MG Master Gundam - In many ways, this seems to be the most expensive and highest quality kit in the MG Mobile Fighter G Gunda

In many ways, this seems to be the most expensive and highest quality kit in the MG Mobile Fighter G Gundam series.

The 2nd kit in the MG Mobile Fighter G Gundam series is G Gundam's rival, Master Gundam. It's essentially a product where the outer armor has been swapped out with some minor modifications to God Gundam's action frame, but the feel and kit characteristics are quite different from God Gundam.

Even though they share the same action frame, there are some differences in detail and range of motion in several areas. The forearms gain Master Gundam's signature extending gimmick along with additional mechanical framing, and the ankles also have added mechanical framing with double-jointed ankles. Other than that, the torso, above the elbows, and most of the leg sections are the same as God Gundam. However, because the panel where the skirts attach on the lower body has gotten larger, the knees can no longer fold all the way up toward the front of the body. As a result, the overall range of motion ends up feeling slightly narrower than God Gundam's.

Master Gundam has a more complex parts structure than God Gundam overall, and accordingly the parts volume is more generous and the box is bigger too. The volume looks like it'd be around the ¥3,000 range, but it's been priced nicely at ¥2,800 ^^ Probably because a good number of the frame parts are shared.

As you can see, Master Gundam's style is quite different from conventional Gundams. The deep coloring, muscular body lines, large "ears"(?), red cape wings, and so on — among Gundam-type units, this one really stands out for its uniqueness. The color combination of deep navy and red is well expressed through perfect parts separation, and with the clean separation, seam lines are barely visible. Either way, the charisma that comes from the deep coloring combined with that demonic feel is truly unique.

The most standout feature of this kit is probably the wide variety of hand parts. With 11 hand parts — the most of any MG — they're a huge help in putting together all kinds of action poses. One of the clear-material hands in particular is included for the MG God Gundam, and as you can see in the photos, it's meant to recreate the pose where the two face off pressing their hands together. It's really rare to find a kit that includes parts meant for a completely different kit ^^; Either way, the accessories feel quite generous overall.

One more thing worth noting. This kit's outer armor has undergates. You might wonder why undergates on a non-plated kit, but this is groundwork laid for a future gold-plated Hyper Mode release. Thanks to this, it's become a fairly rare MG where gate marks are barely visible on the exterior. That's a nice touch ^^

The disappointing part is... it's a bit of a bummer that the wing cape doesn't open, something that was even implemented on the old 1/100 kit. It would've been great if the wings spread out and wrapped around the whole body like a cape as per the original design... it's a little frustrating that this feature was left out even at the MG level. Apparently there's talk that it was omitted because Katoki Hajime wanted to focus more on the style of the wings... and honestly, the old kit's transforming wings were a bit chunky because of that function. Since the MG's wings don't transform, they're nice and slender with great style. One other important point is that they're compatible with the old kit's wing cape. I wonder if the intention is to get people to buy the old 1/100 kit and swap them in -.-;

Personally, this is my favorite kit in terms of quality among the Mobile Fighter G Gundam MG lineup. It's the unit that best brings out the dynamism of the action frame, and especially with those large, sleek wings, poses just look that much more powerful. At ¥2,800, it has plenty of parts, and the outer armor structure is more complex and refined than other Mobile Fighter G Gundam kits, not just the frame. The overall look also feels the least toy-like(?). Since the price is a bit lower too, this is a great kit worth building even for those who aren't particularly into the Mobile Fighter G Gundam series. ^^

MG GF13-001NHII Master Gundam
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Excellent parts separation. And the rare undergates.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Molded color/color separation: perfect
Proportions	★★★★★	The demonic image comes through really well. Charisma is top-notch.
Articulation	★★★★☆	Frame articulation is top-class. Even if it drops a bit with the armor on, the action poses are still great.
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	It's so stiff it's actually becoming a bit of a problem. Seems better than God Gundam though.
Internal Frame	★★★★☆	Full-body action frame. Focus is on the movable frame rather than detail.
Detail	★★★★★	MG-worthy detail. Frame is slightly better than God Gundam's ^^
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★☆	11 hands alone. God Gundam hand included as a bonus. Master Cloth. Generous!
Parts Count / Price	★★★★	261 parts. Parts per ¥1,000: 93.1. Great value for money.
Uniqueness	★★★★☆	The pinnacle of the MG Mobile Fighter G Gundam series.
Dalong's Point : 93 pts.

MG Master Gundam | 2002.3 | ¥3,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.