Kit Review

Straight build + panel lining + decals

The universal standard for size comparison — next to a cigarette pack. Not that small, really.

Size comparison from the side. It's got a long front-to-back profile.

The range of motion on the two arms is pretty wide.

The lower arm can also be folded all the way down.

Range of motion on the claws

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - The joint section that looks like it's connected by a rubber tube has a pretty narrow range of mo

The joint section that looks like it's connected by a rubber tube has a pretty narrow range of motion — less than 10 degrees.

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - The cylinders on the underside of the arms are done in metal parts, giving them an incredibly rea

The cylinders on the underside of the arms are done in metal parts, giving them an incredibly realistic texture.
(They're fixed and don't move, though.)

Red wire is used around the claw section to enhance the sense of realism.

This red wire is made by twisting a single strand around in various ways.

Twist it like this and you're done.

The detail on the included stand is also pretty impressive. ^^

Hatch open

Cockpit. (I cranked up the brightness quite a bit to make the details easier to see. ^^;)

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - The front section is a light green clear part, so if you look closely you can see the pilot insid

The front section is a light green clear part, so if you look closely you can see the pilot inside. (Though it's hard to make out in the photo. ;;)

Green clear parts are also used on the sides, and the way they catch the light is just gorgeous.

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - The four small verniers on top can each move a little. Worth noting that the color separation is

The four small verniers on top can each move a little.
Worth noting that the color separation is clean all the way down to the white and orange parts.

Outer armor removed

The inner mechanical frame. The detail is insane!

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - Quite a lot of stickers go on the mechanical frame as well. Normally even PG kits don't put sticker

Quite a lot of stickers go on the mechanical frame as well.
Normally even PG kits don't put stickers or decals on the frame, so the MG Ball is a bit unusual in that regard~

##################The detail on the top section is also fantastic.##################The bottom section.

The molding is even detailed in areas hidden behind the verniers and such...

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - The inside of the outer armor panels also has faithfully reproduced molding. I went ahead and did

The inside of the outer armor panels also has faithfully reproduced molding. I went ahead and did panel lining on all of it for good measure.

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - Looking at the inner armor molding really makes you appreciate just how much care Bandai put into

Looking at the inner armor molding really makes you appreciate just how much care Bandai put into this kit...

Two bonus 1/100 scale figures included. The detail and poses are quite something.

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - Together with the previous Ver.Ka releases, the RX-78 Ver.Ka and Wing Early Ver.Ka. The Ver.Ka se

Together with the previous Ver.Ka releases, the RX-78 Ver.Ka and Wing Early Ver.Ka.
The Ver.Ka series is truly a premium brand that prides itself on top-notch quality... (and absolutely brutal decal work ;; )

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - Straight build — front (1/2)

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka - Straight build — rear (2/2)

Straight build — frontStraight build — rear

"What a treat~!" — The first thought that comes to mind when you see the MG Ball

The MG that closed out 2004 was the 'BALL' — something nobody saw coming. And as a Ver.Ka, no less.
First of all, it's the first time a non-MS type unit has gotten the MG treatment... It was a unit that had a quiet but solid fanbase, but nobody really expected it to get an MG release. In a word — totally out of left field~

The MG Ball Ver.Ka broke the record for the lowest MG price at ¥2000, while delivering top-tier quality with a whole new level of refinement. Refining the original Ball into the Ver.Ka series made it sleeker, and it boasts insane detail that would make even a PG cry. The inner mechanical frame detail in particular is truly Fantastic! on another level.

The mechanical frame, with its layers upon layers of detail even in areas you can't see, is not just MG-level — it holds its own against PG-level kits (and even surpasses them in some areas). The inside of the outer armor panels also has clean molding, and the armor itself is very easy to remove. It's set up so you can really enjoy the mechanics.

Even the included stand shows more detail than any stand that's come before it. In addition to the pilot, two small 1/100 scale figures are also included, and the poses and detail are in a completely different league from the rough, thrown-together 1/100 figures of the past. The natural poses and the fact that even the faces are somewhat sculpted make it easy to see just how much care went into developing this kit.

One of the unique things about the MG Ball is that soft rubber caps are used instead of polycaps. They hold firmly with plenty of resistance, and the rubber joint used at the connection between the arm and the body is also very realistically rendered. The arm's range of motion is fairly wide, but the section connected by the rubber molding is more limited than you'd expect.

Looking at the MG Ball's parts layout and the runner injection structure, you can see signs that several variations are being planned. The manual even shows some Ball series candidates, and looking closely at the injected blocks, it really looks like the 08th MS Team Ball will definitely be released. Of course, at this level of quality, any Ball variant is more than welcome! ^^

Just like all the previous Ver.Ka releases, the MG Ball requires some brutal sticker and decal work. It used to be a common trait across all scales that almost no stickers were applied to the inner frame, but the MG Ball has a substantial number of stickers just for the inner frame alone — enough to surpass other MG kits on that count alone. There are also a considerable number of stickers/decals for the outer armor, and the problem is that since the Ball is a small kit, the stickers and decals are also tiny. You have to carefully cut out each sticker piece by piece to even get them on, and the decals need to be cut out one by one and held in place with tape before applying — and every single spot you're applying to is cramped, so the difficulty level is high. (I ended up losing one decal T_T) In my case alone, the decal work seemed to take three or four times as long as the actual straight build.

Overall, the price-to-performance ratio is outstanding, and above all, the building experience is just incredibly satisfying. Since most people have only ever built MS in robot form, the unusual feel of building this might be part of it — but even setting that aside, the kit itself is compact, precise, and snaps together so satisfyingly that it'll make any Gunpla fan's hands very happy. ^^

If I had to nitpick a little: the outer armor panels fit together ever so slightly loosely (though they don't just fall off), the hatch looks very slightly raised when closed, and the rubber connection on the arm section is just a tiny bit ambiguous in terms of fit. But these are all minor, trivial things.

Regardless, I still gave it a perfect score of 100. Honestly, it's not so much that there's nothing to fault — it's more that I just don't want to take points off. ^^; Since it's not an MS, the usual MS-style criteria (like articulation) are kind of irrelevant anyway, and when you look purely at the kit's quality relative to its price, the satisfaction level is top-tier — so 100 points it had to be. It really was the best Christmas gift of 2004! (Though since it arrived a bit late domestically, it ended up being a New Year's gift instead.)

It got an explosive response in Japan when it was released, and it's been hugely popular here domestically as well ever since it arrived. Bandai themselves were probably caught off guard by how popular it turned out to be — but then again, high-quality products always get the attention they deserve. The MG Rick-Dias (His Excellency's Custom) that came out alongside it ended up looking a bit too overshadowed by comparison... (it was a kit that many people had been looking forward to, in its own right.) I hope Bandai continues to take these kinds of bold, unique product development risks going forward. At this level of quality, I'll buy whatever they put out! Lowest price, highest quality. Let's all go ahead and grab one without hesitation! ^^

MG RB-79 Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Almost no seam lines to deal with. All the cylindrical parts are slide-molded.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Perfect
Proportions	★★★★★	Excellent
Articulation	★★★★★	It's a bit hard to judge since it's not an MS, but everything that's supposed to move does move well.
Joint Strength	★★★★★	There's really nothing that feels loose;;
Internal Frame	★★★★★	The best kit ever made for its inner frame alone.
Detail	★★★★★	It puts PG kits to shame.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	Two small detailed figures and a dedicated stand. That's more than good enough.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	148 parts total. Parts per ¥1000: 74. Lowest price, highest quality.
Uniqueness	★★★★★	Could there possibly be another kit this unique and surprising??
Dalong's Point : 100 pts.

MG Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka | 2004. 12 | ¥2,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.