Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack. In person, this thing is seriously big and hefty.

Outer armor removed

Inner frame shot, front view. It's absolutely stunning~

Frame shot, rear view.

The inside of the major outer armor panels gets some molded detail too — nice touch!

MG Acguy - The frame at the top of the head. It's mostly hidden behind the large clear part so you can't see it clearly, but

The frame at the top of the head. It's mostly hidden behind the large clear part so you can't see it clearly, but the detail is pretty solid.

MG Acguy - And the head itself can be removed like a hat, one layer at a time. Inside, there's yet another frame. Layer upon

And the head itself can be removed like a hat, one layer at a time. Inside, there's yet another frame.
Layer upon layer of double frames..!

The neck tilts back quite a lot — and if you look closely, there's a frame structure visible inside the neck too.

MG Acguy - Body front frame. A tandem cockpit is reproduced here. Only one pilot figure is included, so the other seat is lef

Body front frame. A tandem cockpit is reproduced here.
Only one pilot figure is included, so the other seat is left empty.

The inner frame viewed from the side of the body is absolutely fan-tas-tic.

On top of that, it has a double frame structure just like the MG Ball..!

The inner frame with the frame cover removed. The molding is bold and clean.

The backpack frame.

Arm and leg frames. The arm molding is a bit simple, but the skeletal feel is solid.

Even the leg frame is a double frame.. remove the cover and there's yet another frame underneath.

There's an actually spinning propeller on the underside of the foot, along with molded detail.

Detail on the inside of the cockpit cover. The whole thing is packed with intricate frame work.

MG Acguy - The connection between the shoulder and arm has a unique structure. The U-shaped fixing pin can rotate more than 1

The connection between the shoulder and arm has a unique structure. The U-shaped fixing pin can rotate more than 180 degrees.
This gives the limbs an almost unlimited range of motion, though it does feel a little worrying in terms of durability.

MG Acguy - The arms and legs can each extend outward by about 1cm. Thanks to a clever gimmick, they click into place securely

The arms and legs can each extend outward by about 1cm.
Thanks to a clever gimmick, they click into place securely whether retracted or extended.

MG Acguy - The section where the leg joint slides in and out can be locked using the cockpit cover. Using the triangular peg

The section where the leg joint slides in and out can be locked using the cockpit cover. Using the triangular peg on the cockpit cover, closing the cover locks the leg joint in either the extended or retracted position so it doesn't wobble.

This is how far the limbs protrude when pulled out.

Arm extension. It extends at two points, allowing for quite a significant change in length.

Extension with the armor on. It almost feels like it doubles in length..

The legs have a somewhat shorter extension range by comparison.
Only about 1cm of extension from the thigh section.

MG Acguy - Yeah.. with the armor on it doesn't feel like it extends all that much, but it does come in handy for certain more

Yeah.. with the armor on it doesn't feel like it extends all that much,
but it does come in handy for certain more extreme action poses.

MG Acguy - Because the knee joint's pivot point is shifted toward the back, bending the knee causes the joint itself to pop o

Because the knee joint's pivot point is shifted toward the back,
bending the knee causes the joint itself to pop outward like that, allowing it to bend a full 180 degrees.

MG Acguy - But that part... the fixed armor on the back of the knee is a real pain. You have to remove it when taking off the

But that part... the fixed armor on the back of the knee is a real pain.
You have to remove it when taking off the outer armor, but it doesn't come off easily and it's quite a struggle T_T.
It doesn't go back on easily either, and it can break if you're not careful, so handle with care..

MG Acguy - Frame action poses — throwing a tantrum about not wanting to bathe even after stripping down.. The range of motion

Frame action poses — throwing a tantrum about not wanting to bathe even after stripping down.. The range of motion is pretty impressive.
The key thing is that all this articulation is fully retained even with all the armor on~!

Frame action pose.

The claw hand can be retracted and extended using a spring mechanism.

That round piece in the center of the claw is the switch.

Press it and — boing! — it pops right out. ^^

All 6 torpedoes on the left arm can be detached individually.

A total of 12 torpedoes loaded! The inner 6 are just fixed spares, and only the outer 6 are removable.

To open the cockpit hatch easily, pull from the bottom forward.

Full cockpit cover open.. amazing detail and setting accuracy~

You can also open it just a little bit like this.

MG Acguy - There are two pegs on the body that hold the cockpit cover in place.. and the gates are attached to these pegs, so

There are two pegs on the body that hold the cockpit cover in place..
The gates are attached to these pegs, so be careful not to accidentally cut them off.
The manual does warn you about this.. but if that's the case, why didn't they just put the gates somewhere else?

That kind of amazing articulation in that body! Are you Tony Jaa or something!?

The head tilts up quite high, and the head itself rotates a full 180 degrees.

MG Acguy - Pay attention to how the neck accordion joints change. The top two segments move individually with multi-stage acc

Pay attention to how the neck accordion joints change.
The top two segments move individually with multi-stage accordion folds. Absolutely incredible realistic neck movement!

The verniers on the backpack can move slightly too.

MG Acguy - The highlight of Acguy's articulation... it's the mono-eye that can move in all directions! There's even a locking

The highlight of Acguy's articulation... it's the mono-eye that can move in all directions!
There's even a locking gimmick to hold the mono-eye in the default center position.

First, to move the mono-eye, you need to lift off the head cap and move it from the inside.

You push the tiny mono-eye with your finger like this and slide it along the rail to move it in various directions.

Sideways, the eye moves all the way over there. About 180 degrees side to side.

The eye moves upward too!

It even rotates a full 180 degrees to the back. ;; No need to turn the head at all.

Honestly, the mono-eye rotating that much doesn't even look that weird.. ^^;

Claws open, action!

Torpedo launch!

A kneeling pose is a piece of cake!

The limbs may look short, but stretch them out and they're actually this long.

Alright, let's put those official action poses aside..!

Hmph, showing off..

Acting cute

...???

Friendly Acguy

No New Year's money for you!

Acguy must have been nobility in a past life :-)

Looking at the color scheme, it's pretty clear the religion must be Buddhism.

The lady of the house pose

MG Acguy - "Change my diaper~" pose. No matter how you look at it, the cockpit cover looks just like a diaper.. With the arms

"Change my diaper~" pose.
No matter how you look at it, the cockpit cover looks just like a diaper..
With the arms shortened it's just too cute

Anyone else out there who can put their feet together in prayer (?) like me — step forward!

Splat! Frog pose

Surprisingly, the OTL pose doesn't look all that special compared to the other weird poses..

The famous Acguy candy squat pose!

MG Acguy - Squat mode from the side. Incredible.. but it somehow gives off the vibe of a delinquent teen who's run away from

Squat mode from the side. Incredible..
But it somehow gives off the vibe of a delinquent teen who's run away from home..;;

Yep, definitely a delinquent!
Turns out you can sit with the legs spread out like that too~

That's a bit too wide... have some dignity -_-;

Time to stand in the corner!

Face down!

Head-on-the-floor punishment.. With such a big wide head, it doesn't look like any effort at all;;

MG Acguy - Since the MG Acguy's head and all four limbs rotate 180 degrees.. you can just swap the body front-to-back like th

Since the MG Acguy's head and all four limbs rotate 180 degrees..
You can just swap the body front-to-back like this. (But what exactly is the point? ;;)

The luxurious MG Acguy's extras. Tiny 1/100 figures, water bubble parts, and a stand.

The detail on the stand, designed to look like a submarine deck, is pretty nice.

You can set the angle in 6 steps like this. (The 7th step is fully folded flat.)

Open the cover on the rear end and you can attach the stand.
It slides in at an angle.

Acguy standing cutely on the stand~

It grips the backside firmly with a clamp-style hold, so it locks on quite securely.

The stand-to-body connection is solid, so even low poses like this hold up without any trouble.

Underwater navigation mode with the water bubble parts attached to the feet. Pretty convincing!

MG Acguy - Official Acguy action poses. (1/3)

Official Acguy action poses.

Water bubble parts for torpedo launches.. what a clever idea.

Either way, it's oozing cool factor!

The stand also comes with a bonus diver figure like this ^^

MG Acguy - Just like the MG Gundam Ver. O.Y.W. 0079, the 1/100 figures come with a small base for their feet. What's interest

Just like the MG Gundam Ver. O.Y.W. 0079, the 1/100 figures come with a small base for their feet.
What's interesting is that instead of just standing still, they're posed as if rushing somewhere — action figures of sorts (?).

MG Acguy - Three children figures included to recreate a scene from the anime. They can be placed on a clear panel and set on

Three children figures included to recreate a scene from the anime.
They can be placed on a clear panel and set on top of the head.
The mono-eye is also tilted slightly upward for accurate scene recreation..

A closer look at the children figures. They're decent enough.

If you look closely, they even have eyes sculpted in ^^;

Maybe because it's an aquatic MS.. you apply a depth gauge decal on the side;;

Size comparison with the MG Gundam Ver. O.Y.W. 0079. There's no comparison in terms of build!

Size comparison with the Gogg. The Gogg is wider, but overall volume and presence — Acguy wins!

They say the Acguy was built on a Zaku frame or whatever, but the size difference is massive :-)

Comparison with the Dom.

Comparison with the Z'Gok, a fellow crustacean-like MS.

All the aquatic MSes together! Nothing beats cool seafood on a hot summer day~

Straight build

At the end of last year, Bandai gave us the MG Ball — a truly unique, affordable, and top-quality gift. Then in the summer of 2005, they prepared the ultimate summer gift: the MG Acguy. It's so beloved by so many people that I just want to call it "Acguy buddy." ^^

First of all, the fact that an Acguy got the MG treatment at all is pretty sensational. The already-announced MG Mk-II 2.0, and the Zeta 2.0 expected to follow, were more or less predictable releases, and it was easy to assume they'd be high quality. But an Acguy..? Sure, it's a fan-favorite cute character among old-school fans, but it's not exactly what you'd call a mainstream design. In the show, it's really just a supporting-role character..

That said, I'd cautiously guess that the steady popularity of Acguy among fans — as a go-to comedy and "feminized" character — was probably the deciding factor in getting it released. Bandai isn't dumb enough to just put anything into production without some confidence it'll sell. And Keroro probably played no small part in it either!

Just getting an MG release at all was already more than enough to be grateful for, but then it came out with an absurdly, jaw-droppingly high quality that completely caught me off guard. (In a good way ^^;) This isn't an MG — it's a 1/100 PG.

1. Proportions true to the Acguy
First off, the overall proportions really nail that cute-yet-sinister Acguy style. That massive head, stubby limbs, and chubby body — yet somehow it never looks bad. There's just this weird charm to it! On top of that, it's absolutely huge — stick a Gogg, Z'Gok, or Dom next to it and it just dominates them all. And it's not just the size — when you pick it up, it has this satisfying heft to it, like a fruit that's packed full inside. That makes sense, since it's got a solid double frame running all the way from the head through the torso and down to the legs.

2. PG-level double frame
The Acguy's frame is basically a full-body frame, and the intricate volume it has is the best of any MG out there. Just like the MG Ball, the body uses a double frame structure where the outer shell wraps over the inner skeleton, and the head has two or even three layers of internal framing packed inside. There's even an almost arrogant level of craftsmanship where they've reproduced the double frame inside the leg frame — which is so hard to disassemble once built that you'd barely ever see it. It's a genuinely PG-level mechanical frame. This is the kind of kit where the frame alone just blows you away.

That said, removing the outer armor does come with a few headaches. Just like the MG Gogg, getting the outer armor off is a bit of a pain. The MG Z'Gok was super easy to strip down — but the MG Acguy has a one-piece armor structure where you have to pull off all the limbs and then split them again before the armor comes off, so if you're constantly undressing it, things can start to get loose. The small armor piece on the back of the knee in particular is a nightmare — it doesn't go on easily and it doesn't come off easily either, so you really need to be careful. You have to remove that rear knee armor before you can get the leg armor off, and if you're not gentle about it... it'll snap. T_T (Yeah, that happened to me.;)

3. Quirky articulation
The articulation is outstanding too! All the limbs have extending/retracting gimmicks built in, and the shoulder and leg connection points can extend and retract to some degree as well. Thanks to these various extending gimmicks and the well-thought-out knee joint structure, you can pull off some seriously weird poses that other kits couldn't even dream of. (See the photos.) The joints are generally pretty stiff and solid, so poses don't fall apart easily — but the U-shaped connection points on the limbs look a little iffy, so you'll want to handle them with some care. The extending sections on the arms are also a bit vague in terms of locking in place and can feel a little loose, though it's nothing too serious. And one important thing to note — unlike other kits, the MG Acguy doesn't lose any articulation once you put all the armor on compared to the bare frame. :-)

4. Cross-sliding mono-eye!
This was something I didn't see coming — the Acguy's signature cross-sliding mono-eye movement is perfectly reproduced. The eye, shaped like a dumbbell, slides along a cross-shaped rail track. To move it, you have to lift the head off and use your finger to shift the mono-eye inside — but being able to reproduce a full 180-degree field of view in all four directions is a seriously impressive feature.

5. One-piece armor parade
Most of the outer armor on the MG Acguy uses a one-piece structure, which means no seam lines and great volume. The molded color faithfully captures that deep, subtle tone from the source material — though the color does tend to show gate marks pretty easily, so you'll want to be careful when cleaning them up. That said, the parts that are visible from the outside have thinner gates on the runners, so you only really need to watch out for a few spots. It might look like a drab, muddy color at first glance (;;) but in person it's actually a surprisingly refined molded color. :-)

6. Thoughtful weapon gimmicks and bonuses

Since the Acguy doesn't carry any separate weapons (and doesn't really have hands to hold them with anyway...;), the built-in weapon gimmicks on the body are exceptionally well done. The claw hand on the right arm extends and retracts with a spring-loaded mechanism — press the button in the center of the hand and the claw snaps out with a satisfying *twang*. It's a lot of fun. ^^ The torpedo hand on the left arm is also faithfully reproduced.

On top of that, this kit comes packed with quite a few bonuses. Fitting for an underwater MS, it includes several high-quality soft clear parts shaped like water bubbles. There are 2 pieces representing the water bubbles around the foot screws, plus two different styles of bubble effects for the left hand's torpedo launcher — each style comes in a set of 2. There's also a dedicated stand designed to look like a ship deck, so you can mount the kit on it, attach the bubble parts, and recreate a pretty convincing underwater action scene. The clip-style attachment point for the stand is quite sturdy, and the height is adjustable in 6 steps. It's an absolutely luxurious set of extras.

And beyond the pilot figure, the kit also includes 3 small child figures to recreate a brief episode from the anime. There's even a dedicated base included, so you can place them on top of the Acguy's head and recreate that scene. There's also a figure of the red-nosed soldier swimming — and these four 1/100 figures are noticeably more detailed and refined than your typical pilot figures. Either way, a totally unexpected bonus~

Summer 2005 — the ultimate gift for old-school fans

The Acguy is a character that's near and dear to many old-school Gundam fans, and I think a lot of them are going to get genuinely emotional building this top-tier MG Acguy. It's almost baffling that they gave this kind of treatment to what is, on the surface, a fairly niche supporting character. What on earth were they thinking putting this much quality into it?? Honestly, the quality here far surpasses the MG Zaku, which is a main character kit. Setting aside the time gap between releases, this MG Acguy is a genuine masterpiece — one of the rare kits where you can truly feel the soul of the developers.

In a word, for everything that the Acguy as an MS needed, 'beyond perfection'— that's clearly what they were going for. The body itself is outstanding beyond words, but just looking at the luxurious extras like the water bubbles, the little kids, and the deck stand, you can tell how hard Katoki Hajime and the rest of the MG development team were trying to make this as good as it could possibly be.

In many cases, even when developers go in with a lot of passion, they end up having to settle for a "good enough" design due to tight deadlines and limited budgets. And honestly, you can feel that sometimes with recent high-quality kits — there are moments where it feels like certain parts were rushed or handled a bit carelessly. But this MG Acguy is different. It feels like the team got proper support from headquarters — enough time and budget — and were able to build it exactly the way they wanted to. Like they really understood what fans wanted, and then went above and beyond to deliver it.

At first glance, the sheer sensation of it being released at all, combined with the clean, high quality, gives off a similar vibe to when the MG Ball first came out — but for old-school fans, this one hits even deeper than the Ball did. And even if you're not a longtime Acguy fan with years of nostalgia, the Acguy's unique style should still feel fresh and appealing to the new generation of Gunpla enthusiasts. Some people might even be drawn to it purely for the top-tier quality rather than the design itself. Either way, this is a masterpiece that delivers satisfaction and a real sense of fulfillment to a wide range of people.

It seems like Bandai had a plan behind suddenly releasing the Acguy at this surprisingly high quality. The MG line — the mainstream of Gunpla — has a large base of old-school fans buying into it, and by putting out a kit that truly satisfies them, they might be testing the waters for a new market direction. With SEED Destiny underperforming expectations, and the Zeta theatrical films doing well in the meantime, if they're looking to expand the old-school fan/enthusiast market, that's nothing but great news for us old-school fans. ^^

Either way, this MG Acguy needs to sell well. I think it will anyway, but still...
We need to firmly establish the precedent that well-made kits succeed — because that's what will get more classic MSes turned into high-quality MGs for us to enjoy. ^^ Above all, as many Gunpla fans as possible need to experience that thrilling feel-in-hand quality for themselves... because these 100 review photos can only convey the tiniest fraction of it!! In that sense, this is a kit I have no choice but to give a score of 100 points — an unconditional, no-questions-askedhighest possible recommendation— and then some.

There are plenty of kits that feel great to build, but among them there are some where you actually feel sad watching the parts disappear from the runners one by one — and the MG Acguy is absolutely the king of that category. ^^;

MG MSM-04 Acguy
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Except for a tiny bit on the sides of the head, it's all one-piece armor!
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Perfect color separation. Molded color faithful to the source material.
Proportions	★★★★★	Incredible presence. Acguy-level cuteness!
Articulation	★★★★★	Crouching pose achieved! Top-tier articulation maintained through various extending gimmicks.
Joint Strength	★★★★★	The limb connection points and extending sections are a little iffy, but basically stiff and solid!
Internal Frame	★★★★★	A textbook example of a full-body frame. Even throws in an impressive double frame...
Detail	★★★★★	No matter how you look at it, it feels like a PG...
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	The little kids from the anime, the red-nosed soldier, a premium stand, water bubbles... it's luxurious.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	225 parts total. Parts per ¥1,000: 56.3. It's quality over quantity here!
Uniqueness	★★★★★	A rare chance to feel the true soul of the developers! Insanely good quality.
Dalong's Point : 100+α pts.

MG Acguy | 2005. 7 | ¥4,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.