Kit Review

Straight build + panel lining + stickers/decals

MG Gyan - Size comparison with a cigarette pack. It's on the slightly larger side. For some reason, the coloring goes surpris

Size comparison with a cigarette pack. It's on the slightly larger side.
For some reason, the coloring goes surprisingly well with Raison cigarettes..;;

Upper body close-up.

The head features cross-shaped clear parts.
It does feel a little small compared to the body.

MG Gyan - The legs. Lots of small decals and stickers scattered all over. That oddly shaped leg cylinder is a single-piece pa

The legs. Lots of small decals and stickers scattered all over.
That oddly shaped leg cylinder is a single-piece part produced with a slide mold, so there are no seam lines.
Though you can faintly see the thin parting lines from the mold itself.

MG Gyan - The arms do a decent job of hiding the seam lines. The original design is so chunky that there aren't really any pa

The arms do a decent job of hiding the seam lines.
The original design is so chunky that there aren't really any panel lines to speak of.

An interesting parts split on the shoulders. You can tell they made an effort to hide the seam lines.

Cockpit hatch open

To move the mono-eye, you need to temporarily remove the top of the head.

MG Gyan - The mono-eye ring slides onto a ball-shaped part, allowing it to move in all directions — up, down, left, and right

The mono-eye ring slides onto a ball-shaped part,
allowing it to move in all directions — up, down, left, and right.
A pretty unique mono-eye movement mechanism, and the first time something like this has been tried.
(The sticker is applied a bit sloppily though, lol;)

That weird thing attached to the rear — the fluid pulse accelerator (a.k.a. the "bladder" ;) — can also be detached.

Detail inside the skirt.

Molding on the inside of the single-piece leg cylinder.

The shield looks like it got the most attention in this kit.
The detail is anything but ordinary.

The three-dimensional detail on the inside of the shield is top-notch!

25 hide bombs are reproduced inside the shield.

Three additional mini models of the hide bombs after launch are also included.

The brutal detail on the shield interior parts themselves. A little creepy, honestly..

The shield mount articulates just like on the HGUC.

MG Gyan - This part that attaches the shield to the forearm.. it's a single-piece part made with a slide mold. Did they reall

This part that attaches the shield to the forearm.. it's a single-piece part made with a slide mold.
Did they really need to go that far.. ^^;

MG Gyan - But.. this shield mount is pretty flimsy T_T. Since the heavy shield is just barely hanging on, any little movement

But.. this shield mount is pretty flimsy T_T.
Since the heavy shield is just barely hanging on, any little movement and it slides right down..
That's one of the most critical flaws in this kit.
If you were going to make such a heavy shield, you should've paid more attention to the mount! Argh!

The beam saber (or beam club) comes with an extra grip piece for attaching it to the shield.

MG Gyan - Internal structure of the light-up beam saber. It uses a CR1220 3V button cell battery. (CR1216 is also compatible.

Internal structure of the light-up beam saber.
It uses a CR1220 3V button cell battery. (CR1216 is also compatible.)
Power is supplied through two simple metal contacts, but these contacts are a bit finicky and the light may not come on reliably.
To be more precise, straight out of the box, it often won't light up properly.

MG Gyan - The reason seems to be poor contact between the battery and the metal plates. As you can see in the photo above, th

The reason seems to be poor contact between the battery and the metal plates.
As you can see in the photo above, the battery isn't sitting flush against the metal contacts —
there's a gap, so it rattles around. No wonder the light won't come on.. -_-;

If you bend the metal plate by hand and wedge it in,
it'll press firmly against the battery and make proper contact.

On top of that, slipping a piece of paper under the battery improves the contact even more.

Reinforcing the battery contact from both top and bottom like this, and it lights up perfectly every time.

The switch is mounted on the outside of the grip.

The included 1/20 M'Quve figure.

It's been a while since we've had a 1/20 figure, and this one looks like the most finely detailed one yet.

The arms, however, are glued on.
Why did Bandai suddenly drop the snap-fit approach they'd always used for figures..??

MG Gyan - The MG Gyan puts a surprising amount of effort into its figures. Also included are a 1/100 figure in the same pose

The MG Gyan puts a surprising amount of effort into its figures.
Also included are a 1/100 figure in the same pose as the 1/20, plus a standard 1/100 pilot figure as a bonus.

MG Gyan - The detail on these tiny 1/100 figures is really impressive. Apparently laser machining was used, but I couldn't ge

The detail on these tiny 1/100 figures is really impressive.
Apparently laser machining was used, but I couldn't get a good macro shot so the photos didn't turn out well, lol..

MG Gyan - The individually poseable fingers that have become standard on recent MGs are included here too. The shape is compl

The individually poseable fingers that have become standard on recent MGs are included here too.
The shape is completely different from the Federation-type hands, and the detail is much better.
The only thing is, the connecting sections between the finger joints are pretty thick, so cutting them apart takes a bit of effort;

MG Gyan - The MG Gyan uses plain ABS parts instead of polycaps for the main joints.. which means they could loosen up over ti

The MG Gyan uses plain ABS parts instead of polycaps for the main joints..
which means they could loosen up over time with repeated posing. Wonder why they went that route, hmm..

MG Gyan - That big beam club is secured by fitting the groove in the handle onto a peg on the fingers. Without that, it'd pro

That big beam club is secured by fitting the groove in the handle onto a peg on the fingers.
Without that, it'd probably be nearly impossible to hold. :-)

Armor removed. Almost all of the armor panels are detachable.

Inner frame shot. A complete full-body frame.

Upper body frame. The detail is fantastic. Especially around the chest..

I think this is the first time a separate set of power pipes has been assembled just for the frame itself.

The chest is a double-layered frame. Even after removing the outer chest frame, there's another frame underneath.

Frame viewed from above.

Arm frame. The shoulder frame is more of a standout than the forearm itself.

MG Gyan - Leg frame. The detail isn't bad.. but there are no articulated cylinders, and it feels just a little lacking someho

Leg frame. The detail isn't bad..
but there are no articulated cylinders, and it feels just a little lacking somehow.

The frame extends all the way down into the feet as well.

A cute action shot of the frame. It can pull off an almost perfect squatting pose.

The ankle and leg articulation in frame-only mode is the best we've ever seen!

A natural-looking bow pose, no problem!

The full-body frame alone makes this kit really something special.

The armor does limit articulation compared to the bare frame,
but even so, it's still top-tier.

The shoulders can raise almost straight up to 90 degrees.

Even that weird pose is doable.. ;;

The shoulders also swing quite a bit forward and backward.

MG Gyan - The waist can rotate freely. It doesn't move much side to side, but the waist joint is a bit weak and has trouble s

The waist can rotate freely. It doesn't move much side to side,
but the waist joint is a bit weak and has trouble supporting the weight of the shield.

Because the shield is so heavy.. the upper body inevitably leans to the left T_T.

Fully articulated fingers with great detail.

The wrist can bend fully forward and backward.

The toes(?) have a double-jointed folding mechanism.

The backpack has a little bit of articulation too.

The forward-and-backward leg joint movement that's been featured on recent MGs since the PG Strike is here too..

MG Gyan - The MG Gyan is the first kit to implement a mechanism where each leg connector moves forward and backward independe

The MG Gyan is the first kit to implement a mechanism where each leg connector moves forward and backward independently.
Gunpla really keeps evolving.

Natural poses using the leg connector articulation gimmick.

The excellent articulation allows for a wide variety of poses. (Though the poses here are a bit..;)

A unique sword-drawing pose.

Proper action poses.

You can also hold the shield like this..

Made possible by the shield mount articulation gimmick.

Light On !

MG Gyan - The first-ever light-up beam saber in the MG line! It's not super bright, so you'll need a fairly dark environment

The first-ever light-up beam saber in the MG line!
It's not super bright, so you'll need a fairly dark environment to really see it.

Dim the lights a bit and it glows noticeably brighter.

Turn the lights off completely and it really shines!

Soft clear parts are included to recreate the shield's needle missile launch effect.

A gathering of Zeon's mono-eye characters.

MG Gyan - Alongside the MG Gundam Ver. O.Y.W. 0079. According to the lore, the Gyan is considerably larger than the First Gun

Alongside the MG Gundam Ver. O.Y.W. 0079. According to the lore, the Gyan is considerably larger than the First Gundam, and the actual kit has a nice solid presence to match.

Together with the HGUC Gyan.

The molded color is subtly different from the HGUC.
The MG version has a softer, slightly more refined look to it.

Keroro's prophecy is never wrong! ^^;

Straight build

"Keroro's prophecy is never wrong!"

Those in the know will know exactly what this means. :-)
The Gyan that so many old-school fans had been waiting for has finally gotten the MG treatment. It only appears briefly in the anime, but it's always had a quiet following thanks to its completely unique atmosphere and concept compared to other MS. The HGUC Gyan — one of the earlier HGUC releases — was already a pretty fresh and well-made kit, but fans still hoped it would eventually get the MG treatment too.

At first glance, the MG Gyan seems to follow in the footsteps of the MG Ball and Acguy — a decidedly minor unit, but one with a devoted fanbase among old-school fans and even some hardcore die-hards. It seemed like it might never get a proper release, but once it finally arrived, you could feel the passion the developers poured into it. That said, unfortunately.. while the MG Gyan is a good kit, it doesn't quite reach the level of "masterpiece" the way the Ball and Acguy did. Hmm~

The head does feel a touch small relative to the body, but the overall proportions are excellent, as you'd expect from a modern MG. The increasingly sophisticated use of slide molds also means seam line hiding is at an all-time high. Building on the now-familiar single-piece leg parts, even frame-related parts like the shield mounting mechanism come out as single-piece parts. Since the Gyan's color scheme isn't particularly complex to begin with, the color separation is naturally spot-on — you won't need stickers at all.

The HGUC Gyan has great proportions and overall feel, but its articulation was pretty terrible. So I was curious what kind of articulation the MG Gyan would have — and sure enough, it came out top-tier with all the latest technology packed in. The shoulder range of motion in every direction is very wide, full limb bend is a given, and it even has the cute little touch of bendable toes. The articulation in frame-only state is almost absurdly good, but it's a shame that putting the armor on limits it quite a bit. The ankle joint that can fold completely forward in frame state, for instance, drops down to pretty ordinary levels once the armor goes on.

There's also something here that proves Gunpla keeps evolving — the upgraded leg connection joints. The forward/backward movement of the leg connection joints, which started being adopted in MG kits after the PG Strike, has been upgraded in the MG Gyan so that both joints are separated and can move independently. That gives the leg articulation a noticeably improved feel! The finger structure that allows individual joint movement with simple modifications has also been carried over, and instead of the Federation-style fingers, the Zeon's distinctive rounded finger shape is faithfully reproduced — it feels really fresh and great. On top of that, the mono-eye movement unit using a new ball joint structure is also a novel and fun mechanism.

As befitting a modern MG, the MG Gyan features a full-body inner frame that covers virtually everything from head to toe — in terms of frame coverage, it's a top-tier kit that comes close to 100%. The frame detail is quite good too, though it's a bit of a shame they didn't include at least one working cylinder on the legs. There are cylinders on the legs, but they're reproduced as fixed molded detail rather than functional ones.

The MG Gyan is a kit where the weapons really stand out, and it's going for quality over quantity. First up is the MG-first light-up beam saber that got everyone talking — it's really unique. The mechanism itself is very simple and nothing special, but the feeling you get when you turn off the lights and switch on the beam saber is something you absolutely cannot find in any other MG! The light output isn't super strong, but it does glow well enough in a dark room. The one issue is that the mercury battery contact is a bit flimsy, so there's a good chance it won't light up straight out of the box after assembly. As shown in the review photos, a bit of simple repair work seems to be necessary.

The shield is just as impressive as the unique light-up beam saber, and it's extremely high quality — both the front and back interior boast top-tier detail. From the intricate internal structure to the reproduction of the hide bombs inside the shield cover and even the needle missile launch scene, this is a kit that put enormous effort into the shield as well.

It's clearly a very high-quality kit overall, but... there's one unfortunate drawback — the somewhat weak joint strength. Looking at each individual joint, there's nothing you'd really call outright loose. But when you put the whole body together, there's just this vague sense of instability. The MG Mk-II 2.0 already felt a little wobbly in the joints, but the MG Gyan seems even worse T_T

Standing still in an at-attention pose is one thing, but when you try to pull off a high-difficulty action pose that takes advantage of its excellent articulation... the iffy foot contact with the ground and the far-from-stiff knee joints mean it often loses balance and topples over. The shoulder-to-forearm connection and leg connection points are also weakly held and tend to pop off from time to time. In particular, the large and heavy shield causes the waist to tilt left, making it easy to end up in a slouched pose. In other words, it's definitely not a super-loose kit, but it's also by no means a solid kit where every pose locks in tight.

Also, when you try to hold the heavy shield up close, the shoulder and waist joints often can't hold up, and critically, the shield's attachment point is very weak and pops off the forearm way too easily T_T It's hard to understand why they made such a large shield and then gave it such a flimsy connection to the forearm. The shield that keeps dropping down with the slightest movement is honestly pretty frustrating. The fact that the joints and shield attachment aren't really tight throughout the whole body leaves a lot to be desired... If only the joints were all a bit stiffer, this would be a near-Perfect kit.

There are quite a lot of decals and seals to apply, but every single one of them is tiny, so getting them all on is a real pain. It almost feels like building a Gyan Ver.Ka. The stress level from the decals and seals is on the high side.;;

After the MG Ball and Acguy, I was hoping for another passion project overflowing with the developer's soul, but honestly it didn't quite live up to that expectation. To put it a bit harshly, it feels like just another repetitive new release with the latest techniques applied as-is. The outer shell and look are very different from Gundam, but structurally it's not all that different from a Federation-type MG. In particular, the shield attachment — which looks like the flimsiest since the very earliest MGs — is genuinely surprising. They could've definitely done better. Given the name of the kit, I wonder if the Bandai development team just... "Gyan"-ed it without much thought..;

Of course, that's only because expectations were so high — taken on its own merits, it's clearly a unique and high-quality kit. The high expectations make it feel 2% short and a little disappointing, but even so, we should probably be grateful that the MG Gyan came out at this level of base quality, right? :-)

MG YMS-15 Gyan
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Solid armor panels and slide molds — all hands on deck!
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Elegant and subdued molded colors. Color separation was always going to be relatively easy on this suit..;;
Proportions	★★★★★	The head is a bit small, but the overall proportions are very good.
Articulation	★★★★★	Improved leg connection joints. The best articulation it can offer.
Joint Strength	★★★☆	Not loose, but definitely not stiff joints either. The shield attachment is the worst;
Internal Frame	★★★★★	A complete inner frame from head to toe.
Detail	★★★★★	The exterior is simple by nature; the shield and frame detail are top-tier.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	The MG-first light-up beam saber + the intricate shield carry the whole kit.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	260 parts total. Parts per ¥1,000: 72.2. Worth the price.
Uniqueness	★★★★☆	A long-awaited high-quality kit, but we wanted a little more of the developer's soul!
Dalong's Point : 96 pts.

MG Gyan | 2006. 5 | ¥4,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.