Kit Review

Straight build + Partial paint + Panel lining + Decals

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - The universal standard for size comparison — the cigarette pack. The designs on cigarette packs

The universal standard for size comparison — the cigarette pack. The designs on cigarette packs these days are something else...

Underside

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - In the Shark Mouth version, the area around the round cockpit glass is set to red, and in this k

In the Shark Mouth version, the area around the round cockpit glass is set to red,
and in this kit it's handled with a plain seal.
I was thinking of doing a partial paint job since I figured it'd look off, but once I actually stuck it on, it matched surprisingly well without standing out —
so I just went with the seal and called it a day. ^^;

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - The real highlight of this kit is ultimately these waterslide decals. The dry decals are comple

The real highlight of this kit is ultimately these waterslide decals.
The dry decals are completely gone, replaced by these waterslide decals instead.
Given that they need to go on curved surfaces, water-slides do have an advantage there... which is probably why they went with them.

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - The decals have extra film around them for printing purposes. But to apply the Shark Mouth decal

The decals have extra film around them for printing purposes.
But to apply the Shark Mouth decals, you need to trim away all that excess —
otherwise the surface area you're sticking them to is too narrow and they keep overflowing.

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - A shot of the decals trimmed down to just the artwork. You've gotta cut them like that before ap

A shot of the decals trimmed down to just the artwork. You've gotta cut them like that before applying.

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - And decals with awkward shapes like those are tough to apply. Even after you place them, getting

And decals with awkward shapes like those are tough to apply.
Even after you place them, getting them to sit right can be a real pain — so in cases like this, split them along the natural lines of the design
into 2 pieces and apply them separately, and it becomes way easier.

Ta-da~ This is the shark mouth.

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - The 2 eye markings on top are provided in both waterslide decal and clear seal versions. Person

The 2 eye markings on top are provided in both waterslide decal and clear seal versions.
Personally I thought the clear seals looked better, so I went with those.

Cockpit hatch open. Looks like a shark opening its mouth... ^^;

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - The Shark Mouth decals have to be applied separately to each individual piece of the segmented a

The Shark Mouth decals have to be applied separately to each individual piece of the segmented armor like that.

The inner frame is excellent as always.

Some action(?) poses. Stored in the hangar...

More action... poses ^^;;

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - Together with the original Ball ver.Ka. This kit is essentially the same as the original with a

Together with the original Ball ver.Ka. This kit is essentially the same as the original with a different molded color and just the tiniest number of parts changed.

The Ball trio, now joined by the 08th MS Team Ball.

An angle that makes them look like they mean business...

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - These three have slightly different faces. The Shark Mouth version looks the most "ball"-like wi

These three have slightly different faces.
The Shark Mouth version looks the most "ball"-like with its clean, bare look.

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - Service cut. If you collect all the Strike and Ball kits lined up so far, you've got a full coun

Service cut. If you collect all the Strike and Ball kits lined up so far, you've got a full count... lol

But... however... BUT...

A limited edition has come in and it's an out. :-)

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - Thanks to the changes made from the ver.Ka, a few parts end up as leftover parts. Mostly the upp

Thanks to the changes made from the ver.Ka, a few parts end up as leftover parts.
Mostly the upper forehead pieces...

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - Together with the HGUC Judom. Feels like MS IGLOO is being brought into official canon now, does

Together with the HGUC Judom. Feels like MS IGLOO is being brought into official canon now, doesn't it? ^^;

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type - Straight build shot (front). Without the shark mouth on, it honestly looks pretty innocent and h

Straight build shot (front)
Without the shark mouth on, it honestly looks pretty innocent and harmless... ^^;;

Straight build shot (rear)

The 3rd Ball variation comes out as the Shark Mouth type that appears in IGLOO. It's basically 99% identical in structure to the ver.Ka Ball, with only the detail above the cockpit simplified slightly. The bar that used to sit on top of the cockpit is gone, making it a bit more bare and rounder — more ball-like :-) (see comparison photos)

When I first opened the bag I thought the molded color was similar to the ver.Ka, but comparing them side by side, the Shark Mouth version is actually a completely different molded color with a much stronger blue tint. The weapons and frame molded color got a bit darker, and the red got deeper too.

The highlight of the Shark Mouth Ball is ultimately the Shark Mouth decals — the dry decals have been merged into clear seals, while the shark mouth is expressed through waterslide decals. This is the first time waterslide decals have been included in a regular MG lineup, so some of you might be a bit thrown off handling water-slides after such a long time. ^^;; Since they have to be applied separately to the segmented armor pieces, there are a few things to watch out for.

When applying waterslide decals, you cut out each decal one by one, briefly dip or wet them, then apply — but at this point it's best to also trim away the excess film around each decal beforehand. Since they need to go on segmented armor pieces, any leftover film will overflow and make things look weird and awkward to apply. As shown in the photos above, I'd recommend carefully cutting along the edges with a knife or scissors before applying.

Also, the U-shaped decal that goes near the cockpit and the decals on the sides have unusual shapes that make them tricky to apply, so it's much easier to split them into 2 pieces along the printed boundary lines and apply them separately. If you try to apply them as-is, it's really hard to get them positioned right and there's a good chance you'll mess them up. ^^; Once they're on you can't tell anyway, so definitely cut them before applying!

The reason they went with waterslide decals for the shark mouth is probably because of the curved surfaces they need to go on. Dry decals or clear seals would've looked pretty decent too, but both have the downside of potentially warping or wrinkling when applied to curved surfaces. Waterslide decals, on the other hand, tend to conform to the surface on their own — so while the application method is a bit more fiddly, they do give a cleaner result on curved surfaces.

Once all the decals are on, it transforms into a completely different-looking Ball! It gives off a menacing, intense vibe. In the actual MS IGLOO, since the story is told from the Zeon side, the Federation forces are portrayed as slightly sinister enemies — and this Ball fits that image perfectly.

All other basic characteristics are identical to the ver.Ka, so for more detailed structural photos and explanations, please refer to the MG Ball ver.Ka review.

Aside from the slightly tricky waterslide decal application, this is a fantastic kit that really has nothing worth criticizing. But bumping the price up 200 yen just for throwing in some waterslide decals (and on top of that, removing the dry decals) is a bit much. The original kit was already more than enough to get your money's worth — quietly hiking up the price on a variation like this is a little... ;;

Anyway, since the Ball itself is such a top-quality, perfect-score kit to begin with, there's really nothing to say about the kit's quality. Seeing MS IGLOO units show up one by one in the regular lineup after the HGUC Judom, it seems like Bandai is finally ready to bring IGLOO into official canon. ^^ (Or maybe they're just running out of source material...;)

MG RB-79 Ball ~ Shark Mouth type
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Just a little on the arm areas. The clever armor segmentation across the whole body is excellent as always.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	The cockpit seal bugs me a little, but it actually fits pretty well. Everything else is Perfect.
Proportions	★★★★★	With the shark mouth on, it really looks alive...
Articulation	★★★★★	The significance is that every part that can move actually does move properly.
Joint Strength	★★★★★	Not many joints, but they're all nice and stiff and solid.
Internal Frame	★★★★★	The Ball's double frame is still impressive. The best inner frame kit out there.
Detail	★★★★★	Panel detail in every nook and cranny. That's the Ball for you.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	Has everything it needs. (The shark mouth being the most important...;;)
Parts Count / Price	★★★★☆	152 parts total. Parts per 1,000 yen: 69.1. Hard to accept that 200 yen increase;
Uniqueness	★★★★☆	A pretty simple variation, but the shark mouth makes it feel very different. :-)
Dalong's Point : 98 pts.

MG Ball ~ Shark Mouth type | 2006. 8 | ¥2,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.