Kit Review

Straight build

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version (1/2)

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version (2/2)

Front close-up shot. The surface is nice and smooth.

Smooth and plump legs. The coating quality is no joke.

Smooth backside.

With the backpack attached. The backpack, weapons, and joints are not coated.

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - The inner frame... As you can see, the dark coating color didn't seep into the pan

The inner frame... As you can see, the dark coating color didn't seep into the panel lines,
and instead naturally created white panel lining on its own (the uncoated areas);;

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - Action pose. Articulation is still not great ^^; But true to its plated nature, th

Action pose. Articulation is still not great ^^;
But true to its plated nature, the joints are noticeably sturdier.

Even if the articulation isn't great, the solid build gives it a nice presence ^^;

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - The included 1/20 Gato clear figure. It's the Gato figure that came with the origi

The included 1/20 Gato clear figure.
It's the Gato figure that came with the original GP02 Physalis coating version, re-molded in clear plastic.

Together with the Gato figure from the GP02 Physalis coating version.

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - Together with the clear Char figure from the simultaneously released RX-78 Casval

Together with the clear Char figure from the simultaneously released RX-78 Casval coating version.
Though the height difference between the two seems way too big... ?

Just like the RX-78 Casval coating version, two hologram cards are included.

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - One of them is the same card included in the RX-78 Casval coating version — artwor

One of them is the same card included in the RX-78 Casval coating version —
artwork related to the Turn A Gundam theatrical film commemorating Gundam's 20th anniversary.

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - The other card features a photo of Gato and artwork of Gato's Gelgoog. It also has

The other card features a photo of Gato and artwork of Gato's Gelgoog.
It also has an animation effect — if you slowly rotate the viewing angle,
it looks like a blue Gelgoog is gradually flying in from far away.

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - Together with the MG Char's Gelgoog that served as the base kit. There is indeed a

Together with the MG Char's Gelgoog that served as the base kit.
There is indeed a normal version of Gato's Gelgoog in the MG lineup,
but that one was released after this Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version.
So this coated Gelgoog is actually based on the Char's Gelgoog kit with the coating applied over it.

Together with the MG Gato's Gelgoog normal version.

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - Since the normal version Gato's Gelgoog on the left was actually released later, t

Since the normal version Gato's Gelgoog on the left was actually released later,
the cool Gato-custom long rifle on the left is not included in this coating version.

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version - Together with the RX-78 Casval coating version, which was released at the same tim

Together with the RX-78 Casval coating version, which was released at the same time and shares the same package contents.

Don't compare me to the normal version Gelgoog!

Gato's Gelgoog has been released as a coating version. This kit was a limited event release from '99, released alongside the RX-78 Casval coating version, and both kits share identical package contents. They each come with a single-sheet color cover featuring their respective lore, and both include two hologram cards and a clear figure.

Since there's also a Gato's Gelgoog in the normal MG lineup, first-timers might assume this kit is a plated version of that MG Gato's Gelgoog. But the normal version Gato's Gelgoog was actually released in 2003, while this coating version came out in 1999. In other words, this coating version is actually the normal Char's Gelgoog released in '96 with a blue coating applied to its surface. That's why the cool Gato-custom long rifle included with the normal Gato's Gelgoog is not in this kit..

Building this coated Gelgoog surprises you in two ways. First, the coating quality and color are unexpectedly excellent — that's one surprise. Second, as is typical of coating versions, the added coating layer tightens up the tolerances, making the joints comparatively sturdy — that's another surprise. MG Gelgoogs have always had a reputation for great proportions and looks but notoriously floppy, octopus-like joints, so the contrast hits even harder. The lower body in particular, which used to wobble around like crazy, is much more stable here with no looseness at all. Of course, the base kit's articulation was never great to begin with, so the range of motion is still quite limited.. ^^;

The large armor surfaces in particular are evenly coated with a subtle semi-gloss finish, and seeing it in person gives you a really premium feel. As you can see in the photos, the color is beautiful and the coating has a refined, high-quality look. On top of that, curiously, the coating didn't quite reach into the panel lines, which actually made the panel line areas come out bright white and distinct. Even without doing any work yourself, you get this bonus effect of what looks like bright white panel lining, just like in the photos above :-)

Of the two included hologram cards, one is the same as the card in the RX-78 Casval coating version, while the other features artwork with Gato's Gelgoog. The included 1/20 figure is the Gato figure from the original GP02 Physalis coating version, re-molded in clear plastic.

Bottom line — this is a Gelgoog that's clearly in a different league from the regular normal version. The most glaring weakness of the original Gelgoog, those floppy joints, has been significantly improved, and the coating quality is well above expectations, giving it a really premium look. In that sense, this is one of those hidden gems among the various limited releases that deserves some real recognition. ^^

MG Gato's Gelgoog ~ Coating version

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.