OLD First Gundam 1/60 Char's Gelgoog

Release 1981.12

Price ¥2,500

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

The same polycaps used in the 1/60 Dom are used here.

Chunky, voluminous parts as expected.

Parts diagram

Manual

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - The soles are flat as expected~ (1/3)

The soles are flat as expected~

The cockpit hatch is represented by a separate sticker, just like on the 1/100.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Like the Zaku and Dom, you can install a separately sold LED light-up gimmick — but the LED un

Like the Zaku and Dom, you can install a separately sold LED light-up gimmick — but the LED unit I bought has a circuit board attached, which gets in the way during assembly. I had no choice but to cut down the board section and make it as small as possible before it would fit.

The mono-eye also has a rotation gimmick, so the internal structure is a bit more complex.

Stickers and metal parts included to recreate the mono-eye light-up gimmick.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - The battery box is placed inside the upper body and bonded in place — but if you assemble it e

The battery box is placed inside the upper body and bonded in place — but if you assemble it exactly as the manual says, you won't be able to swap the batteries in and out..

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - On the flip side, the waist joint is designed to separate so the upper and lower body can rota

On the flip side, the waist joint is designed to separate so the upper and lower body can rotate independently — you can use this to your advantage by not gluing the battery box inside the upper body, and instead just sliding it in and out through the opening whenever you separate the two halves.

Mono-eye light-up effect.

On top of the light-up gimmick, the mono-eye rotation gimmick is also implemented.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Once assembled, you can carefully move the small lever at the back of the head to rotate the m

Once assembled, you can carefully move the small lever at the back of the head to rotate the mono-eye.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Like the Zaku, the hole for the head antenna is sealed over, so you'll need to cut it open you

Like the Zaku, the hole for the head antenna is sealed over, so you'll need to cut it open yourself with a knife.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - The hand that holds the rifle can be assembled as a single integrated piece, so the proportion

The hand that holds the rifle can be assembled as a single integrated piece, so the proportions look pretty decent.

You can plug a separate blade into the beam naginata handle that's stored on the back.

The shield can be mounted on the back.

Together with the 1/60 Char figure.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Along with the Char figure, a regular soldier figure is also included. Probably just to share

Along with the Char figure, a regular soldier figure is also included. Probably just to share the same runners with the mass production version...

Polycaps are used throughout all the arm joints.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Both the forearms and shoulders use ring-and-hook glued ball joints, so you'll need to be care

Both the forearms and shoulders use ring-and-hook glued ball joints, so you'll need to be careful not to let the glue overflow when joining them.

The ankles use a cross joint that allows movement in all directions.

Polycaps are used at every joint inside the legs as well.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - The hip joints have a decent range of motion, but the elbow and knee articulation — which matt

The hip joints have a decent range of motion, but the elbow and knee articulation — which matter most — is extremely limited. T_T

On the plus side, the waist does rotate, and the shoulders can raise to that extent at least.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - The rifle's foregrip interferes with the forearm, so it ends up sitting at a slightly bent ang

The rifle's foregrip interferes with the forearm, so it ends up sitting at a slightly bent angle, barely hanging on.

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Rifle shooting pose (1/3)

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Rifle shooting pose (2/3)

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Rifle shooting pose (3/3)

Rifle firing pose

OLD 1/60 Char's Gelgoog - Beam naginata action pose (1/3)

Beam naginata action pose

Together with the 1/144 and 1/100 Char's Gelgoog.

With the 1/60 Char's Zaku.

With the figure from the 1/60 Char's Zaku. The arm pose is a little different.

With the 1/60 Dom. Both of these kits are seriously big.

Alongside the old 1/60 Dom, the Zeon forces' big boy — Char's Gelgoog — also got a 1/60 release. The Dom at least has the HY2M Dom, but this kit is the only Gelgoog in 1/60 scale, so it's got a pretty decent rarity value going for it.

First off, it comes packed in a massive box the same size as the 1/60 Dom, stuffed full of chunky parts. Structurally it feels a bit more complex and refined than the Dom. Like the 1/60 Zaku, the color separation is nearly perfect, so the color scheme comes together really well even with just a straight build, and the proportions are surprisingly decent too.

That said, the Gelgoog is just as big as the Dom, and as a result the polycaps are weak and the joint strength is shaky all around. T_T It's a little better than the 1/60 Dom, but it's nowhere near as tight and solid as the 1/60 Gundam or Zaku. The fact that it's an old-style kit with a hollow interior is pretty much the only thing holding it together.

In terms of articulation, it's not a huge step up from the 1/144 or 1/100 versions — it seems like Bandai at the time just didn't have the tools to squeeze much movement out of the Gelgoog's design. The elbows and knees barely move, which makes posing options pretty limited. The one saving grace is that the ankles use a cross-joint setup, so you can at least get a decent amount of ground contact — which is something, at least.

Like the 1/60 Zaku and Dom, this kit can also recreate a light-up effect using a separately sold light bulb — and interestingly, it even includes a mono-eye rotation gimmick on top of that. I guess a bold design like this makes sense given the scale, and while the mono-eye rotation lever isn't the easiest thing to operate, I still want to give them a hand for even trying. ^^

The biggest selling point of this kit is simply that it's the only Gelgoog in 1/60 scale. The incredible value for its size at ¥2500 is hard to ignore too, but beyond that, despite the downsides in joint strength and articulation, it has the massive advantage of being completely irreplaceable. You'd probably need some painting and modifications to really do it justice, but if you've been eyeing a big Gelgoog, this is definitely a kit you can have a lot of fun with. :-)
[ Updated at 2016.5.13 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.