It’s a been a wild, month long build, but it’s time to put Cima’s Gelgoog to rest …
Assessing the Visual Design
I’m not sure how I feel about it.
I think the Gelgoog Marine preserves a little too much of the original Gelgoog’s vibe. It’s got a real strong, “cheesy 1970’s robot” vibe, what with the diamond shapes in its legs, the lower torso (that’s shaped like a pair of boy shorts), and that busy looking chest.
On the other hand, it does look really cool from the back.
There’s so many thrusters, and so many details. I’ve never wanted to place a model kit on the shelf so that it’s back is turned, until now that is.
I also really like it’s accessories. The shield is impressively large, yet it never gets in the way:
(I’m not quite as big a fan of the beam sabers as I was originally. They’re a little too short)
As for the beam rifle, all the weird gizmos and accoutrements make it feel appreciably different (heavier?) from the Gelgoog Jäger’s:
Even the machine gun looks decent in the right pose:
I feel like I’m at an impasse. Visually, it’s not great, but the accessories make up for it. I think we need some sort of tiebreaker. Something like …
Articulation
Sadly, articulation isn’t that great of a tie breaker. It’s an old kit, so the range just isn’t that good.
I’m talking 90 degree elbow bends:
A sub-perpendicular arm lift:
And this right here is the closest I could muster to a leg lift:
And of course, on top of all this, it’s too old to be compatible with an Action Base. So this mobile suit, which is designed to operate in outer space, can’t easily be posed in midair.
And with the dire articulation, it doesn’t feel easy to pose in general.
So we have good accessories, bad articulation, and so-so looks. That tilts this model toward the “unfavorable” side of the scale. There’s only one more criteria to judge it on: let’s do some comparisons with other mobile suits.
Comparison with Gerbera Tetra
Okay, so this isn’t really much of a comparison per se; they’re nothing alike. Still, I thought it would be nice to line up Cima’s two mobile suits together.
The Gerbera Tetra is a great design, and this High Grade is one of my favorite model kits ever, so I definitely prefer it over the Gelgoog. But they do look cool standing side by side.
Comparison with the Messer
This may seem like an odd comparison, but hear me out. When I saw how many different places this Gelgoog has thrusters, it immediately reminded me of the Messer, which has a similar number of thrusters in similar locations:
Granted, it’s hard to get a photo that shows all of the thrusters at once, but just trust me.
Anyway, beyond that one similarity, these two designs don’t have much in common. But I do wonder if the mecha designer of the Messer had the Gelgoog in mind when it came to this one particular aspect.
Comparison with Gelgoog Jäger
By far the most obvious and interesting comparison of them all. Gelgoog vs Gelgoog.
The Jäger is one of my all time favorite Zeon designs, and this model kit is better than you’d think for something of its vintage. I really expected that the Gelgoog Marine wouldn’t compare it all.
To be clear, I still think the Jäger is the better looking mobile suit. But strangely, rather than making the Gelgoog Marine look worse, somehow it helps make it look … better … ?
When I see them side by side, I see one unit that’s the sleek, deadly, knife-shaped hunter, and another that’s the heavy bruiser, with the bulk and the gear to get in close and mess things up.
Conclusion
I may still have my quibbles with the overall visual design, but thanks to the Gelgoog Jäger, I can at least appreciate the Gelgoog Marine Commander Type for what it is. It’s its own thing, with its own look and purpose. I can at least tip my hat to that.
Other Thoughts
I’m glad this build didn’t end on a sour note, but even if it did, I’d still consider it time well spent. It was a learning experience that gave me a taste of what it’s like to “fully” paint a kit. That alone made it worthwhile. And it was also a nice opportunity to test out all my new tools. And it taught me to slow down and enjoy the ride.