It’s time to build something off of my Shame Pile. It’s a Gunpla that’s been partially built and sitting in an open box in my basement for two years.
I know what you’re thinking - “That’s the God Gundam! How you could not finish something like that?” The answer is simple - this was the first time I intended to decorate a Real Grade model with a full sheet of waterslide decals, instead of the pack-in stickers. I almost immediately got intimidated by the prospect, and put it down.
Since then I’ve managed to do it, not only on a Real Grade but a few Master Grades as well.
Now that I know that I have what it takes to do waterslides, it’s time to step into the ring again for a rematch.
About the Mobile Suit
The God Gundam is the midseason upgrade unit featured in Mobile Fighter G Gundam, replacing the Shining Gundam after it is totaled in combat.
And yes, I really do mean it when I say that it is the midseason upgrade. Singular. None of the other main fighters - including the rest of the Shuffle Alliance get a new mobile fighter.
Which is kind of weird, because traditionally midseason upgrades offer a significant power boost over the mobile suits they replace. But if that were the case here, then clearly the God Gundam and Domon should run wild over their opponents during the Gundam Fight Final tournament that makes up the second half of the show.
But that … kind of doesn’t happen? At least not during the fights that really count. While the show isn’t clear at all about the relative power levels of each mobile fighter, it does heavily suggest that the overall skill and power level of the pilot is the most important factor.
And because Domon spends the Finals squaring off against highly skilled opponents (including his Shuffle Alliance mates after they’ve undergone extensive training), most of his fights end up being extremely close despite his upgraded mecha.
Case in point. Very early on in the show, when Domon first fights against Gundam Maxter and Chibodee Crocket, he’s able to use the Shining Finger technique to literally smash through Maxter’s fist and through its arm:
But later on in the Finals, when God Gundam uses its God Finger (the enhanced version of Shining Finger) in a rematch, the result is different. Rather than smashing through Maxter’s fist, their hands meet and generate a massive, arena-filling explosion of energy:
Technically it’s possible that Maxter’s gone through some changes under the hood to make it more durable, but I prefer the explanation that it’s stronger because Chibodee is.
Generally speaking I prefer to think of God Gundam not so much as an upgrade, but as a replacement to Shining (albeit one that’s maybe slightly more powerful due to being better tuned to Domon). That fits with the way it’s depicted in the show, as well as how Domon reacts to receiving (he treats Shining Gundam like a fallen comrade that he has to grieve, and enters God Gundam with resolve, but not excitement).
There are a lot of things that G Gundam did to break from tradition; this is but one of them. And that willingness to do its own thing is one of the many reasons why I love the show so much.
About the Visual Design
If you were to ask me whether I prefer the design of Shining Gundam or God Gundam, my answer would probably be different depending on the day. I can’t really choose between them.
Shining looks like a robed samurai with its hair in a ponytail. It feels a bit more practical and down to earth, which feels appropriate for the low level street fights that make up much of the first half of the show:
God Gundam looks much fancier, like it’s a warlord wearing ceremonial armor into an epic battle:
It’s got wider shoulders (and longer front skirts), more colors, and even wings on its back. It’s the kind of grandiose look that fits its presence on grand stage of the Gundam Fight Finals.
So yeah, I think they’re both good because they’re each designed to fit their specific purpose in the show. It’s something that none of the previous Gundam stories really did, and few have done as well since.
About the Model Kit
This is a really good kit. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.
At the time of its release Bandai bragged that it had some of the best articulation they’d ever come up with for a Gunpla. The pitch was essentially “if you can think of a martial arts move, it can probably do it”.
For example:
I have no doubt that all these poses and more are possible, but I’m also curious as to whether or not the model is stable and sturdy enough to hold them for any amount of time.
The other notable thing about this kit is that it comes with a decent amount of gimmicks and accessories. Not only does it come with special hands for doing the God Finger, but it also comes with a bunch of rings for creating the halo effect that appears behind its back during the move:
And to go along with that, there’s all the other transformy bits that engage during God Finger (the chest opening up, the wings unfurling, the shoulder armor opening up, etc). It’s not literally every gimmick or accessory - there’s a Premium Bandai product that has even more - but the base model should do everything that most fans would want to do with it.
Now let’s see if I can actually get this thing wrapped up.