Bandai Hobby #08 RX-178 Gundam MK II (AEUG) 1/144, Real Grade

This kit comfortably sits between the RX-78-2 and the Tallgeese. It is far enough long the line that bandai has refined their tech for RG kits, so it isn't quite like the notoriously fragile RG rx-78-2. But this came before bandai moved away from the full inner frame after the Tallgesse. As such, you start off this kit with a complete, prebuilt inner frame, and build around it. That is one of the great marvels of RG kits.This kit does require some care when assembly. As an RG, you need to loosen up the premade joints so they are flexible BEFORE covering them in armor. So you will spend a while massaging that innerframe, and may have to call it a night since that wears on the fingers. But this also means you get a full chance to marvel as the moving parts that are hidden inside this piece.One issue to be aware of is that this kit has various wires with cloth covers. You get one long piece of each, and you use the ruler in the instructions to cut them (get a sharp blade for your modeling knife for that cloth). The cloth cover is known to fray over use, so it is advised that you singe the cut edges with a lighter to prevent that. However, the real thing to look out for is the backpack- this has curved wires, and during assembly, before i locked the pieces in, I've had the locking piece practically exploded and jet across the room on me. This may be more due to my fat fingers, but care and patience should be exercised on this step.However, despite these quirks, this kit looks fantastic. The fine detail and different shades of plastic complement the beefy design of the Gundam Mk. II. The AEUG version's light color also provides better opportunity for paneling lining those fine RG details, and the shades of white and great provide highly visible contrast. As a note- you both get the flexible, prebuilt hands of RG kits, as well as more HG style hands for fists, left open, and right trigger. You also get MG sized beam effect.... because BIG BEAM SABERS.

I loved this build. It's been a few years since I last built one of these models and I felt it was time to try and get back into it. I'm not gonna lie, it was dumb of me to just right into these real grade builds because of how complicated they CAN be. And by that I mean, it was complicated to me because I tried to rush it, but like with any model build, you have to take your time and focus. Once I did that, it was no problem. I actually enjoyed it and it reminded me how much joy building these Gundams used to bring me.Ok, what you really want to know. I received the packaged in perfect condition. My models were wrapped in bubble wrap and had plastic bubble cushions inside to keep everything in place. The box the model parts came in were in great condition and were taped on all 4 sides. The model itself took about 8 hours for me to build but I think that was mostly me getting back into the groove of things. Anyone with a steady hand and patience can probably build it faster lol.All the pieces of the model are strong and sturdy but still it helps to treat every piece as if it was fragile. There are some pieces that bend and twist so when cutting them out, be careful and pay attention to what you are cutting. As far as the Gundam its self, it can stand on its own and looks absolutely great. Even without paint or all the decals is looks amazing. The decals really add more detail to it.All in all, this was a fun build and a real good one. Can't wait to work on the others and I would definitely recommend this to others.

So this build has been a long time coming. I loved Gundam Wing back in the Toonami days and ended up buying a HG kit of Wing Zero at a local comic shop and my 14 year old self was very... disappointed. HG Wing Zero was not even sturdy enough to even hold his own weapons and I wrote off all Gunpla as being a cheap and lazy way for companies to sell kids assembled overpriced toys... Now fast forward 14 years later, and many other Gundam anime under my belt, and I decided to jump back into Gunpla full force.Around Christmas time I received this kit (MK II AEUG) and one other kit (GP01 FB) for Christmas but I lacked the funds to buy the proper tools. Over the next few months of saving up (and staring at the beautiful boxes these kits come in) I slowly ordered the high quality tools I would need to do this kit the justice it deserved.With Tamiya nib cutters, files, sand paper, hobby knife, tweezers, (lets not forget the Google translate app that can take a picture of Japanese text and will give you a pretty good translation) and an assortment of other tools in hands... I went to work. The inner frame came first and I was blown away by, not only the detail, but the intricacy of the moving parts. It no longer seemed like I was reading an instruction manual but rather a blueprint. Everything seemed plausible. The first real detail that blew my mind was the piping. While somewhat challenging to assemble (and I ended up using some glue and a lighter for this part) it ended up looking so flipping cool and realistic. By this point I was getting in a good groove of cutting, smoothing and assembling and before long the MK II was assembled!Now one would assume this is the end of the story... no no no. Not in Gunpla. At this point you could call it quits (I have a picture uploaded of this point of my journey) but I decided I would go for the decals. Now I don't know if it was specific to this kit (the GP01 certainly has a lot less) but this one has an INSANE amount of decals and they are tiny. This was probably the most frustrating and rewarding aspect of the whole building process. It really makes the kit go from looking like a toy to a model (more on that later). Now I did lose about one or two decals in the process. I went to grab them with tweezers and they bent at the wrong angle and sprung themselves on the floor (gone for good I assure you). Kit still looked amazing without them. There are a few larger decals that I would say are not as forgiving if you were to damage or lose them but alas they are bigger and much easier to work with. The decals ended up taking as much time, if not more time, than everything up to that point in time... Did I quit there? I did not. While working on the decals I was looking up ways to make it even better looking.I decided that I would not paint this kit (I will on the GP01) but I wold attempt some panel lining using the marker that came with the paint set I had ordered. Unfortunately it was a very low quality marker and did not work like it should have. I made it work and in the final build you really can't tell unless you looked for it. So what else could I do to bring this kit some more life? Top coat it.Probably the easiest aspect, yet one of the most dramatic things I did on this kit. I used the Testors Dullcote Lacquer spray, "Dullcote" meaning "Matte." This greatly reduced the plastic look of the kit and gave it sort of a worn textured look while also reducing the visibility of decal bumps and plastic defects and scratches. I have a few before and after shots of the effect. It is subtle on a part by part basis, but in the end it GREATLY improves the look, especially if you decide not to paint like I did. It even makes the joints a bit more rigid, prevents any future smearing of panel lines, and helps seal decals on. You will have to spray this stuff outside and I would recommend and face mask of some sort because it is terrible smelling and even has a warning label that says California pretty much says this will give you cancer. I would also let it dry in a ventilated area, outside, or (like I did) in a laundry room. Alligator clips on sticks and a Styrofoam block also helped out immensely.At this point I built a stand and decided on a pose and now my little MK II is all complete. It was worth every penny by a long shot, in fact I would say it is a great deal for the kit itself even for the RG kits approaching $40. The proper tools ARE expensive tools but long lasting (based on other reviews) and worthwhile for the ease of effort they offer so I would not skimp in this department. I am hoping to paint my next kit so the experience will be different and more difficult but I am sure it will be worth it all the same.Good luck on your first and future Gunpla builds!My complete tool kit. Order early and completely as most of these come from Japan and you don't want to have to wait 25 days to get one tool you forgot to order (Guilty!).Bandai Hobby Action Base 2 Display Stand (1/144 Scale), Black-Lacks weight IMO but all stands might be this way and can be solved with... well, weights I suppose.Tamiya Craft Tools Disign -Knife for Gundam model kitI would recommend the file set and sandpaper before this (for cleaning up nib marks) but this has its specific uses as well.Tamiya 74003 Angled Tweezers-Pretty much required for decal work.Alvin Professional Cutting Mats Green/Black Size - 12L x 8.5W inches-Great working surface!Xuron 410T Tapered Tip Shear-These worked great for me, though they do offer even higher quality onesTAM74104 Tamiya Tools - Basic File Set - Smooth Double-CutTAMIYA Finishing Abrasives 2-type Sets [Fine and Ultra-fine]-Using the files before the sandpaper will save you money long term.Testors Aerosol Enamel Paint 3oz-Dullcote Lacquer-SOOOOO WORTH IT.Bluecell 25 pcs Alligator Clip Stick for Airbrush Hobby Model Parts-Perfect for holding parts that need sprayingStyrofoam Block 2"X3"X10" 1/Pkg-Green-Stick the alligator clips in this for drying. This was a little narrow but I made it work.Tamiya 87038 Extra Thin Cement Glue Fine Tip 40ml-Only had to use it once as I broke a piece in half. Works better than super glue and is meant for these types of plastics. Also smells terrible.GSI Creos Gundam Marker Basic Set (6 Markers)-The Panel line marker in this set is terrible (a lot of the reviews agree on this point) but I will update with the actual paint review when I use it on my next kit.Any questions? ;D