Gunpla: The GH-001RB Grimoire Red Beret (HG)

OK, this will take some explaining. What we have here is a mobile suit from an unpopular series, customised to resemble a mecha from another, non-Gundam franchise. And its piloted by someone whom likes the more Wehrmacht aspects of Zeon, whose avatar is a white ferret/stoat/mongoose/something in military uniform, and goes by the name Rommel. Before you file this under "Japan", let me add more detail. Gundam Build Divers takes place in a gunpla themed massively multiplayer online RPG, where players fight with their custom made models. Here, someone has taken the Grimoire, a minor design from Gundam Reconquista in G, and made it into a Scopedog tribute. Yes, that Scopedog, the design I have a minor fixation on. That's why I picked it up. And, as near as I can figure out, Rommel's not actually a Nazi. Possibly a tourist. Possibly a military fanboy ignoring the ugly side. Possibly a tribute to Desert Rommel rather than Erwin Rommel directly, although people can have an unhealthy admiration for the latter. The character in question is, almost certainly, a furry. Now you can file this under "Japan".

I had to go look up the base model Grimoire, as Reconquista is another blindspot for me. It is my understanding that its in the grand tradition of grunt suits, although like a lot of stuff in that series the visual design is a bit distant from the baseline. Rommel's customisation of it, and thus the kit here, is a substantial one, replacing most weaponry with a modular system, adding some very Votoms elements like heelies, and some seemingly creative flair. The design features concealed blade arms on the legs, and notably, spare heads. These function as knife-roombas. During my research, I found myself disagreeing with the fandom wiki. No, it is absolutely a Scopedog tribute, the feet wheels and one red shoulder are a huge giveaway. By the standards of mould re-uses, its an interesting and earnest one. But what's it like as a build?

 

Well, as far as the raw material goes, the Grimoire seems a pretty decent grunt kit, if somewhat numerous in sprue count thanks to the retooling. Like the Dagger L, its a latter-day polycap design with a few plastic/friction joints. A noticeable design flair are the thrusters on the front skirt armour. These are colour separated and rotate, which is very nice on a high grade, and like many a kit, you snip a piece so each segment can move independently. The pair on the buttplate are however fixed and not colour correct, with some hollowness on other areas, like in the inside of the shield. Stickers are also present, and while never obnoxious, are a bit varied in appearance and convenience. You get several that go behind transparent parts in the heads, and these look great, but you have a few that need to be placed in recessed but curved areas, and they don't stick too well. There's also the white star marking for one leg, which you just have to eyeball, but at least you get spares. I sealed the stickers with some mod podge to be sure, but honestly these are fine as stickers go. The new components are also nice. Those leg blades use a clip system which put me mind of some 30MM parts. While the original weapons have been omitted, the new ones get another thumbs up. These have the air of tacticool gimmickry, but I do like a modular assault rifle where the shoulder stock is also a pistol for emergencies. The slight disappointment here is the knives, which store variously about the model, but are cast in the same plastic as the heads, so you're gonna want to paint those blades. Meanwhile, the Minimoires, the knife roombas, are fun bits of fluff, not especially complicated, but characterful. One slight word of warning though. There's a lot attached to this stocky frame, and between the waist design and the foot wheels, you may find balance issues long term. It seems fine just now though. So, generally a good time here, with some minor flaws, but nothing you couldn't handle if you've built a model before.

Now for this I did, guess what? Yes, another weathering job. I know that this is kinda dumb. Build Divers is a video game, and thus weather doesn't happen. And given that Rommel is quite militaristic, maybe he'd like his machine to be parade ready. Then again, he invokes tank warfare, he's probably not afraid of a bit of dirt. Sorry, it's what I like.

Job’s a good ’un.