Gunpla: The OZ-06MS Leo (HGAC)

Writer's note: As I run several weeks ahead on these blog entries, you won't likely see many references to current events. But, before anyone wonders: No, I don't intend to discuss the pandemic here. Moving on.



Like a significant number of English nerd people, my first interaction with the Gundam franchise was the Cartoon Network cut of Gundam Wing, AKA New Mobile Suit Report Gundam W. Fuck me. That was 20 odd years ago. Wing, as I shall call it, was Bandai's opening move to get the Gundam franchise sold to the West. Did it work? Well, we're both here, at least. Although Argos doesn't have any Gundam action figures any more. Today's subject, the Leo played the part of mecha mook in that series, one it fulfilled with memetic abandon. Obsolete even before the series started, the Leo was utterly outclassed by the protagonists, and had the life expectancy of an ice cube in an oven. If not piloted by anyone named, it would be more disposable than toilet paper. Inflatable dartboards last longer. An unguarded strip of bacon in the presence of a dog looks like Doctor Who when next to a Leo. You felt sorry for it after a while, TBH, and perhaps this is where my love of "grunt mecha" starts. In fact, I love the Leo so much I have a toy of it in a glass case. OK: bias noted, context given. Moving on...

So aside from being more pitiable than the last puppy in the petshop, what does the Leo have going for it? Well, it's pretty much where all the "real robot" tropes went in Wing, and this kit nails the look. The Leo screams anonymous military utilitarianism, even more so than its OZ sister machines. It has no flash. It technically has no face either, and you'd be forgiven for thinking it had no neck. It's green and brown, not white or bright. It's got a no nonsense gun. It can have a shield and beam sabers, plus other weapons sadly not in this kit. The Leo actually looks like a humanoid robot a military would build, but it is not without personality. While clearly a grunt, the long legs and ball shoulders add character.

Having built basically the same thing last year, this kit was a straight forward matter for me. As a model, the Leo bares many similarities to the 30 Minute Missions line of kits, and I'd like to know which project came first. This, to be clear, is a very good thing. The plastic runners are arranged in a similar fashion, with limb components being close together, colours being all but perfect and there being a general air of elegant simplicity. The kit is also designed so that cut marks and seams usually end up where they are less obvious, the forearms being a notable exception. You probably can get this together in 30 minutes also; clearly, you are intended to build several. So you can have a team of plebs to die in a needlessly one-sided manner.

It's  less refined than say an Alto, however. Joint tolerances aren't as tight as they could be, with the ankle guards being famously prone to popping off. I ended up using Ardcoat in a fair few places to compensate. On the upside, there is an unexpected bonus in that the drum magazine is removable, and the Leo moves better than it should, being able to pull off a running pose without support. The head does actually move, its just very subtle about it. Beyond that, it's a matter of Gundam Marker and some black paint for the tip of the gun. Its so close to the animation as to not actually need much work, but still benefit should you wish to. One thing I did decide to do was place a bit of foil sticker behind the transparent bit to make it shine. Possibly too well.

When you get right down it, the Leo is a simplistic kit of a simplistic Mobile Suit. Within those parameters however, it's pretty damn good.

Return to Gunpla: a ramble ral

So, for a couple of months now, I've been building lots of model kits lately. To be more specific: Gunpla. Gunpla is the generic term for plastic models based on the Gundam franchise, hence the name, which is basically the Japanese equivalent to Star Wars. Its got giant robots, and largely functions as a sprawling war drama, and its been going 40 odd years now, so I'm gonna gloss over a few things here. The major difference between a Gunpla kit and a western model like the Warhammer 40k stuff I do, is that you get a functioning action figure at the end, and paint is optional. Gunpla scales in complexity and price, although these days its not difficult to find examples for a tenner or so. Why am I doing this? Stress and anxiety management via creative outlets. And playing/modelling 40K has shifted into the “non-fun” category. So, after occasional purchases over the last few years, I find myself building robots, and justifying it as a form of self-care.

Well, I tried jigsaws, and that didn't work.

I've mostly done the “serious” Gundam stuff, so far . The so-called High Grade Universal Century line, which gets you a mobile suit of reasonable complexity and accuracy of about 5 inches in height. But I also did an “Iron-Blooded Orphans” with its internal frame, and then a “Build Diver”. The assorted "build" series are quite interesting to me, as these are all about model-making, rather than warfare. On first impression, I'd say this was a pleasant change of pace, and right up my street. Gundam media has a certain tendency toward long-winded bleakness, and wangsty teenage protagonists, so having a lighter toned spin-off doesn't hurt. Also, model kits were of course the original Gundam merchandise, so it's actually a surprise it took the company that owns Gundam, Bandai, so long to do something like this. On the other hand, it is dropping any pretence of artistic merit. What made Gundam important in the first place was the GRIMDARK war drama stuff with giant mecha, so going "hey cool robot model!“ is missing the point by a country mile, even if this has appeal been in the Gundam DNA since day 1. The assorted Build series are transparently model adverts, but as a Transformers fan boy, I'm not necessarily hostile towards this. What I do notice though, is how Build represents a convenient way for Bandai to reuse moulds, in a manner not dissimilar to the Transformers Combiner Wars and the Generations line in general. That said, I've not engaged with any form of Gundam media since about 2009, much less anime in general. So, I've not seen the series I mention, I just read around, so don't consider me an authority. That may change, as there is an official Gundam youtube channel, but I have a low tolerance for certain “problematic” tropes in anime, so maybe not.

Anyways.

I might blog more on this topic, (as opposed to tweeting,) might not. But here's what you came for, LOW QUALITY MECHA PHOTOGRAPHY!