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.

The Mecha Hack: 4 Ideas for Realer Real Robots

So, here's the thing, say you want "realism" in your Mecha Hack. That's realism as a design motif, not an actual function of the rules mechanics. It's a simple game, and giant robots are not realistic in any serious sense. But you mean realistic as in "not a Super Robot, a Real Robot". The next question is how realistic? Oh you mean militaristic? Gotcha. Well, the first thing you do is look at the Gundam franchise and throw most of it out. While the original series was a trope maker, one thing it did not do was apply the idea of a “squadron” well. In a real world military, vehicles of different types are not deployed together as a unit. Its a matter of logistics and practicality, the vehicles have to be able to keep pace with each-other, do the same tactical role, and as simple as possible to supply. You can see hints of this with antagonists, but the famous White Base has a mixed unit of a melee specialist with a bazooka, mid-range artillery, long-range artillery, and whatever you count the core block vehicles as. To be fair to Amuro & company, they were just refugees playing the hand they were dealt, and we're dealing with matters of drama, but this arrangement was fairly influential. This sort of thing however isn't Gundam's invention or fault. We are talking some seriously foundational storytelling dynamics. Think Journey to the West. Think Fellowship of the Ring. Think Five-Man Band. As a result, most mecha animes are often only Mildly Military in tone and execution, I.E. something outside the usual framework and without the attitude of a professional soldier, and obviously merchandise driven, like most anime is. If you want something that at least looks broadly sensible you have to go a bit more obscure, like Votoms, Gasaraki, Front Mission, and the outlier that is is Gundam: The 08th MS Team. This article presents some ideas on how to do that in The Mecha Hack, presented in a clickbait format.

 

Idea 1: Use Maps and the Optional Rules

While not specific to the Real Robot genre, there is a serious-mindedness that is common amongst its proponents. Just using a map will add a more considered and and technical feel, but would require more preparation from you as GM. The Mission Manual meanwhile presents a megaton of optional rules which could be layered onto a campaign, specifically Environment Templates and Hard Mode. Ammunition is an obvious one, as are Fire Team tests. On-foot skills may also be a good fit for smaller scale mecha settings. Try to aim for thematic, rather than tiresome, however.

Idea 2: Modifying Chassis

A basic tenant of the Real Robot style is for everything to be a mass produced item, often with a comparatively small number of main designs. The quickest way to introduce that feeling of uniformity is to simply have one chassis, letting pilot types and modules do the heavy lifting. You just need to ensure your chosen chassis does not present an obvious balance issue in bulk. Having a squad of strikers for example would hamstring the reactor mechanic without a modification. So, that's what I did for a game, I took that ability out and replaced it with stuff from other classes. modules and weapon qualities to create the feel of unified team, but each having a speciality.

Idea 3: Modify Level-ups

Following on from the above, you could change how a mecha levels up. It's far from unheard of for a generalist mecha to be customised for a specific person, so even if the basics are common, people can specialise in more subtle ways than new Chassis Abilities. There's a whole trope about it, the Ace Custom. So, while things like Hit Die could remain fixed, the other stats may level up differently. So, you might use the brawler as a base, but allow players to be "Scout Specialists" and level like a scout.

Idea 4: Command and Supply Vehicles

A concept that pops up occasionally is the idea of a non-humanoid support vehicle. Say a truck loaded with sensors to guide the Mecha, or supplies to assist. This might be an NPC, but then again you do get people whom enjoy playing support/healer/Auxillary, so here's some rules for that. This inspiration here is mainly the example in 08TH MS Team, although the modules lean on Front Mission.

 

Support Truck Chassis

Hit Die D6 Damage Die D4 Reactor Die D6

Levelling

Roll your hit die to gain new hit points. Roll to see if attributes increase, rolling twice for System and Presence. At levels 3, 6, & 9, gain a new module.

Starting HP

1d6 + 3

Proficiencies

Light Ranged Weapons, Light Amour.

Starting Equipment

Comlink, Defensive Turret (Light Ranged Weapon), Light Armour.

Sensor Boom

You gain Advantage on System tests to detect Distant and beyond-distant foes. You also gain Advantage on Initiative tests, provided at no foes are Close or Near.

Target Designator

See the Auxillary's Reinforce ability.

Support Truck Modules

Weapon Rack: You have stowage for weapons and shields, equivalent to 6 hands. You or a friendly Close Mecha may retrieve and henceforth operate a single piece of equipment with a Use action.

Emergency Repair Beam: As a Use action, immediately repair 1HP to all Close friendly mecha. Mecha with no AP remaining also gain a 1AP as well. Roll your reactor die.

If you do end up using these rules, please let me know how it turns out.

Plamo: The ATM-09-ST 1/20 Scale Model SCOPEDOG (Armored Trooper VOTOMS)

I've had a long term fascination with VOTOMS, first becoming aware of it during the early days of the interwebs. I've watched a bit of it, while a good show, its not one I've ever got around to finishing. Its very much an anime where I am intellectually interested rather than emotionally invested. The thing about VOTOMS is that, acknowledging the strong 80's vibe, its very hard to come up with a more realistic take on mecha concept and still have the result be humanoid. It is the gold standard of such things.

People just end up reinventing the Scopedog, although in fairness, this may have something to do with creator Ryosuke Takahashi revisiting the basic idea frequently in other projects and thus codifying the trope. A basic argument against mecha as weapons is their size, complexity and how difficult it would be to armor such a thing. VOTOMS presents mecha that sit at the 4 metre mark, looks exactly like a robot you could make in 1983, and generally aren't armoured in any meaningful sense. Tanks and jets are still a thing, and while the first armored trooper was a game-changer, it was not a super weapon. It's like how the the original 1987 version of Robocop looks and moves like he's bulletproof; they utterly nailed the concept right out of the gate. Another defining, but possibly less realistic, aspect are the wheels in a Scopedog's feet, allowing for high-speed slalom manoeuvres. These were rugged, aggressively manufactured, and nimble. And, for most practical purposes, these replaced infantry, while being ultimately viewed as disposable in manner evoking the worst of the first world war. It was kind of a bleak series...

As a kit, the obvious comparison to make is with a Master Grade gunpla circa 2007, this coming in a similarly chonky box, and also being made by Bandai. I've dabbled in such things, but I can't make any deep comments in that regard. How big is it? Well, it towers over the 1/44 scale I normally do, and most of my Transformers, which is about typical for a master grade. There is definitely a similar "this is everything" feel to proceedings, going above and beyond the animation externally, while having a detailed cockpit, pilot figure, and other internals. That said, this kit does put me in mind of a more serious-minded scale model release, despite it being snap-fit. There's individual bolts you have to apply with an included tool, which was less annoying than I feared, as well as a metal rod for the cockpit hinge. As a build, this kit was time consuming if comparatively straightforward, with big polycap joints, translucent plastic for the rotating lens assembly, excessively numerous water slides decals and some cheap-looking metallic plastic. Do be mindful of the lenses. These rely on a tiny peg and I was somewhat brutish with it, prompting a repair job. As a completed mecha, it's got all the posability you'd expect, but not all you'd actually want. Part of this is the subject matter, and part of it is age. I can't claim that a Scopedog is in any way a ninja, so what joints it has are fine, I just feel that a touch better articulation could have been possible, had they wanted to. Achieving a two-handed gun pose is for example is right on the edge of what the arms can handle.

I opted to try a repeat of the Dirty Leo, the Scopedog being exactly the sort of design where a layer of grime makes sense. After initial assembly, I opted against the pilot figure as it looked unfun to finish. Sometimes, they colour the plastic, but not enough, and it looked to a spraypaint job. Same with the Chirico Cuvie figure, as I suck at human skin and could not be arsed with it at the time. The kit was assembled without mods or decals, and panel-lined, before weathering techniques where applied. Limited applications of Game Color Silver was used for chipping and subtle wear, most obviously on the left fist. It never photographs well, for some reason. GW's Typhus Corrosion was liberally brushed on, before being smeared with cotton buds. Stirland Mud was also used in on the feet. I do like how this turned out, these techniques dulled the plastics in an approximately military-industrial-rust-bucket sort of way.

As a project, this was quite satisfying, and if you like VOTOMS, tracking the kit down is probably well worth your time. Especially given how other merch tends to be rather expensive and elusive. Mind you, if something closer to a HG was on the table... I would probably have gone for that instead. As beautiful as it is, I'm indifferent to gimmicks. You might not be...