PG RX-178 Gundam MK-II AEUG (Gao Gao)

Wishing all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013! May you and your family have a prosperous and joyous year ahead ;)

Let's start our new year with a blast! From Gao Gao PG RX-178 Gundam MK-II AEUG.

Actually, this is a pretty old production from Gao Gao but don't take this the wrong way, this is an excellent PG replica still ;)

Manufacturer: Gao Gao

Scale: 1/60
Grade: PG
Origin: Z Gundam 

Price: About RM240 (Email me at DuelMasterNG@yahoo.com for latest price and availability)

Section 1: Runners

This replication is very nicely done with most detailing intact! I would say this is close to 95% of the original ;)

The plastic quality is the usual of Gao Gao which is pretty nice.

Section 2: Decals & Accessories

This kit comes with a water decals, 3 types of screws, 2x LEDs + metal pieces for LED unit, springs, die-cast crotch unit, and 10x gold-colored energy pipes. 

The water decal is in pretty good quality. I would advise to get ready with top-coating the kit if you intent to apply the decals ;) 

* Note: Some people would get 1 or 2 extra long gold-colored energy pipe... just use that for the lower part of the backpack since you are going to tuck in most of it ;)

Section 3: Skeleton Build

The main selling point of a PG is the inner frame ;) 

The Legs

Detailing and articulations are fantastic! This is replicated perfectly from the original.Just be prepared that for some finger torture inserting the PC parts into position :P

The Waist Unit

Pretty straight-forward waist unit ;) The crotch unit is actually in die-cast metal.

The Chest Unit

The pull-out mechanism would allow the shoulder joints to be pulled out for more dynamic posing. The neck employed a dual-joints head could tilt all direction pretty well ;)

There is also joint at the torso making it possible to tilt slightly to the 4 directions.

The Head

Excellent parts separation and very good snap-fitting for the head ;) LED fixing instructions are pretty easy to follow.

The Arms

Excellent articulations for the arms ;)

Completed Skeleton

Very solid inner frame! I did some minor coloring using red metallic marker ;)

Section 4: The Legs

Very solid build with very good articulations :) The armor does not hinders the movement. Parts separations and hatch-opening mechanism are well done with no snap-fit issue ;)

Hatch-Opening Mechanism ;)

Section 5: The Waist Unit

Pretty solid waist unit with excellent part separations ;)

Section 6: The Chest Unit

Another solid build with excellent parts separation ;)

Section 7: The Head Unit

Very nice head unit with excellent parts separation.

Section 8: The Arms and Shoulders

The arms and shoulders are in 1 piece. Very nicely done, highly articulated and with hatch-opening mechanism on the shoulder covers and forearms :)

Section 9: The Backpack

This backpack also acting as the real-life battery pack for the LED units ;) Nicely done with good parts separation.

Section 10: Weaponry

Hyper Bazooka, Beam Rifle and Shield.

Hyper Bazooka

Pretty big size but I would like this to be even bigger :P

Beam Rifle

Shield

Head Vulcan

Section 11: RX-178 Gundam MK-II AEUG

Base mecha of Gundam MK-II :)

Section 12: Action Pose

Quick Review

Plastic Quality and Detailing

Detailing for this kit is very nice done and my evaluation is as close as 95% to the original ;). As for the plastic, the quality is the usual of Gao Gao so no issue with painting.


Articulations

Articulations are very good!

• Head/Neck: Good!
• Shoulder: Excellent!
• Arm/Elbow: Excellent!
• Wrist: Good.
• Hand: Excellent.
• Waist: Good.
• Skirt Armour: Very good.
• Hip/Tight: Excellent.
• Knee: Excellent.
• Ankle: Good.
• Feet: Very good.

Looks and Feels

The detailing is very good and come close to 95% of the original! The plastic quality is the usual of Gao Gao quality so no issue at all even painting :)

The snap-fit is very nicely done as I do not have any issue at all snap-fitting the whole kit. The joints are also tight enough to hold the position even with some challenging poses ;) The only issue, if ever this is considered an issue, is that the hole for PC parts for the leg joints are very tight and need some effort fitting it in. I would recommend trimming the PC parts a little ;)

Overall, this kit is VERY nice and a very viable replacement of the original, especially those who wanted to do a different color scheme :) I myself had a very fun building experience with this kit.

As usual, for those of you who can afford, do buy and support original ;)

Fin ;)