By Loran
Time for part 2 of 3 of Gelgoog week! This time, we’re going to take a look at the HGUC incarnation of the Gelgoog Jaeger from Gundam 0080. This kit got hardly any screentime in the OVA, appearing for just seconds in one of the space battles. If anything, some of the Federation suits that got more time on the screen deserved kits much more than this one, but well, Japan loves their pseudo-German space revolutionaries, so they get all the kits, I guess. The original kit from 1989 was chunky and very, well, Gelgoog-like, but it suffered from nagging little problems like hip joints that just didn’t stay in place, and huge unsightly polycaps.
First impressions of this kit are really strong. The updated design is sleek and sexy-almost elegant in a way. Of the three Gelgoogs, this is probably the prettiest. Like my Marines this one needs painting, so you can see it here in its color scheme that totally wasn’t ripped off of a certain masked Zeonic ace pilot…
The head has a lot of pieces for a kit like this, with a total of seven. Yes, this one does have a clear monoeye, but it’s really hard to notice. The face on this kit is really small, almost like it’s squinting. I like it, personally, and feel that it adds a bit of character that sets it off from the other Gelgoogs.
Torso is very angular. It has some really nice curves and is really sleek. The skirt armor is nice and articulated-not like the Marine-and actually has a two-piece front skirt! Very nice touch. The backpack has two huge propellant tanks and a bunch of thrusters, with extra boosters on the back skirt armor. Inside the skirt are a whopping five boosters, similar to the ReGelg from Gundam ZZ.
The arms have a lot of nice detail, but no double joints. The elbow joints look like almost like ball joints and actually look “separate” from the arm. It’s a really nice design aesthetic that doesn’t show up much on Gundam kits, especially on 1/144 kits. Both arms have machine guns mounted on the forearms. This kit also has the ability to hold its gun with both hands, thanks to the open left hand, but it does NOT include a fist for the right hand, making “neutral” poses almost impossible.
The legs are a huge change from the rest of the design, having some serious bulk and heft to them. They come with double-joints in the knees capable of ninety degrees of movement. The feet are nice and bulky and keep the kit well-grounded. As usual, there are three boosters located inside each leg.
The biggest disappointment with this kit is the weapons. All you get is the big, nasty beam machine gun/sniper rifle. No beam rifles, no extra guns, nothing. I suppose the Jaeger wasn’t shown with any other weapons in the OVA, but cheaping out on melee weapons is just dumb. Not like it matters, though, since it can’t really hold any…
(I wish I noticed the gap in the right hand when I took this one…)
If you can look past the unfortunate lack of accessories, the Jaeger is one nice-looking kit, and definitely the best-looking of the three Gelgoogs, in my opinion. It poses nicely and has a really good style. Recommended if you like sleekness in your Gelgoog designs, or have a fetish for things that are almost Char but not quite.
