By Loran
The time has come for the last part of Gelgoog week, and we’re finishing it off with the last type of Gelgoog released in the HGUC line-the classic MS-14 from the original TV series. Like the Dom before it, the original Gelgoog was the last to come out. Kind of sad that the original design came out after all the designs that were made later, no? Regardless, sometimes time can be a good thing, and this led to each of these suits being the best of their respective trios.
Two classic Gelgoogs have been released in the HGUC line-the first being Char’s, and the second being the mass-production model with Gelgoog Cannon parts. All parts from Char’s are included in the MP model’s kit, with the exception of the sword mount. As you can see, my MP model is built as the Cannon type, which’ll make this review a lot easier. It was repainted like the original Gelgoog cannon, as opposed to the regular green and gray.
While Char’s head only has one option (command antenna), you get a LOT of options for the mass-production head: Standard head (no antenna), commander type, Gelgoog Cannon, AND the rarely-seen Gelgoog Cannon Commander head (which I don’t seem to have right now, whoops). Each head has a monoeye that can be positioned if you remove the top part of the skull. The head is connected to the torso with a ball joint, with the ball in the head instead of the torso. It allows for much more poseability.
he body is loaded with joints. It’s made up of three parts-upper torso, stomach, and waist. The upper torso is connected to the stomach with a ball joint, which, combined with the forward-back AND up-down movement on the shoulders, gives some serious upper-body poseability. The back has a mount that can hold the cannon backpack on the MP design, and could fit a High Mobility Type backpack if they ever release a kit with it. Without the backpack, it could also hold the naginata on Char’s kit, and the shield on both.
The waist has ball joints made of PVC as opposed to hard plastic, and prevents breaking. It is also attached to a separate joint which increases poseability. The side parts of the skirt armor are attached with a ball joint and don’t hinder as much poseability as you’d think. Three boosters are present inside the rear skirt, and a mount for the beam naginata is present on both versions, but only used on the MP model.
The arms of the kit themselves are very basic, and with no double joints-a shame considering this kit came out right after the Zaku Is and Hazels. However, the shoulder armor has a neat hinge-like system that allows for increased poseability. Four hands are offered-fists for each arm, a right trigger finger, and a splayed-open left hand. Mounts for the shield are present on both arms, and the raised parts can be removed to fit the Gelgoog cannon’s gun and shield.
The legs have a surprising amount of poseability considering the bulk, with more than 90 degrees of movement at the knees. The feet are attached with a skeleton-like structure that also includes the three boosters on each side. The skeleton part gives more stability and allows for more posing.
The weapons of Char’s suit are shared between the two-the standard loadout of Beam Rifle, shield, and naginata. On Char’s kit, the mount for the naginata can also go inside the shield. Thanks to the arm construction, the shield could be mounted on either arm. It also has a mount that can attach it to the back of the suit. The Cannon version has the three-tubed missile launcher for the right arm, and the small shield for the left, and the awesome-as-always cannon beam cannon backpack.
The classic Gelgoog is the best of the three, and has the most features. It’s not my favorite of the designs, but it’s my favorite just because of how much fun it is to put together and pose. If you want a Gelgoog and don’t care too much of the individual design, this is your kit-and heck, buy two MP types to have a Cannon and standard model. It’s well worth it.
And thus concludes Gelgoog week. Next week I’ll be returning with something new-something a bit on the nostalgic side. Stay tuned!
