By Loran
When the original Gundam 0080 model kit line came out in 1989, it really changed things for Gunpla. While they may seem really outdated by today’s standards, they were the first fully-snap together Gundam kits, not needing any glue like the Sentinel kits, or screws like the Char’s Counterattack kits. While they may have had issues like hip joints that popped out easily or ugly yellow polycaps like on the Zaku FZ, they were actually released as a part of the High Grade line when Bandai America released Gundam kits in the early 2000’s.
In the original 0080 line, all five Zeon suits that appeared in the anime got kits, but the Federation suits unfortunately got the shaft, only getting kits of the Gundam Alex and the two GM Commands. Thankfully, the advent of the HGUC line allowed for every suit (save for the GM Sniper II because Bandai hates us) to get an upgrade or a first kit. That’s where the Guncannon Mass Production Type finally got to make its debut in model kit form.
I gotta say, the MP Guncannon is a pretty cool design. It’s stocky, it’s bulky, and it’s kinda mean. It’s probably one of the few cases in Gundam where the mass-produced design is actually cooler than its predecessor. Poor guy didn’t get much media exposure, though, with its only notable appearances being Kaempfer-fodder in 0080, and an unlockable suit in the Dreamcast game “Rise from the Ashes”.
Now if there’s one disappointment in this kit, it’s the head. With the obvious exception of the Gundam Alex, this is the only0 0080 kit in the HGUC line to NOT have a translucent visor or monoeye. I have to wonder why they didn’t bother to go the extra mile for this guy. Maybe it just wasn’t in the budget. Anyway, the head doesn’t have much movement, either-just side-to-side. It doesn’t get the neat “looking up” function that the original HGUC Guncannon did. However, the sculpted EFSF logo on the top of the visor is a very nice touch.
The torso is nicely detailed and stocky, with a good, natural side-to-side movement. The one drawback is the tracks for the cannons, which restrict the head’s movement slightly.
The waist, once again, has a single skirt armor piece that has the option of being split in two, unlike the original HGUC Guncannon. One neat little detail on this kit is on its butt-underneath one of the thrusters is a little “foot”, one that would extend to keep the suit level while firing its guns. It doesn’t extend (it would probably be too hard to engineer on such a small kit, but it’s a very nice little design touch.
The arms are very basic-with your typical 90 degrees of movement, attached at the shoulder via a standard stick joint. You get three hands total-right and left “saber” fists (which are kinda pointless, since this design doesn’t use swords) and a trigger finger.
The legs are basic as well, with your standard double-joint restricted thanks to the bulk of the legs, and a ball joint in each foot. Poseability aside, the nice “girth” of the legs keeps the kit very well-grounded and I’ve never had any issues with it falling over.
Of course, where this kit shines, is the weapons. While its only handheld weapon is the standard Federation 90mm machine gun, you really don’t need it with those awesome cannons. When not in “battle mode”, the cannons fold away neatly into the backpack. Both are attached via a polycap joint to prevent easy breakage. Also, the way the cannons are engineered, you won’t have to worry about any paint scraping. I have heard cases of people’s cannons breaking but I’ve never encountered this problem before. I play with mine quite a lot and they’ve always been very sturdy. The one feature on this kit that could have been accidentally botched ended up being constructed pretty well, and they’re what give this kit my utmost recommendation.
While it may not have tons of weapons or some crazy MG-like poseability, the MP Guncannon is without a doubt one of my favorite HGUCs. Maybe it’s because I love the design, or maybe it’s just the really cool cannons, but it’s a fun kit and a fun build. Also, for those of you that customize, it even has two alternate color schemes-the gray “White Dingoes” color scheme, and Lydo Wolf’s black color scheme. I’ll get around to making those one of these days.
Recommended for those who like Feddie grunts and love the design.
