Eye Spy peers at... Master Chief errr. Master Grade RGM-79C GM Type C!
This box art definitely betrays the age of this kit - the Type C was released November 2002 - and highlights the generic nature of the Federations grunt suit, what with its uninspiring action pose and empty boring background. Simply put the design of the Type C isn't good enough to stand up on it's own as the center piece of this box art, had Bandai's artist used the GM from the bottom as the cover image - the one in an actual action pose - this would've been a vastly superior box.
Oh well woulda, shoulda, coulda.
Being an older Master Grade this one includes the long discontinued and much coveted picture insert. In addition to that you get the standard manual, one dry transfer decal sheet, one sticker sheet, a small bag of five (5) screws and six (6) runners from which your lovely Master Chief Type C will be born.
As you can see, after several dozen model kits it finally happened: soiled plastic. I honestly don't know what the hell that is, in real life it looks a bit like red paint spatter from a dirty airbrush but it's not. Whatever it is it defied my attempts to purge it with thinner, 90% alcohol and airbrush cleaner. Unlike MG Marasai which I reviewed previously, Master Chief here doesn't have many bad nubs, that said because many of the kits nubs are placed along slanted edges one must take care not to turn a sharp edge into a rounded edge.
This was probably unintentional on Bandai's part but using a light aqua instead of the white from the anime was - in my opinion - a great choice. Perhaps my only complaint about the Unicorn Gundam is the candy cane coloration which is lazy and uninspiring, by changing the Type C's white to aqua Bandai avoided consigning this kit to boring town alongside the Unicorn.
There isn't much detail molded into the frame of the Type C, presumably because the detail budget was blown on the core block. All jokes aside the core block has some very nice detail molded into it and modelers with more skill than I currently poses will enjoy taking brush to paint and bringing this oft overlooked part to life.
Strangely this tiny Master Grade comes with a decent number of accessories. Aside from the aforementioned sticker sheet and decals, there is a shield with two attachments - one mounts the shield on the side of the arm and the other on the back, two beam sabers with two saber blades, one (1) beam pistol and one (1) rifle with a pair of alternate rifle heads and ammo packs.
The decals go on better than the sticker, not only are the edges quite visible on the stickers but a number of them began to peel along the edges within days of application - perhaps some mark setter is in order? While none look like their in danger of jumping ship, these effects do serve to remind me why i dislike stickers.
Those damned block feet! While the Type C's clubbed feet aren't the only culprit restricting its poseability, they play the biggest role in this kit largely being a (rather tiny) brick kit. Another factor working against the kit is it's antiquated design, because the hip pegs are just bulbs that plug into a hole at the top of the leg, Master Chief here has virtually no horizontal hip flexibility. Those of you who fancy the splits, will need to seek out your local gentlemen's club to sate your fancies.
It's not all bad news however, even with those decrepit hips you'll be able to to pull off more poses than just mobile suit crapping in the woods. Admittedly those poses are pretty much confined to one leg in front of the other and slight knee bends, but hey it could be worse. Interestingly enough the lunging pose is actually helped by the club foot, tweaking the foot a bit grants the Type C a nice flat platform upon which to stand. That said the poses are still pretty boring.
About those screws I mentioned earlier, I can understand why Bandai stopped using screws with MG's - cost - but damned if they don't create some sturdy joints. Four of the five screws are inserted into the knee and elbow joints and once there they create some very sturdy joints. Sadly this doesn't apply to the shoulder joints which very quickly lose their ability to hold the shield horizontally, fortunately you can get around this weakness by resting the shield on the shoulder armor.
Nearly every accessory on this kit can be stored on the mobile suit. Both beam sabers can be mounted on the shield or you can mount a lone saber on the backpack of the Master Chief Type C, while one of the two alternate rifle heads/ammo packs can be mounted on the back of the skirt armor. You can also mount the beam pistol onto the skirt armor, the side is your choice. However, I suggest you pose this kit before mounting the pistol, the attachment is super loose and the weapon will dive free at the merest thought of gravity.
Being an older MG this kit does not have the benefit of the 2.0 hands and their ever useful hand peg but that's of little consequence because the old style three, one and a thumb hand are excellent. The Type C holds all its weapons, including the beam saber without worry. It's not all good news for the hands though, despite how good they are they can't overcome the awkward design of the long rifle's ammo pack. Simply put there is no way to hold the rifle straight on. The pistol has no such problems and despite its small size and simple design looks quite nice when held.
Contrast. Sweet sweet contrast. As you can see color contrast can make a huge difference - right Marasai? Despite having an overall less impressive design than the Marasai the GM Type C stands out much more and this is owed entirely to the contrast it's Coast Guard color schem provides, so worry not because this kit will hold its own regardless of what suits you line up alongside it.
Those of you not into such things need not fret, the Type C doesn't require painting. If ever there was a OOB kit it is this one, slap it together panel line it, apply your choice of decals, splash it with some topcoat and wallah! In no time at all you'll have your self a handsome little MG ready to wage cosmic war against Spacenoids.
Master Chief Type C was a fun and quick build, there weren't any annoying bits like with the Marasai - damned energy cables - that stretched out the build. Despite the age of the kit this was a true snap-fit kit, every piece fit together smoothly and the nubs were hardly troublesome. This is definitely a recommendation for any builder, but more so for you grunt suit fans as I suspect y'all will be sad to see this build done. Oh and it'd be irresponsible for me to not mention that the Type C also comes in a blue and white variant, but other than color the two suits are the same.
eL out!
Cheers for:
- Inadvertantly unique color scheme
- Excellent details
- Waterslide decals
- Cool accessories
Jeers for:
- Blocky feet
- Limited poseability
The Box and Innards:
This box art definitely betrays the age of this kit - the Type C was released November 2002 - and highlights the generic nature of the Federations grunt suit, what with its uninspiring action pose and empty boring background. Simply put the design of the Type C isn't good enough to stand up on it's own as the center piece of this box art, had Bandai's artist used the GM from the bottom as the cover image - the one in an actual action pose - this would've been a vastly superior box.
Oh well woulda, shoulda, coulda.
Being an older Master Grade this one includes the long discontinued and much coveted picture insert. In addition to that you get the standard manual, one dry transfer decal sheet, one sticker sheet, a small bag of five (5) screws and six (6) runners from which your lovely Master Chief Type C will be born.
Part Quality:
As you can see, after several dozen model kits it finally happened: soiled plastic. I honestly don't know what the hell that is, in real life it looks a bit like red paint spatter from a dirty airbrush but it's not. Whatever it is it defied my attempts to purge it with thinner, 90% alcohol and airbrush cleaner. Unlike MG Marasai which I reviewed previously, Master Chief here doesn't have many bad nubs, that said because many of the kits nubs are placed along slanted edges one must take care not to turn a sharp edge into a rounded edge.
 |
| Whoops didn't quite file those away |
This was probably unintentional on Bandai's part but using a light aqua instead of the white from the anime was - in my opinion - a great choice. Perhaps my only complaint about the Unicorn Gundam is the candy cane coloration which is lazy and uninspiring, by changing the Type C's white to aqua Bandai avoided consigning this kit to boring town alongside the Unicorn.
There isn't much detail molded into the frame of the Type C, presumably because the detail budget was blown on the core block. All jokes aside the core block has some very nice detail molded into it and modelers with more skill than I currently poses will enjoy taking brush to paint and bringing this oft overlooked part to life.
Accessories:
Strangely this tiny Master Grade comes with a decent number of accessories. Aside from the aforementioned sticker sheet and decals, there is a shield with two attachments - one mounts the shield on the side of the arm and the other on the back, two beam sabers with two saber blades, one (1) beam pistol and one (1) rifle with a pair of alternate rifle heads and ammo packs.
The decals go on better than the sticker, not only are the edges quite visible on the stickers but a number of them began to peel along the edges within days of application - perhaps some mark setter is in order? While none look like their in danger of jumping ship, these effects do serve to remind me why i dislike stickers.
 |
| Remember kids mask your clear parts before applying clear coat! |
 |
| Damn you sticker!!! |
Integrities:
Those damned block feet! While the Type C's clubbed feet aren't the only culprit restricting its poseability, they play the biggest role in this kit largely being a (rather tiny) brick kit. Another factor working against the kit is it's antiquated design, because the hip pegs are just bulbs that plug into a hole at the top of the leg, Master Chief here has virtually no horizontal hip flexibility. Those of you who fancy the splits, will need to seek out your local gentlemen's club to sate your fancies.
It's not all bad news however, even with those decrepit hips you'll be able to to pull off more poses than just mobile suit crapping in the woods. Admittedly those poses are pretty much confined to one leg in front of the other and slight knee bends, but hey it could be worse. Interestingly enough the lunging pose is actually helped by the club foot, tweaking the foot a bit grants the Type C a nice flat platform upon which to stand. That said the poses are still pretty boring.
About those screws I mentioned earlier, I can understand why Bandai stopped using screws with MG's - cost - but damned if they don't create some sturdy joints. Four of the five screws are inserted into the knee and elbow joints and once there they create some very sturdy joints. Sadly this doesn't apply to the shoulder joints which very quickly lose their ability to hold the shield horizontally, fortunately you can get around this weakness by resting the shield on the shoulder armor.
Nearly every accessory on this kit can be stored on the mobile suit. Both beam sabers can be mounted on the shield or you can mount a lone saber on the backpack of the Master Chief Type C, while one of the two alternate rifle heads/ammo packs can be mounted on the back of the skirt armor. You can also mount the beam pistol onto the skirt armor, the side is your choice. However, I suggest you pose this kit before mounting the pistol, the attachment is super loose and the weapon will dive free at the merest thought of gravity.
Being an older MG this kit does not have the benefit of the 2.0 hands and their ever useful hand peg but that's of little consequence because the old style three, one and a thumb hand are excellent. The Type C holds all its weapons, including the beam saber without worry. It's not all good news for the hands though, despite how good they are they can't overcome the awkward design of the long rifle's ammo pack. Simply put there is no way to hold the rifle straight on. The pistol has no such problems and despite its small size and simple design looks quite nice when held.
Presence:
Contrast. Sweet sweet contrast. As you can see color contrast can make a huge difference - right Marasai? Despite having an overall less impressive design than the Marasai the GM Type C stands out much more and this is owed entirely to the contrast it's Coast Guard color schem provides, so worry not because this kit will hold its own regardless of what suits you line up alongside it.
 |
| Good thing there's no one behind us! |
Final Word:
Worth it? Not worth it? Immaterial?Master Chief Type C was a fun and quick build, there weren't any annoying bits like with the Marasai - damned energy cables - that stretched out the build. Despite the age of the kit this was a true snap-fit kit, every piece fit together smoothly and the nubs were hardly troublesome. This is definitely a recommendation for any builder, but more so for you grunt suit fans as I suspect y'all will be sad to see this build done. Oh and it'd be irresponsible for me to not mention that the Type C also comes in a blue and white variant, but other than color the two suits are the same.
eL out!
Gallery:
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