Finishing up with the entire inner frame of MG Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0 in this posting.
Inner frame parts for the body unit.
Assembling the pilot figure and linear seat into the cockpit module.
As usual, the cockpit's interior that was painted silver is not really visible through normal viewing, ^^; but it's there nonetheless.
The major components for the final assembly.
Done for the body unit.
The red cockpit module and the 4 hydraulic pipes that "caged" it are the real highlight of the body's inner frame. ^^
With the arms attached, the upper body is now done. ^^
Combined with the lower body from the previous posting, the entire body frame is completed. ^^
More images of the details.
Very wide upward bending for the shoulder block.
Shoulder block also allows the upper arm to be bent to the front as well.
The design is already a standard for even High Grades nowadays.
The infamous unmovable waist design. ^^;
The waist is a really strange design in my opinion. Strange in the sense of, "What's the exact design point here?" ^^; As shown in the assembly of the waist unit alone in the previous posting, there's a huge ball-type joint behind thewaist armor, but it doesn't move at all. ^^;
With the waist armor off - creating a gap between upper body and the waist joint, the problem is solved, but this only works when no other armor is attached. When the armors do come on later and layered over the waist armor, the immobility of the waist is pretty much "secured" ^^;
I was thinking of calling it a design flaw, but then I remember Bandai implemented (almost) the same kind of waist design on the 1/100 scale "Gundam Double O" Season 2 series, about 3 years after the release of MG Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0. So this design is not really an isolated case. Then again, at least that 1/100 scale series has a movable abdomen joint that allows the upper body to move to some degree, which is absent on this MG kit. ^^;
For Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0, I think Bandai acknowledged the problem in the waist design and remedied it in the subsequent Titans' version.
Waist assembly for Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0 (A.E.U.G.'s version)
Waist assembly for Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0 (Titans' version)
Apart from the new movable parts (in orange circles in the image above), by "remedied" I mean an update on the runner design as well:
Runner F containing the waist parts for (Left) Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0 (A.E.U.G.'s version) and (Right) the Titans' version.
The waist parts were redesigned with the top protruding area shaved off, and another two parts for the movable joint added onto the edge of the runner where there is no visible hint for any variation release. From how I look at it, this is not the normal add-on or reassembly of the runner that we normally get from Bandai. Instead, I think the company discarded the old mold for Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0 (A.E.U.G.'s version) - the one that I'm building now, and opted for the renewed one used by the Titans' version for subsequent reissue of the A.E.U.G.'s version.
The HD Color release of the A.E.U.G.'s version uses the renewed Runner F design for its waist.
Then again, the HD Color version is not an accurate evident for my speculation. The best answer lies in the Special Clear Part edition released in 2009, which is the reissued yet considered "new" version of MG Gundam Mk. II Ver. 2.0. ^^; The design of Runner F for that kit would be able to tell if my speculation is right or not.
Images of the waist assembly and manual are from Hobby Search: Ver. 2.0 A.E.U.G.'s version, Ver. 2.0 Titans' version, Ver. 2.0 A.E.U.G. HD Color version.
Some action poses with the entire frame and the Gundam's weapons done on Friday:
Despite the gimp feet, all the poses are actually very firm. ^^
Pretty nice maintenance scenes can be created with the display base as well. ^^
Comparison with the first MG Gundam Mk. II.
Too bad the backpack doesn't have a separable inner frame component. I always look at Gundam Mk. II's backpack as a significant feature that represents that Gundam. It's design and size are very different from its predecessor, Gundam RX-78-2's backpack that is smaller and looks to be inseparable from the main body.
Since the next phase of the assembly is to put on all the armors, the backpack with inseparable armors will go first. ^^
Parts from the backpack.
The major components for the final assembly.
Done for the backpack.
The detail design follows the the Perfect Grade version very closely as well.
(Left) The binders are movable
(Right) The beam sabers have their own movable connectors. A little tab connecting the beam saber to the binder also secures the weapon's position on its connector - a small-sized yet very huge improvement as compared to the first version in my opinion. XD
Interior of the thrusters painted in glossy red turns out pretty nice. ^^
Armor-on for the arms and legs in the next posting. ^^
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1 comment:
I have the clear parts re-issue of the Gundam Mk II AEUG Colors and it does indeed have the updated runner F! I can post pictures on photobucket if you would like :-).
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