[The strongest mobile suit of the universe century] 
The history of the evolution of the plastic model of the Nu Gundam
The Nu Gundam is the last mobile suit to appear in the anime, which was introduced in the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam Char's Counterattack".
And Amuro Ray, the protagonist of the original Mobile Suit Gundam, known to fans as the First, is the last mobile suit to appear in the anime.
It is very popular, and there are also variations with equipment that do not appear in the anime.
In this video, I will introduce the normal Nu Gundam that appears in the movie, and the plastic models that have been released so far.
"Amuro, Nu Gundam, launching!"
1/144 Nu Gundam
Release date: December 1987
It is the plastic model put on the market at the beginning of the theater release.
The color-coding of the plastic models of those days was not as detailed as it is today, and the proportions were not as good as they are today.
However, for this reason, from an experienced plastic modeler's point of view,
there were many points to work on, so you can imagine how to make the model cool and enjoy your creativity.
On the other hand, the low degree of perfection of the unassembled model may be disappointing to those who are building a plastic model for the first time.
The fin funnel was not attached to this model.
It was released in December 1987.
And "Mobile Suit Gundam Char's Counterattack" was released on March 12, 1988.
That's right, this plastic model was released before the release of the movie.
The fin funnel is one of the symbolic weapons of the Nu Gundam.
Therefore, until the release of the film, because they wanted to keep the existence of a secret hidden weapon, fin funnel, it was not included.
And after the release in July 1988, 1/144 RX-93 Nu Gundam (equipped with a fin funnel) was released again.
However, the fin funnel was too heavy, and to make it stand while equipped, the body bends backwards.
And then came the next one.
1/100 FULL-ACTION RX-93 Nu Gundam fin funnel equipped type
Release date: October 1988
This is the first 1/100th scale model of the Nu Gundam.
I'm not saying that the quality is low because it's an old plastic model.
The proportions have been improved from 1/144.
As the name suggests, the range of motion has been designed to be wide for being over 30 years old, so you can play with it in various poses.
In addition, the use of die-casting for some of the internal frames gives it a heavy feel.
However, because the fin funnel is still heavy, and the connecting parts are also poor,
it is difficult to balance.
And compared to the present day, the joints of the parts are poorly aligned and the depth of the mold is not the best.
However, the plastic model that was color-coded to this extent at that time was few.
And the proportions were also good, it became a plastic model with a high evaluation that its coolness is still valid even now.
"Isn't that a great idea?"
And the next one, which was created over the years, was
MG 1/100 RX-93 Nu Gundam
Release date: December 2000
Finally, it has been improved as a Mobile Gundam.
Since the Nu Gundam itself is quite large in terms of the setting, when completed in 1/100 scale, it is a plastic model with a massive presence.
The weight of the fin funnels makes it difficult to balance the pose, and the die-casting metal parts are used for the joints, which makes the model feel heavy in the hand.
However, there were some technical issues at this point, with the following opinions.
- The range of motion is reasonable quality
- Can't hold a rifle firmly in place
- The head is a little big and the arms are thin, so it feels unbalanced
- You have to manage to get into a standing pose with the fin funnel on
- The mold is thin and the joints are quite rough
If you look at the article at the time, you'll see some people pointing out that it was particularly poorly fixed and proportioned.
However...
"Human wisdom can get over something like that!"
Many modelers have tried to improve this proportion and have created wonderful pieces of work.
As a result, this plastic model was very popular, and became one of the long lasting popular works even after Ver.Ka.
And here is the next one that was released
HGUC 1/144 RX-93 Nu Gundam
Release date: March 2008
A new structure is adopted in each part of the body so that all parts of the body is manufacturing to assemble part later.
This makes it easier to correct even if you make a mistake to assemble.
Furthermore, it was released as a plastic model that increased the strength of the joints by introducing a new type of poly-cap to improve the fixation of the pose.
These are the reviews.
- The proportion is better and cooler than before
- The fin funnel can be locked onto the body and will not come off
- It's very easy to assemble, as the gate marks and joints are so inconspicuous
In this way, it was a plastic model which reproduced the design which has been set up faithfully,
and improved the imbalance of the proportions which was a problem,
and was able to improve the problem which was easy to remove the fin funnel firmly in addition.
Moreover, since it was HG, the price was less than 3,000 yen, which was easy to purchase.
"Nu Gundam, you are awesome! "
Since the Nu Gundam is a representative mobile suit of the Gundam series, you can not stop the evolution in HG.
To make it even more attractive,
it ended up being drawn newly by the hand of Mr. Katoki Hajime, famous for the Gundam series' mechanical design, the MG has been brushed up.
That is MG Ver. Ka 1/100 RX-93 v Gundam
Release date: December 2012
Because Mr. Katoki hajime is in charge of many mechanical designs,
it was designed to look good even without any assembly.
While maintaining the proportions like HG, his gimmicks were added to each part, and it was finished in the Nu Gundam that has never been seen before.
The reviews on Amazon at the time of release are following.
- The proportion is solid and cool
- It's cool because it’s included the deployment state of the psycho frame as a gimmick
- You can feel the attention to design and parts composition
There were many favorable comments like these.
However, there was still a problem with this.
That is the "fixation force of the fin funnel".
This seems to be an inevitably difficult issue.
In the case of the high grade model, the locking mechanism was hidden from view,
but it seems that due to the pursuit of realism and design,
so unnatural looking locking mechanism was eliminated, which resulted in the weakness of the fin funnels' locking force.
And there's another point that has become quite controversial.
It was the "full-body green psycho-frame direction" invented by Katoki Hajime.
In the anime, the placement of the psycho-frame is only around the cockpit,
so there were many people who said they did not like it.
In the instruction manual,
it is stated that this gimmick was derived from the concept of combining the EVOLVE-like design unique to MG and the simple design typical of reverse shah.
But it is certainly no wonder that fans want it to be true to the original.
Around the time that the new Gundam was created with such a new interpretation,
it was in 2011, the year before its release, the GBWC "GUNPLA BUILDERS WORLD CUP" had begun.
And the Gundams Plastic model fad had become more frenzied than ever before.
In 2011 and 2012, Japan was the home country of Gundams Plastic model, yet we were unable to win the world championship.
However...
"Nu Gundam isn't just for show!”
At the 2013 GBWC, Japan's first victory for the home country of plastic model kits was finally crowned by Japan's representative modeler, "Shun".
Ka, and thoroughly reworked to create a model that embodies Mr. Shun's theme of "the strongest model in the universe," and is truly the strongest Nu Gundam.
This is the moment when the light from the heart of a plastic model builder was shown to the world, and it may still remain vividly in the memory of many people.
"Thank you for the people who protect us every day.
All kinds of feelings come together to make the Gundam go."
And after spending time reviewing the problems of past plastic models, this is what appeared after a trial and error.
RG 1/144 Nu Gundam
Release date: August 2019
First of all, this plastic model overcomes the problem of the weak fixation of the fin funnel, which has been a problem for many years.
The design of the internal frame was carefully considered, and the degree of the range of motion is quite high.
Therefore, it became a plastic model for those who want to have fun with various poses as well as the goodness of the design.
The reviews on Amazon at the time of its release are following.
- Good holding power, good movement, good proportions, overwhelmingly exceeds the RG of the past generation.
- After completion, I shook the model while it was on the stand, and there were no fall at all.
- I never thought that the time would come when I would be able to get such a wonderful Nu Gundam with a plastic model...
This is definitely the work that will reign supreme in all the Gundam models that I have made so far!
- The range of motion is extraordinary, especially the torso and shoulders are worth a look.
It's very fun to move it.
In this way, not only the fixation of the weak point of the fin funnel, but also the degree of posing has been evaluated by many people.
And it can be seen from every point that this model pursues the attention to detail of persistent Gundam fans.
Currently, the double fin funnel expansion unit is sold separately by Premium Bandai
But in the fall of 2020, Premium Bandai will release the "Heavy Weapon System Equipment", which, like the MG, will make for a more complete lineup.
In this way, because the models of the Nu Gundam are very popular among all generations,
they have been studied and improved repeatedly, and wonderful things have been produced.
If you look at the history of the Nu Gundam plastic models, you can feel the passion of the creators.
I hope you will try building the Nu Gundam, too!
And when you build it, you'll understand.
"Nu Gundam isn't just for show!”
I would like to conclude today's video by thanking Mr. Shun for agreeing to use the images.
Mr. Shun has also posted videos on Youtube.
Please check out his website and channel URL in the description box.
If you click on the button at the end of the video, you can also subscribe to his channel.
Thank you for watching till the end.
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