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The Official Gundam Thread of Gunpla, Origins, and 35 Years of GUNDAMUUUU!
- Thread starter Snaku
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Megalosaro
Banned
My roommate watched Gundam Unicorn with me. He hates Gundam (other than G Gundam) because he doesn't care bout political stuff, but he enjoyed Unicorn a lot.
He really seemed to enjoy the newtype stuff. Probably because it's really "far out there" and he likes things like that. He loved the
He really seemed to enjoy the newtype stuff. Probably because it's really "far out there" and he likes things like that. He loved the
"time travelling" sequence even if he didn't understand the references (outside of the Axis drop, since I showed him that part from the movie).
Just watched Unicorn ep. 7 tonight, after watching/rewatching the first 6 episodes over the weekend. Now going on a Gundam nostalgia trip.
I really want Blu-rays of the original movie trilogy, which is such an amazing and important piece of animation. In 2002, I asked my parents for a DVD player and the Gundam movie trilogy boxset for Christmas. I hadn't ever seen them, but somehow I knew that they were supposed to be the best, and may, that first viewing was a magical experience. I think I spaced each movie out by a day or two and have rewatched them many times since.
I really enjoyed Unicorn overall. I think it embraced UC Gundam's best and worst tendencies. It had moments of incredible animation and captivating battles with impactful character deaths, and it also had long-winded exposition and philosophizing that felt a little too heavy-handed and sometimes a little silly.
Still, there hasn't been a Gundam show this consistently good since...08th MS Team? I guess Turn A was after that. I've never watched it, but I've always heard good things, and of course, it's Tomino. One day.
I also have a real fondness for Char's Counterattack, mostly for the animation. Unicorn looked great and all, but I love the rougher look of the 80s and how much they still did by hand. Everything looks so clean now. I'd also basically forgotten that Char and Amuro
Also, I loved the balance they had for the psycommu stuff in Char's Counterattack. The funnels were a really interesting advancement, but the suits, in general, weren't throwing around space magic like they are in Unicorn.
Reading up on Gundam after watching Unicorn has really made me want to get a model kit for the first time in about 10 years. Strongly considering a Nu Gundam. In the film, at least, it mostly retains the original's iconic design, and isn't as elaborate and overdone as a lot of later suits.
I really want Blu-rays of the original movie trilogy, which is such an amazing and important piece of animation. In 2002, I asked my parents for a DVD player and the Gundam movie trilogy boxset for Christmas. I hadn't ever seen them, but somehow I knew that they were supposed to be the best, and may, that first viewing was a magical experience. I think I spaced each movie out by a day or two and have rewatched them many times since.
I really enjoyed Unicorn overall. I think it embraced UC Gundam's best and worst tendencies. It had moments of incredible animation and captivating battles with impactful character deaths, and it also had long-winded exposition and philosophizing that felt a little too heavy-handed and sometimes a little silly.
Still, there hasn't been a Gundam show this consistently good since...08th MS Team? I guess Turn A was after that. I've never watched it, but I've always heard good things, and of course, it's Tomino. One day.
I also have a real fondness for Char's Counterattack, mostly for the animation. Unicorn looked great and all, but I love the rougher look of the 80s and how much they still did by hand. Everything looks so clean now. I'd also basically forgotten that Char and Amuro
disappear into the lifestream at the end of the movie, so I went through most of Unicorn thinking Char was actually probably Full Frontal and wondering if Amuro was just chilling out somewhere. I did really like their cameo, brief as it was, at the end of episode 7.
Reading up on Gundam after watching Unicorn has really made me want to get a model kit for the first time in about 10 years. Strongly considering a Nu Gundam. In the film, at least, it mostly retains the original's iconic design, and isn't as elaborate and overdone as a lot of later suits.
Megalosaro
Banned
The HGUC Nu is a great kit. One of my favorites I've built. But then again, Nu is probably my favorite Gundam period (one of the few Gundam designs I actually like)
They released a new MG of the Nu Gundam last year. Ver Ka. I hear mixed things about it. I hear the suit itself is not bad, but that the funnels are a disaster.
They released a new MG of the Nu Gundam last year. Ver Ka. I hear mixed things about it. I hear the suit itself is not bad, but that the funnels are a disaster.
Mr. Pointy
Member
I finally ended up watching Ep 7. I had it a couple of days ago, but I didn't feel like watching it until had some time free.
I liked it. Better than the last 3 episodes. Exposition out the butt, but it's Universal Century Gundam, so whatever. I really liked the ending and the newtype fuckery. They left everything more open ended than I was expecting. I almost think Bandai are planning a sequel of some kind. But that would totally not be like Bandai to want to exploit something so popular.
I liked it. Better than the last 3 episodes. Exposition out the butt, but it's Universal Century Gundam, so whatever. I really liked the ending and the newtype fuckery. They left everything more open ended than I was expecting. I almost think Bandai are planning a sequel of some kind. But that would totally not be like Bandai to want to exploit something so popular.
Megalosaro
Banned
Gundam Double Unicorn. Banagher and Mineva newtype their way to Newtype heaven while newtyping the world to newtype.
In other words, how hard can you newtype?
In other words, how hard can you newtype?
donkey show
Member
Shiiiiit, I broke the horn off my BB Sinanju! Looks like it's time for BB Sinanju Stein. :S
Yo dawg.
Yo dawg.
Finally found my copy of Gundam Breaker today. There's a sticker on the front advertising HG something and what appears to be some kind of code inside the package. Did my copy come with DLC or something? Dammit, I wish I could make use of all this JPN DLC I've gotten lately.
this sounds like ia bad r18 doujin
the official gundam thread of gunpla repaired
PaulExcellent
Member
So my girlfriend and I finally finished Build Fighters. (I had already watched it.)
She loved it so much. lol The most 'OMG' moment for her was the reveal of the Dark Matter Exia. She was like, "What the FUCK is that spiky thing and what did they do to Yuuki! D:"
Needless to say, I see a lot more Gunpla building in my future. lol
Also, Beargguy is the PERFECT way to get people into Gunpla. It was fun working on it with her.
She loved it so much. lol The most 'OMG' moment for her was the reveal of the Dark Matter Exia. She was like, "What the FUCK is that spiky thing and what did they do to Yuuki! D:"
Needless to say, I see a lot more Gunpla building in my future. lol
Also, Beargguy is the PERFECT way to get people into Gunpla. It was fun working on it with her.
killatopak
Member
Just watched Unicorn Gundam Movie 7.
There are so many wtf moments and I got goosebumps on some of the homage especially.
There are so many wtf moments and I got goosebumps on some of the homage especially.
When they showed Char's Counterattack and Gundam 0078 scenes.
donkey show
Member
Neo Sinanju Stein Repaired
PaulExcellent
Member
So, I finished building the Italian Dandy's mean green machine, the Wing Gundam Fenice!
Took me about 8 or so hours to build it while working on a website, but I'm really happy with how he came out. I'll be finishing the panel lining one of these days. lol
Nice! I made that one, too, recently! I really enjoyed it. Especially the laser cape.
PaulExcellent
Member
Yeah, the cape is cool! I didn't really understand what the manual was talking about when it came to coloring the small holes on the bottom of it.
Still, it was a fun build! Really simple, too. I'm definitely going green Unicorn Gundam after this.
donkey show
Member
Awww yiss, Converge 16 has Silver Bullet!
Son of Cervantes
Member
Figured I would show some of my FIX Metal Composites....the photos didn't turn out as well as I'd hoped. Darn iPhone...anyway, here they are.
EvilKatarn
Member
Awesome collection.
I like 0 Gundam more and more every time I see it. Wish it was in EXVS ._.
I like 0 Gundam more and more every time I see it. Wish it was in EXVS ._.
nintendoman58
Member
So I just saw this on twitter, don't know if it was posted yet, so here:
Gundam of War
Well, this sure did happen the day after I finished watching Unicorn. First Gundam model I've bought in...8 years? Well, that's not including two SD Zakus I have, which I think cost about $7 each. I found them randomly in some model shop I wandered into in San Francisco about 4 years ago.
The two old kits I had were a Master Grade RX-78 and a 1/60 scale God Gundam. The God Gundam was huge and looked pretty awesome, but had a propensity to fall over and lose a bunch of parts. Both are probably in boxes at my childhood home somewhere.
The two old kits I had were a Master Grade RX-78 and a 1/60 scale God Gundam. The God Gundam was huge and looked pretty awesome, but had a propensity to fall over and lose a bunch of parts. Both are probably in boxes at my childhood home somewhere.
Zeta Gundam 28
So this is one of the episodes that I really hated back when I first watched Zeta Gundam and I think I can better articulate now what it is that I find wrong about this. First and foremost is that there is a lot of weird, sort of sexist talk going on. Fa goes on and on about how nobody is looking at Reccoa's actions from a woman's point of view, but she doesn't really explain how looking at them from a woman's perspective alters them. Beyond that, though, is the sort of half crazy assumption that being a girl makes you do stupid, silly things. An assumption which is reinforced when every man on the bridge laughs at what a stupid, silly girl Fa is and Char, while smoking a joint with Bright, muses that girls will be girls with their silly emotions and such. Reccoa spends most of this episode as a badass lady who is do a hardcore infiltration mission with balls of steel. Then Paptimus bitch slaps her and she wants nothing more than to ride his dick until the day she dies.
This touches upon a problem I have with Paptimus as a character and with Newtypeism in general: his sway over her is instantaneous and unexplained. The minute she meets him she falls in love, just as Sarah is in love with Paptimus, and other female characters as well. He has a magical sway over women that isn't explained beyond it being part of a Newtype power and isn't really demonstrated beyond "women immediately want to ride his dick." Kamille suffers from this, too (as, to varying extents, do Amuro and Judau) but with Kamille at least there's this "Oh well he's a nice guy to ladies who have only ever known abuse" but with Paptimus it feels more like he should be some kind of space wizard.
In fact, that feels like that's what Tomino wants, here: For Paptimus to be seen as something between a Space Wizard and a Womanizer but the character falls short for lack of actual charisma and mystique, relying too much upon simple "oh well magic" for every aspect of himself.
In short, I think the way that women are treated in this area of the show is pretty bad. It feels almost as if Tomino doesn't really get women, but rather than find one and ask her help on how to write a woman, just sort of barrels ahead with his really antiquated misconceptions of them, and Paptimus kind of comes to embody that entire approach.
So help me out here, GundamGAF, cuz this whole Paptimus and Reccoa things is one of the things that really lessens Zeta in my eyes.
So this is one of the episodes that I really hated back when I first watched Zeta Gundam and I think I can better articulate now what it is that I find wrong about this. First and foremost is that there is a lot of weird, sort of sexist talk going on. Fa goes on and on about how nobody is looking at Reccoa's actions from a woman's point of view, but she doesn't really explain how looking at them from a woman's perspective alters them. Beyond that, though, is the sort of half crazy assumption that being a girl makes you do stupid, silly things. An assumption which is reinforced when every man on the bridge laughs at what a stupid, silly girl Fa is and Char, while smoking a joint with Bright, muses that girls will be girls with their silly emotions and such. Reccoa spends most of this episode as a badass lady who is do a hardcore infiltration mission with balls of steel. Then Paptimus bitch slaps her and she wants nothing more than to ride his dick until the day she dies.
This touches upon a problem I have with Paptimus as a character and with Newtypeism in general: his sway over her is instantaneous and unexplained. The minute she meets him she falls in love, just as Sarah is in love with Paptimus, and other female characters as well. He has a magical sway over women that isn't explained beyond it being part of a Newtype power and isn't really demonstrated beyond "women immediately want to ride his dick." Kamille suffers from this, too (as, to varying extents, do Amuro and Judau) but with Kamille at least there's this "Oh well he's a nice guy to ladies who have only ever known abuse" but with Paptimus it feels more like he should be some kind of space wizard.
In fact, that feels like that's what Tomino wants, here: For Paptimus to be seen as something between a Space Wizard and a Womanizer but the character falls short for lack of actual charisma and mystique, relying too much upon simple "oh well magic" for every aspect of himself.
In short, I think the way that women are treated in this area of the show is pretty bad. It feels almost as if Tomino doesn't really get women, but rather than find one and ask her help on how to write a woman, just sort of barrels ahead with his really antiquated misconceptions of them, and Paptimus kind of comes to embody that entire approach.
So help me out here, GundamGAF, cuz this whole Paptimus and Reccoa things is one of the things that really lessens Zeta in my eyes.
This is pretty much the definition of Tomino when you look him up in the dictionary.
Megalosaro
Banned
Nah, Tomino is actually a feminist. His message is just strange. "Because men are dicks and use/manipulate women, women suffer."
i've been wanting a jesta cannon and a jegan ecoas since finishing unicorn but they're sold out everywhere
i've been wanting a jesta cannon and a jegan ecoas since finishing unicorn but they're sold out everywhere
just wait for bandai exclusive DLC HGUC jegan ECOAS [Conroy Use]
Megalosaro
Banned
What was the MS that was using the Mega Bazooka Launcher in Unicorn 7?
jegan ECOAS [Conroy Use]
AdmiralSnackbar
Member
Was that the guy with the beam pistol? Dude seemed like a baller after that Geara Doga humiliated those other two suits on the Arghama's launch deck
yeah and that was a schuzrum gallus
Megalosaro
Banned
Conroy and Daguza were always bosses though. ECOAS is a pretty cool unit if those two dudes are any indication
Valkerionseven
Member
I just finished Zeta a few weeks ago and this is one of the many things that bothered me too. The female characters, and just female basis of the story is very... off to me. Tons of stuff gets "explained" as female problems for lack of a better translation with no real story based or character based explanation.
My first thought about Zeta when I tried to watch it and only could stand about 10 episodes was that the story and especially character(s) came off amazingly disorganized and schizophrenic. Now that I actually finished the whole thing some years later, it REALLY feels that way. Same icky feeling I got from watching Destiny is all over this series for me.
R
Retro_
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah I think this is it more or less.
Well I think a huge part of it is also due to how desperate Reccoa is for affection. I believe the intention was that Paptimus exploits this vulnerability moreso than casting magic newtype mind control on her. (although the NEWTYPE CHARISMA is of course a factor like it is for almost all male newtypes in the series)
I don't really think the characters in Zeta are a mouthpiece for Tomino's own views. Especially since he goes onto condemn most of the problematic views the characters hold by the end of the show and in his other shows.(Char does the same thing to Quess in CCA and Amuro calls him out on it there too)
They're just characters that have shitty opinions about women. and I don't just mean the men. Part of what makes Reccoa a flawed character is how she buys into this definition of what a woman is herself and irrationally pursues it. When Char and the other male members on the Argama dismiss her feelings and laugh about it, she ends up clinging to the first man that seems to give her any sort of affection, which is Paptimus deliberately manipulating her.
Out of all the Gundam series' I've watched, I haven't seen many female characters that feel like they could be real people. Maybe in SEED with the short, black haired Ensign or the Captain of the Archangel. Beyond that, I can't seem to remember any representations that don't trigger a sexist, anime-female stereotype in my head. I can sometimes see attempts to make up for this (WOW FEMALE SOLDIERS, SO WEIRD) but it's always delivered in a way that doubles down.
It's disappointing. I think the franchise could use a female lead
It's disappointing. I think the franchise could use a female lead
and more storytelling risks in general
Haha, he definitely does sort of have a hard time handling female characters.
If this is the case, then I don't think he is quite able to get it across. Tomino often seems to stagger in writing conversations between characters (at one point in this episode there's an exchange where it's like: Kamille "Stop this you'll get hurt!" and Sarah "MASTER PAPTIMUS!" when Master Poptarts isn't around at all.) so when he tries to get across that men cause women all manner of pain through manipulation, it sort of, I dunno, bungles. In Zeta I won't doubt the man's good intentions (unlike in Victory, where I do), but there's a clear lack of definition to all things feminine that just sort of weighs things in the favor of the men going "Oh these silly women."
I feel like there is a certain lack of organization to the second half of the show, and I don't really think Gundam rights itself until halfway through ZZ in that respect. I've heard tell that Tomino had lost interest in Gundam at the time, so maybe that's why?
The thing about Reccoa, though, is that her deep seated need for affection doesn't really come to the fore at this point. It isn't until after she's drunk the Paptimus Kool Aid that it shows up. She's just a woman doing her job. And if it be that her undertaking dangerous missions is in search of affection, and that the way that makes any sense is "from a woman's perspective" I'm not sure what to say, because it kind of doesn't really ring in my head. It just sort of seems crazy.
I don't mean to impune all women across the entire franchise. Some are horrible, like the ones in Victory. Some aren't human in any sense of the word, like the ones in AGE. But others I think are decent. Rain in G is alright, and the Heim sisters in Turn A are pretty rounded, too, I feel. Heck, even in Zeta I think Emma is a pretty solid female character. It's mostly Reccoa and Sarah that really, really suck in Zeta.
Megalosaro
Banned
I'd say Rosamia and Four are worse than Reccoa and Sarah. I actually rather like Sarah to be honest. But Zeta has some pretty good female characters. Emma is a fantastic character, and as much as I like Beltorchika, she is pretty cool during the Dakar episode. Both of Jerid's love interests are top notch as well, especially Mouar. And of course Haman is always fantastic.
EvilKatarn
Member
It's too bad Unicorn didn't come before F-91, Crossbone or anything that takes place afterward because the
Also,
There are more questions I have about Unicorn's ending. Would be great to hear other people's thoughts.
retcon really balks at later installments and something as important as Laplace Box (the removed article) is missing from the history presented in later series in the calendar. We're also getting a Tomino Gundam in the same universe that will likely also ignore it. It will be interesting to see how it's written.
Lalah said something weird at the end. Talking to Char, she says he's expressed those thoughts enough when "you were you". Bad translation? We know Full Frontal isn't Char (that's clearly shown in the scene). Was Full Frontal was speaking by proxy, which he seemed to despise so much in an earlier scene with Banagher, Mineva and Syam Vist, and that was what Lalah referred to? That Full Frontal was just a proxy to Char's ideals? Also, the three spirits that leave the Sinanju's cockpit are Lalah, Amuro and Char, but where's Full Frontal? In the end, who was Full Frontal? He wasn't Char, but the ending gives way to a lot of confusion.
PaulExcellent
Member
I'm feeling pretty sure that my Gundam Marker is messed up.
Maybe it's just a feeling.
Or maybe it's because it just fucking leaked all over Fenice's leg and messed up my panel lining.
Ugh.
Maybe it's just a feeling.
Or maybe it's because it just fucking leaked all over Fenice's leg and messed up my panel lining.
Ugh.
AdmiralSnackbar
Member
I think Full Frontal was
actually possessed by Char. When Char's OYW ghost appears is when Frontal's face becomes lifeless.
Well,
the wiki says that he was implanted with Char's residual thoughts from the Sazabi's psychoframe and sort of thought like Char. If that's true, then why was Char's spirit just waiting around with Lalah and Amuro? I'm pretty sure neither died with regrets in CCA. I don't know how many liberties the took with the books in the anime, but some retcons seem puzzling. I could see him being possessed though, but that seems like going a little far with things in the UC universe. I mean people seeing people's souls before they passed and connecting with people via Newtype abilities was definitely a neat part of the universe. I think they channeled Tomino a lot. Trying to compete with Ideon ending, I guess.
I bet. lol
Congrats! One of my personal favorite kits right there. The amazing subtlety of the transformation gimmick is truly a master of engineering to build. It's right up there with the Sazabi ver. Ka as one of my all-time favorite builds. Also, man those hands are the best.
In my build news, finished up my MG Full Armor Unicorn the other day. An amazing looking kit, but not a particularly fun build. Parts are spread all over different runners instead of being well ordered for easy finding. Also, so much repetition. Even so, god dang does it look like an amazing beast. The sheer amount of display options is staggering. I love kits that come with this many accessories. I also am happy to report that I can finally transform the Unicorn Gundam between modes without breaking the front hip armor. Not sure why I broke it twice on the regular version, but I've already transformed him numerous times in the FA version without issue. As a display piece, I totally recommend this guy. Just be warned that it's a long, and sometimes very frustrating build.
Oh, and I'm also glad you can attach all the armor while he's still in Unicorn Mode. I knew that was likely the case, but I couldn't find any photos of it online. It's badass.
Megalosaro
Banned
Just watched Episode Ex: 100 years of Solitude.
It was whatever. Just Syam Vist talking over stock footage from old shows. Nothing particularly helpful there if you aren't familiar with the older shows, since the language used is too vague and flowery, and it's redundant for people who have watched the older materials. Still, it's nice seeing the old footage remastered. Zeta and ZZ both looked beautiful, as did CCA
It was whatever. Just Syam Vist talking over stock footage from old shows. Nothing particularly helpful there if you aren't familiar with the older shows, since the language used is too vague and flowery, and it's redundant for people who have watched the older materials. Still, it's nice seeing the old footage remastered. Zeta and ZZ both looked beautiful, as did CCA
Kill 'em all Tomino will save no one.
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