MSiA ZGMF-1017 Mobile GINN

Height: 10.5 cm to top of head, 12 cm to top of crest

Articulation: 24 total points of articulation: Ball jointed neck; 6 points in each arm - double jointed shoulder, pre-elbow swivel, double jointed elbow, ball joint wrist; 6 points in backpack - ball jointed wing binders with one hinge joint in each upper and lower cowling; Swivel joint waist; 6 points in each leg - ball joint hip, double jointed knee, ball joint and hinged ankle, hinged front ankle covering.

Accessories: Missile pods x2; Machinegun; Bazooka; MA-M3 heavy blade; Extra hands x4

Colors: Molded medium and dark gray, and light blue. Painted white, orange, red, and brown(panel lines).

Release Data: Released September 9, 2004 in Japan at a price of ¥1200. This item is still in production as of this review (November 24, 2004).

Gallery: 9 images.

Author: RAC

The Figure

I've always liked mass-production Mobile Suit designs. They usually seem better suited for military use, in design and often color, than the Gundams they're pitted against. Anyway, ZAFT's Mobile GINN falls into this category of "Shoot Me" MS who are doomed to fall victim to the flashier, more advanced Gundams. Like the GINN itself, this figure doesn't present any technological advances over the other SEED MSiA, but it uses the established MSiA joints to excellent effect.

The Head

The head design, with its snout and monoeye camera, are similar to the original Gundam series' Zaku and all its descendants. The GINN has a distinctive helmet though, edged in white with a large white/orange crest. The head seems more broad and squat than most MSiA heads, which goes nicely with the GINN's comparatively stocky build. It also gives the head the ability to turn 360 degrees with no problem, and a fair amount of tilt as well.

The Arms

The shoulder joints are really the only joints on the GINN that could potentially be better- the shoulder armor cuts their swivelling range by about half, and the shape of the shoulder socket prevents the arms from swinging outward as much as I'd like. The double-jointed elbow bends to a 45-degree angle- not as great as many square-armed figures, but it does the job well enough. The rounded forearm also makes for an excellent wrist with complete freedom of movement.

The Torso

The torso is a good bit broader and seems far more solid than those of the SEED Gundams. It's also rounded at the waist, and narrows so as to provide perfect clearance- the waist can turn 360 without ever hitting the skirt armor. Speaking of which, the skirt armor is particularly good at getting out of the way of the legs. Though the shape isn't unusual, it's flexible enough to allow the GINN to perform a perfect kneel- a rarity if there ever was one. The skirt also features hardpoints on the back and sides for mounting the GINN's weapons.

The GINN's backpack is nicely detailed, and is removeable, making for (I hope) easy production of variants in the future. The thrusters are mounted on ball-joints, and have a fair amount of swivel and tilt. It's enough to mostly keep the winglike thrusters out of the way of the arms, though my GINN's left wing will pop off if I try to force it to go too far. The light blue houstings for the main thrusters are hinged, and can be adjusted to look more open or closed if you like.

The Legs and feet

To complete the GINN's heavier appearance, we have a pair of thick thighs and blocky lower legs, with feet that all but disappear under the ankle armor. Every joint save one set on the legs are pretty much standard- the hips and ankle are ball-jointed and the knees are double-hinged. It has slightly less actual articulation than some of the most recent MSiA due to the shape of the legs, but again, the excellent skirt armor makes the practical articulation as good if not better than most anything else out there. The non-standard details on the leg are the ankle armor, which is hinged in the front and ball-jointed in the back. Like the skirt armor, this gives the GINN the ability to compete in the articulation department with Gundams that have to resort to more complex arrangements. The calf area has another set of hardpoints, this time to mount the GINN's missile pods.

Paint and Detailing

The GINN is nicely decorated and painted, and very clean- nowhere does the paint or ink look out of place. The brown panel-inking is used relatively sparingly- there are some panel lines left uninked, but it doesn't detract from the look at all. Some earlier figures looked a bit over-inked, but this approach is both subtle yet noticeable- much nicer, in my opinion.

Articulation gets 9/10

Sculpt and Deco get 9/10

The Accessories

One of the nicest touches about the GINN is that it can mount or carry every accessory it comes with, short of the extra hands. This may sound like a roundabout way of saying it's lightly armed, but that's not the case at all- the GINN has a most respectable compliment of equipment.

-Missile Pods x2

A nice pair of gray pods with three painted, non-removeable "missiles" in each. The mounting tabs slot into the GINN's legs snugly and allow the pods to swivel up and down for better aiming. It's a great accessory that adds character to the GINN design.

-Machinegun

A modest-looking weapon with a clip molded into the top. It fits into the appropriate hand very well, and has a tab on the right side for mounting on the skirt. It'll fit any of the three hardpoints, but the back is the most practical fit.

-Bazooka

The bazooka is the only accessory I'm not really satisfied with. It's nicely detailed and fits in the hand well, but its length and ammo clip present a problem- how the heck is the GINN supposed to hold it? If you hold it over the arm it's resting on the wing, which seems awkward. If you hold it under the arm it has to be held at an angle so as not to get tangled in the wings again. It's a great-looking accessory, but I've yet to find a terribly dynamic way to have the GINN use it.

-MA-M3 Heavy Blade

A far more traditional-looking sword than most Gundam-series robots have, the Heavy Blade is a good length for a one-handed sword and fits in the proper hand well, though a bit loosely if you don't slide it into the grip firmly. Like most MSiA accessories of this nature it's soft plastic- my example is nicely straight, though not entirely perfect. It also has a tab for mounting on the skirt, and attaches at a good angle on either side. The tab itself is nicely placed and doesn't subtract from the look of the Heavy Blade in the least.

-Extra Hands

In addition to the fists it's equipped with in package, the GINN has four extra hands: two are designed for the machinegun and bazooka, and the other pair are for the Heavy Blade. Detail is fair, no better or worse than most MSiA. The hands all attach to the ball-joint in the wrist securely, and hold their weapons well. Excellent hands all-round.

Accessories get 9/10

Closing Remarks

The GINN is a great figure- it's poseable, attractive, and all the parts do pretty much what they're supposed to. The bazooka is the only part I'd call a problem, and it's not much of one. I wish this figure had been released in the US, because I'd like to assemble a full squadron of GINNs without paying $15 apiece plus shipping for imported figures. For this and Miguel's GINN, though, I don't regret that price at all. It's fairly widely available from toy importers, and I recommend getting one while it still is.

In short, the Mobile GINN is a solidly designed, solid-looking figure with a good loadout of accessories. Its overall rating is Excellent.

-RAC, 11/24/2004