Gunpla Builder Thursday #2-Gundam Mk.II (Titans and AEUG)

In today’s second episode of Gunpla Builder Thursday, I’ve got a special treat for you Dear Readers: Two Gunpla in the same episode.  The Gundam Mark II from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is the first official follow up model to the original RX-78-2 Gundam, though it isn’t quite as well remembered as the Zeta or ZZ, at least I don’t think its nearly as talked about.  While checking out models to purchase, I got curious about building both the Titans and AEUG variants together and seeing if I preferred one over the other or if they’d just look super cool together.  And yeah, seeing as how these are the same suit with different paint jobs, why not look at them both together?

 
Suit History

Following Operation Stardust in UC0083, the Earth Federation formed a new Anti Terrorism unit called the Titans.  Their mission was simple: prevent another Zeon level uprising from occurring.  Four years after their formation, the Titans become the very threat they were commissioned to suppress, using war crime level tactics to deal with even the most minor of incidents.  It isn’t until UC0087 when the Titans complete their first official new model Gundam Mobile Suit, the Gundam Mark II, meant to be the new vanguard of their Mobile Suit forces.  Agents of the Anti Earth Union Group (AEUG), led by Quattro Bajina, aka Char Aznable, manage to capture a pair of these Mobile Suits with the aid of civilian Kamille Bidan.  With these models added to their fighting forces, the AEUG is able to stand toe to toe with the Titans more advanced arsenal.  Kamille is tapped to become the pilot of one of the Mark II’s while the second is sent away to eventually be refitted and rebuilt as the Zeta Gundam.  Once Kamille inherits the Zeta, the Mark II is passed to ex Titans officer Emma Sheen, who continues to pilot it until her death at the conclusion of the Gryps War.  However, the Mark II survives the final battle and becomes a core member of the AEUG’s newly minted Gundam Team during the First Neo Zeon War alongside the Zeta, Double Zeta and Hiyaku Shiki.  While not much is known about its service record after the war, it does survive the final battles with Haman Kahn’s Neo Zeon, along with its primary pilot Elle Viano.

 

Build Experience

I shouldn’t be surprised that both the Titans and AEUG Mark II Gunpla are basically identical on the inside as well as out.  But then again, that’s part of the reason I wanted to build both and build them both as close together as possible (which I did over the course of about a day).  Design wise, saying these two are night and day might be a bit to on the nose even if its accurate.  The Titans Mark II is a terrifying beast of a machine, the exact opposite of the RX-78-2.  Its dark colors impose the kind of fear the Titans are best known for and this Gunpla’s dark blue scheme is nice and shiny, getting its menace across quite nicely.  I will say that the joints feel a bit stiff once everything came together.  Not that it was tough to pose but it didn’t feel super loose, which is interesting because some Gunpla having torsos that were just that kind of bothered me.  Still, the end result is a truly bad ass looking monster of a Gundam.  It even feels like I’m looking at an old school 80’s style Gunpla from back when the series first came out.  

Then there’s its repainted counterpart for the AEUG.  Now this is a true successor to the first Gundam.  The grey might not be as bright as the RX-78-2 but it’s still a bad ass symbol of hope in a time when that is in short supply thanks to the Titans.  The colors really pop overall and make it look a little more cooler than the Titans model, or maybe I’m just a sucker for grey colored Mobile Suits like I was for the Sinanju Stein.  Speaking of, you know when I was talking about the decals standing out in a not so great way, it’s the exact opposite with these two.  All of the decals are minor add ons, usually a green for a targeting scope or cameras on the front and back of the head.  Everything else color wise is built in, making it look more like a natural fit rather than trying to force it out with stickers.  The AEUG model also doesn’t feel nearly as stiff as the Titans model.  Actually, whereas I said the Titans Mark II looks like it came out of the 80s (in a good away), the AEUG Mark II feels like a hybrid of classic 80s and modern day Gunpla with its material, representing both eras of Gunpla building in style. 

Conclusion/Rating
I love both of these suits and it was fun experimenting with building both so close together.  I actually timed myself on the AEUG Mark II and found myself finishing it in about an hour and a half.  I’m not sure how often I’ll do that but I was just curious considering, like I said, these suits are identical save for the paint job.  Both are perfect reps of their respective factions and give off old school Gundam vibes while still feeling fresh for the modern era.  The Titans models stiffness can be tricky to work around but it’s nothing I’ll hold against it.  If I had to pick a favorite between the two, I think I like the AEUG Mark II a bit more but I also cant ignore how menacing and cool the Titans Mark II still is.  So I’d say that the final rankings for these two are about even and I award both the Titans and AEUG Gundam Mark II’s an
 
8/10
 

Next week we take a look at Gundam from the era that led right to the creation of the Titans and one of my personal favorite Gundams in the franchise.  Here’s hoping the Gunpla build lives up to its awesomeness.  See you Next Thursday for more Gunpla Builder Thursday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.