We’ve got a hell of a lot of runners here, though keep in mind that a good chunk of them are the for all the extra weapons (meaning this thing is probably going to have a ton of unused parts):
We also get this big, gemlike piece for the sniper rifle scope:
And of course the waterslide decals:
Which … yeah, I don’t think these are very good. Not anymore.
Decal Design
There are a few problems here. Take a look at this decal guide for reference:
One problem is that a lot of the smaller markings are too small, to the point where you can barely see them. And there aren’t really enough of them either.
Then you have some like the ‘02’ marking on the knee. In this case, it’s not so small that can’t see it, but it’s small enough that it creates unnecessary negative space.
The final problem is with the larger markings (the “EF Army” the shield, the markings on the shoulders, etc). I used to think they were awesome, by far the highlight of this mobile suit. But now? Now I’ve fallen out of love with them.
The issue is these markings were originally designed to be rendered as textures on a Dreamcast game, which probably necessitated them looking as simple as possible:
And rather than update them for the Gunpla, Bandai kept them true to their original design. And that just doesn’t work very well, because they resemble the font used on the plan, white-label generic products they used to sell at grocery stores:
It’s not a great vibe to be giving off.
What’s ironic here is that Bandai usually leaves the lore-accurate designs to High Grades, while allowing Master Grades to have a lot of freedom to do their own thing, including with decals. Remember the Master Grade Mk II? Those markings were definitely not from the anime:
So there’s precedent for changing these things up. Why they decided instead to stay true to the Dreamcast originals I cannot say.
And in the end it doesn’t matter, since I went with the GRework decals instead:
I like these a lot better. There are more markings, and some of them are better designed and/or bigger.
The Lack of Color
I’ve been having second thoughts as to whether I really like this mobile suit design as much as I thought I did. Not the baseline GM Sniper II design; I still think that’s phenomenal. I’m talking about the White Dingo version.
So what’s up? What’s causing me to feel down about it? Considering the major difference between the two is their color palette, that has to be the explanation, right?.
Yes, yes it is.
One of the things that makes the original GM Sniper II look so great is the contrast between the light and dark blue, coupled with the shocks of orange-red. The orange (or is it just red?) really drew attention to some of the mobile suit’s body parts, and when contrasted with the cool blues on the rest of the body, helped make the design look fierce and aggressive.
But on the White Dingo version, the two different blues are both replaced by white, and the orange bits are all grey or white. It loses so much of that punch, and without all the colors, you start to realize just how plain and, well, GM-like it’s armor is.
I decided that I needed to add some of that missing color back in. The only problem is I didn’t know which color to choose. The original orange-red wouldn’t look right, so instead I tried using a bit of color theory, and in the end I somehow decided on yellow. But it didn’t take long to realize I hated it:
Then I had to undo it and come up with a different plan. Rather than add new color, I was going to use the existing colors to accentuate. In some cases that meant adding some more blue, and in other cases it meant turning some of the grey into a darker, metallic grey. This still added some much needed color contrast and a bit of dynamism without changing the original palette.
Bazooka
This is briefly seen in 08th MS Team, but it is one of the standard weapons you can equip in Rise from the Ashes. Since this particular Gunpla version of the weapon was originally molded for the EZ-8, it comes apart so that it can be stored in that model’s weapons pack. But for the purposes of the GM Sniper II, there’s no reason to disassemble (but here’s what it’d look like anyway).
And here it is with some semi gloss black and some nice decals:
Bullpup Machine Gun
This is the one of the most common guns used by GMs, and I must admit that historically I haven’t been a fan of how it looks. GM’s are so simple and blocky, and that feels at odds with the sleek design of this weapon.
But the GM Sniper II has always been an exception to this rule, as its design and aesthetics are a perfect match for this firearm:
This is also one of those cases where I think it looks better at 1⁄100 scale, since it makes the surface details more visible.
Beam Rifle
I made this white and black, with the idea that I’d use it for both this model and the EZ-8 (it may not be a perfect color match for the EZ-8, but it’s close enough).
I regret my decision. I should’ve gone with dark grey instead of black, since the black looks way too harsh.
Machine Gun
For the Ground Type, I did this in semi gloss black. This time I did it in plain grey, with a few metallic highlights:
Sniper Rifle
This is another weapon that’s been repurposed from another very old Master Grade, and as such the whole thing is plain grey, with a nasty seamline running down the middle. Making it partly white required a whole lot of masking and several coats of spraypaint.
In the end though it worked out surprisingly well. And I think the Grework decals add a ton to the presentation.
I also added a custom waterslide on the side of the butt: the Dreamcast swirl.
It’s such a little thing, but it means a lot to me. It brings this whole model together, as it now truly represents one of the best periods of my life.
My only complaint with this thing is that I don’t like the red lens. There’s not enough detail to it, which would be fine at 1⁄144 scale, but on a Master Grade it doesn’t look very realistic.
Feet
Normally GM’s have this little raised bit in the top of the foot. Even the High Grade GM Sniper II has it:
But it’s not like that on this Master Grade. Instead there’s just a big gap in the foot, revealing some of the inner frame underneath:
Not sure what they were going for with this, but so be it.
Looking underneath, the embedded thrusters are at this weird angle. It keeps messing with my head and makes me think I did something wrong:
Legs
Seems like no matter what scale you build the GM Sniper II in, these holes in the leg armor have to be painted in by hand:
Also, look here at the inner frame:
I feel like Xzibit came and pimped my ride:
Chest
Poor generic GM Pilot figurine. You’re just placed up right against the sidewall. No wiggle room or anything:
And when you close it all up, the cockpit hatch doesn’t even open up all the way:
It’s like a coffin in there!
Backpack
This model does the thing that many Master Grades do, where there’s a little bit of plastic inside the thruster nozzles, which you can easily paint if you want it in a different color.
Arms
The inner frame has these fun little piston thingies. Well, they’re fun after the fact; they’re kind of a pain during assembly:
Head
I took no WIP photos of this, but it was quite a bit of work. The monoeye beneath the green face shield is big and very detailed, so I wanted to paint it up. Then I had to mask all the clear green plastic so it didn’t get hit with a matte coat, and then try and remove a seamline from the side mounted vulcan pod.
But in the end I think it was all worth it. It looks pretty great.
Finished
I’m very happy with how this turned out. With the extra bit of color, and some much nicer decals, this mobile suit is back to looking as awesome in real life as it’s always looked in my head.