RB-79PP Polypodball
Now here’s something a little different; a Master Grade Gunpla. I’ve only built one MG kit before this, which was a Unicorn Gundam Destroy Mode, and was very underwhelmed by what felt like an upscaled High Grade, so I avoided picking up any more with that stigma in mind. Recently though, with me branching out and building more types of models, I wanted to try picking up another to see if that stigma was warranted or just a bad first experience, and decided that the Polypodball and Gundam Stormbringer were perfect targets since they’re canonically 1/100 MG Gunpla and are therefore in scale with my other HGBD kits. Remember, I’m a stickler for scale.
The Good: If you’re only familiar with building HGs, like I am, then there are a few things about the build process that I found interesting. Part of that was building the interior mechanics. Unlike something like the HGIBO line, none of the internal frame is exposed and seems purely to show off the internal mechanics:
Another thing about the build process I liked was the use of abnormal parts in the arms; that being pieces of wire and metal bars. It’s neat to see that use of non-plastic components on a higher-budget piece, and was very interested to see what those parts would be used for when I pulled them out of the box.
The kit itself is very posable, as you might expect something with crab legs to be. Each arm can move in eight places, and each leg in ten, not to mention the seven posable thrusters on the main body and two points in the gun. I definitely felt the difference between this and the Real and High Grades I’ve built; even the more complex ones like Moon Gundam.
The Bad: The biggest problem I had was a bit of stressing on the large side plates around the...lights? Windows? The tiny translucent plastic balls. Anyway, it’s something to look out for. Secondly, smaller issue, there’s no place for me to put a stand in it, so I had to use two clamp arms to hold onto two of its legs while having the other two drape down over the display like a spider. It’s kinda hilarious, but I still wish I could have just plugged something into the bottom.
Oh, and this is a $30+ P-Bandai release on the aftermarket.
The Details: I didn’t do too much, mostly panel lining, but there are a few touches of paint here and there. I did black inside the thrusters for starters, did some bright silver inside said tiny translucent plastic balls to give them more pop, and I painted the pilot up an off-white with a blue face mask and red shoulders and head crest. I also painted the console metallic blue, but even I can’t see it with my own eyes, let alone with a camera.
Overall, not even just the Polypodball, but the Ball is a great starter into trying to do Master Grades, with a parts count slightly above a typical HG. If you’re a High Grade builder like me, and you find a Ball cheap, I’d say give it a try. As for the Polypod variant, that’s a bit harder to recommend due to its rarity and exclusivity, but if you like Build Divers or have read GBWC, it’s not that expensive.
