Maschinen Krieger is one of those properties that I’ve always considered to be out of my reach, despite hitting all my aesthetic nuances. To those unfamiliar, Machinen Krieger, often abbreviated as Ma.K., is a sci-fi property from Japanese artist and sculptor Kow Yokoyama which often appear in hobby magazines. Both Hasegawa and Wave are releasing Ma.K. model kits and for the most part, building these require more time, effort, and skill than your run-of-the-mill Bandai Spirits model kit. And given my time and skill constraints, I’ve mostly strayed away from building such kits.
And this is where companies like Sen-Ti-Nel come in as they previously released pre-assembled and painted action figures of some designs. I got their 1/16 S.A.F.S. Fireball and it’s a great figure. They aren’t releasing any more Ma.K. stuff as far as I know so I was surprised to hear that Earnestcore Craft, the folks who make the Robot Build sets (yet another line I wanted to dive into), also has the Ma.K. license and is partnering with Wave to release their own 1/16 figure.
This is their second foray into the Maschinen Krieger property, the first being Lunagans released in April 2020 and I totally missed it. Unlike Lunagans which is totally a robot, the Gustav is more similar to the S.A.F.S. Fireball as it’s also an armored suit of sorts, apparently a PKA suit according to the solicitations.
Something I noticed when comparing with the Sen-Ti-Nel Fireball I have is how the Gustav is more weathered than the former that appears to have freshly rolled out from the factory. It actually reminds me of the stuff threeA used to release. I personally this aesthetic fits the world of Ma.K. more these machines do come across as used and weathered. You’ll also notice several tampograph markings and labels, adding further character to these machines. There’s also this not-so-conspicuous torso unit sensor which is actually an LED unit that lights up.
Another feature common to Ma.K. suit figures like the Gustav is an opening canopy which reveals internal mechanics and the actual seat. That said, you can clearly notice how the internals look much more clean when compared to the external armor panels. I guess whoever is using this suit does lot of internal maintenance. Now speaking of that suit user.
They are providing two options on the pilot figure you can inside. The figure comes with a single torso piece that you can swap the head for either one wearing cap or another without it. One nitpick I have is how the pilot looks a little cartoony when compared to the much more realistic one from Sen-Ti-Nel. But regardless, I appreciate the options they are providing.
And speaking of options, here are the optional parts that come with this set. Besides the replacement head piece, it also comes with multiple pairs of hand parts, a special manipulator for the left arm, a couple of bazookas, and more option parts when displaying with the canopy open. I almost forgot to mention this, but the figure also uses cloth soft goods to cover all exposed joints. That includes the shoulders, elbows, knees, and even the ankles. This adds more realism to this guy and I do hope these won’t impede the articulation.
I really like this figure, and it would be a good piece to be displayed along with my 1/16 Fireball. This also adds to a couple of great figures slated for an October release that I haven’t placed on pre-order. I just hope this guy doesn’t sell out fast.
1/16 Gustav
October 2021 / ¥14,800
Order from HobbyLink Japan
