Finally, Solicitations and a New Blurb: RG Goldymarg

One of the more interesting kits to come out this year, actually in a month or so, is the RG GaoGaiGar. It’s sort of, kind of an antithesis of the whole Real Grade concept as it’s being applied to a machine that’s not meant to be real — a super robot. But then again, they were able to do it with Evangelion so no qualms there. Along with this announcement is the reveal of the Premium Bandai exclusive RG Goldymarg. And for a good while, nothing was heard of this kit that the Japanese Gunpla Twitter community started asking if this is still a thing.

Well, it’s definitely still a thing as Bandai Spirits is finally opening solicitations for this kit.

Along with the solicitation, we are also getting the new blurb that would appear on the boxes of this kit, and the upcoming RG GaoGaiGar as well. Reading these bits is always a fascinating thing to me for some reason.

Real Grades are designed to recreate the “real thing” with fine details and a variety of colorful parts. Moveable parts with the widest possible range of movement and transformation/combination mechanisms based on the settings have been implemented. This product offers the joy and excitement of assembling plastic model kits to all generations who know and love KING OF BRAVES GAOGAIGAR. Please enjoy the countless gimmicks that have been condensed into a kit that fits in the palm of your hand.

For reference, I’m also putting the blurb that’s included in every RG Evangelion kit, just because.

Real Grade is designed to recreate the “real thing” with fine details and an abundance of color parts.
Multi-color insert molding technology has allowed for colors on intricate parts to be applied in advance, so they only need to be cut off.
Real Grade offers the joy and excitement of building an Evangelion, and numerous gimmicks packed in a palm-sized model, for all generations of Evangelion-lovers.

So how do you make a sentient giant robot that transforms into both a tank, and a hammer/forearm combo, and make it look as realistic as possible? Compared to the animation model, a good chunk of panel line details is added for the more realistic look. As a robot with a construction-based aesthetic, the use of caution marks on various areas also plays into the realism of this robot.

That said, I do wish they used multiple tones of plastic on this kit, similar to what they’re doing with the RG Gundams. Especially for a design that’s mostly solid colors, breaking up the huge swaths of orange with multiple tones might’ve added realism too.

While articulation isn’t the main selling point of this character, this Real Grade still manages to place points of articulation in areas that would make sense — the most notable being the arms and legs. I don’t expect Goldymarg to do very dynamic poses, nor to have mid-torso joints for abdominal crunches, but the articulation on this kit should provide more play value outside of its transformation and combination gimmicks.

The solicitations also mention that 3D seals are used on those camera parts on the torso and head, while the marking are likely the same as those included in other RG kits.

On the subject of transformation and combination, we are also shown the two other modes of Goldymarg. First is of course the Goldion Hammer and Marg Hand, both looking really good. They are highlighting a smooth transformation process through various joint assemblies. All fingers of the Marg Hand are articulated though I hope these joints are strong enough to handle the Goldion Hammer, which appears to have a large peg hole to provide a more stable grip. Clear parts for the Hammer Hell, both partially and fully drawn, are also included.

Then there’s the Goldy Tank, a mode I’m not really familiar with. The solicitations mention that it will also involve smooth transformation through sliding and rotation. I’m also not sure if those tires would be made from rubber or some rubber-like plastic.

Here’s the Goldion Hammer and Marg Hand with RG GaoGaiGar. The gold parts of the Goldion Hammer are made from that gold plastic that you’d probably want to paint, but it still looks nice. Seeing these images, I can already see how finnicky it would be to set up this display as both the Marg Hand and the Goldion Hammer itself would require support stands when displayed. I wanted to say they could’ve engineered some ratchet joints on GaoGaiGar but note that its arms are actually made from train parts, so this is likely the best compromise they have.

---

As good as this kit looks from the solicitations, I don’t really see myself getting a copy. And while I pre-ordered RG GaoGaiGar, it’s more of curiosity and possible comparison once Kotobukiya releases their version. But based on what I’ve read with the Japanese modeling community on Twitter, they are looking forward to this kit. So, there’s definite excitement upon this announcement.

RG Goldymarg
September 2022 / ¥4,000