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Okay, we've gotta back up a little bit for this one.
So when we were reviewing these G Gundam toys back when they (and, let's be honest, "we") were new, we told you all about
Neo-Egypt's Mummy Gundam and praised Kunio Okawara's design for the mobile suit. And while everything that's said about Mummy Gundam in that review is accurate, it's not the whole story. So today we're taking another crack at it.
G Gundam takes place in Future Century 60, the year of the 13th Gundam Fight. But Mummy Gundam was not Neo-Egypt's entry in the 13th Gundam Fight. Or rather, it was, but not this Mummy Gundam. See, Neo-Egypt is always represented by a Mummy Gundam (or, in the original Japanese, "Pharaoh Gundam"); for the 13th Gundam Fight, their entrant was GF13-051NE Pharaoh Gundam XIII; the one we reviewed was their entrant for the 4th Gundam Fight, GF4-001NE Pharaoh Gundam IV.
Mummy Gundam IV's pilot, Dahal Muhammad, was the winner of the 3rd Gundam Fight, and made it to the finals of the fourth. Unfortunately,
when he was defeated by Neo-China's Feilong Gundam, an accident caused his mobile suit's cockpit to explode, killing him. When the Devil Gundam came to Earth, its DG cells infected Muhammad's mummified corpse, bringing him (and his mobile suit) back to life. Obsessed with taking revenge against the grandson of the man who killed him, Dahal destroyed Mummy Gundam XIII and went on the rampage.
This figure is part of the "Battle Scarred" subline of toys, showing the Gundams after getting beat all to hell. In most cases, that just means scratches, dents, dirt, and the occassional missing limb, but that's not enough for Mummy Gundam. The DG cells allow it to re-form from almost nothing, so this toy shows him doing just that.
Mummy Gundam has suffered a lot of damage to his right side. Starting from the base design, he's lost his right shin, right arm, the right side of his chest, the left side of his skirt, and his entire head.
Normally destroying your opponent's head is one way to win your match, but this is a special case. The underlying framework of the mobile fighter is a metallic grey, with blue and green tendrils hanging from it, and there are bright magenta areas where the DG cells are actively rebuilding.
The "internal" areas have a much more intricate texture than the normal parts. They're not quite "realistic functioning mechanical elements" level of detail, like tiny gears or couplings or anything, but... hmm, what's the best way to put this? While Gundams do look like large mechanical equipment, they still look like cartoon large mechanical equipment, right? Big, undetailed areas, minimal panel lines, all that. Something easy to draw. The damaged side has random, asymmetrical panels on bumps all over the surface that wouldn't normally be there. Like the animation budget got septupled.
Battle Scarred Mummy Gundam
moves at the head, shoulders, biceps, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. There's a joint at the waist, though the design of the figure pretty much locks it into place. It also includes an extra pair of hands, open and with holes in the palm so you can plug in his two Mamba Whips.
The "Battle Scarred" figures typically came with more pieces than usual, whether that was interchangeable parts or scenery
or what have you. In this case, you have a second figure. Yes, like Gundam Rose and Bensonmum, Mummy Gundam gets a buddy. Sadly, no, it's not Mummy Gundam XIII or Feilong Gundam, it's Mummy Gundam IV when he was still all wrapped up in his bandages. First appearance style!
Since this is just a bonus, and not a full-fledged figure in its own right, it is less articulation than usual, moving only at the Springfield Four - a balljointed neck, and swivel shoulders and waist. But considering this is just a display piece, a bit of scenery, any movement at all is pleasantly welcome. In its intended pose, it's standing with its arms raised slightly in front of it, much like the classic Universal Monsters depiction you think of.
The sculpt is great. Everything other than the head is swaddled in linen wrappings (or the gundanium equivalent, one would assume), but those strips of cloth still closely follow the contours of the mech
suit beneath, from the large details like the spikes on the knees to the simpler, easy-to-overlook details like the hollows on either side of the chest. They even wrapped the jet boosters on its back! In a few places, the ends of the bandages are sculpted as through they were dangling freely. The body is painted a pale blue, which was probably an effort to keep it from looking washed out, but it's too blue. As was the style at the time. It is a bit sad he gets a normal head: at this point in the episode, that was just as bandaged as the rest of him (and yes, we're including the pilot in that).
Mummy Gundam IV had three different looks during his appearance on G Gundam, and between this Battle Scarred set and the normal release, you can show them all.
-- 06/20/17
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