Mobile Suit Gundam Brick Builds: Mecha MOC Review
Mobile Suit Gundam is a landmark of Japanese robot animation, and its machine designs have shaped mecha culture worldwide. Among brick MOC builders, mobile suit models are one of the most popular subjects to take on. This review walks through the most popular Gundam and mecha instruction sets available right now, with part counts, difficulty and posability laid out so you know what you are getting into before you order parts.
Popular Mobile Suit Brick Builds
1. RX-78-2 Gundam
- Instruction name: RX-78-2 Gundam, 1:35 scale posable version
- Part count: around 2,500
- Difficulty: high
- Rating: ★★★★★
The RX-78-2 is the one build every mecha MOC fan has to do at least once. This design uses a modular approach: the limbs and torso are each assembled separately and then joined into the finished machine. Posability is excellent, and the finished model can be posed in plenty of classic stances.
2. MS-06 Zaku II
- Instruction name: MS-06 Zaku II, 1:35 scale
- Part count: around 2,000
- Difficulty: medium-high
- Rating: ★★★★☆
The Zaku's rounded shoulder armor and mono-eye camera are the hard parts of the build. Curved bricks and ball joints reproduce both features well.
3. Strike Freedom Gundam
- Instruction name: Strike Freedom Gundam, 1:50 scale
- Part count: around 3,000
- Difficulty: extremely high
- Rating: ★★★★★
The wings and the DRAGOON system are the soul of this machine. Building them calls for a large number of specialty parts and complicated joint structures.
Key Mecha MOC Building Techniques
1. Joint design
How posable a mecha ends up comes down to the joints. Recommended choices:
- Ball joints: best for shoulders and hips
- Gear joints: best for elbows and knees
- Universal joints: best for wrists and ankles
2. Scale design
Scale planning matters a great deal in mobile suit brick builds. Refer to the official setting data and scale it down proportionally rather than eyeballing the proportions.
3. Armor coverage
Once the frame is standing, cover it with armor plates. Pay attention to the gaps between armor sections and to keeping a clear sense of layering.
Recommended Parts
Building a mecha MOC means stocking up on the following:
- Technic beams and connectors (frame)
- Panel bricks (armor)
- Ball joints (articulation)
- Printed parts (markings and details)
More Mecha Instructions
Beyond the Gundam line, brickplan.cn also carries MOC instructions for other popular anime licenses, including the EVA Unit-01 and Dragon Ball characters. If mecha building is your thing, these are worth a look.
Start Your Build
Putting together a mobile suit brick model is a demanding project, and that is exactly why finishing one feels so good. From the original RX-78-2 to the Strike Freedom, every machine carries a story and a memory with it. Head over to brickplan.cn and start your own mecha MOC build.