Details
Name: Series: Release Date: Pros: Cons:	MG 1/100 Mobile Pod Ball Ver.Ka Mobile Suit Gundam December 2004 One of the cheapest Master Grades to purchase, nice inner frame, great for beginners You aren't purchasing this for articulation, some very small parts

Review

For any fans of Gundam and/or Gunpla, the Ball may not be on your list of must have kits given that it's... well, literally a ball with arms and a gun on its head. You have your blocky Federation Mobile suits, you have your rounded, almost alien Zeon mobile suits, and then you have the Ball. Techically the Ball is part of the Earth Federation Forces, but you will notice that it doesn't come across as a combat unit. In the context of the lore, you would be absolutely right. As you can see from the arms, it was originally a civilian loader unit. Because the Zaku II changed space combat, and the Federation's own mass produced mobile suit, the GM, was not yet ready, they took the Ball, slapped some extra armor and a cannon on top, and was rolled out as a stop gap measure until the GM could be deployed. It also got the unfortunate nickname of the "mobile coffin" for good reason.

What you will notice in these photos is my paint job. I wanted to make this Ball look rugged, like it had been through a lot of battles and was on its last legs, but still needs to be sortied because the Federation is waiting for the GM to be deployed. While I am happy with with how it turned out, I think I may have gone a little overboard on the scratched and scuffed look. Now it looks like something that should be condemned.
Because of its unique shape and design, you would think that there would be no inner frame, or a very basic one at least. Surprisngly, there is more going on beneath the armor than you would think. It is actually made up of two layers of inner frame, and despite being hidden away by the armor, there is a lot of detail. Paint can really bring out the details here, and my failed attempt at dry brushing serves to highlight all the detailing.
The armor plating is also broken up in to pieces to make it easy to remove certain sections and show off the inner frame.
One more thing that you may notice is if you were to compare this to the anime, the Ball has an extra pair of arms. This is because this was designed by Hajime Katoki, who puts the Ka, in ver.Ka. for many mobile suit designs. Fortunately, if you do not like the extra arms, you can fold these away so that it looks a little more anime accurate. I personally like the extra arms, but no doubt that those looking for anime accuracy may be a little miffed over this design choice.

What I also like are the small touches, such as using rubber for the arm sockets, metal to simulate (non-functioning) pistons, as well as the very, very small wires for the claws. Unless you have very small and slender hands, be prepared to thread those wires using tweezers. The rubber sleeves for the arm sockets can be tricky to cut off the runner, and there is going to be rubber nub marks that are impossible to clean. Fortunately, the armor surrounding this area does a very good job at hiding those rubber nub marks.
In addition, you get a small sheet of dry transfer stickers. While I did not use all of them, this is a nice alternative to the trickier waterslide decals, especially if you are a beginner to this sort of thing.

If you purchased this kit expecting articulation up the wazoo to pull off dramatic poses, you're going to be disappointed. The arms are on ball joints, and there are multiple joints in the arms, as well as the loading claws. The cannon above can swivel 360 degrees, and move up and down. Though the design of the cannon looks like it would move up and down on a ratcheting joint, that is not the case. The rear thrusters move on ball joints, and the small nozzles just below the cannon can swivel up and down. Lastly, the cockpit hatch can open revealing the Federation pilot inside.

In terms of accessories, what is you see is what you get. However, on top of the base kit, you do get three Federation figurines - two standing ones (that I didn't cut out or paint yet), and one sitting pilot. Thanks to the clear cockpit piece, you can actually see inside the Ball without having to open it, something that very few kits can do. I gave the pilot a simple white paint job, and painted his visor metallic blue. In addition, you also get a Ball-dedicated display stand, which cradles the Ball without any worry of it falling off. This is a perfectly acceptable stand to display your Ball, though if you are looking to make it appear more dynamic, or if you're planning to make a diorama, there is another option. While it is not documented in the instruction manual, the thruster on the bottom of the Ball can be removed. Given how it doesn't require the removal of any armor panels to get to that thruster, it clearly was designed for use with an action base in mind.

When it comes to size, it's going to be smaller than other mobile suits in the 1/100 scale. Even if you were to compare it against 1/144 scale kits, it's still smaller than your typical High Grade Gunpla kit. Here I have it next to the HG 1/144 Demi Barding, and Transformers Studio Series Arcee (Bumblebee movie version)

Though one could easily dismiss this kit for being a Ball and a grunt unit, it has a lot going for it with very few drawbacks. Given that every other mech in the Gundam universe is a humanoid robot, the Ball ironically stands out. The kit comes with parts and features not usually included in other Master Grade kits, such as rubber, metal pieces and wire parts. Furthermore, this is one of, if not the cheapest Master Grade kit you can buy at 2,200 yen (including tax), which is even cheaper than some High Grade kits. This is great for those wanting something more than a High Grade, but don't quite want to spend big on pricier or more complicated Master Grade or Real Grade kits. You also get a simple display base thrown in, something a lot of other Gundam kits - High, Real or Master Grades - don't include. To top it off, the Ball is a good opportunity to practice your painting or weathering, given that there is some surface detail in the armor, but has a simple yet detailed inner frame to show off.

There are few variations of this kit, so you do have options if you are looking for something beyond the regular Ball. Whatever version of the Ball you pick, I think it is an excellent kit to add to your collection, regardless of your skill level.

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