MGUniversal Century

RMS-179 GM II

The federation workhorse gets the MG treatment, and the frame deserves better than the price tag it showed up wearing.

MechaGrade Score

3.2/5

GM II · 1/100 · 2017

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a kit I respect more than I love.

The double jointed elbows and knees and the pull out shoulder joints give it a real pose range that most background mobile suits never get, and there is something satisfying about building up a proper mass production grunt suit at MG scale instead of another protagonist machine. But it was a P-Bandai exclusive at a price that outran what you actually get in the box, and the ankles and feet do not hold weight as confidently as I want from a kit at this scale. I like it. I do not think it earns unqualified praise.

Best for: UC completionists and GM/Zeta era fans who want the grunt suit done properly at MG scale and don't mind hunting a secondhand P-Bandai kit

The full review

What it is

The GM II is the Federation's post One Year War upgrade to the original GM, the suit that carried Earth Federation forces through the Gryps Conflict in Zeta Gundam, and Bandai gave it a full MG inner frame treatment instead of leaving it as another simple HG grunt. The neck sits on a double ball joint, the shoulders pull forward and up on top of their normal swing, and both elbows and knees are double jointed, which adds up to a suit that can hold dynamic firing and melee poses a lot of MGs from this era only pretend to manage. Building it feels like assembling a soldier rather than a hero, and I mean that as a compliment. The beam rifle, beam saber, and shield round out a loadout that fits the character of the suit.

The catch

This was a Bandai Premium (P-Bandai) exclusive released in January 2017, and it carried a premium price that several builders flagged as out of step with what a mass production suit kit delivers, one well known reviewer called it one of the worst value releases of that year for exactly that reason. The waist rotates a full 360 degrees but a couple of hip and torso panels physically get in the way of using all of it. Feet and ankle stability is the recurring complaint, the kit can feel back heavy and unsteady in aggressive stances, and some panel and surface details lean on markers or paint rather than molded color or stickers to really pop.

Who it's for

If you are chasing a complete Zeta Gundam era UC roster or you just like the idea of a mass production grunt getting genuine MG engineering instead of being an afterthought, this is worth tracking down secondhand or through the aftermarket, since it is long out of general retail. If you want your MG budget to go toward maximum shelf presence, deep color separation, or a suit with a big lore reputation, skip this one and put the money toward a mainline protagonist MG instead. It rewards patience and a light touch on the ankles more than it rewards a first time MG builder.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

The build itself is a straightforward MG experience, nothing exotic in the gate placement or runner layout, but it rewards care at the ankle and foot assemblies specifically because that is where the finished kit's weak point shows up. Panel lines and some surface details benefit from a pass with Gundam markers or thin paint rather than relying purely on the molded plastic, so budget a little extra time if you want the suit to read as crisply as a mainline MG.

Where it earns its keep is the frame engineering: a double ball jointed neck, shoulders that pull out for extra reach, and double jointed elbows and knees that combine into poses most grunt suits never get access to. The waist spinning close to a full 360 degrees is a nice touch even with the panel interference, and the beam rifle, beam saber, and shield give you the suit's actual UC 0087 loadout rather than a generic placeholder weapon set.

Lore & trivia

01The GM II came in two lineages: RGM-79R GM IIs were upgraded from surviving One Year War era RGM-79 GM frames, while RMS-179 GM IIs were newly built from the ground up to the same standard.
02It replaced the original GM's beam spray gun with a proper beam rifle, made possible by a new 1,500kw class generator, a real step up in firepower for a mass production suit.
03The GM II served as the Earth Federation's standard grunt suit through the Gryps Conflict in UC 0087 before being succeeded by the RGM-86R GM III.
04This MG version was a Bandai Premium (P-Bandai) online exclusive that shipped in January 2017 and is no longer in general production.