RE100Universal Century

MSA-005K Guncannon Detector

A Methuss-frame fire support suit that finally gets the cannon-heavy kit it deserved.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Guncannon Detector · 1/100 · 2018

GradeRE100

Scale1/100

Released2018

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the RE/100 line doing exactly what it was built for: giving a suit that never got MG or PG treatment a proper, well-armed kit at a fair price.

The Detector never transforms and never headlines a poster, so nobody was clamoring for it, but once it's built it earns its keep with a genuinely aggressive weapons loadout and a surprisingly wide stance for a suit this stocky. It won't wow you with inner-frame engineering, but it will not bore you either.

Best for: Gundam Unicorn fans and support-mech collectors who want the Torrington Base Guncannons on the shelf without waiting for an MG that may never come

The full review

What it is

The Guncannon Detector shares its basic frame with the Methuss from Zeta Gundam but drops the transformation gimmick entirely in favor of straight fire support, and that shows up in the kit as bulk up front and business in back. You get the newly molded beam rifle with a distinct grenade launcher and trigger detail, a separate beam gun, shoulder cannons, and the compatible 170mm cannon that also fits other 1/100 Unicorn-line kits. Building it, the first thing that struck me was how much presence the shoulders and backpack give the silhouette. It reads as a heavier, meaner cousin of the suits it shares a frame with, and that's a fun thing to have on a shelf full of slimmer Unicorn-era kits.

The catch

This is not an inner-frame MG, so do not expect the part-count spectacle of the flagship lines. The 12-runner kit keeps things fairly compact, and RE/100 as a line has a reputation for leaning on molded color plus a handful of stickers rather than full color separation, so panel accents and some markings will come down to decals rather than plastic. Gate placement on RE/100 kits in general sits on visible surfaces more often than MG buyers are used to, so plan on careful nub cleanup if you want clean edges. It is also a niche suit from a niche corner of Unicorn, so resale and aftermarket accessory support are thin.

Who it's for

If you are building out the Torrington Base scene or you just have a soft spot for Zeta-era support suits that wandered into the UC timeline, this is worth the shelf space, and the price sits comfortably below MG territory for a kit that still gives you three weapon options. If you want inner-frame engineering, a deep pose range for dynamic action shots, or a suit anyone will recognize on sight, skip it and put that budget toward a mainline Unicorn or Gundam kit instead. This is a collector's pickup, not a first kit and not a showpiece.

What works

Aggressive, varied weapons loadout: dedicated beam rifle with real trigger and grenade-launcher detail, plus a separate beam gun and the swap-compatible 170mm cannon
Shifting hip and leg joints give it more range of motion than the suit's bulky silhouette suggests, with enough stability to hold firing poses
Fair price for a suit that would otherwise have zero kit representation outside this RE/100 release

Worth knowing

Color separation leans on stickers in places rather than molded plastic, typical of the RE/100 line
Visible gate placement means cleanup matters more than it would on a comparable MG
Niche subject: low name recognition and thin aftermarket support outside dedicated Unicorn collectors

Sold? Grab it.

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The build story

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

Assembly is straightforward and quick for the scale, spread across a manageable 12 runners, with the armor and backpack pieces specifically called out as easy to fit together without a lot of fuss. Nub and gate cleanup deserves attention since RE/100 kits tend to place gates where they'll be seen rather than hidden inside seams, so a light sanding pass on visible edges pays off.

The standout here is the leg and waist gimmick built to recreate the suit's signature firing stance from the show, and it works better than the boxy proportions suggest it should. The 170mm cannon is a simple single-runner build but adds real visual weight, and because it's compatible with other 1/100 Unicorn-line kits it has a little bit of value beyond this one box.

Lore & trivia

01The Guncannon Detector shares its basic frame with the MSA-005 Methuss from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, but unlike the Methuss it cannot transform.
02In Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, a pair of blue Guncannon Detectors defend Torrington Base against Zeon remnants in Episode 4, "At the Bottom of the Gravity Well."
03Bandai also released a red, P-Bandai exclusive Z-MSV version of this kit, tying the suit's paint scheme back to its Zeta-era AEUG/Karaba origins.
04Mechanical designer Hajime Katoki has also produced Robot Spirits figure versions of the Guncannon Detector under his "Ka Signature" online-exclusive collection.