RGAfter Colony

OZ-00MS Tallgeese (TV Animation Color Ver.)

The suit that predates the Gundams, finally colored the way it looked on TV.

MechaGrade Score

3.9/5

Tallgeese (TV Animation Color Ver.) · 1/144 · 2020

GradeRG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the same excellent RG-28 engineering everyone already loves, just repainted into the muted gunmetal and cream scheme Tallgeese wore in the original broadcast instead of the brighter Endless Waltz palette.

If you already grabbed the standard release, the color swap alone will not justify a second purchase for most people. If you never owned an RG Tallgeese and you grew up on the TV series rather than the OVA, this is the one to get, because the molded plastic finally matches what you remember from the screen.

Best for: Gundam Wing loyalists who want their Tallgeese in the original TV colorway, and RG collectors filling a gap left by the EW release

The full review

What it is

The Tallgeese has a strange job in Gundam Wing lore, it is the suit that came before all the Gundams, the prototype OZ built and then Zechs Merquise inherited to fight on equal footing with Wing Gundam. Bandai's RG version leans into that with an internal booster gimmick nobody expected, articulated thruster pods on the back that open to show a nest of verniers inside, plus hatches on the rear and side skirts that pop open for even more thruster detail. This TV Animation Color release just swaps the palette to the flatter grey and cream the suit actually wore in the original 1995 broadcast, before Endless Waltz brightened it up. Handling the frame, the joints lock in with real authority once seated, and that booster reveal still gets me every time I open it up.

The catch

Articulation is the honest weak point here. Builders consistently flag a stiff neck and limited shoulder and hip range compared to other RGs in the same line, so dynamic poses take real coaxing and the suit reads better in a stable stance than mid-action. The stock loadout is thin too, just the Dober Gun, a shield, two beam sabers, and their mounting sub-arms, no extra hands or effect parts. Wrist and gun-grip joints are loose enough that getting the Dober Gun to sit naturally takes patience, and a few builders have reported the small vernier pod wings snapping under normal handling, so go slow around the booster hatches.

Who it's for

Buy this if you are a Gundam Wing fan chasing the TV-accurate look, or an RG completionist who wants Tallgeese without the EW kit's brighter trim. It rewards people who like an inner-frame gimmick they can fiddle with more than people who want a kit that snaps into dramatic action poses out of the box. Skip it if you already own the standard RG-28 and are only after the recolor, the differences are cosmetic, or if you specifically want a highly poseable RG for photography, the stiffness will frustrate you. First-time RG builders should also know the small vernier parts demand a careful hand.

The build story

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

Assembly follows standard RG conventions, an inner frame first, then armor shells snapped over it, and the fit throughout is tight and confidence-inspiring. Gate placement is typical RG-era Bandai, mostly on non-visible seams, though the vernier thruster pods have several small, thin parts that need patient nub cleanup since they are visible once the hatches are open. Color separation is strong for a 1/144, with the frame's darker greys and the cream armor mostly molded in, and the small panel stickers apply cleanly without fighting the surface detail.

The centerpiece is the booster gimmick, both back-mounted vernier pods articulate and open to expose a ring of thrusters that stayed hidden in the anime, and the rear and side skirts add their own thruster hatches on top of that. It is the kind of engineering flourish that makes an RG feel worth the price point even with a short weapon list. Articulation is more workmanlike than expressive, the frame is sturdy and the pose holds, but the range especially at the neck and shoulders trails behind flagship RGs, so treat this as a display-stance kit first and an action-pose kit second.

Lore & trivia

01In the Gundam Wing story, the Tallgeese predates every other mobile suit including the five Gundams, making it the original prototype OZ built before scaling down the design into the mass-produced Leo.
02Zechs Merquise is secretly Milliardo Peacecraft, exiled prince of the pacifist Sanc Kingdom, and he pilots Tallgeese to fight Wing Gundam on what he considers fair terms.
03This TV Animation Color Ver. release recolors the 2018 RG-28 Tallgeese EW mold to match the suit's original 1995 television broadcast palette rather than the brighter scheme used in the Endless Waltz OVA.