My first Maschinen Krieger kit: 1/20 Archelon by Wave

Gundam was my first exposure to plastic model kits and like most modelers, I drooled over the pages of the perfectly painted kits in Hobby Japan and other magazines. Sandwhiched between all the Gundam news were features on less popular scale models, military models, and garage kits, many of which I didn't come to appreciate until much later (see: now). When a friend told me a few years ago about a robot anime called Votoms, I had no idea what the show was about but I immediately recognized the signature domed head and mono-eyed camera that I had seen in many back issues of hobby magazines and around the internet.

For the longest time, Maschinen Krieger was among the likes of these gems: something I had always seen on the internet, especially the snowman designed body suit, but never learned the name or was remotely interested in building one for myself. After visiting the Shizuoka hobby show I saw a number of the kits displayed with impressive modifications and dioramas, but never once through to pick one up. Then, I noticed a sale on HLJ that marked down the kits to a affordable price and picked one up. That was my only mistake: getting one, when, a few internet searches later I became completely enamored by the whole thing and didn't know why I didnt get more...and sooner!

Maschinen Krieger, or Ma.K for short, was thought up by a Japanese designer named Kow Yokoyama in the 1980s and revolves around a post-apocalyptic, almost cyber punk future in which humans battle it out in power suits and other armored vehicles in an earth desolated by nuclear war. The series was popular for its mix of futuristic sci-fi designs based on classics like Star Wars but with a gritty and more down-to-earth look of WWII scale models, tanks, and artillery. The designs allowed for a lot of customization by modelers and the universe gave way to a number of easily recognizable designs, like the power suits. Ma.K are still popular in Japan and overseas for those looking to build sci-fi kits with the attention to detail of military models. The Wikipedia entry is extremely well done and offers numerous links to many of the best Ma.K resources, my favorite being the Ma.K in Action page and its focus on the model kits.

My first Ma.K kit is the Archelon power suit in 1/20 scale by Wave. The kits retails at 2800yen although I purchased mine for much cheaper.

Ma.K kits usually come in 1/20 scale and run on the small side when comparing them to other sci-fi mecha model kits out there. The entire model kits comes out to only a few inches high and has fairly few parts for a 2800yen (retail, anyways) kit. The power suit is sturdy and can stand on its own, manage a few poses thanks to some decals, and has a few gimmicks and finely detailed parts. There are some problems with the skirt pieces not holding very well to the body and some other pieces that I feel need to be modded to look good (eg. the piece on the side of the leg holding the pipe seems out of place and would need to be replaced or integrated to the leg better). Regardless, all the pieces are snap fit and I completed the kit without any real problems.

A large sheet of water slide decals are included so you can paint any number of the variants of the suit as pictured in the cut out card that comes with the instructions, a unique feature of Ma.K kits since their 80s debut. These cardboard cards are meant to be collected and compiled into a reference binder. The Archelon's various alternates complete with their appropriate paint scehemes, and decals, are all pictured on the card as are short descriptions of each. The Ma.K kits have some of the coolest packaging, with yellow boxes and event details about the model kit printed on the back.

Sadly, these kits are almost meant to be painted and the finished product doesn't look very good unless it's been given a lot of work. This might turn off those who don't paint from purchasing one, but for those of us who do you can look at these little guys as the perfect blank canvas for a number of modifications, custom colors, and a display of weathering technique. That's where the real fun comes in for Ma.K which sadly might also be why it can feel intimidating to the casual builder. I had fun with mine and I'm definitely looking forward to painting it!

Spare parts -- enough to make another one!

1/20 Ma.K Archelon by Wave

Pros:
-Great beginning kit to the series
-Comes with enough unused parts to almost make a second kit
-Ma.K kits have great potential to be painted, weathered, etc.
-Cool box and inserts
-Water slides and lots of them

Cons:
-Very pricey for the size: 2800yen for a tiny kit
-Lacks detail (also a pro, because it allows for mods)
-Limited poseability (again, not really an issue as they don't seem to be made to pose!)
-Doesn't look good without paint

-
Chris