MS Igloo

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Originally uploaded by Busterbeam

Well I have to say that I now understand why this month’s Hobby Japan focused so much on Zaku’s and tanks instead of the newer, cooler stuff. The 2nd DVD of MS Igloo 2 was released at the end of January, in time for the Feb. issue.

I didn’t really think that MS Igloo was that big a deal but after watching all of it last week and today... I can say concretely that it is one of my favourite Gundam series if not my favourite.

I started thinking… there’s so much diversity when it comes to Gundam. You really do have stuff that’s made for kids but you also have stuff that’s made for adults. At the core of it is some really good Sci-Fi. There seems to be something for everyone.

I’ve always preferred the more realistic Gundam series, so naturally my favourites were 0080 War in the Pocket, 08th MS Team and now this one.

Basically stuff that doesn’t have all that new type, cosmic awareness crap, give a prototype weapon of mass destruction to an overly sensitive teenager who has zero combat experience and just takes off in it whenever he feels like. Not to mention all the bright colours. On war machines. I mean… these aren’t sports cars… Do you really want to draw so much attention to yourself on the battlefield? OK whatever, Gundam is/was largely aimed at the younger generation.

Anyways MS Igloo is right up my alley. It doesn’t even concentrate on pilots! It concentrates on the Engineers. The guys who make and test these weapons. No new types and no kids. And if kids are there… they are under control and disciplined. Very good.

I enjoyed MS Igloo a lot but I enjoyed MS Igloo 2 even more. I mean the level of animation in this show… I don’t think I’ve seen it before and I’ve seen a lot of CG stuff. I mean… you can see the pores on the character’s skin! That is detail.

MS Igloo takes place during the One Year War, so anyone familiar with the storyline of the original Mobile Suit Gundam will feel at home here.

The main impression that I got from this… is that it’s a war story. There are no love interests even. Just human stories of their times on the battlefield.

And most importantly it puts the story squarely where it belongs in my opinion. On the mecha.

I now have a new respect for tanks. The E.F.G.F M61A5 Main Battle Tank, YMT-05 Hildolfr and I’m particularly stoked about the upcoming RTX-440 Ground Assault Type Guntank. From the previews it’s shaping up to be something really cool.

I wonder… maybe it’s time for me to try my modelling hand out on tanks and weathering? Someday!

If you haven’t seen MS Igloo yet and you consider yourself a fan of mecha you owe it to yourself to check it out. It’s very machine oriented. So if you’re that type of person you’ll probably love this series. I did.

Screen caps at my flickr.