GT-9600 Gundam Leopard

I wanted to kick off the blog with a kit review and a little information on a Mobile Suit very close to my heart, the GT-9600 Gundam Leopard.

The Leopard is one of three main mobile suits in the series After War: Gundam X. The story is like Mad Max meets Gundam and is quite an original twist on the original Gundam Story.

The Federation built experimental units to turn the tide of the war, called Gundams. One of the three types was the Gundam Leopard. I was a heavily armed unit designed for the front lines and featured substantial firepower. However, 15 years after the war ended, there were only a few left. One was entrusted to a young man named Roibei Roy*. Uniquely colored Combat Green, the Leopards main feature is a massive gatling gun that can be affixed to the left arm of the unit. It also features tank-like treads on the bottom of both feet, allowing the Leopard to move more quickly than if it were merely running.

The 1/144 scale Kit (box art featured above) was my very first Gundam model kit ever built. I used no paint, and wasn't very good with a Gundam Marker** just yet, but never the less, it will always be pretty dang special to me. My second kit, coincidentally enough, was the later, supped up version of the Leopard called the Leopard Destroy. Both kits feature about 5 pannels of parts and, un-painted, take about 20 mins to assemble (if you're detailing it). Once build, the Leopard has all it's weapons available, including the big gatling gun, two extra gatling guns on the chest (that are covered by panels), a missile pod on the right shoulder and a beam knife which fits nicely into a holster on the right calf. The kit is likely out of production at this point, but Ebay is your friend here, so check it out if you want a nice, simple little kit. There is a 1/100 scale as well, but that is even more rare.

*Roibei's name is often debated. Because L and R are relatively interchangeable in Japanese, some argue that it's Loibei Roy, Roibei Loy or other variations. His name is even seen sometimes being Robby, but that is very uncommon.

**Gundam Markers are specific markers designed to be used with Gundam Plastic Model Kits (Gunpla). While basically "sharpie" and "paint" markers at heart, they come in common Gundam colors and there are fine tipped Black and Grey sets for detailing panel lines on a Mobile Suit.