Over 739 Parts on 30 trees, 2 books, and a DVD. That's what comes with Bandai's new PG RX-178 Gundam Mk-II.

Let me say first that I am not a model builder. I typically shy away from models based on the fact that you have to paint, sand and putty the average model to make them look good. The PG series, however, do not really need this level of detail. The only thing really demanding about a PG kit in my opinion is the time it takes. If you've ever put together a snap-together model you can build a PG kit.

The Mk-II stands almost an inch taller then it's predecessor, the PG Wing Zero Custom. At 31.5cm tall (12.5 inches), it is taller than the US released DX Gundams as well. Its presence is undeniable.

The kit is loaded with gimmicks, including removable armor, opening cockpit w/light, light up eyes, collapsible shield, articulated fingers, 2 weapons, 2 beam sabers, spring loaded ankles and more. The armor comes off fairly easy do display, but will not fall off when handling it. There are gold plated tubes, made out of actual metal, that flex as the joints move. Also included with the kit is a booklet that looks to have a lot of interesting information in it, but it's all in Japanese. The DVD is kind of a letdown... You get about 15 minutes of CG footage of your kit in action. No real story, just some kind of test-pilot footage. The most amusing thing about the all-region DVD is a section where you can view Japanese Gundam commercials.

This kit was easier to put together than the Wing Zero custom. I only spent about 15 hours on this one. You will need a hobby knife, a philips screwdriver, and 2 LR43 watch batteries to complete the kit.

Although the kit is beautiful, I had a few minor gripes about the kit:

• The waist joint is really fragile. It separated twice from its base plate, so I finally superglued it together and it works fine. It is a real flimsy part to have the whole torso turn on.
• The electronics stay on. It has an on-off switch, but that doesn't seem to work. It may be something I did, but you can unplug the backpack if this happens to you.
• It's very top-heavy. My kit took a plunge off the table before I tightened up the leg joints. Remarkably, it survived the fall unscathed.
• There is almost no metal in this kit. The PG Wing Zero kit had a bunch of metal, so I was expecting the same, but there is only one metal piece in this kit.

Overall, this kit is great. It displays well, you can handle it without fear of it breaking, and it was fun to build. If it weren't for the fragile waist, it would be perfect. But for now it's an almost perfect Perfect Grade Kit.