Gundam MS Graphica

Gundam MS Graphica is a very special art book, espcially if you love Zeta-era designs like myself. Released by Soft Bank Creative, it is a collection of 3D rendered models of the MSZ-006 Ζ Gundam, MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki, and RX-178 Gundam Mk. II. The book is actually three separate books, one for each MS, that come packaged together in a nice yellow plastic portfolio. Each book covers some previously unknown aspect of the mobile suit and features lots of detailed rendering of the designs, inside and out.

The books themselves are very high-quality printings. There are 32 pages in total of high-definition all-color artwork. Each cover comes embossed with the mobile suits model number on a glossy cover.

The renderings inside feature a fanatical amount of detail. Some shots zoom way in to feature ingenious little mechanical features such as status readouts or tech-spec plates. The 3D rendering is a neat combination of photo-realistic techniques and cell-shaded techniques, so the models don't look completely \”real\”, they still have an \”illustration\” quality that improves the renderings quite a bit and still make it look very \”Gundam\”.

There is also a fair share of Japanese text discussing the background and capabilities of each suit. Each book not only contains detailed renderings of the mechanics, but also a short scenario covering neglected bits in U.C. history. The Zeta book shows a battle between the Z Gundam and a fearsome looking mobile armor in near earth orbit. The Hyaku-Shiki book covers the Delta Gundam and the testing procedures for the reflective armor. The Mk. II book covers a Mk. II unit that was ruined during testing by the Titans after it clipped a bridge while flying.

Each of these books contains some original designs that no Gundam fan has seen before. For that reason alone I considered it a worthwhile purchase. Packaged beautifully and printed in high-resolution, this is one the best books in my mecha book collection.