During that time, the remaining Gelgoog received some significant upgrades from the original version. Like the renowned Zaku IIs, many Gelgoog varieties were introduced. One of them is MS-14F Gelgoog Marine. The generator output and thruster output are improved, allowing them to have better performance in battle. Two extra propellant tanks are added to the backpack so that the MS can have a longer time in service.
Gelgoog Marine - Front and Rear View
The most significant change is the exclusion of the beam rifle, which is replaced with a standard MMP-80 90mm Machinegun. This armament is also used by Zaku II F2, another MS operated by the Zeon remnants during Operation Stardust. The reason for not using the original beam rifle is probably the cost of maintenance. Since the Zeons no longer have a military base of their own, they can only rely on space colonies that sympathy on their ambition, as well as sharing the same hatred for the Earth Federation. Another ally of theirs is Axis that would rise as Neo Zeon is the ZZ Gundam series. Anyway, the point is that the Gelgoogs and the other remaining MSs available to the Zeons after the One Year War has forced them to precious all the resources they have, since there won't be any new production of these MSs.
Some other changes to the armaments include the twin beam saber, which can be customized to become twin beam blade is being replaced with two standard beam sabers stored in its hip armor. Also, gone is the huge Zulu warrior like shield of its predecessor, it now carries a much smaller Zaku shoulder shield equipped with three spikes called "knuckle shield". The shield is not only for defense, but can be used to punch out enemy MS during melee fight. For close range attack, two 110 mm machine cannon are mounted on each of its forearm, which works in a similar way as the 60mm Vulcan for Gundam.
In UC0083: Stardust Memory, almost all the Gelgoogs are operated under the aggressive Zeon commander Cima Garahau. Cima herself has a customized Gelgoog FS, or the Commander Type Gelgoog. Although Gelgoog Marines are impressive in terms of their mechanical design, and would definitely perform better than the near obsolete Zaku IIs, they see very little action against their real enemy in the anime. The real enemy is referring to the Earth Federation. It turns out in the last two episodes that Cima betrays the Zeons, and is going to surrender the space colony to be dropped onto Earth to the Feddie. The remaining Zeon loyal to the original course started to fight against Cima's Gelgoog Marines under the command of Anavel Gato. Quite a sad way to see how all that ends, because I was thinking that there's no way that the Earth Federation can win the war under so much corruption with the government itself, but the Zeons with so much ambitions and determination crumble at the last moment because of internal conflict.
For the model, in terms of size, Gelgoog Marine is definitely slimmer than Domtropen introduced yesterday :-) The main attraction of the model is the armaments that come with the kit. I like the "Knuckle Shield" very much. It's basically a Zaku II right shoulder shield mounted with three spikes, probably from Zaku II's left shoulder. Quite resourceful for Zaku II, even when it's not in battle :-) From the photos shown here, you can't see the beam sabers as I forgot where I placed them. However, the beam saber comes in the transparent beam part for the whole saber, including the handle itself. So you'll have to paint the handle, else your Gelgoog would appears to be grabbing laser beam.
The 110 mm Machine Cannon on the forearm
There are quite some parts that are hidden when you look at the model, namely the tail binder triple thrusters and the same equipment for each of the leg, which is sealed inside the leg armor. So you can say that this fella isn't really impressive at first glance, but is definitely a powerful MS. To make the model a little more attractive, some decals and clear stickers are my Master Grade models are used. As you can see, the number "065" and the Zeon marking are from those mentioned. Some parts are painted in different color as well, just for the fun of it. Additional stuff can make your model looks different, just make sure that they are reasonable not too excessive.
Zeon marking used on Gelgoog Marine - This is why keeping spare stuff from assembled models can come in handy sometimes
