MK44 Ammoknight

This kit - what an absolute pleasure it was to build and paint. Sometimes people ask me what kit they should get if they want to give sci-fi modeling a try (as if I am any sort of authority on that!) and I would have to say... this just might be my pick! It isn't as toy-like and is gimmick free unlike many Bandai kits, has a bit more heft and finished shelf presence than the typical Ma.K suit, and doesn't have any bad design choices as many older kits tend to have. This design is from a Ma.K-adjacent property known as Robot Battle V. It came with a 1/20 figure as well that wound up in another project. 

This suit has a great organic shape that was just begging for heavy cast texturing, which was achieved with stippled thinned putty per usual. The parts come together pretty easily and there is a good amount of polycap articulation even in the construction.

The combination of recognizable mechanical elements with a strange shape is why I love Kow Yokoyama designs and that is really on parade here with the smoke launchers coming out of the bulging amorphous "head" section that covers the pilot's compartment.

This is also one of the few Yokoyama designs (at least that I know of) with a handheld gun rather than an arm blaster type weapon. The gun itself is pretty detailed and even has a clear part. The pilot bust is decently detailed, but is made of that soft vinyl style plastic which makes seam removal a pain in the ass. Once painted, it fits the suit very nicely.

If you are wanting to try this crazy thing called sci-fi modeling, and want a robot/power suit themed model, you could do a lot worse than this kit. Now I am itching to give the variants of this design a try!