Hasegawa 1/20 MK44 Ammoknights Maschinen Krieger Kit First Look
By Michael Benolkin
| Date of Review | August 2015 | Manufacturer | Hasegawa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | MK44 Ammoknights Maschinen Krieger | Scale | 1/20 |
| Kit Number | 64007 | Primary Media | Styrene |
| Pros | Easy build, nice details | Cons | Nothing noted |
| Skill Level | Experienced | MSRP (USD) | $44.99 |
First Look
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Maschinen Krieger (Ma.K.) is a science fiction genre that was started in the early 1980s under the banner of SF3D by Japanese artist Kow Yokoyama and was published for a few years in the Japanese hobby magazine Hobby Japan. While many of the science fiction and fantasy kits that are produced in Japan are based on one or more anime (Japanese animation) television and movie series, or at least as a manga (Japanese comics), SF3D was created out of a series of scratch-built futuristic combat vehicles and armored suits. At the time, Nitto produced a series of kits based upon Kow's designs. When a copyright dispute arose in 1985, Hobby Japan dropped the series out of their magazines and Nitto discontinued the kits. Since that time, companies like Modelkasten, Wave, and Brick Works stepped in and continued the genre under a new banner - Maschinen Krieger (Machine Wars). You'll note that while Ma.K. is supposed to take place roughly 900 years into our future, the vehicles, uniforms, and even names/designations are inspired by World War II Germany.
Here is the Mark 44 Ammoknights armor suit kit with figure and lots of nice details. As I understand it, this kit isn't new, it was previously released as kit 64107 and discontinued, now released as kit 64007. This particular design came from Robot Battle V anime series and has fixed and smartgun armament. This kit is molded in light gray styrene and presented on nine parts trees plus one tree of clear styrene, two trees in tan styrene, and one tree of black vinyl parts (duplicate parts not shown).
Among the features and options in this kit:
- Detailed operator's compartment
- Movable entry hatch
- Legs are movable/poseable
- Arms are movable/poseable
- Detailed smartgun
- Optional crewman upper torso for interior of compartment
- Optional standing crewman figure
Whether you're a follower of the MaK series or are simply wanting an unusual subject to build, this kit will provide you with a variety of possibilities for fun or placed into a diorama or vignette. Have some fun and give one of these beauties a try!
My sincere thanks to Hasegawa USA for this review sample!