Hasegawa 1/20 MK44 Ausf.H White Knight Ma.K Kit First Look

By Michael Benolkin

First Look

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.

Hasegawa has produced a new-tool subject representing a lunar combat suit from the Maschinen Krieger 'Robot Battle V' series. This kit is molded in multi-color styrene and presented on 12 parts trees plus one set of vinyl (rubber) hoses (duplicate parts trees not shown).

Among the features and options in this kit:

• Detailed 'cockpit'
• Chest plate hinges forward to reveal 'cockpit'
• Front cover hinges open to reveal pilot's head
• Arms are movable/poseable
• Legs are movable/poseable
• Detailed heavy gun

As with the other armored suit kits in this series, this figure is posable after completion and provides some nice 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!