@Tim - Glad you finally got your SHMA Mechagodzilla in hand. Looks like you're enjoying it with the cool pics!
I finally had a chance to mess around with the Garuda and effects parts upgrade for Mechagodzilla.
Pic and thoughts of course.
The kit comes in a silver foil box that has the Garuda logo on the front and the Mechagodzilla logo on the back.
The Garuda is listed as UX-01-92 which is a nice nod to the movie that introduced it. This follows the prologue in the movie the Garuda was developed first by the UNGCC to tackle Godzilla, before developing Mechagodzilla, which is listed as UX-02-93.
The set comes with the main vehicle, stand, maser cannon effects, shock anchors cables, and adapters for the combination mode.
Garuda as a stand alone vehicle is pretty nice on its own. Details are pretty accurate with clean paint apps, even down to the G-Force logos.
Some nice little features are the moveable rocket engines on the back of Garuda. Each rocket can be moved individually and rotate to certain angles depending on how you display it.
You can also remove the the tips of the maser cannons, and replace them with the added effects.
When upgrading to SuperMechagodzilla, this is where this set really starts to shine!
To upgrade, several pieces need to be removed from the underside.
The parts in the lower part of the picture are removed from Garuda, and the two smaller pieces above replace them. The modified pieces are molded differently to allow a better fit for the combination.
Mechagodzilla also gets a new back piece adapter.
Once the parts are in place, Garuda plugs right in the back of Mechgodzilla.
The cockpit of Garuda slides back just like it did in the movie, and the maser turrets move up and down.
Behold, SUPER MECHAGODZILLA!
The shock anchors plug right into the sockets of Mechgodzilla's arms. Time to reenact the G-Crusher scene from the movie!
Beam Wars!
Overall, it's a neat set to compliment your SHMA Mechagodzilla, or if you just prefer your Garuda by itself, it still displays nicely on its own as another weapon to fend off your Godzilla.
Thanks for letting me share!
