Born as an Anti-Gundam Trump Card, Yet Facing a Tragic End in Battle

Interviewer: What is the background story of the "Michaelis Cathedral Order" custom model? What story did you imagine during its creation?

Soreiyu: There is a mobile suit audit organization called "Cathedral" in the series, with a subordinate unit called the Dominikos Squad. This squad, known as the Witch-Hunting Squad, uses the Beguir-Beu to destroy the Lfrith in Episode 0. This inspired the concept for my Michaelis. I imagined that if the Dominikos Squad uses Beguir-Beu, they could also deploy Michaelis developed by Grassley as a trump card against Gundams. Thus, I named it "Cathedral Order," implying law enforcement.

Interviewer: I see. You've put a lot of thought into the details. What fate do you envision for this model?

Soreiyu: There's a saying, "Destruction is the ultimate form of beauty," which I love. The final moment of something tangible is the most beautiful. Therefore, I want this Michaelis to end with destruction. Ideally, after a fierce battle with a Gundam, its Permet Link would be severed by Antidote, rendering it immobile, only for it to miraculously move without Permet and get destroyed in the process.

Interviewer: A tragic end indeed. This model is touted as a "custom Michaelis," but what are its key features?

Soreiyu: Various changes have been made, but the most noticeable differences compared to the original are the position and number of beam blades. The normal Michaelis has them mounted on the arms, giving it a slightly heroic silhouette like Mega Man or Samus. However, my model has them on the sub-arms, creating a more sinister impression. The number of beam blades has also been increased from one to two, changing the asymmetrical silhouette to a symmetrical one.

Unified Design Focus: Ensuring It Still Looks Like Michaelis

Interviewer: What was the most important aspect and the biggest challenge in creating this model?

Soreiyu: The most important aspect was maintaining a unified design. This model is an extension of Michaelis, so I aimed for a look that anyone could recognize as Michaelis, no matter how much I modified it. I made a few custom parts, imagining what a Grassley mobile suit would look like. The biggest challenge was detailing the Antidote unit with scribing, color separation, and decals. Being an HG kit, the beam blazer and non-kinetic pods were mostly single-colored, and it was tough doing the same work on multiple identical parts.

Interviewer: All that hard work is rewarded with the praise from many people, right?

Soreiyu: Yes. I'm truly grateful for all the retweets and likes. The comments like "Michaelis looks cool now" or "I bought one because of this" were the highest compliments.

Interviewer: After completing this project, which mobile suit from "The Witch from Mercury" would you like to work on next?

Soreiyu: Having built Aerial and Michaelis, I'd like to create custom versions of Pharact or Darilbalde, envisioning them for a final battle like Michaelis.

Interviewer: That sounds exciting. Lastly, what is your most cherished principle when creating Gunpla?

Soreiyu: It's essential not to lose the essence of the base mobile suit. The customizations should only be possible with the chosen mobile suit, enhancing its unique characteristics.

Interviewer: That's a wonderful approach. So, what does Gunpla mean to you?

Soreiyu: It's a tool for expressing my mental imagery. As an avid otaku, the desire to share my mental visions with others is something everyone can relate to, whether through manga, novels, music, or other mediums. For me, Gunpla is the method I use. While cherishing this, I plan to participate in contests like "Ora-Zaku" and "GBWC" soon, as I've never competed in a Gunpla contest before.