Good Gundam models?

Discussion in 'The Toyark' started by DX7879, Mar 11, 2007.

  1. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    legs cant really move that well, it's really light and feels hollow. it just doesnt feel like it's worth the price. it is big though, and looks fine if standing. you'll be hard-pressed to get it in any real poses though, especially if you're using the shield - which is so big that it restricts some poses, but its not as bad as the GP02A's shield situation was.
     
  2. Phy

    Phy I want... ROOM SERVICE!!

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    I actually wish the 02's shield had been a little bigger. As it stands I don't think any non-SD representation could actually rest the shield on the ground, just on the left toes.
     
  3. LigerPrime

    LigerPrime Well-Known Member

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    Valkysas - thanks for the reply. I guess I will only get the Sazabi only at a marked-down price.

    Phy - sorry but what Gundam are you referring to?
     
  4. MasterOfPuppets

    MasterOfPuppets Banned

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    RX-78GP02A

    [​IMG]

    And don't get me wrong, the Hi Nu is a beautiful kit, I was just saying that the same issues of proportions from the Sazabi apply in the Hi Nu.

    MG Hi Nu
    [​IMG]

    Line Art
    [​IMG]

    Now this doesn't bug me at all like some people. But I wonder since I'm not an expert on this Gundam series, wasn't the Hi Nu featured in a novel? Don't novels generally not have pictures anyways?
     
  5. LigerPrime

    LigerPrime Well-Known Member

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    MasterofPuppets - I see your point. The Hi Nu pictured and the model kit look different from each other. And thanks for showing who the 02 was! I avoided that particular kit too because I have heard reviews that the shield was too heavy.

    Anyway, I've just finished completing the Hi Nu's body. All's that left are the weapons and the decals! :D 

    Note the damage on the "door" to the cockpit...I accidently made a couple of dents on it while assembling it. To hide the "dents", I've used a grey marker to "cover" them... like shadows...kinda cheesed off because this is my "first damage" after building MG kits for years. The necessary touch-ups such as panel lining will be done when I'm more free.

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Phy

    Phy I want... ROOM SERVICE!!

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    Huh. I had convinced myself that the MG couldn't rest the shield on the ground. It's still pretty awkward though. I don't display it with the shield at all. (BTW, that's where my screen name came from - I started out as Physalis, which got shortened to Phy.)

    With the Hi-Nu's massaged proportions, I thought I had read somewheres on the ninnernets that Yutaka Izubuchi had re-designed it to be somewhat slimmer than the original lineart anyway.
     
  7. Mr. Wholesome

    Mr. Wholesome WWOD What Would Ops Do?

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    It's a novel but there are illustrations done by Yutaka Izubuchy.
     
  8. mx-01 archon

    mx-01 archon Well-Known Member

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    Yeah. The instruction manual features his reworked lineart.
     
  9. Knightdramon

    Knightdramon Hasbro LIES to the US

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    Here's my list of good models and the reasons behind my recommendation:

    1/100 Astray Red Frame [Gundam Seed]: Easy to build, very affordable, moderate size build and extremely articulated. Main body needs no painting besides panel lining, sword and sheath required lots of paint to look accurate. Tons of accessories and hands to choose from, and at 2000 yen, it's a steal.

    1/100 Astray Gold Frame Amatsu [Gundam Seed\Destiny]: Main body, one arm and 85% of the legs are the same mould as the Red Frame, but the rest is comprised of new moulds. Poseable but tricky to stabilize due to the enormous backpack[notice; tricky, not impossible]. Lots of accessories and weapons, gloss finish on the black parts, gold plated main body and requires no paint, extremely minimal panel lining. A bit pricey at 3800 yen, but totally worth it.

    MG OYW Gundam: One of my favourite models even though I'm not crazy about the mecha. Nice and hefty, super poseable and I simply went crazy for the curved beam sabre blades. Easy to build, requires panel lining to get ouf of the field of "plain looking".

    MG MkII Gundam ver 2.0: An improvement in every way to the OYW gundam. Extremely poseable, steady, hefty and has lots of accessories so you won't get bored with it. The AEUG version comes with a pseudo-stand, the Titans version is without it; but it's also cheaper and has a much smaller box.

    1/100 Legend Gundam [Gundam Seed Destiny]: Well proportioned re-design from the bulky and awckward show design, this is up to MGs when it comes to engineering. Articulation rivals the MGs of Gundam Seed.

    Cool models that I don't recommend:

    MG F91: Unbelievably hard to put together; skeleton is made of super durable plastic while the armour is made of cheap and britle plastic-broke more parts than you can imagine while cutting them from the runners. Some parts don't fit at all without modification (knee covers and waist panels).

    MG Crossbone: Looks very cool, but is very brittle. Much easier to construct than the F91 [revamped inner frame] but still shakey. Requires lots of painting to look good, especially the weapons.

    MG Strike Freedom: Awesome inner frame, very sturdy construction, uber articulation...but...it can't stand on it's own. Those wings are very heavy and render it unable to stay on the display stand if in a pose, I've had it fall off too many times. Wing mechanism is a bit weak. Main body is excellent though; one thing to notice: it does not fit with its peers. The 1/100 I. Justice [sister mecha] and the 1/100 Legend [enemy] are much shorter than it while they shouldn't.

    1/100 I. Justice [Gundam Seed Destiny]: Nicely poseable, easy to construct, doesn't really need colouring, comes with tons of accessories. Only problem is that it's too short when compared to S. Freedom when they were the same height in the anime. Other than that it's very nice.

    1/100 Astray Blue Frame second L [Gundam Seed]: Same body as the Red frame, but has a very ackward backpack [unlike the Gold Frame, it CAN'T stand that well], bad head and shoulder design and the enormous sword can't be held at all in those arms.

    Hope this helps someone...
     
  10. Evan Goldsborough

    Evan Goldsborough Freelance Negotiator

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    I see your point. However, it's a good-looking kit regardless....

    Well, on the 1/144 scale kits, the HGUC series is rather good. Or rather, the first kits are rather decent, while the later ones are quite excellent. Also, the 1/144 scale Turn A Gundam kit has become a personal favorite of mine: it needed a fair bit of paint, but for the $6-8 it's going for online, it's VERY well worth it.

    To be honest, I've got no idea about the quality of the 1/144 scale Wing and G Gundam kits, but I expect they'd be somewhere below the HGUC line....
     
  11. Roanstalker

    Roanstalker Great Baan Gaan fan

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    The 1/144 Wing and G Gundam models are craptastic. They are floppy and brittle plastic and hold to gether really shoddily. Much worse than even the Seed 1/144s. I also hate the 1/100s too because they also share similar problems and they are unnecessarily over detailed.
     
  12. kjeevahh

    kjeevahh n/a

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    wow those photos are painful to look at. you REALLY shouldn't do solid black panel-lining on white bots..
     
  13. agesthreeandup

    agesthreeandup Energon Supplier

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    I have been looking at the two MG Ka versions of both the Wing Gundam and the RX-78. They look great.

    I took home the MG RX-78-4 last night and was thinking of putting it together as it looks amazing with all the colour in it. I did not get a chance because I was too tired last night and fell asleep instead.

    Spencer.
     
  14. LigerPrime

    LigerPrime Well-Known Member

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    It depends on the person building the kit. Some like using black markers because it brings out the details. The current trend is the use of grey markers as its lighter. I've tried using it on some parts of the Hi Nu but it seems too light. So I end up using black marker just of the head module.

    Thanks for the feedback on the Crossbones guys as I was also eyeing the kit. I'm kinda surprised Bandai dropped the ball on the F91 kits because the Zeta series was decent i.e. one could really see the difference between the version 1.0 and 2.0 kits. I've just keep my fingers cross that the Zaku II version 2.0 lives up to expectations.
     
  15. Evan Goldsborough

    Evan Goldsborough Freelance Negotiator

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    Eh, I dunno. It makes it more anime-ish, in a way, so that's the way I roll. I stick to what works.
     
  16. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    I prefer black panel lines too. unless I'm going for "realistic" and then I paint the whole thing, seal it, and give it a wash.
     
  17. fschuler

    fschuler Post Count Inflated With Hot Air TFW2005 Supporter

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    I only have a handful of Gundams, and only one, IMO, that looks decent without paint...a Master Grade Gundam 0083 "Stardust Memory". I also have a number of the small "skill level 1" guys that I picked up at Tuesday Morning for $1.99 each...and they are not terribly attractive without paint (though that could have been different, had they molded the parts in less garrish colors).
     
  18. Evan Goldsborough

    Evan Goldsborough Freelance Negotiator

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    TO FSCHULER: uh, Stardust Memory was the title of the OVA series, not the name of the Gundam in it. What you have is either the GP01, GP01 full booster, GP02, or GP03 (not even going to bother with the names....).



    Well, if you're still interested, here's my current collection (well, all execpt my SD Titans Mk. II. Damn camera flash kept blurring it...)

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    My two Master Grades: the Kampfer and the OYW Gundam.

    I got the Kampfer for under $15, but didn't put as much effort into it as I should've. As such, the screw in the right leg is loose, and it can't pose as well as I'd like it to. However, this sucker is loaded down with so many weapons it makes up for it (two shotguns, two bazookas, two sturmfausts, a foot-long chain mine, and as you can see, two beam sabers).

    The Gundam was worth every cent of the $30+ I paid for it. Freakin' amazing posability, a good weaponry assortment (all the basics, plus the Gundam Hammer), and a rather unique faded color scheme. No Core Fighter, but that's not a real loss. Flat-out perfect.



    Now, the 1/144 scales...

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    From the left:

    The GM cost me $8. For that price, it's hard to complain. As long as you don't expect the amazing, you'll like this kit: fair amount of articulation, and a fair number of weapons for the price (beam spray gun, ignited beam saber (if you paint it), beam saber hilt, shield), plus a really cool outstretched-pose left hand.

    The Zeta was about $18. Very good kit overall: can transform by use of a "fuselage" piece, a good weapon assortment (beam rifle with telescoping barrel, Hyper Mega Launcher (taller than the Zeta itself) with telescoping barrel, grenade launcher magazines (clips to the arms), beam saber (molded to a second right hand), and shield), and it's just good-looking.

    The Turn A Gundam was $6. It's probably my favorite out of all of them. It's ridiculously well-detailed (you're going to NEED to panel-line this sucker), has a very unique look to it, has some rather unique articulation (a ball-joint in the chest, for one thing), and has a fair number of weapons to boot (beam rifle, beam saber, shield, and a second chestplate with open missile silos.

    Char's Z'Gok was also around $8. Trust me, you NEED this one. No real accessories, but freakishly well-articulated, and very bulky and imposing for the scale. Comes in the mass-produced blue and Char's red. (To be honest, I'm planning on repainting the thing grey so I can get another Char suit. No reason to have more than one, in my eyes.)

    Finally, the Gouf. Around $10 for this one. Not a favorite, but still a rather nice kit. A very intimidating look, and good number of weapons (a Zaku-like machinegun, two different heat rod attachments, a "heat sword" which looks rather good unpainted, the cannon hand, and a shield).



    Hope that helped some.
     
  19. LigerPrime

    LigerPrime Well-Known Member

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    Evan - glad to see that you have finally completed your OYW Gundam...now you know why I've been raving about that kit! The quality and finish of the kit is so amazing and the best part is its playability!

    I've just completed my Hi Nu's Fin Funnels although it makes it top heavy, it still looks good. I'm going to take my time to panel line all the various parts and once my local model kit shop restocks, I'm going to get me another one.

    After more or less completing the Hi Nu, I think I may have to deduct points on the Hi Nu because of the top heavy Fin Funnels...my fave is still the OYW RX-78! :D 
     
  20. Evan Goldsborough

    Evan Goldsborough Freelance Negotiator

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    Didn't it come with a stand, though? Or maybe Dalong was just using one of theirs.....