In Amuro's defense, he was a nerdy guy that was always tinkering with electronics, like Haro in the beginning. Not necessarily being a Newtype, he could just be very tech savy and possess a photographic memory allowing him to memorize controls. Whereas Char, Ranba, and the Tristars were just professional soldiers (or in the Tristars English dub case, they're all rednecks ) and not tech smart. Its just Kunio Okawara (mechanical designer that does most of the UC mech designs) recycling/ripping off himself, he does that a lot from the 90s Alternate Universe Gundams (G, Wing, X) all the way to SEED era. For example: Dragon Gundam to Shenlong Gundam, Gundam Double X to Freedom Gundam. Thank god he took a break from Turn A Gundam.
Okawara gets praise for being the OG designers but I vastly prefer Katoki's works myself, long legged or not. Another designer I adore is Kazuhisa Kondo. I still wanna do my take on his ground type Sazabi with an RG one.
I'll never not lose my shit to how increasingly leggy some of Katoki's designs get (a good example are the Huckebeins in SRW getting progressively longer in the leg and smaller in the torso). I love the man, but lmao. Okawara's Gundams are kinda round and stocky and they were fine for toys of the age, that was the aesthetic. They just haven't aged well compared to modern iterations. His Zeon designs (and their derivatives) are much more interesting and kinda lend themselves better to that look, kinda like his Scopedogs in Votoms do. They're not sleek, they're not cool, they give that gritty utilitarian feel of "this is a weapon that kills and destroys, war is bad". I think every artist who was tasked with penning designs for a major work really left a lasting impression of what MS looked like during that era of the Gundam franchise.
I noticed that while Hajime Katoki had leggy mechs, Kazuhisa Kondo really loved having his mechs have giant long frontal skirt armor plates.
I've actually been much more of a Kanetake Ebikawa kind of guy, I think his designs cover more ground of what I enjoy (00, AGE (just the mechanical designs!), Build Fighters/Try/Divers, Full Metal Panic, Vandread). It's modern, it's sleek, it's technical. Just the way I like them. ---===--- Cutting up and re-gluing a V-fin in 1/144 scale to mod it is terrifying! Just wanted the V-fin to be shaped less like the Strike's iconic angled V-fin, and a little more like the 00's "standard"-looking one.
It also helps if you think about the factor that Zeon suits were often "Monster of the week" kinda deals. It helps keep things looking fresh and interesting. Indeed! My favorite part about Kondo's work is that he takes the whole war thing to the next level. If you think about the lense in which Gundam is seen through, it's done in a way where you're a viewer of history of sorts. You're watching historical events unfold. But with Kondo? His lense is that of the ground soldier. His work, his design ethos invokes the idea that you're not just a spectator but also within the rank and file. They're wet and dirty, and so are you. It's a very, very gritty take on the war aspect of Gundam.
Ebikawa's still the "new kid on the block" when it comes to primary Gundam designers, though, so people still aren't accustomed to giving him credit, especially since he's not responsible for any of the "classics". But yeah, I really enjoy the looks of his stuff, too. There's a better sense of athleticism and mobility in his designs, since he seems to take the anatomy of the mechs into greater account.
Kawamori for me. first artist I studied, even have the Macross Design Works book, Pre-Macross Zero Edition. I notice we're also seeing a lot of NAOKE's work in kit form these days. RG Nu, GM Dominance and Gundam Stormbreaker, the Nu-Vrabe and Denial from Build Fighters. It takes the long sharp lines like Ebikawa's silhouette style and Katoki's long legged look.
Ebikawa is a favourite of mine for how practical the physicality of his designs. Every articulation point is considered when designing them, verses just leaving it up to other artists/animators to figure out how the arm actually bends, etc. Plus he has range and style within his style. you wouldn't think the Graze and Exia share a designer.
Yeah, you're right. I'm liking what I see from NAOKI's designs; like you said, it feels like a mix of Ebikawa and Katoki's styles. Would definitely be interested to see more of his work, as I absolutely LOVE the look of the Stormbreaker.
Ebikawa's been around, but FMP and/or 00 are probably where viewers take notice of him in terms of humanoid mecha design. A lot of his other work feature less anthropomorphic machines in sorta niche mecha anime that filthy casuals wouldn't give the time of day to. One of the things I liked about the advanced Arms Slaves is they sorta hearken back to Izubuchi's Labors (the Ingrams and Griffon, really) but lay the foundation for that more angular and dynamic, athletic look Exia becomes known for. Lately, I feel like Kawamori's losing his edge. Like, everything post-Aquarion's felt kinda phoned in. NAOKI's also got that thing he likes doing with shoulder armor. Not always a fan. PS: Obari's Tryon 3 is the best Gundam design, everyone else can go home.
Yeah, and that's exactly why Ebikawa is so hit and miss with me, depending on varying factors. While the Graze hit some good marks with me the Exia and it's successors all rubbed me the exact wrong way compared the the other Gundams from the same series that were designed by Takayuki Yanase.
Escalating price by limited availability. Keep scrounging and you might find one. - Still on my F91 detour, and I assembled the arms tonight. Forearm and bicep sleeves are nicely molded but mold flash to contend with. Sanding sponges makes it easier. And for spits and giggles, seeing the difference in scale proportions. Still amazes me how well they pulled this kit off. Ignoring the obvious of how F91's forearm stops above where the wrist cuff should be.. Master Grade GM Sniper's arm, the F91, and Real Grade Sazabi. ... and to think the Crossbone RG exists..
well i probably did a bad and asked them why they jumped their own price by 33%, let's see if they talk back to me they probably won't like this Edit: shame, they're the only one with it at the moment at Aliexpress still doesn't have it
The RG Crossbone looks so tiny! And it's got a core fighter! I know some people want their figures to all be the same size, but I appreciate how Bandai has stuck so close to "true" scale for these. What are those BTF things, are those knockoffs? I thought they were exclusives at first, but there's both regular and ver.ka Master Grade ZZ kits in stock at HLJ so I assume "BTF" is not like... P-Bandai or TWE.
I just looked at it myself, was answering Bababobo emails on my ebay account, and they just posted it again. BTF Double Fin Funnel Custom Unit for Bandai MG 1/100 RX-93 v Gundam Ver.ka 713653938827 | eBay "Last one" ... unless no more exist in the wild or AmyShop is just playing this trickle supply, and price gouge approach.
Double post punch, your reply came in while I was typing... BTF is Third Party, using their own original assemblies, independently designed and produced expansion kits like the Double Fin Funnel, 00Q Full Saber, and Astray's Caletvwlch, and some complete models like that Non-Transforming ZZ kit. However, they're still in the knock-off law bending territory for using the licensed names without permission.
aliexpress: That's the same one I found yesterday. All the results on google that aren't AE or eBay are just shady places
