Upcoming Gunpla for July, August

It's an exciting summer for gunpla releases indeed.


MG RX-78-2 Gundam Ver.2



It's a new Master Grade release of the original gundam. Personally, I prefer the Katoki versions of the RX-78-2, but for anyone who prefers the original proportions should enjoy this new MG. It's due out for an August release.



1/100 Avalanche Exia

Yep, it's the Avalanche version of the Exia. The colors are awkward, and since its a heavier add-on to the 1/100 Exia, the extra weight might end up making it a bit unbalanced. Whatever, it looks decent at least...

1/144 GN-X and 1/144 Enact (Demo colors)

Both due for an August release. I think the GN-X will be a bit dull out of the box, so a bit of painting will make it look a lot better. Still no picture of the actual Enact model, but I prefer the Flag over the Enact anyday.

HGUC Kampfer

Lovely, a HGUC version of the Kampfer. All the recent HGUC models have been really nice (like the Nu Gundam and the Sazabi) so I expect high quality from this release. Due out in August.

HCM-Pro Gundam Sandrock, Shenlong Gundam, Tallgeese

Following the releases of the Wing, Heavyarms, and Deathscythe Gundams, the rest of the Gundam Wing crew are being released in HCM-Pro. Finally, the awesome Gundam Wing crew is given justice with high detail figures. The Sandrock, Tallgeese, and Shenlong are due out in July, August, and September, respectively.

MG 1/100 RX-93 Nu Gundam [Review]

Ta-dah, the Master Grade 1/100 scale RX-93 Nu Gundam. This is quite an impressive model, and the first thing you'll notice is that this model is tall. Really tall. It easily towers over other master grade kits. And since the model is tall, the box is obviously huge too.

This model is highly detailed. It is molded in all the necessary colors: black (which looks more like a really dark blue), white, yellow, gray, and red. There are stickers for the eyes, the green for the bazooka (camera?) and plenty of decals in the form of clear stickers and dry transfers. Panel lining is very minimal, considering the design is quite solid.

Inner frame work is very detailed and incredibly sturdy. This allows for some dynamic posing of the legs, including a pretty far split and the "crapping in the woods" position. The thing is, poses actually look a bit awkward, and the Nu really looks best when standing straight. The arms are a bit stiffer and therefore quite restricted in terms of articulation. Its thumb and pointer finger move separately, with the rest of the fingers molded together. They become a bit loose after awhile, so they might have trouble holding its weapons properly.

A unique feature this model has is three die-cast metal parts. Its two knee joints and the last one is for connecting the torso to the waist. This makes the knee joints REALLY sturdy, so you never have to worry about it falling over or the joints wearing out over time. The waist metal part holds the body firm and allows for some movement because the torso is actually connected by a big ball joint. Note that the body has a mechanism where the cockpit opens up to reveal a small unpainted Amuro.

Alright, the fin funnels. The fin funnels are six separate parts that connect together via puny little pegs. These pegs do not connect to anything, and are extremely shoddy. I don't know if it's a problem with badly molded pieces for my kit, but the funnels would not stay together and fell apart all the time. Eventually, I got desperate and just taped them together. They can fold up for the attack mode and be posed individually. The stability of the funnels were a problem for me though.

It comes with plenty of weapons. It has the standard beam rifle, which is quite impressive after you panel line it. There is also the bazooka, which has a handle that folds in and out. The bazooka is stored in the backpack. There is the standard beam saber and a second beam saber that is much larger. The large beam saber has a much larger blade that curves and has a small blade that comes out the bottom. This one is a lot more interesting. Finally, there's the shield. It is quite detailed, and has the barrel for a laser cannon on the inside and has red torpedoes at the tip.

The detail, extreme sturdiness, articulation, and solid design make this a rather impressive model. The fin funnels were a bit of trouble for me, but I can handle it. There is one last important thing I need to address. The one problem with this kit is the proportions. The body proportions are a bit stumpy, and the head is too big for the body. The HGUC kit has the proportions right, with a smaller head and a sleeker body. That is an advantage the HGUC kit has over the master grade. If you can get over that fact, it shouldn't bother you.

Overall this is a good model kit and quite worth its price, though if you want accurate proportions I suggest you go for the HGUC 1/144 Nu Gundam.

Preview Pic of the 00 Gundam

We all caught a glimpse of the 00 Gundam in the last episode of Gundam 00, but it was kind of dark and hard to see. Well, here is a full picture of the gundam. Honestly, I wasn't all that impressed with the design. It almost looks like a plainer version of the Exia with two GN drives on either shoulder. It's unarmed, so I'm expecting some cool ass weapons, maybe two gigantic GN swords on either arm? Iono, but I'm also expecting some kind of wing shape to the GN particles emitted from the shoulders, since it's placement on the shoulders kind of hint to something special. Anyway, here is the 00 Gundam on the left, with a comparison picture of Exia on the right.

1/100 Over Flag [Review]

My first model kit review. For those of you that aren't familiar with this one, it is the 1/100 Over Flag from the Gundam 00 line from Bandai. In the anime, the Over Flag is an enhanced version of the Union Flag specifically designed for countering the high-performance Gundams. It is transformable, with a sleek flight mode.

This is the box of the 1/100 Over Flag model kit.
The majority of the pieces are black, with several white pieces for the chest and the sides of the knees. The tips of the shield, the fins on the shoulder, and the sides of the rifle have white stickers for its respective white areas. The face is very nicely detailed, with a sticker for the eye piece and a shiny silver sticker for the face. A transparent orange piece goes over the shiny sticker, giving it the nice metallic look seen in the anime. The shield, the front of the shins, and the knees are a dark gray color.
In recent years, gunpla models have been getting better and better, and the Gundam 00 line really shows the high quality these models have reached. The plastic feels sturdy, and the limbs are multi-jointed in the important areas for maximum poseability. The joints are also nicely reinforced so they don't sag while carrying weapons like older 1/100 models. The head moves back and forth but its turning is limited because of the long, sharp 'ears' stopping its movement against the shoulder fins. The torso has limited movement sideways, but it turns up and down almost 180 degrees because of its transformation. The legs are connected to the pelvis and move 180 degrees like the torso. The wings open and close and the backpack moves up and down, again for the transformation. There are two types of hands, with closed fists and one open left hand for certain poses.
The 1/100 Over Flag comes with three different weapons and a rotating shield. The rifle is quite big and has a shiny blue sticker with a clear plastic piece that goes over it, again for the metallic look. The blue sticker can also be replaced with a white sticker for normal and charged rifle looks. There are handles on either sides of the rifle, and the main handle in the middle folds up. Theres a strange problem with the middle handle, as it is really flimsy and makes the gun sag down while being held. It might just be a problem with my specific kit, but the weight of the gun and the small handle is an uneven balance. The beam sabers are totally clear, so you will need to paint them to make them the cool light blue color they are in the anime. I painted mine red for when Graham steals the Gundam Throne's red beam saber. Finally, its got two black daggers. They aren't too special honestly.And of course, the model has the ability to transform into its flight mode. The transformation is very simple and easy to do. The end result is very accurate to the anime and looks rather good. It looks best when coupled with a display base for aerial poses. The mobile suit mode is good with a display base too. The model kit comes with a small piece that attaches the crotch area with an action base for aerial poses, nice touch.

Anyway, the 1/100 Over Flag is a very good model kit and the model is nicely articulated with all the right proportions. The details are plentiful, the joints are tough (excluding the gun handle), and the overall look is impressive. I definitely recommend it for anyone who thought the Flag was completely badass (when piloted by Graham anyway).