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.