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).