SDX Gundam is a line of some of the more obscure SD Gundam characters that older fans may recognize from the old OVAs from the 80's and 90's. The first character in this line is from an old SD Gundam short known as SD Gundam Gaiden.

SDX Gundam is a line of some of the more obscure SD Gundam characters that older fans may recognize from the old OVAs from the 80's and 90's. The first character in this line is from an old SD Gundam short known as SD Gundam Gaiden.

SD Gundam Gaiden is like the opposite of the Musha SD Gundam World, where instead it focuses on medieval characters and has many mobiles suits in suits of armor or based instead on dragons and other mythical creatures. If you remember the anime SD Gundam Force, the world which Zero the Winged Knight was from, Lacroa is loosely based on a similar setting.

Knight Gundam is the main character of this OVA and his appearance in figure form is extremely accurate to his on screen counterpart. He really does look like a sterling knight from days long past... Well, as sterling as a miniature robot with big eyes can look.

The first thing to note about this guy is that he comes with a LOT of accessories. Two trays worth! He has several hands, different eyes, an alternate helmet, two swords, a shield, a cape, a stand, and an unusual pair of legs...

Posability on this guy is about the same as any SD Gundam kit. The arms, hands, legs and waists move on ball joints while the feet and head are on swivel joints. While I think it may have been possible to put in a small elbow joint into the arm, it would have been slightly useless due to the stub-like nature of SD arms to begin with.

The head joint on Knight Gundam is fantastic. While the actual head is attached by a ball join, there are mechanics inside of the head piece that allow him to look up, down, and even tilt his head slightly. It's quite a nice bit of design work that I just love.

Swapping eyes is easy enough. All you have to do is remove the helmet and pull of the entire face. The mask will come off as well and then you simply peg in the other eyes. You get eyes that look straight, left, right, happy eyes, and startled eyes.

The hands are all on ball joints that easily pop on and off. You have your standard closed fists, open fists for holding things, a more open first, an open palm and a piece sign hand. All of the ball joints are also on swivel joints so you can curl the hands in pretty much any position you want.

Knight Gundam is covered entirely in armor. It would have been incredibly nice if all of this was metal, but only the shoulders and part of the helmet actually is. But for the price you're paying, I don't think I can complain too much about it really. All of the pieces can be popped off easily and leave Knight Gundam in just chain mail. He even has an alternate helmet to mimic this look.

I have to mention that I love these metal pauldrons to death. They are attached with ball joints and have an additional swivel joint that helps to keep the shoulders aligned with the body when it comes to those really dynamic poses with the arms.

Knight Gundam comes with a lance, a sword, and a shield. The lance has a spring inside that actually lets you pull back and hit random targets. It's kind of hard to do though because of the small size of it. It's a silly gimmick, but a nice touch. The lance can also be stored via a clip that goes into the back of the helmet and fits in snuggly.

The sword and shield is very nicely designed and are a very nice pair. The sword slips in easily into the shield and stays in place. Also if the sword seems a little stocky for your liking, you can actually pull the blade off of the hilt and use an extension piece to make the sword even longer and quite frankly a bit terrifying when cute little Knight Gundam holds it.

Knight Gundam's cape is on a ball join attached to a peg that goes right into the back. It can turn and move easily to whatever direction you want the cape flapping in.

Knight Gundam has one final gimmick, and it's a big one. With a little bit of part swapping, you can pull his legs off and switch them out for horse legs to turn him into a centaur... Gundam. It's a pretty cool mode and Knight Gundam does look pretty majestic like this. But you can't really pose him past just having him stand in place without the help of the display base.

If you also want, you can fold up the rear legs and make a backpack of sorts.

Knight Gundam's stand pegs between his legs and keeps him secure. However the actual design of this stand is sort of unusual. It's not jointed to allow Knight Gundam to actually be standing on the base. It's an odd design choice and just makes me wonder a bit honestly.

I think that for the price you pay, you get so much from Knight Gundam. The SDX set is very solid and has more than enough accessories to leave me fiddling with this guy constantly. However I'm aware that the SD design may not strike everyone and others may just flat out hate it. But if you're a fan of these designs and want something a little more substantial than a model kit, these guys are great. Satan Gundam, Commando Gundam, and several others are on the way so keep an eye out for them.

Not just a Gundam want to be.....

Today I will be reviewing the Gundam Huckebein MKII.....Hey, wait a minute....It looks like a Gundam, walks like a Gundam and talks like a Gundam...So it must be a Gundam? WRONG!!

The Huckebein MKII is not just a Gundam want to be. Its actually its own character from the wildly popular videogame and anime OAV series franchise know as, Super Robot Wars: Original Generation. It may be its own Character, but its roots are all Gundam right down to the Core Fighter. After you read my review and look at the pictures, you will see how the Uni-five 1/144 Huckebein MKII chogokin is so similar to the much loved Gundam.

Lets start off with the box...

As you can clearly see below, the box is quit dark. The packaging's darkness matches really well with the Huckebein's dark blue color scheme. No happy light Gundam colors here!

The first accessories shown is the translucent plastic beam saber and the included stand which allows flight poses. Very Gundam-ish huh? You will need that stand because when posing the figure and adjusting it's feet....well.....lets just say that the feet tend to fall off.

In conclusion, I feel even with its above mentioned flaws, Huckebein MKII is still a decent pseudo Gokin figure for the meager $35 that I paid for it. Even if it is sorta a Gundam MSIA copy!

I like the Gundams that don't look like the Gundams

The Gundam figures I like are the ones that don't look like Gundam at all. Usually they end up being the bad guys, but hey, Darth Vader was always cooler than Luke, right?

The Gadessa is a perfect example of this. There are very few Gundam conventions here, and when they are done, they are done so different that if you weren't told this was from Gundam you would never know. It reminds me more of something out of Five Star Stories.

Gadessa is a heavy assault mobile suit designed by the bad guys of Gundam 00, called the "Innovators". This version of the suit is slightly different in color from the production version, designed for a character called "Hilling Care". And that's all I know about that.

The figure is ultra-poseable and stands 15cm tall. However, this is misleading. With the feet out flat it only stands about 12cm. So what's this all about?

Well, the Gadessa seems to be primarily an outer-space mobile suit. So in space, the toes are tilted down so that the legs come to a point. It looks really great, but sucks for standing. Ideally you would display this on a tamashii display base, and the figure comes with a part to attach to the stand. But, alas, we have no Tamashii stand, so you get it displayed with its toes out flat.

Articulation is pretty crazy - I stopped counting at 20 points. Its got double jointed shoulders, elbows, knees and even the chest has two joints.

Accessories include:

• GN Mega Launcher
• energy pack
• Beam Sabers
• optional hands
• GN Drive
• Interchangeable faceplate

The Mega Launcher is one of the most impressive weapons that I've seen in a long time. This long cannon can expand its three barrels for a tri-beam attack. You have to remove a small connector plate from the end, then push the long silver pointy tail in the back to extend the cannons. Its very cool.

I originally thought the energy pack was a part from the display stand connector, but no, it's part of the figure. It snaps on to the back skirt armor and then another connector snaps onto that to hold the Mega Launcher.

The beam saber hilts can be stored under the side skirt armor, and can be attached to the included beam sabers.

On the back is the GN Drive backpack which also serves as a cockpit and escape capsule. The sides fold out to become wings, while the whole unit can pivot on the back.

Finally, the Gadessa comes with an interchangeable faceplate. You have to remove the whole front of the head to replace it, but it's not too bad.

As far as manufacturing quality goes, this thing is flawless. It's made out of Sturdy ABS with POM and PVC for the joint work, and it works so well. Nothing falls off of this, and everything is tight and sturdy.

Its a good toy, and a cool design. You won't regret picking this one up.

It's a Gundam.

While the official Americanized name is "The Robot Spirits", the line has also been known as Robot Soul and Robot Damashii (Or Tamashii). The idea of the line is to create an affordable, poseable, durable, highly detailed robot figure. It's the logical progression from High Complete Models, to MS in Pocket, to MS in Action, to HCM Pro, and now Robot Spirits. Bandai continues to improve and grow, unofficially dubbing this line the "Revoltech Killer".

While the Robot Spirits figures are similar in size to Revoltech, that's where the similarities end. The figures are basically scaled up HCM pro figures, more akin to Yamato's GN-U DOU figures, except these come with accessories and don't fall apart.

We here at CDX are a bit late to the Robot Spirits line, with this item being the 22nd release. But this figure is in the first batch that Toynami is bringing to the States under Bandai's Tamashii banner, so we got some to check them out.

The character depicted here is the 0 Gundam as depicted in the Mobile Suit 00 Gundam anime series. I haven't watched the series, nor do I plan to, as Gundam bores me to tears. What I do know is that this 0 Gundam was originally grey and white, and sometime in the series the pilot paints it up so that it resembles an RX-78, the most iconic of Gundams. I don't know if 00 Gundam is in the same continuity as the classic Gundam, so whether this is intentional on the part of the pilot, or an tribute by the production staff is lost on me. Feel free to chime in with comments.

Either way, the end result is that we have a toy that looks pretty much like most every other Gundam toy ever released. That's not to say its bad, but I wish the Gundam creators would get over themselves and make something different for the main character.

Aesthetics aside, it really is a nice figure. Judging from the line art that I have seen the sculpt seems fairly accurate.

There are two things that make the Robot Soul line for me - Articulation and build quality.

The articulation is awesome. Double jointed knees and elbows, full torso motion, feet, hands, head, shoulder pads, armor skirts - everything moves and nothing falls off. The combination of ABS and POM plastics make for sharp, durable pieces that stay together.

There are just enough accessories, but not too many to keep track of. The 0 Gundam comes with a beam rifle, beam saber w/hilt, shield, interchangeable hands, Two rear engines and spare head crest and shoulder spikes.

The Beam Rifle is shorter and stubbier than the ones that usually accommodate the RX-78 archetype. It fits snugly in either of the two included holding hands.

The Beam Saber is actually two parts. The hilt can be stored in an articulated holder on the back. The range of motion in the arms allows you to actually have the robot reach back and grab the saber. The beam plugs into the saber easily.

The Shield attaches to the left arm and can pivot on its arm bracket. The bracket can clip onto the arm but also features a handle that can be grasped with variant hands.

The 0 Gundam can be equipped with either a GN Particle Condenser or a GN Drive on the back of the figure.

Lastly, Bandai included spare parts, should you lose the head crest or either of the spikes from the top of the chest.

There are lots of good accessories in this set but one glaring omission - a stand. Bandai sells a stand separately for 900 yen called the Tamashii Stage if you want one, but really, they could have included it.

If you are not totally burnt out on the whole classic Gundam color scheme, then by all means, pick this up. its a fine figure. I however will throw my support behind the non-gundamy Gundams instead.

What came out of the Clover factory in 1979 was a long faced, ill proportioned Chogokin style Gundam that bore no resemblance to the sleek Mobile Suit armor that made up the Gundam of what we know today.

Mobile Suit Gundam

When Mobile Suit Gundam was released back in 1979, who would of thought it would be the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. But Gundam had a couple of missteps at the beginning that if it was not rectified it could have easily been another little known anime from the late 1970’s. For example, the first airing of Mobile Suit Gundam was not popular with the public and it wasn’t popular until the second airing of the show that coincided with the release Bandai’s iconic model kit line.

The other Gundam misstep from the early days was the toy series that was released by Clover. First off I do not blame Clover for their failure of the Mobile Suit Gundam toy series. Honestly they have made some great toys over the years and an example of Clover toy is a must to have in the collection. Unfortunately Clover based all their Gundam toys off of rough prototype drawings that only closely resembled the final designs that were eventually released and produced for the Mobile Suit Gundam show.

Also MS Gundam was most popular with young adults in their late teens and twenties, due to the complex political nature of the show and the Clover Gundam toys were clearly aimed at small children. I am sure the term “ Real Robot” really did not connect with the designers of the toys, with Go Nagai Chogokin style art design the “It” look of 70’s robots. What came out of the Clover factory in 1978 was a long faced, ill proportioned Chogokin style Gundam that bore no resemblance to the sleek Mobile Suit armor that made up the Gundam of what we know today.

The boxed Mobile Suit Gundam includes: 1x Gundam, 1x Shield, 2x chrome fists, 2x beam sabers, 1x rocket launcher, 4x rockets.

Gundam is a nice chunk of weighty metal and is solid throughout but plastic is used for the head, arms and upper legs. The knees slightly bend at the joints and the head and arms rotate. Gundam comes with some nice accessories and looks great with all the parts attached to the figure. I always question the shoulder-mounted cannon on many of these early Gundam toys because as far as I remember Gundam never had a shoulder-mounted cannon in the anime, only a hand held cannon. Regardless it is a cool little item. Only one place is provided for the beam saber on the backpack.

One of the more fun aspects of this set is how you can rearrange all the shooting parts on the figure. The chrome fists, beam saber and missiles can shoot from the arms and cannon. The beam saber cannot be held in the fist but is designed to shoot from the arm or cannon. A set of wheels are also attached to the back so one can roll around the Gundam for extra play value, perhaps to mimic the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam.

Changing tastes as they are, what is most charming about these early Gundam toys is that fact that they do have many Chogokin overtones and gimmicks. I love the color scheme, sticker and chrome details throughout. A Japanese robot is not a Japanese robot unless it has its name printed across its front in huge letters and this Gundam is a prime example.
The silver, chrome and white plastic details are very reminiscent of the 1970’s era for toys. I like the stickers that represent the waist and upper legs and the star sicker across the toes. Although the art design is quite dated, especially for a real robot era figure, it is one of my favorite pieces in my collection. Overall you can help but smile at all the oddness but somehow it all comes together in its own funky way.

I bought this Gundam back in the 1980’s at one of the Buena Park Model kit conventions for $10.00 but today these regularly sell on Ebay for $100.00. It is a definite pickup for the Japanese toy collector for what is represents: The not so subtle transition from the Chogokin era to the Real Robot era.

©2008 Article and pictures by Leonardo Flores and CollectionDX

First, I want to apologize for the condition of the toy that I’m going to review. I received this one from my mother (thank you mom) around 1984. It’s over 20 years old, so the condition may not be to good. But at least it’s still intact, eh.

First, I want to apologize for the condition of the toy that I’m going to review. I received this one from my mother (thank you mom) around 1984. It’s over 20 years old, so the condition may not be to good. But at least it’s still intact, eh.

Let’s start, shall we? This is a Clover made Gundam toy. Basically, it’s a windup toy with Gundam character. The Gundam itself is the RX 78-2 Gundam. The main character from the first Gundam.

It made mostly from ABS Plastics with tin covering for the body and kind of Iron plate for the shoulder and knee. The plastics is strong enough to withstand hard beatings. It had a shield that you put in the left arm and it’s made of tin and iron. Unfortunately, I lost it, so I can’t show it to you. I think it is about 75% plastic, 15% tin and 10% iron.

They toy itself had a blocky look. Although very uncommon these days, it is the standard for 80’s toys. But the blocky look is what attracts me (maybe some of you) to collect vintage toys. The sculpt and the paint although not Anime accurate, succeed in bringing the Soul of Gundam. It also had what vintage toys should have, It’s name written in the chest. The details are a far cry from today’s Gundam kit or figure, but, again, it is a vintage toy, so it’s forgivable. It has wheels in it’s feet for the walking mechanism. The wheels made of plastic.

The only articulation is in it’s arms. The legs and the feet only had articulation for the walking feature.

Considering the material, it’s not a Chogokin. But the love magnet of this toy is not the diecast part. As I mentioned before, it’s a wind up toy. So, after you turn the knob, watch as the mighty Gundam walks with glory across the battlefield (or your room). Beside the walking feature, it also has a shooting feature from the Bazooka that it carries on it’s right shoulder. It is supposed to imitate the Bazooka that Gundam uses in the Anime.

The bottom line… this is a simplistic toy that is what a toy should be about. Endless hours of play value. Imagine having it walk across the room, and stop just in time (there’s a lever to stop the toy) to shoot your enemies. Also it doesn’t disappoint us collectors. A truly must-have for toy enthusiasts or just Gundam fans.

Although Gundam SEED Destiny came to a close more than a year ago, Bandai has continued to remind us that they are far from done with the series and every aspect of its legacy. They do so with their recent Master Grade scale offering of the Strike Freedom Gundam.

Although Gundam SEED Destiny came to a close more than a year ago, Bandai has continued to remind us that they are far from done with the series and every aspect of its legacy. They do so with their recent Master Grade scale offering of the Strike Freedom Gundam.

The ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam is the reincarnated, upgraded form of the Cosmic Era’s legendary Freedom Gundam piloted by Kira Yamato. What some fans of the traditional Gundam universe (the Universal Century) claimed foul on the SEED universe (the Cosmic Era) that it relied too much on borrowing from past generations as the series progressed. Later persecution came as SEED Destiny began, from mirroring the machines of the One Year War with the ZGMF-X1000 Zaku Warriors and borrowed technologies such as beam shields from Gundam F91, even so much as comparing the Freedom to being a rehash of the F91 itself. However without trying to add more fuel to the fire, the Strike Freedom closely resembles the until-recently untapped image of the RX-93-2 Hi Nu Gundam (the upgraded form of the original Nu Gundam from the novel version of Char’s Counterattack). Still none the less, and petty bickering aside the Strike Freedom exists now as one of the most popular Gundams since its predecessor.

Freedom Flies

As Gundam SEED Destiny reintroduced the Freedom, it set off into the series’ third story arch (the first being the introduction of Shinn Asuka as a new protagonist and the second about Athrun Zala acting as a witness to all sides) which followed returning SEED stars Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne along with the remaining crew of the Archangel heading out in order to halt the coming crisis between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT while uncovering the conspiracy set into motion by the new leader of ZAFT, Durandal. With Kira once again commanding the power and grace of his revived mobile suit, he made the machine’s presence known.

As good intentions run astray, the Freedom’s interference in multiple battles only begat more tragedy and loss. Kira’s actions in disarming other mobile suits ultimately lead to their destruction by enemy fire, and crippling warships would result in their destruction by the remaining mobile suits made no solution. In a later event, the Freedom was pulled into the devastating encounter with the Earth Alliance’s new mobile weapon the GFAS-X1 Destroy Gundam, piloted by Stella Loussier; Shinn’s attempted love interest and Earth Alliance guinea pig “Extended” pilot. As Shinn could not bring himself to defeat the menace, Kira forced Freedom’s hand destroying the Destroy and unwillingly killing the girl inside.

Seizing the opportunity following the event, ZAFT sets into motion “Operation Angel-Down” in which Shinn Asuka and his ship, the Minerva, were sent after the Archangel and Freedom Gundam with orders to eliminate them. Reeling from the tragedy of the Destroy Gundam incident, Shinn Asuka makes destroying the Freedom his top priority. Shinn ultimately succeeds with his first machine the ZGM-X56S Force Impulse Gundam using the beam sword from its Sword Silhouette weapon pack. Although Kira managed to disable Freedom’s nuclear reactor in time, there was no recovering for the legendary Freedom this time.

Meanwhile in space, Lacus Clyne leads her own ship the Eternal in a hunt for information about Durandal’s plans for the Earth while constructing new Mobile suits of their own. Among them are the new ZGMF-XX09T Dom Troopers and the new incarnation of both the Justice (ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice) and the Freedom. After learning of their actions ZAFT sends orders to eliminate the ship, however Kira comes to their aid with the commandeered MBF-02 Strike Rouge. For his efforts, Lacus presents him with his revived wings, the ZGMF-X20A Strike Freedom Gundam. This machine would be his to pilot for the remainder of the series, and ultimately remain intact as one of the most power machines in the SEED universe.

Strike Freedom, Take 5

The Strike Freedom is the first machine of the Gundam SEED Destiny series to be recreated into the fifth scale. As standard to the series, Bandai gave it the low grade 1/144 scale and subsequent high grade treatment in both 1/144 and 1/100 scales. Additionally due to the Strike Freedom’s unique nature Bandai crafted it again in 1/60 scale utilizing an LED light up feature for its joints and vents. However all of these forms strayed from one end of the spectrum to the other without presenting a full quality version of the design that was equally available to the general public or worthy of the machine’s design in plastic form.

As proven with the ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam and the GAT-X105 Aile Strike Gundam from the past generation of the SEED legacy, there was success in the Master Grade market. As such the Strike Freedom Gundam was recreated into Master Grade form. As the first many machines from the SEED Destiny assortment of Master Grades (including the recent XGMF-42S Destiny Gundam and rumored Infinite Justice Gundam), the Strike Freedom sets an impressive benchmark for things to come.

If comparing to the prior editions, the Strike Freedom Master Grade form has a multitude of differences, all courtesy of the Bee Craft design team and the Master Grade engineers at Bandai. The differences are present in both visual and technical applications into recreating the popular machine. However before finding these firsthand one must open the box.

All That Glitters is Gold

The Strike Freedom Gundam comes out of the box in the colors that can only be described as the native Freedom scheme. This includes white, pale blue, cobalt blue, yellow, and dark (near black) blue. What sets the Strike Freedom so far apart from its previous incarnation is the interior skeleton which is designed to be Gold, and so Bandai has once again turned to gold injection. Metallic injection does not have the sheen or value of the popular electrostatic chrome as seen with models such as the Hyaku Shiki, but it does possess the glistening qualities one could hope for. This injection plastic was used before with the previous 1/144 HG and 1/100 scale HG version of the Strike Freedom, as well as the Hyper Mode editions of the God Gundam and Master Gundam Master Grade model kits. Unlike the latter, Bandai has produced for the Strike Freedom in such quantities of the rare material plastic to create the Strike Freedom in its full chromatic detail. Even the Polycaps are gold, talk about “Bling Gundam.”

Building

Construction of the Strike Freedom begins in the center, at its very core to be exact. In recent years, Bandai has miniaturized the Perfect Grade work load into the Master Grade line, with nearly perfect endoskeletons of the machines done with MG engineering without going into the extremes of the Perfect Grade technology, using fewer parts to create the same rich value. As such the Strike Freedom Gundam incorporates this same level of work. Nearly every part of its body is layered upon a complete endoskeleton frame. The only parts without this are the weapons and the head but these components share a wonderful attention to detailing and construction.

The head of the Strike Freedom in MG form is a much sharper interpretation of the design missed entirely by the 1/100 scale HG version’s rounder, long faced attempt. Construction follows the standard Master Grade method, and as such each part of a different color is a corresponding part. The parts count includes the two helmet halves (front and back), eyes, the nose and chin, face mask, cheeks, and the three parts needed for the crest. As standard, the head has a swiveling ball cup polycap for where it connects to the neck. Included with this standard work Bandai put in an extra ounce of work by giving us parts for interior vents. Molded in the gold plastic, these two short strips fit to the inside of the head and are exposed to see from the front. The eyes are a clear strip with a raised extension for the forehead sights, so the basic paint work is needed. Fully built, the head is extremely sharp, much sharper than the past incarnations of the Strike Freedom. Compared to both the Strike Freedom HG and the original Freedom MG, there are no overpowering or distracting features of the head. The head just looks right, and builds solid.

The Torso sports some of Bandai’s latest innovations of expanding on the limits of articulation. From the interior out the Strike Freedom has a swiveling neck and shoulders that have been standard additions in recent kits, but sports a newly designed hinged midsection. While other kits have shown progress and balance with ball socket construction, the weight of the Strike Freedom’s backpack and wing binders prohibit their use. As such, the Strike Freedom’s torso is constructed in sections: the lower abdomen which is hinged by the upper chest. Without using polycaps, this method relies on the primarily on the tightness of the union between the upper chest parts. However as a precaution, Bandai integrated a locking plate into the back to help hold the hinge in the upright position. When swung out, the plate allows for the torso to flex back to some degree. Combined with the rotation of the neck, this adds some real dynamic flair to the look of the Strike Freedom when posed. The shoulders are built with the standard double hinge, swinging horizontally at the base, and swinging vertically where they meet the arms. This construction works especially well with the design of the torso, and allows for some balanced rotation without getting too worked up with over articulation that can interfere with the wings or head.

The torso’s outer armor is molded in its individual colors, and construction is done in the layered process. The midsection and lower abdomen armor fit as sleeves over their respective areas and are locked into place by the armor of the chest. Another standard of MG tech is the inclusion of the cockpit into the design, and the Strike Freedom does not break the rule. Like its predecessor, the cockpit is in upper chest, and its door is built on a sliding rail that runs forward from the base of the neck. Despite being a ‘sliding’ mechanism by design, in practice Bandai fakes the motion via an arm that is hinged at the front most section of the chest to the rear most section of the door. As always, there is a molded figurine of the pilot in 1/100 scale that requires paint. Much like the original Freedom, this figure is recessed underneath the neck line and needs to directed light in order to be seen.

The waist area is a marvel of simple engineering to accommodate the hip mounted cannons and their articulation. The inner most assembly is built in halves and layered by the additional armor of the front and back. Unlike the original Freedom where the back skirt was a solid piece, the Strike Freedom’s armor is two skirts which fit the style of the front skirts with a flatter profile. The main rear block is mounted on a sliding bracket to allow the rear section to slide down so the swing arms of the hip cannons can fold back and lock down for displaying in their inactive mode. The cannon’s assembly arms are molded bricks with a ball socket crevice, and a cut-out to allow the arms to swing out and lock into place.

The limbs of the Strike Freedom take a couple of shortcuts in order to expedite construction, by the means of using duplicate runners and making paint applications necessary. None the less, there are hardly any faults with the design and application. The arms are built from an internal endoskeleton with polycaps at the primary connection points and sleeve-type parts for the outer armor. On the inside, the arm is articulated at the upper section of the bicep via a polycap sleeve to the interconnecting peg of the shoulder. The elbow is double jointed as to allow a near 180 degree flex in the arm, which really kicks up the display value when combined with the torso’s shoulder range. The forearm uses a simple double hinged arm to allow an action feature for exposing the Strike Freedom’s beam shield generators.

The areas of paint work needed for the Strike Freedom are in its shoulder armor. The first place is the ‘interior detail’ of the lower section of the shoulder armor which is molded in white plastic (that needs to be gold) and in the blue vents off to the side (again, needs to be gold). The last addition to the arms is the use of the Version 2.0 hands molded in gold plastic. These hands are individually jointed (but fused between the middle, ring, and pinky) digits on ball joints with an angled peg in the center of the palm used for gripping the weapons and built with a hinged wrist.

The legs of the Strike Freedom could literally be described as the combined technology of the original Strike and Freedom Master Grades combined. Using the endoskeleton for the legs as the base, the Strike Freedom has an articulated muscle structure for the knee. This is accomplished through the sliding block of the thigh as it joins with the knee which replicates the quadriceps muscle. From there the knee connects to front armor of the lower leg which shifts back the knee flexes. This assembly seems a bit tricky at first, but is really expressive the more the knee moves. The legs are connected by a separate hip block above the thigh which provides some much needed rotation for the legs, a feature missing in most kits where the hip and thigh share an assembly.

Additional articulation of the leg includes the added thrusters in the back of the leg. These thrusters are exposed on a hinge which is mounted to an armor plate with the basic vents and dividing plate in between. This plate is able to close down and fit to the contours of the leg with an accessible tab to pull it open. The feet are jointed at the toe, but have a limited range of swing to about 40 degrees upwards, but the missing motion is complimented by the double ball joint of the ankle assembly. While on the feet, the soles of the feet are molded in the gold injection as the rest of the legs’ endoskeleton, and provide some much needed detail to the Strike Freedom’s clean armor exterior.

The Wing binders are the Strike Freedom’s most noteworthy feature and it is really brought to fruition in its Master Grade incarnation. The Strike Freedom’s wing binders are concealed thrusters combined with powerful weapon system called “Dragoons,” the SEED universe’s form of guided remote weapon comparable to the Universal Century “Funnel” system. Compared to past editions, the binders were lacking in many ways, from assembly to display value, even the scale was a variable of quality. Fear not, for many of these problems have been corrected and truly made in the best form ever for the Strike Freedom’s unique form.

The scale of the binders is impressive, measuring at roughly 7 inches in length from tip to end, which gives the Strike Freedom an impressive 14 inch wing span. The assembly of the main binders is an astonishment of MG engineering. Built from the inside, the binders are interlocked by a series of clockwork mechanisms that respond to each other for showing the binders in their full open position. The main shaft which connects the gear work together also acts as the force that holds the binders together on the swing arm of the backpack. The shaft acts as a key which controls the binders’ motion. As the rear binder is rotated upward, the shaft activates the mechanism in both binders which then spread out the secondary arm of each unit. At its peak rotation of 90 degrees, the binders lock into their final place. While this is impressive, it does have some possible problems. As the assembly is molded in the gold plastic, it makes the binders susceptible to breaking. None the less, the assembly works well and is a magnificent sight.

Although ‘opening’ is a main feature, the MG Strike Freedom goes an extra mile for the binders’ action. The extension arms of the binders are mounted on grooved plates which allow the arms to be pulled outward. Once done provides some additional gold gear detail which is really impressive when colored in. The docking plates of the Strike Freedom’s Dragoon units are also mounted in the extensions, and molded with the gold plastic. This provides for an impressive display even without the Dragoons mounted. Fully built and loaded, the Binders are impressive as they are hefty which can often through the model off balance. Still the binders make up for past mistakes and attempts of the design.

The Strike Freedom’s arsenal is another prominent feature which has been improved with the MG treatment. These include the Dragoons, the beam sabers, hip mounted cannons and the beam rifles. The sabers have seen some slight changes but remain remotely the simplest bit of work in the Strike Freedom’s assembly. As singular tubes they require no assembly but can benefit from paint and detailing. Following another trend in most Master Grades, the saber’s beams are curved which adds some much needed flair to the static tubes of past kits. Upon closer inspection of the sabers, one will notice that they have the feature of combining. This is done through two clips on the ends of each saber that allow them to snap together. Also present are grooves at the center of the sabers that fit into the peg in the palms of the hands. Simply put simple construction into simply one of the finest changes.

The hip mounted cannons have been improved and they are reconstructed with the Master Grade treatment. Originally, the cannons simply unfolded in the front and back, but now extend in the same nature as the Dragoon binder arms for the forward section. Also worth mentioning is that they are not hindered by the wing binders whether the wings are open or closed. The hip cannons have a lot more going when factoring in they also have the mounted docks for the beam sabers and their ability to swing around and dock onto the back side of the waist. This exposes a feature for the next weapon set.

The beam rifle of the original Freedom was scrapped along with the wing mounted cannons and in their place exchanged for a pair of beam rifles. The beam rifles for the Strike Freedom have a combination feature to create a more powerful beam weapon. In model form this is done through simple detailing to recreate the complex mechanics. In application, the right rifle becomes the forward section and the left rifle as the rear. For the combination, the right rifle extends its barrel on a slide rail, folds in the trigger and rotates its rear block to be a primary sight on the side. The left rifle then extends its rear section to be the stock and is then is inserted at the barrel into the rear of the right rifle. The completed rifle can then be held by one hand, however due most often to the weight of the rifle the hands lose their grip. After a balancing act of arranging the arms, the rifle displays well.

There are some minor gripes with the rifle, no matter how small or big parts can be made, or how many there are in a kit, the striping on the rifles needs to be painted cobalt. No matter though as the rifles are much needed and welcome features of the Strike Freedom. On the final note, the rifles sport a set of arms on the sides to allow them to dock onto the hips of the Strike Freedom for when not in use. Unlike previous attempts, the revised proportions of the Strike Freedom’s torso combined with the rescaled rifles do not impede on the range of body motion.

The Dragoon units of the Strike Freedom are not as complex as they are tedious. There are eight of them, with two halves for constructing one each needing their share of detailing. The Dragoons of the Strike Freedom MG are much richer in detail and scale when compared to past incarnations, with details present such as vents and panel lines as well as the much needed barrel to define them. While defining the exterior detail can be accomplished with Gundam markers and fine-line pens, the interior section where it docks to the wing binders can simply be ignored or filled in with paint.

Last but not least is the Strike Freedom’s energy shield. The weapon has no defined form other than the two red jewel shaped blocks on the forearm. These are mounted to simple snap arms that rise up into position. Included with the kit is a clear, soft plastic sheet with the details painted. Connecting the shield to the ‘generators’ takes a bit of disassembly and reassembly as they are to be docked in between the two halves making the generator’s casing.

Like all of the Master Grade line, the Strike Freedom has its own set of dry transfer decals, but due to the optional nature of the SEED line, placement of the decals is not mandatory as much of them are for the declaring the machine’s name. Also, choosing simply one or two decals can prevent the Strike Freedom from being NASCAR-ed. The Strike Freedom also comes with a base stand much like the original Freedom did. This base stand connects to the underside of the waist, and features a series of grooves cut into its assembly to allow for the Strike Freedom to pose in a modest range of poses on the stand. Unfortunately these ports are stressed by the weight of the final build of the model.

OVERALL
It goes without saying that the Strike Freedom Master Grade is one of the finest incarnations of the legendary design. From the application and the practice of past kits and incorporating the newest features, it stands out as a mark for Master Grades to follow in future endeavors. For those interested, there are two versions of the Strike Freedom available. The first is the standard version as reviewed here and a second edition called “Full Burst.” The Full Burst edition is a much more expensive (early release) version that includes a set of chromed parts and a full Dragoon display arrangement of clear tube parts. Also included in this version is a crystal blue “ACTION BASE,” Bandai’s most recent accessory for display purposes which was first released with the limited edition of the 1/100 scale Legend Gundam. Despite the rare nature of the Full Burst Strike Freedom, Action Bases are cheap and easily available to compliment this amazing kit. Unfortunately the retail Action Base does not come with the corresponding mounts to park Strike Freedom in its base point. None the less, this is a minor grievance to an outstanding model. Let Strike Freedom Ring.

I go to buy tools and walk away with a model

I go to buy tools and walk away with a model

Around a year and a half ago, before I built the Master Grade version of the Freedom Gundam from Gundam SEED, there was the GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, Bandai’s first installment of the SEED franchise in Master Grade form.

Bandai’s infamous Master Grade line of Gundam models has forever and a day been dominated by machines from the original Gundam universe known as the ‘Universal Century.’ Variants such as anything “Char” and Side Story machines aside, there have only been a few kits to come from the ‘Alternate Universe.’ These AU series are the stand alone Gundam tales that have been fortunate to receive Master Grade kits as well include G-Gundam, and the Wing Gundam Zero from Gundam Wing. Joining their ranks is the Strike Gundam from Gundam SEED.

Following the tradition of the Gundam name brand, Bandai capitalized exceedingly on the popularity of Gundam SEED with model kits. With a total of three 1/144 low grades, one 1/144 high grade, three 1/100 scale High grades, and its 1/60 scale the Strike needs no introduction. However since Master Grade is more of a status than any other model, the Aile Strike had to stand out as something different than its previous incarnations.

Planting the SEED

The Strike Gundam is the first Gundam declared for Bandai’s last generation of the franchise: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED. Set in its own universe of the Cosmic Era, SEED seemed to most as a ‘rehash’ of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. The normal, terrestrial Earth Alliance against the forces of ZAFT and its space dwelling super-advanced “Coordinators” in a bitter genetically driven Civil War. Neither side was greater than the other short of ZAFT’s technological superiority with the development of Mobile Suits and the Neutron Jammer, a device capable of eliminating Nuclear power sources, thereby crippling the Earth Alliance.

A few years into the war, in a cooperative effort between the Earth Alliance and the neutral colony Heliopolis and produced through Morganrate, the Alliance began producing its own mobile suit forces. However in a cunning attempt, ZAFT successfully captured four of the experimental mobile suits, save for one. The GAT-X105 Strike Gundam, piloted by Kira Yamato.

The Model

Using a minimal amount of weight and sticking to the character value of the Strike Gundam, the MG Aile fills its role very well. Construction is simple but uses just enough parts to do the job. The model stands very sleek and slender which is a complete contrast to the rounder, more “clunky” looking version like the 1/100 scale High Grade.

Out of the box, the Strike comes molded in its primary colors: white, blue, red and yellow with the additional gray plastic for interior parts and weapons. As for the “Aile Striker” parts are molded in the darker gunmetal gray with an additional red parts tree. Your average builder will be please to know that there is hardly any paint work to do. There are a few points such as the usual red-points inside thrusters and gray spots on the front of the skirts and back of the shield.

The head of Strike is made up of nine parts. This includes the face (3 parts) head casing (2 parts plus polycap) and the ‘Gundam crest’ (3 parts). Detailing is very streamlined and done to above the initial character value. Paint work includes the gun barrels for its ICWS machine guns and the vents on the back of the head. The mold of the parts is really good and tight.

The torso is a solid assembly with the armor plating done around a central subassembly. The neck is one solid piece and is mounted on a swivel point to raise the head up or down. The cockpit is built into this as a box which fits inside. The pilot figure comes separate and unpainted and needs work; I painted mine like the Strike’s late pilot Mu La Flaga. The shoulders of the kit are a new simplistic articulated assembly. This acts as a fixed rotary block and allows the arms of the model to have an enhanced range of motion and flexability. Finally, as always the cockpit can open and close, but in the Strike’s two door housing.

The hip section of the Strike is very loose fitting but snug. It features the standard of Gundam with its interior section with polycaps for side armor and the main ball joint socket (for the torso). The additions for the Strike’s unique launch base though include a secondary polycap in the back of the rear skirt and another polycap at the base of the tailbone underneath. The rear skirts are hinged and are held in place by a rear block piece. On the front however is something different, the absence of a front skirt polycap. Instead the sockets are done in the undercarriage and front block. This sounds problematic because of the threat of plastic on plastic friction, but there is no weight to cause any. The last parts of the hips are the side containers. Because they hold the Strike’s back up weapons, the Armor Schneider, they can open and close.

The arms of the kit are really great. With the shoulder armor separate and the addition of the new shoulder mechanics, they have a higher range of flexibility. The biceps use a more advanced method of the HGUC style assembly with the polycap inside a housing piece that connects to the elbow. The elbows are double jointed to allow a better range of motion. The shoulders’ armor fits over the arm bar from the torso/shoulder mechanism and features a nifty opening shell. There is one questionable region at the top though; inserts for possible future Striker packs. Seeing how this kit is made with the AILE equipment in mind, these go unused. The hands in the kit are some of the best Master Grade hands, period. They have the plated knuckles of the Strike but also in crisp articulated detail that the 1/100 scale High Grade generation lacked.

The legs of the Strike are done with the simplest amount of assembly with a healthy bit of good looking. Starting at the foot, the soles of the feet are done in full detail. They are separately cut; toe piece and heel piece with panel lines and with the thrusters molded into the heel piece. They are joined together on a simple hinge and polycap ankle to allow for a better degree of posing, and a more dynamic step. The legs themselves are built like the rest of the body with the inner frame making up the real assembly work with the armor just being plated on. There isn’t any real piston/joint system like Master Grades are famous for, but the detailing is good and articulation is as well. The knees are double jointed but the upper leg portion is on a very simple mock quadriceps. This can be seen with the armor plating being able to shift forward when the knee is flexed.

Essentially, the Strike Gundam is an all purpose mobile suit, not confined to a particular style or excessive gimmick and so it is complimented with any array of additional weapons known as Striker packs. From the start of the SEED series, it was equipped with three unique types: ‘SWORD’, ‘LAUNCHER’ and ‘AILE.’ The Aile pack is made for long distance flight and is the more notable Striker pack from the show. While it had been done in 1/100 scale for the High Grade incarnation, the MG Aile Striker was lacking in both accuracy and detail. The Aile pack is divided into two sections; the upper wings section and the lower thruster blocks. The wings were not even worthy of being stabilizers let alone primary wings. The MG version is how it should have been; WINGS! They are articulated wings to be exact, with a double hinge mechanism that allowed them to fold down.

The dual rear blocks are also given some much needed detail with the tails having ventilation down the insides. The only pet peeve I have from this is that no matter how advanced Master Grade construction gets or no matter how detailed tiny parts can be, there is no such thing as a separated thruster assembly. The rear sections of the back boosters and thruster packs are done in red plastic and the detailed engines inside them are done in the same part. Painting can be a real chore if you’re looking for a real separation.

The Strike comes with the bare essentials; shield, beam rifle and beam sabers. The shield is a more streamlined variation of past SEED shields, less bulky and with a new mounting assembly. The mounting assembly is a down graded version of what is now on Perfect Grades; two plates that either fit flat on the back of the arm or fold the shield around to the side of the forearm. It also comes with the basic grip handle that fits on pegs.

The rifle is another modified piece of weaponry; it’s thicker and longer than the prior versions and also sports a clear lens piece. Its detailing is worthy of the new MG treatment. The sabers that come with the Aile pack are more narrow and longer than those of the 1/100 scale but compliment the new sleeker look of the MG kit. Finally comes the one feature weapon of the Strike’s basic arsenal; the Armor Schneider. These two folding daggers are stored in the side pockets and are an actual folding blade which really makes for good toyetics.

An Added Bonus:

I like to think that Bandai’s having fun with giving new ways to display models: the PG GP-01 with its hangar assembly, the Zeong with its ‘pyramid’ or even the EX-S with its slab. The MG Aile Strike comes with its own piece of its hangar away from home. The launch base is to be a simplified replica of the launch pad inside the Archangel. It sports a set of foot blocks that slide back and forth and a raised block in the rear which holds the Strike’s battery cables, with REAL cables! Sadly though these aren’t electrical but the steel wire cables are flexible and hold their shape when disconnected from the rear of the Strike. It also features an additional raising arm that fits into the polycap in the undercarriage of the hips to put the Aile Striker into the air.

On a side note from later builds, this action display base is also compatible with the Master Grade Freedom Gundam. However there is no port on the back of the Freedom to connect the battery cable.

Details:

 While this was a tie-in in for the popularity of SEED, a lot of genuine Master Grade love went into this kit. This can be seen through the amount of decal work. From basic ‘CAUTION’ marks to tags unique to the Strike. The Dry transfer decals in this kit are very different from the normal ones seeing how the word markings are almost one solid sheet rather than being separate letters. This made application to those that bend around corners extremely easy. The ‘correct’ application really shows how much the Bee-Craft crew had fun with their work. The only unlisted decal of the dry transfer series that is a real show of the pilot is the “ENDYMION” which comes from the last pilot, Mu La Flaga.

Closing:

Albeit a simple kit, the Master Grade Strike fills in all the desired gaps from Bandai’s work with the design and the SEED series. It combines the character of the MS but also has some nice new generation toyetics from the Master Grade line. On the downside, Bandai has all but given up on making the additional Striker packs in MG form. For those, Bandai relies on B-Club to make adapter parts that use the original 1/100 scale High grade versions. Even so, the Strike Gundam is another welcome addition to the Master Grade collection.

The Wing Gundam Zero Custom has been one of the most popular Gundam machines next to current fan favorites such as the Strike Freedom and super powered mobile suits of other generations.

Looking back

It’s been a long time since I’ve built a model kit from the Gundam Wing universe.

For the novice, Gundam Wing was the first Gundam series to be released in the United States by Bandai for the Cartoon Network’s “Toonami” block, the network’s slated broadcast for action cartoons. Wing’s debut kicked off the ‘American Gundam Boom’ of the late 1990’ before its unfortunate slump in the early 2000s. Gundam Wing’s flashy, cadre of individual mobile suits were successful with an audience whose previous experience with Japanese anime was tagged with the marketable “Collect ‘Em All” attitude seen in Poke’Mon and even Dragon Ball Z. Also, Wing helped to revive the Giant Robot genre in America set by classics such as Robotech and Voltron. Following up on Gundam Wing’s success, Bandai opened the merchandising flood gates with their assortment of model kits based on the television series bringing the “Gun-Pla” Gundam model kit hobby trend to the Western Hemisphere.

In the months going into years to follow, Bandai would later release other chapters of the Gundam Legacy such as Mobile Fighter G-Gundam and the original Mobile Suit Gundam. With the release of the original, Bandai followed up with its collection of side stories and sequels: O8th MS Team, Gundam 0080, Gundam 0083, Zeta, Char’s Counterattack, and Gundam F-91. In the more recent years, Bandai has continued to release Gundam to the masses with the releases of the current serial: Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny. Unfortunately, this rush for more recent material side lined the chances for other Gundam series such as Gundam ZZ (double Zeta), Turn-A, Gundam V, and Gundam X. However, even with this number of series made available to the American public, none have caught on where Gundam Wing was successful.

At the point of saturation, Gundam’s popularity began to falter, in some respects due to the content of releases following Wing were not as popular. The stories of the original series and its succession were directed for a more adult audience. Mobile Suit Gundam was a war story about heroes whose victories came with losses and moral dilemmas of why they pull the trigger, rather than showcasing the adventures of individuals in flashy mobile suits who always won with no damage (this difference could also be applied when comparing between Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Destiny). Added complications would come with the slated television release for series such as Gundam 0080 and Gundam 0083 whose subject matter and content came under scrutiny after the September 11th tragedy. How? Well, in 0080 Zeon soldiers successfully infiltrate of a space colony with the intent to destroy a Federation military base and in 0083, a Former Zeon militia not only infiltrate a Federation army test base but succeed in stealing a prototype Gundam mobile suit armed with a Nuclear warhead. Wait! It gets better: they use the same mobile suit and its nuke to destroy a Federation naval outpost hosting the Federation’s annual naval review. This action not only crippled the Federation’s Space Force, but allowed this same Zeon militia’s follow up plan of dropping a space colony onto Earth with minimal resistance. I think that could constitute a ‘whoa…’

On a much lighter side of the argument, the biggest difficulty in establishing Mobile Suit Gundam after Gundam Wing came from audience’s plain lack of interest in older, more simplistic animation as opposed by the sharper, more detailed and varied style. In addition, there was a generalized lack of understanding in the differences in time tables: everybody knew the ‘After Colony’ time table, but they were utterly clueless about the ‘Universal Century.’ If Gundam were taught as a general history course, many would be able to list out the time table of the Colonies’ Liberation from AC 180 to AC 196 than discussing the pivotal events from the One Year War of UC 0079. You know what they say: One man’s Operation Meteor is another man’s Operation British. I’ll leave you folks at home to check that one out.

Then there were the models: Wing’s starting five mobile suits followed by its upgraded assortment in both 1/144 and 1/100 scale (except for some, IE Tallgeese, Sandrock and Heavyarms) outnumbered Mobile Suit Gundam’s one Gundam and bevy of Zeon mobile suits, no matter how many Char’s variants there are or how many times the RX-78-2 has been remodeled. If not the more direct cause in the decline, Gundam’s death in America could also be applied to gouging costs for most of the model kits. I myself will never live down the fact that I took the domestic route and paid 80$ USD for a model kit that I would have paid 45$ USD if I imported online. In retrospect, I think another nail in Gundam’s domestic coffin was the fact that not many American kids were interested in building model kits as opposed to buying pre-assembled action figures. I suppose now that the “What is Your Level” ad campaign had enough problems before I showed up with my 1/144 Dendrobium.

In light of such a tragic rise and fall of an iconic series, there is a sort of reluctance for being a Gundam fan. There is no more competition between domestic or imported releases so the models are relatively cheaper again through some online dealers. Bandai’s made collection releases of some of the series to distribute again but in the narrower channels so not to flood the market like so many other anime franchises with a more open domestic market have. Also, there’s plenty of parking in the giant robot parking lots again, so I don’t have to cheat by borrowing my grandmother’s handicapped tag anymore.

With my long winded history of Gundam out of the way, let me begin the long winded introduction to my model kit review. Starting with Gundam Wing’s trademarked introduction:

In the year After Colony 195…

…Tensions rose between the space colonies and Earth, igniting into a full scale Civil War. The Earth took the upper hand with their advanced development of mechanized war machines called Mobile Suits. In retaliation, five mobile suits were developed in secret and sent to Earth by the Colony Liberation Organization to eliminate the Earth's stranglehold on the orbiting Space Colonies and defeat the military organization of OZ (Organization of Zodiac) in a coup dubbed “Operation Meteor.” These five, specialized mobile suits were constructed using a rare space metal with extreme resilience for combat called ‘Gundanium’ and were known as “The Gundams.”

The mobile suits were produced and sent by each of the five main Lagrange colonies.

L1: XXX-WG01W “Wing Gundam” piloted by Heero Yui
L2: XXX-WG01D “Gundam Deathscythe” piloted by Duo Maxwell
L3: XXX-WG-01H “Gundam Heavyarms” piloted by Trowa Barton
L4: XXX-WG01SR “Gundam Sandrock” piloted by Quatre Reberba Winner
L5: XXX-WG01S “Gundam Shenlong” piloted by Wu Fei Chang

After a long tour of battles, each of the Gundams where given upgrades or superior modifications. The Wing and Sandrock suffered from fatiguing battles and were self detonated in order to complete their missions. In the time to follow, both machines were resurrected: the Wing Gundam received no modifications and disappeared after a while whereas the Sandrock received an extra machine gun. The Heavyarms suffered relatively no damage to require upgrades however it was later outfitted with a modified double barreled Gatling unit to keep up with the increasing firepower of its enemies. The units Deathscythe and Shenlong on the other hand were both completely destroyed and replaced with follow up units: XXX-GW01D2 “Deathscythe Hell” and XXX-GW01S2 “Altron.”

As the machines made their way across the Earth and into Space, another Gundam was discovered in the L1 colony. The prototype for which the others were produced outfitted with a powerful battle computer unit called “Zero System” emerged from space ultimately retiring the Wing Gundam due to their extreme similarities and its superior power: the XXX-WG00W0 “Wing Gundam Zero.”

New Gundam Look, Same Gundam Taste

The layout of the Gundam history you just read was based on Gundam Wing’s story, but not in the history of its mechanical designs. Now before I keep going, let me explain something. According to Myth, there were a series of short comics that explained the evolution between the sharp aesthetic difference between the television series of Gundam Wing and its follow up OAV ending Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. The truth of the matter is that the designs between them are different was because there were two different lead designers: Kunio Ohkawara and Hajime Katoki.

Ohkawara was the original, the first man to design the Gundams dating back to the original Mobile Suit Gundam who designed the Wing machines for its television series. Katoki on the other hand was a rising star of the industry thanks to his more modern, realistic machines seen in the Gundam Sentinel novels and additional mechanical designs from series such as Gundam 0083 and his portfolio of artistic renders of past machines. During Wing, Katoki acted in an assistant designer’s position filling in some of OZ’s mobile suit ranks and also working on filling in his own “Gundam FIX” portfolio. With his career on the rise, Katoki was asked to design his interpretations of the Gundam Wing machines for an article in one of Japan’s leading model and art books. The ending results were sleek, sharper concepts to the already popular designs. Due to their popularity, Katoki was tagged to produce his own ‘Upgraded’ versions of the upgraded Gundams from Gundam Wing for its sequel Endless Waltz. Henceforth, the “Customs” where born.

Spread your Wings Zero

The Wing Gundam Zero Custom has been one of the most popular Gundam machines next to current fan favorites such as the Strike Freedom and super powered mobile suits of other generations. Its design was a sharp contrast in form and style to its alternately designed origin. It’s been so popular, that in model form it has received every model kit form Bandai has ever produced. At its release there were the standard grades: 1/144 (with a follow up limited clear injection/chrome version) and its 1/100 scale high grade (yet again followed by a chrome/clear limited version). As Wing crossed over seas, Bandai pulled out the stops and produced a Perfect Grade.

Unfortunately, the Perfect Grade wasn’t so perfect. Having built one I can honestly say why: construction was out of balance with the wings out weighing the body and the varying tension on the legs’ assembly making balance difficult, the electronics were hit or miss depending if the wires going to the front chest light didn’t get pinched under the cockpit assembly or arm sections, and finally how the armor plating didn’t stay in place very well. All in all, good form, bad follow through.

When Bandai opted to begin their “Version Ka” assortment of Master Grades, it was only a matter of time before this version of the Wing Zero would be realized in much better conditions.

Wing Version Ka to Wing Zero Custom

In all simplicity, the Wing Gundam Zero Master Grade model kit is a remold of a reinvention of another design with new parts and colors to make up the difference. The body is made almost entirely from the same runners used to produce the Wing Gundam Version Ka, but with the differences in color and in some minor assemblies such as the shoulder armor and the back unit where the wings attach. Another visible difference is in the colors: where the Version Ka used a yellow hinted white, the Wing Zero is solid. Also the Wing Zero is narrowed down on its color scheme to solid primaries: Blue, Red, White, with Gray for inner parts, and yellow in trim only. There are additional runners to make up for some of the Wing Zero’s more prominent features and the addition of a base stand (which would later be retooled for the Limited Editions of the Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice, and Destiny Gundam 1/100 scale models).

Construction

The Wing Zero’s assembly is relatively light without going too little or putting too much. In fact completed the model’s weight is surprising lighter than other kits of its size and level of assembly. The overall assembly is done remarkably in scale, although 1/100 scale, the machines from Wing are smaller in scale compared to other models to bear the Gundam name, including the short statured Gundam F-91.

The head is modeled in roughly 13 parts. The head itself is modeled in side split halves with the face consisting of the eyes, chin, and face plate built within and a ball socket polycap for the neck. The Wing Zero’s head fins are done in three parts on both sides of the head and finally there is the ‘V’ crest on the front of the head. The eyes are done with both the face’s eyes and also the forehead sensor eye. Unfortunately there was no physical way to incorporate the eye piece into the crest as it is designed as, so instead paint work is mandatory in that area. Overall construction is tight, although there are small parts such as the front tabs on the side fins which you might consider gluing so not to worry about losing them later on.

The torso construction combines some new elements with a few older ones too. The interior skeleton is built on the principle of a hinged midsection that then connects to a double ended ball joint which connects the waist and abdomen. The shoulder of course is built on a hinge so the arms can be swung forward at most 30 degrees and upwards to about 20. Within the construction, you also have the cockpit and neck swivel to assemble along with the base port for the back pack to connect to the body. The cockpit comes as a solid piece which sits dead center of the shoulder and upper body component and is also used as the base point for where the clear ‘Sensor globe’ fits on. The armoring of the Wing Zero’s torso is a multiple part affair due in part mostly to the past incarnation of these parts seen in the Wing Version Ka. In addition, the main armor of the torso is not recommended for removal. Thereby unfortunately, there is no refined door hatch like in other models of the Master Grade line. So opening the cockpit requires removing the cover piece over the sensor globe.

The Waist assembly is done in a combination of simplistic execution with some additional assembly. The waist is done in standard form, two halves split front and back with the polycap hinges set on the sides for the hips and the front and back blocks designed to hold in the main skirts. The skirts are an eleven part affair: roughly two parts each, with a shortcut by the rear two skirts being joined by a solid bar with two additional parts connected at the top. The reason for so many parts is due to the same reason with the torso. Although with fewer colors in its design, the Wing Zero still uses the same construction from Wing Version Ka.

One of the newest points of the Wing Zero that replaces parts from the Wing Version Ka is the backpack. While the Version Ka had only two wings to attach, the Version Zero has four wings. So for this, a new backpack was constructed, this time matching the Wing Zero’s design. Initial construction requires the construction of the ‘shoulder’ for which the wings’ extension arms can connect to. Although this kit makes many attempts to surpass the Perfect Grade, this area has more in common with the Wing Zero’s 1/100 scale High Grade. The construction differs by not requiring polycaps for the rear wing arms and the main back plate that covers the assembly and holds it in alignment. In addition to this extra assembly, Bandai also adapted this model be held by a base stand.

The arms are constructed in the more ergonomic structural interior for exterior design. This means that the inner assembly of the bicep is done so to shortcut costs but improve construction with the armor done as a sleeve. Construction is equally improved with the elbow being built into the bicep assembly and reinforced via polycaps. This is then joined into the forearm which is done in box plate construction so not parts are less cluttered but they hold themselves in place firmly. The Sensor blocks on the outside of the arms are done in the same “more pieces for one component” assembly from the Wing Version Ka, simplified for its design as the Wing Zero. The hands are done in Master Grade form 1.0. In which the middle, ring and pinky finger done in a solid piece with the index finger and thumb done separately. The main fingers are then fitted in the traditional hinge joint assembly with the thumb fitting to a ball joint groove with the hand halves joined by the back hand guard. Compared to previous MG 1.0 hands, the fingers are accented where they are bent at the joint and the overall construction is much tighter.

The shoulder armor assembly revolves around a sliding track which is then plated with the Wing Zero’s shoulder armor. This track assembly is used to fold the shoulder armor down in both the Wing Zero and Wing Version Ka for their ‘atmospheric’ modes. While the principle of the assembly remains the same, the Wing Zero uses a different front cover piece (which is designed into the Wing Version Ka, but is done with two separately colored pieces). The armor plating on the shoulders is done in front and back halves, with the top most section being a solid domed piece which attaches to the top of the completed assembly. When completed, the track assembly fits over the main shoulder peg connecting from the torso via a heavy grade ABS sleeve and reinforced by the shoulder from the arm. One of the biggest difficulties I’ve had with the shoulders is due in part to the track on which the armor rests. For the most part the armor simply rests on the track and floats freely against the arm so not to impede movement, but in some cases it just feels like the armor is too loose for its own good.

The Wing Zero’s legs use the more simplistic route of being joint assemblies from the thigh to the foot without any extra moving components short of the knee armor. When the Perfect Grade was first produced with the actuators combining the knee and thigh mimicking the quadriceps muscle, it had its flaws of flex range but when it was done again for other models in Master Grade form, they fixed those flaws. Unfortunately for the Wing Zero, this schematic was cut out all together and replaced with the more generic form: two halves combined over a knee block and a polycap ball socket for the hip. The knee assembly is remarkably minute but the construction is employed to the fullest, a flexed swing arm which then connects to the main knee armor and allows it to float freely from the leg. The main assembly for the lower leg is done in two halves with polycaps that are used for locking on the outer armor and a ball socket for the ankle. In standard form, the armor attaches in sections: the main front and back plates and side pieces in the upper region with the additional front ankle guard connecting via to a polycap hinge. There is also the ankle armor which attaches to a double ball stem piece similar to the one that joins the waist and torso, scaled to fit of course.

The feet are constructed in the modern fashion with a hinge assembly in the front section that bends the foot 90 degrees downward. Armor is in solid block and plate form here as to minimize construction. There is of course a polycap ball socket within the main ankle assembly to connect it to the leg.

The Wing Zero’s wings are by far the real shining difference between the multiple grades of construction and variations of this design. For the original, the Wing Zero’s wings were large vernier booms which opened for long distance and high speed flight. Also they were key elements in the Wing Zero’s “Neo-Bird Mode” in which it transformed into a form of fighter. With the complete redesign into its ‘Custom’ form, the Neo-Bird form was completely removed and the Wing Zero’s wings were now upgraded for a more symbolic look. According to design, the Wing Zero Custom’s wings are based in symbolism of the four winged angel (a Seraphim, the highest order of angel), so the follow up work gives the Wing Zero two large flight wings and two additional vernier binder wings.

First, we take a look at the Vernier binder wings. In the 1/100 scale, Bandai took the ‘optional’ route, making the wings hollow and adding a decorated plate to be set in place if builders decided to pose them in their open form. For the Perfect Grade, these wings were given an excellent action feature with the construction of catch springs and building the trigger within the Wings’ arm which runs into the backpack. By rotating the wing 90 degrees upward, the catch would release and the binders would open. For the Master Grade, Bandai took a less artistic route and made the vernier plate a basic component in the construction. Built from within, the vernier plate is built into the main hinge which connects the bottom housing and the overall wing assembly and helps to bind both sections together. By pulling on the lower cover, the binder opens like a fan and clicks to lock once it reaches its maximum level. Also unlike the PG, these wings can be opened even if they are not raised above a certain elevation.

In the original 1/100 scale, the larger wings were solid shell injection pieces, with the feather tips as solid strips held in place by polycaps. Although with simplified construction the wings couldn’t get out of the way or hold its place very well. For the Perfect Grade, the construction was fundamentally similar except for the addition of a “Wing Rib” which runs from where it connects to its swing arm down to the tip. The feathers were also different by being individually cut rubber strips with a metal strip running through it (think of a reinforced twist tie). In the end, the added weight made for a severe imbalance in the weight distribution. For the Master Grade, Bandai took the wings back to formula. With completely reinvented construction, the wings can now open into three paneled sections through joint, reactive sliding movement performed with the slightest of touch. The feather tips of the wings this time around are not plastic, but light grade rubber, which can easily flex and realign after long durations of being pressed against a surface. There are a total of seven feathers in all which are lined up in sequential order according to length. The wings are attached to the wings themselves via ball tipped hinge arms which fit into a groove cut on the sides of the main wing housing. The weight of the overall completed wing is remarkably light so this added amount of construction puts no imbalance on the overall build. Completed, the wings pose almost flawlessly, and can recreate some of the Wing Zero’s most defining poses, a feature missing completely from the Perfect Grade and the original 1/100 scale.

The Wing Gundam Zero comes with its common assortment of weapons and retains the value of said tools of destruction. First off, the easier of the set are the Wing Zero’s beam sabers. With absolutely no construction necessary, the Wing Zero’s sabers literally come off the runner and fit into the hands. For storage, the sabers rest in their docking grooves molded into the extension arms for the Binder Wings. The beams included for the sabers are clear green, which is a breath of relief considering the most of the Master Grade lineage is overpopulated with “Pink Sabers.” Also it is worth noting that these sabers are curved, almost like a Japanese sword instead of the linear almost European Fencing blades of the standard.

The next weapons included in the Wing Zero are its shoulder mounted vulcan guns. Unlike the common guns which are single barrels, the Wing Zero’s were four barreled gatling guns and fit into blocks on the shoulders. According to the Version Ohkawara, these blocks flipped around with the guns mounted underneath, but in the Version Katoki, these blocks were hinged covers with the guns mounted directly to them. Once open, the guns shift slightly forward and are visibile. For the MG version, Bandai uses a solid construction scheme which uses the guns themselves as the hinge point for the cover plate. Unfortunately, there are the design flaws that come from the Wing Zero’s more compact design. This includes that the hinge does not have as much range to open as one could hope, and that when fully open, the Wing Zero’s head can get in the way.

Also it is worth noting that the gatling barrels do not rotate.

Completing the Wing Zero’s arsenal is its famous double barreled buster rifle. Compared to traditional beam rifles which are designed for short, high output bursts, the Wing Zero’s Buster Rifle is designed for maximum output and maximum penetration. This is why when used it had the capacity to eliminate entire fleets of enemies and a space battle fortress with one shot. The Buster Rifles also had a tactical advantage compared to other rifles by being able to separate and become two distinctly powerful rifles as opposed to one massive gun.

For its MG treatment, Bandai used a complimentary method. This means it retains its simplistic, sleek look but uses smaller detail parts to complete construction that fits both design and form. Construction goes as though it were building two mirrored rifles, one for the left and one for the right. The main rifle body itself is constructed using two full body strips which make the left and right side of the single rifle. Building the rifles begin with a small hinged block which requires the double ended hinge part, fit between the block and its rear holding plate. This block has the ability to rotate to a combined 180 degrees to lock into the side of the rifle and down to hang freely. Included with the sub-assembled locking block are the gun’s triggers, a hinged locking tab and a detail point power cable. Lastly, there is the tip of the gun barrel and the weapon sight (a shortcut done in solid plastic that requires painting on the eye piece). The hinged tab is located in the back of the rifles and is used in combining both the completed rifles. The tabs are constructed facing back and facing forward as to lock together in grooves cut on the insides of either gun. The rotating block portion of the gun is also applied in combing the rifles and works as the main locking assembly.

When combined into its twin buster mode, the Wing Zero’s Buster Rifle can only be held in one hand due to the proximity of both triggers. So in order to be held, one of the triggers must be rotated out of the way (so it fits into the rear stock of its respective rifle). Unfortunately this is where one might find trouble. The combined weight of the rifle might not feel it, but it does put pressure on the MG version 1.0 hands of the kit. When posed upright, the hands tend to lose tension and the gun has a tendency to sag. However Bandai has concluded the construction of the rifles with a way to fix this. Seen at the absolute rear stock of the rifles are little protrusions that are designed to hook under the armor of the Wing Zero’s arms and chest plate (for copying its ‘final shot’ pose). This gives some extra reinforcement to the hands and redistributes the double buster rifle’s weight across a broader area.

As a last accessory Bandai included one of their all purpose display bases. In fact this was the first outing of the display base that would later be released in clear injection for the limited edition 1/100 scale Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice, and Destiny Gundams from the Gundam SEED Destiny line. The base is made up of a flat base followed by a half/half assembled holding block and the extended display arm. The display arm is designed with a groove cut through it and a locking tab at the same end so that the arm can be shifted forward and upward giving it two distinct display styles. For connecting it to the Wing Zero, one must remove a small ‘cut out block’ from the bottom of the Wing Zero’s backpack and connect it directly to the inner frame. This centralized area in the back was a connector for a low construction cost hinge originally designed in the Wing Version Ka to hold a swing arm that would flip/rotate the Wing’s backpack down for its Neo-Bird flight mode. Now that the Wing Zero lacks this feature, it makes for a perfect way to hold it up on display.

Overall

Every once in a while I would give Sazabi a new weapon, or make him battle it out with the other toys on my shelves. But for the most part, he gathered dust. A silent guardian of my workspace, he would watch as I toiled away in my life as a web designer.

As I cull through the box of debris from my old office, I keep finding new and interesting treasures. The box is your average office copier paper box, but the contents are an interesting look into my toy buying history.

This MSIA Sazabi had been on the shelf in my office for years. I think I bought it at KayBee back when Gundam was winding down. I have always been a sucker for the Sazabi design, and this toy is actually rather large and bulky. It’s loaded with accessories and decently poseable. What’s not to like?

Every once in a while I would give Sazabi a new weapon, or make him battle it out with the other toys on my shelves. But for the most part, he gathered dust. A silent guardian of my workspace, he would watch as I toiled away in my life as a web designer.

Now that he is no longer at work I don’t know what to do with him. Most of my Gundam has been put away or sold. He would look odd amongst all the chogokin.

Sazabi comes with a slew of accessories, including various swords, guns, and small bombs called Fin Fannels. The holders for these open up and the individual pods are removable.  He’s made out of a hard rubber, and can move in all the right places.

He is really a nice figure, but I have moved beyond Gundam.

Do you want this figure? Leave a comment below and I will randomly pick one CollectionDX member to receive it!