Re: HG Aile Strike Gundam (1/144) Open Box Review

On Wed, 19 Nov 2003, Heavyarms wrote:

> ALMOST everything else is molded in the correct colors, but darn it, not
> everything.

   I think it's only fair to consider that the Strike has a fairly complex
color scheme.  The V-fin, for instance, is three different colors.  The body
of the Strike has the traditional Gundam colors, plus bits of gray stuck in
everywhere.

   But, then, it's always a good idea to paint the whole model anyway, if you
want it to look good.  The parts breakdown on the HG Strike makes modularized
painting pretty easy.  The main change I made to make it simpler was to cut
the gray inside parts of the legs into two halves, so I could remove them from
the white part after assembly.

> I'm a little disappointed in the small number of runners in this box,
> especially considering the price.  Heck, the HGUC Z'Gok came with at least
> three runners (I believe) and it was four dollars cheaper.

   Two important differences:
1: The Z'Gok isn't a Gundam, and therefore it's less popular.  (Sad but true.)
Therefore it's cheaper.
2: The Strike kit actually is more intricate than the Z'Gok kit.  The end
result is also a more fun model, since it has that swappable striker pack and
all that.  It has two weapons, a shield, and a giant, flashy thruster pack.
The Z'Gok has...  the Z'Gok.  Nothing else.

   I can't fathom what's so bad about the beam saber included with the kit.
The hand molded onto that beam saber hilt is nearly B-Club quality.  I could
paint that thing and put it on the model opposite a HD manipulator and be
perfectly happy with it.  That's a lot better than what the HGUC Gundam got
(Giant, hollow boxing-glove fist into which beam saber could be inserted)
Unfortunately the other hands in the kit don't measure up - but since we're
talking about a model kit here, I think parts that can be taken out of the
box, painted, and result in good, convincing model parts are a good thing.

   Your review really didn't seem to cover much other than color molding.
Since you can't look at a finished model and know if the kit was color-molded,
I think that's pretty much irrelevant, except in cases where it makes painting
easier.  How's the sculpt?  And can the robot kit strike some credible
humanoid poses?

   The sculpt is pretty good, but seems a bit soft/rounded-off in places. 
That's a bit unfortunate, the Strike is a design that looks nice when its
angles are well-defined.  The shoulder armors are just a bit too open and
hollow, exposing the undetailed interiors.  Likewise, the skirts are hollow
and the ankle area is somewhat vacuous, with snap-fit pegs and such visible on
the back sides of the ankle armors and such.  As for the Aile pack, due to
limited parts count and simple molding, it's somewhat crude in certain areas -
mostly the vents and thruster ports.  The forward-facing vents which sit on
top of the torso, for instance, were molded from the top, so there's sort of a
staircase effect going on.  But generally the kit gives you a lot to work
with.  Due to the gangly nature of the design and the vast expanse of extra
space provided in the ankle area, the kit can pull off some nice poses.
However, the cost there is that the ankle area has become one of the most
naturally ugly areas of the unmodified kit, with two exposed polycaps, and
simply too much empty space.

---GEC
Projects page: http://1-4-4.home.comcast.net/
"I am but the humble student, who seeks one day to snatch the scratchbuilt
 pebble from the master's fully articulated hand."