Hello Builders,
It's been a long time since I've been able to build anything, let alone post to my blog. I would definitely recommend checking out my affiliate's blog, http://gundariumsmith.blogspot.com/
He's been working on some cool stuff over there, and also talking about the recent series that have come out in the Gundam Universe.
My last build that you saw was my Nobel Berserker Mode, seen here.
After that, I built an SD Strike Noir that didn't make it to my blog, but here's a little peek.
So now that I was able to find a good chunk of time, and some motivation, I started on a Master Grade. My last Master Grade was the MG Exia seen here
Today, I add another SEED kit to my already congested collection of Gundam SEED Master Grades, (of which I have 3 now)
The Infinite Justice was Athrun Zala's fourth suit in the series. Prior to this he piloted the Aegis, Justice, and Savior. I love Athrun's suits because they are typically red, and are also very unique. I would love to have MG versions of all of them.
Gundam SEED was the series that actually got me back into the Gundam franchise back in the mid 2000s. After Gundam Wing, Toonami decided to air the original Mobile Suit Gundam, which did not really catch great ratings. For a number of reasons, Toonami had not aired any Gundam series until it was moved from its weekday evening time slot, to the Saturday night slot.
I watched some Gundam SEED, but it was also too late at night for me to always stay up and watch. I ended up renting all the DVDs on Netflix. In any case, I really liked it. The action and suit designs really drew me in as a preteen.
Then came Gundam SEED Destiny. This was a very controversial series, and actually fairly polarizing. For me, when I was watching it on DVD, I was a little annoyed at how the story followed very similarly the story line of its predecessor. It wasn't until later on that I began to realize and appreciate the statement "Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it" and also appreciate more of the ambiguity of good vs bad.
To finally get to this kit, I have to point out a few things.
1. My favorite suit from the series is the Freedom. Not the Strike Freedom, but the Freedom.
I really like the design of the Freedom as opposed to the Strike Freedom because of its simplicity, and lack of flair. The Strike Freedom is just too flashy for my tastes, and the gold is just over the top. At least with the Freedom, it wasn't too overpowered.
2. I liked the Infinite Justice more than the Justice. The Justice was just too bulky. Its wing pack was huge, and needed to be folded up a few times so it wouldn't take up too much space. It just looked cumbersome. The Infinite Justice was slimmed down, sleeker, and much sharper in comparison.
So I got this kit at a great price from a fellow Redditor who was trying to reduce his backlog. I probably wouldn't have picked this kit up at the price it was on Amazon or other stores, but for the price I paid, I was more than happy.
Now that I have this kit, I decided I would have to suck it up and get the Strike Freedom to complement him.
The Kira Athrun pair up is always the winner.
I guess the Freedom will have to wait for now.
Without further ado, on to the review!
Parts
This kit comes with 17 runners, and some extra pieces like the effect for the shield, and the wire for the grappling hook. It also comes with a small foil sticker sheet, a decal sticker sheet, and a dry transfer decal sheet.
Size Comparison
As you can see here, the Infinite Justice is just about the same height as the Sword Impulse with its anti ship swords on its back. However, by head height, the Infinite Justice is a bit taller because of that head piece. This kit is also just about as wide with its shoulders, but as you might know, it's even wider when you spread the wings of the Fatum.
Weapons and Manipulators
This kit comes with a variety of beam effect parts, and also weapons.
As you can see, it comes with 3 beam effects for the MR-Q15A Griffon Beam Blades, or Shin Sabers. These effect pieces connect from the knee to the tops of the feet.
It comes with 2 beam effects for the MA-M02S Preface Lacerta Beam Sabers which are the wings on the Fatum. Careful, these are fairly fragile, and I already had one almost split when I tried to take them out/put them in.
It comes with two beam sabers with effect pieces that can connect to form a Darth Maul type double beam saber.
It comes with the MX2002 Beam Carry Shield which emits the blue shield effect piece, has the RQM 55 Shining Edge beam boomerang connected to the side, which can be removed, and also emit the beam effect piece, and also has the EEQ8 Grapple Stinger which can be removed and connected to a wire for various poses.
It comes with one set of standard MG Trigger finger manipulators.
Articulation
This kit has good articulation
The legs can bend all the way up, and can bend fairly well, it is only stopped when that white piece on the calf meats the thigh. As you can see in the second picture, the back skirt can detach, and you can separate the inside part of the hip connector to spread the legs out. Aside from this, you can pop the skirt back in to hold those legs in position. This was a really nice gimmick, and allows for a sturdier pose when you want a wider stance.
The arms allow for almost a complete bend, and the shoulders can pop out from the chest for more mobility and movement. The back pack also can maneuver from sitting on the back to a deployed flight mode very easily. The head sits on a ball joint which also shifts in the chest section, so you can move the head forward and back as well.
Color and Quality
This kit has some great color separation. I was originally a little turned off from the Infinite Justice because I had the HG version, which came in a really gross pink color, and had very little color separation at all. It was just so bland. This MG is so vibrant, and the pieces come together and contrast so well. There are pieces of silver, gray, black, and green which all pop out from the full magenta color of the suit. The yellow on the Fatum, which is in its own maroon color really pop as well. There's even a little bit of light blue which comes out in the head.
Aside from the color of the kit, there are so many effect pieces which add to it as well. The clear blue effect piece for the shield, the beam effects which attach on the body and Fatum pack, they all enhance this kit so well. The HG version had light blue effect pieces which were really dull and bland.
This kit is very sturdy, but still has some weight issues. Fortunately, if you fiddle around with it enough, you can get it to stand upright with its wings folded. However, this kit truly shines when it is in the air. I really recommend getting an action base for it.
As with the more recent MGs, quality shouldn't really be an issue, unless its weight issues and weak joints. This kit only has slight weight issues which are easily alleviated. Along with this, you might have issues with a kit holding cumbersome or gigantic weapons. This kit has no problems holding its weapons. It doesn't really have any ridiculous weapons anyways, and the manipulators are pegged so they can just slot in and hold all the weapons easily.
The only problems I had was getting him to hold the shield up, it can take a little bit of work to get the peg slotted in, and keeping the shield plugged into the arm, and the beam sabers sitting on the hips. They pop out occasionally.
Pros and Cons
I'll tell you now, the cons have already been said, and there are very few.
This kit instantly became one of my favorites. It really shines and pops especially with the unique pink color. It doesn't suffer from as many weight issues as some other kits with large wings, nor does it have trouble holding weapons. Its a very sturdy build, not too hard, but still very satisfying to build. I really just loved building it, but even so...
I REALLY LOVED POSING IT. Damn this kit was just a wonder. It looks good standing there, with its colors, etc etc. Once you get it in the air, it becomes a whole different kit. The kinds of poses you can pull off are great, like this kicking pose, or any of the ones seen above, or whatever you want to try from the Anime or your imagination.
In part, this kit is so posable because of what Bandai included.
These pieces are all adapters for the Action Base #1. The first silver one is just for the Fatum. You can use this to show off the Fatum by itself, or have the Infinite Justice stand on top of it and surf.
The second silver piece is just for the Infinite Justice and connects in between the legs if you want to pose him like that.
However, the last piece was a gift from God himself.
This adapter connects to the Fatum as it is deployed on the back of the Infinite Justice. It completely alleviates any weight issues it may have by supporting the part that creates all the back heavy weight issues. By connecting it there, you can pull off cool aerial action shots, like kicks, or flying, or whatever. I just love this piece.
Verdict
This kit is awesome. I don't have much more to say except I do not regret getting this kit. If I knew how great it was, I would definitely buy it for how much it costs on Amazon. It's such a wonder to pose and build and admire. I just love it.
Thanks for coming on by and checking my kits out. Hope you enjoyed reading/looking!
Until next time!
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