Review: MG Unicorn Gundam w/MS Cage

 Hello Builders, 

Today I have for you a quick review of the MG Unicorn Gundam w/MS Cage that I actually completed about a month ago. I had been pretty busy with work and haven't had time to really update this blog. 

In any case, here is the MG Unicorn that I got off of eBay awhile back. It was really hard to find this kit for a good price, but I really wanted that MS Cage it came with.

Parts

Let's just say there's a lot... The box for this kit was huge.

There were a ton of extra runners, as you can imagine this kit is pretty big, and it has extra effect runners for all the psycho frame, and then even more additional runners for the MS Cage.

This kit will leave you with a mountain of runners...

Size Comparison

Here you can see the Unicorn on top of my shelf alongside some other Master Grade kits. The Wing Zero Custom doesn't even compare in size, even when it is on its base. Keep in mind that the Wing suits were fairly short compared to other Gundams. The Sword Impulse, which is a fairly tall kit, is also much shorter than the Unicorn in its destroy mode. 

Weapons and Manipulators

This kit comes with a Bazooka, a beam magnum, a shield, and four beam saber hilts, with two beam effect pieces. The beam sabers can either be deployed from the backpack and held in the hands, or come out of the arms. The kit also has extra ammo magazines that you can "reload" into the beam magnum. It is fairly loose so it can be a hassle to keep it in place. 

Articulation

I actually came into some issues with the elbow joint. As you can see, when the armor is shifted outwards in destroy mode, there doesn't seem to be too much of a problem with the armor getting in the way of the elbow bending.

However, once you put the armor back into place, for unicorn mode, the armor gets in the way and actually rubs and bumps into each other, making it difficult to bend. 

Interestingly, the hip joint separates from the... dare I say, crotch area? This was interesting as it gives more of a foundation for the kit to stand stably. 

Color and Quality

This kit is mostly white, however a nice touch was the blue parts that are included. Both the armor and the blue armor pieces are a little bit glossy, which gives you a little bit of a change from the standard flat colors. I really enjoyed this.

The kit looks really nice both in Unicorn mode and Destroy mode, and the psycho frame really pops out. If you know the Unicorn, then you already knew this. However, one part I was disappointed with was that they used gold stickers for the split horn. I wish they could have included two tones for that. 

I am also not a fan of the beam sabers, as they are clear light blue, and actually hard to see. 

One thing though, is you will struggle to transform this kit. I had heard from many builders and reviewers alike that the MG Unicorn in all of its iterations, is a pain to transform, which is why I waited so long to get a kit of a suit that I really loved. However, I really wanted to at least try it out myself. To be honest, they were right. I transformed it twice, and now I leave it in Destroy mode. 

Pros and Cons

The kit is beautiful, I must say. With its simplicity in Unicorn mode, and its extravagant clear red parts popping out around the kit in Destroy mode, this kit really stands out. It stands tall, and also can stand on its own without an action base. It has just enough weapons, that you can interchange for various poses, not to mention it comes with an MS Cage. 

However, this kit suffers in some areas. The elbows, as noted before, can be a pain to bend on the joint, as the armor gets in the way, and sometimes even forces the peg to come loose. The shield, with its one point connection and also transformation gimmick, can be kinda flimsy. The rifle is also flimsy with nothing really holding the magazine in it besides friction. The transformation is a hassle, and it also comes with almost identical extra parts that are slightly smaller. Make sure you pay attention and use the right parts...

Verdict

This kit is a long build. I remember struggling with the HG Unicorn Destroy mode because I had to pop on multiple psycho frame parts into the armor, and this kit is the same, but even more so you have to build in the transformation gimmicks. It suffers in some areas with flimsiness, but overall the kit is a beaut. If you love the Unicorn Gundam I would say get one of the higher end models, and don't just settle for the High Grade. Maybe a Perfect Grade if you have the money! To my knowledge, this kit is a tad older, and also discontinued. I would probably say don't jump on it for the hefty price tag, except for one thing...

BONUS: MS CAGE

 So this kit comes with its own gigantic MS Cage with movable parts, and a few mini figures of Banagher, Mineva, Cardeas, and Marida. The MS Cage acts as a weapon storage, and also an action base if you want to pose the Unicorn on the stand, for maintenance, or breaking free a la episode 1. 

The MS Cage is a great build, and its almost like another kit included in the package. You can get some great poses and play opportunity using this cage, however you do need an additional Action base 1 to turn the cage into a base. 

I love the cage, and it actually makes the kit a bit more worth it. As rrobbert184 said, its like including something worth about 20 dollars with a 50 dollar kit, so at about $70, its about right. 

Just a heads up, I actually have another kit that I finished recently, and will be posting a review soon!

TRY BURNING GUNDAM!

                     

Review: HGBF 1/144 Wing Gundam Zero Honoo

Hello Builders,

I'm very excited to bring this next review to you all, because I am gushing at just how cool it looks, and how crazy it is! Today I have the Wing Gundam Zero Honoo from the Gundam Build Fighters Honoo Photo Novel. I know absolutely nothing about this Mobile Suit, nor the photo novel. All I know is that this kit is based off of the Wing Zero (duh) and looks like its freaking ON FIRE!

I literally only picked this kit up because of how cool it looked, and damn did Bandai get it right.

To make this obscure suit into a kit was the right choice, as I'm sure plenty of fans picked it up without even reading the photo novel, just because of how cool it is. And if you are a fan of the photo novel, and had to have this kit because you knew of it before, then even more so, Bandai got us. 

Without further ado, lets just get to the review!

Parts

This kit comes with 10 total runners. Oddly enough, it does not have an A plate, but starts with the B plate, does not have a C plate, the E plate is that tiny green clear piece, F1 and F2 are the white pieces, G1 and G2 are the red pieces, H is the orange effect pieces, an I plate, and then the poly caps and the beam sabers. 

Size Comparison

I put the Honoo up against the Fenice, as they are both variations of Wing kits. Both are fairly short, and roughly the same height. As we know, After Colony mobile suits are fairly short compared to other universes. 

Weapons and Manipulators?

This kit only has its two hands, so I did not include them. The hands hold all the weapons. 

Weapons include the shield, a beam saber with two effect pieces (but the manual only tells you to keep one) two buster rifles, and the two wing swords. 

Articulation

This kit actually suffers a bit in articulation. As you can see, the elbow and knee joints don't give you much range of motion. Also, as you move things around, the shoulder armor bumps into the wings, and the shield also gets in the way of the shoulder armor. 

The feet also get caught at the ankles where the armor hangs over, and can be a pain to fiddle around with. 

It also has really good range of motion for the head, as you will see later on in the poses!

The shoulder armor does, however, come forward a good amount.

The wings deserve a little bit of talking about because of its range of motion. You can bring the wings to the sides so they're more of wing binders.

Or you can fold them up behind

Or spread them out

Color and Quality

As you can see, this kit is mostly red, orange, and white with some areas sticking out with green seals. I have to say, the areas that are accented with effect pieces looks just great. The knees, shield, head, shoulders, wings, rifles, and chest all have clear orange pieces that add a lot to its color separation, and they pop out over the red. 

The white on this kit can be very bland without panel lining. The area that suffers the most from this is the legs. The solid white can be a turn off, though the orange on the knees really helps. 

It is a little bit of a pain to have all those tiny green slivers that you need to insert in various areas to give it some accents, but otherwise, the color separation is very good for the upper body.

Pros and Cons

 This kit is amazing to pose. The variety of wing movements you can do really give it a great aerial effect. You'll definitely want to put him on an action base to bring out the aerial poses to full effect. This kit also has a good amount of weapons. You'll have a wide range of play options with the weapons included, and those flaming wing swords are unique to this kit. 

This kit does have some weight issues, and takes awhile to stand it up correctly to balance. Again, I believe an action base is essential, as the wings are very heavy, and since this kit transforms, the legs can be finicky. The feet are also kinda weird, as they look kind of like high heels. 

But besides that, this kit just looks crazy cool, and the poses you can get it in look great. The range of colors on this kit is great, and offers plenty of panel lining opportunities. 

Verdict

This kit really is a must have if you like the Wing Gundam. It is a unique add to your collection, and really stands out among the other kits you have. With the addition of those clear effect parts, it really pops out, and can take center stage on your display. Make sure you put some effort in its poses, because it can, and will look amazing when you get it just right. 

BONUS: FLAME SWORDS

You didn't think I'd leave without showing you those badass flame swords did you??

BONUS BONUS!?!?!?!: TRANSFORMATION

Guess what? I love this kit even more because it TRANSFORMS INTO BIRD MODE! FLAMING TRANSFORMATION BIRD MODE!!!!

Well, that's all for now!

Until next time

Snowy Day Review: MG GAT-X303 Aegis

 Hey Builders!

I'm here again with another review of a kit I recently built. I spent a good amount of time building this while I was off of work with the ridiculous snowstorm in the Northeast. Thanks Juno!

Today I have for you, the Master Grade Aegis Gundam from the Gundam SEED series. Gundam SEED was really what got me back into the Gundam franchise back in the mid 2000s, when I was but a teenager renting Netflix DVDs. I watched the series in its entirety and was captivated by the mobile suit designs. I played the video games, and bought the MSIA action figures too. 

As you might already know, I love transforming suits. The GAT-X303 Aegis is a transforming mobile suit, but it is unorthodox in design. The odd transformation gimmick in this suit provides for some interesting issues and also positives for this kit that we will talk about shortly. 

Parts

As per most of my MG reviews, we won't go into the specifics in the parts, however there are runners A-J with the A runner being multi-colored, with some transparent parts. There is one B runner molded in a light red, 2 C runners which make up most of the armor pieces, a D runner with pieces for the manipulators (which I also believe contains parts from the Strike, so I'll hold on to it for now). There are 2 E runners which contain dark blue pieces for the waist skirt and the feet/arm, an F runner which holds pieces for the beam rifle, a G runner which contains frame pieces for the waist, 2 H runners which contain inner frame pieces for the arms and legs, 2 I runners for the beam sabers, and 2 J runners for the waist binder armor. Finally there is a polycap runner. 

Size Comparison

The Aegis is a moderately tall mobile suit, which stands at 18.86 meters. Compare this to the Sword Impulse which stands at 19.37 meters, and the Astray Red Frame Kai which stands at 18.00

However, with the protruding shoulder armor, and the waist binders, the Aegis seems much bulkier of a kit than the other two. Standing straight up, it would be right in the middle of the Impulse and the Astray in head height. 

Weapons and Manipulators

This kit comes with some interesting manipulators for a Master Grade. It basically gives you parts to build the palm with the separate movable thumb. This palm has a slot that you can interchange finger parts for various play options. It has 2 trigger fingers specially designed to hold its beam rifle, where the tab under the fingers slots into the rifle's handle. It has 2 holding hands, which can hold the shield. It also has 2 open hands just for posing. This kit does not come with the typical Master Grade manipulator with the movable trigger finger and thumb. 

This kit comes with 1 anti-beam shield, 4 beam saber effect pieces which can attach to the arms and feet, and a high energy beam rifle.

Articulation

Because of the transformation gimmick, this kit actually can bend and articulate its limbs in some ridiculous ways. I'm pretty sure if you moved it around enough, you can get a full split. Be careful however. With the myriad of moving parts, you can easily break, or unhinge some sections. 

As you can see, with a little bit of fiddling around, you can get good bends on the arms and legs. However, you have to move the binders and the front skirts out of the way of the legs. 

Color and Quality

This kit is a beaut. Unfortunately, the color it comes molded in leaves a little to be desired. Its a lighter red than I would have liked, as I really grew to love the deeper red from the anime. Besides that, the color separation is pretty good. There are parts where the grey and dark blue pop out from the red. The white blades and sharp edges really add to it as well. The kit only requires 5 metallic blue seals for the head camera lenses, and the beam rifle, and 1 seal for the eyes. The dry transfers are a must, as the kit tends to look very bland without any decals... 

To talk about the quality, I want to address some aspects of the transformation gimmick that takes away from this kit. The main torso is actually separated into many moving sections. As you can see, the chest is actually comprised of an elongated arm section that pops into a mechanism that is very similar to a waist section. The head and collar section, which has to move out of the way to transform, is only held down by the front chest section, which hooks into it. As you can see, the cockpit section also refuses to stay down. 

Also with the many moving parts, the ankles are actually two ball joints plugged into each other. This causes some issues with weak ankle joints. The folding mechanism in the feet is also fragile. I almost snapped it while putting it together. The front skirt actually separates and folds down so you can transform it. This part pops off from the waist mechanism all the time. 

 Pros and Cons

 You've heard it before and I'll say it again. I love unique kits. More so, I love kits that have been a part of my Gundam history. Not only is this one of my favorite nemesis kits, but its in my favorite color, red! I've heard some bad things about this kit, but most of it is fairly sturdy. The sharp edges, combine with the color and unique design really makes me love this kit. I love the weapons it comes with, and also the fact that it has 4 beam sabers which protrude from its limbs for flailing close combat goodness. 

    

 However, it suffers from some issues, especially with the design of the transformation. I've heard there were a lot of moving parts which creates problems for how sturdy the kit is, and just some nuisances of parts popping off and what not. These are true, but in general, they're not as bad as I originally thought. The biggest issue I have is that with so many moving parts, you risk breaking some fragile areas, and also risk popping off some parts when you extend them past a certain point. Areas that suffer from this are the shoulder armor, the waist, and the knee armor. 

Transformation

I decided to give the transformation a shot, just to show you all what it looks like. Its pretty interesting, if you remember the anime. It becomes sort of this claw machine which has an energy cannon in the center. Honestly, this must be a pain to pilot, with the spinning, grabbing, and transforming. In general, the transformation was a pain and I probably won't be doing it again... unless its to recreate an iconic scene from a certain battle in the anime. For a mobile suit with a namesake of a shield, this looks more like a spear... interesting...

Verdict

This kit is a pretty whopping $50+ from Amazon. However, I got this as a Christmas gift from my sister. I really really really like its design, however, I would rather it hold the price tag of the other GAT-X series of nemesis mobile suits, and the Aile Strike which tops off at around $45. 

Its build was very complex and unique. Compared to your typical Master Grade, this guy will give you a new perspective on the build. I haven't built any kits like it, and where there is usually some sense of familiarity in sections of Master Grades, be it the torso, the arms or legs, or the shoulders, this kit had none of it. Even the head had a unique build, all because this kit transforms. Should you get it? I would say yes. This kit looks great, and the build is so different. If you really enjoy the process of building, this will give you a unique build, with none other really like it. 

Future Projects

So with my birthday and Christmas, I actually obtained the final two kits of Athrun Zala's mobile suits. Truth be told, I always liked Athrun more than Kira. Now I have the MG Infinte Justice, MG Aegis, and HG Saviour all built. I have the RG Justice in my backlog, and once I finish it, I will have my Athrun Zala collection.

The other thing I really wanted to do, was have the opposing rivals. Thankfully I had the MG Aile Strike in my backlog from before. I will probably build this guy next. I was going to today, but I ended up not having any time to even start. 

Until next time!