Hi folks :) Here's my last review for November, the MG Deathscythe by TT Hongli/Gao Gao... yes, the same model released a while ago by a bootleg company from Taiwan, Dragon Momoko :P Guess next year is Gundam W for the bootleg ;)
Manufacturer: TT Hongli/Gao Gao
Scale: 1/100
Grade: MG
Origin: Gundam W Endless Waltz 败者たちの栄光
Price: RM50 - RM70
Part 1: Runners
The runners are almost exactly like the original, and unlike the Dragon Momoko's version, this kit comes with both pilot figures ;)
The detailing are pretty nice on the parts, and the plastics looks fine too; a bit better than the usual TT Hongli/Gao Gao quality :)
Part 2: Decals
Since I have opened op a section to talked about decals for the Dragon Momoko version, I figure I'll do the same here ;)
As usual, TT Hongli gives dry-stickers and dry-transfers, similar to the original. Unlike the other brand, the quality of the dry-transfer is very good that can rival the original.
The dry-sticker is a bit thick and would leave a thick layer if used on colored surface such as chest and arms, but it is not obvious on white surface... Since most parts are white, these decals are pretty useful ;) Good thing is the upper body (shoulder, backpack) uses mostly dry-transfer instead so I would recommend to not use the dry-stickers on the chest but utilise the left-over dry-transfer instead.
Generally, TT Hongli win over Dragon Momoko by miles in this department for the time being.
Part 3: Skeleton Build
Well, my skeleton build is back ;)
The Legs
Pretty nice articulations for the hip and knee. Ankle is a bit ordinary tho :)
The Waist
Pretty straight-forward ;)
The Chest
The pull-out mechanism would allow the shoulder joints to be pulled out for more dynamic posing. The neck employed a dual-joints so the head could slightly tilt upward and downward ;)
The Arms
Great articulations for the arms :) This kit does not comes with hand with moveable fingers but instead with 4 sets of fixed fingers/fists for posing... I am fine with this but some of you would not like it :p
The Head
Very nice parts separation here ;)
Completed Skeleton
Very Nice ;)
Part 4: The Legs
The leg is a bit plain since there's not much detailing so to speak... articulations are nice and the outer armor does not get in the way while posing ;)
Just be careful when you are fixing the knee armor/blade... the pull-up mechanic inside the kneecap is very fragile and there's a very chance you'll break it (I did, twice)! There's no drastic impact breaking it, just that you would need to manually pull up the knee armor/blade when posing if the mechanics is broken :(
Part 5: Waist
Pretty nice. Parts separations are very well done. The skirt armors are highly moveable so the hindrance to posing is minimum ;)
Waist + Legs
Part 6: Chest
Once again I would say, parts separations are very nicely done (credit to Bandai). As you can see that the dry-stickers are too thick and leaves very obvious marking on the chest... just substitute with the left-over dry-transfer ;)
Chest + Waist + Legs
Part 7: Arms
The elbow articulations are slightly hindered by the external armor but not an issue :)
Part 8: Head
Parts separations are done nicely but since the parts are relatively small and thin, they are very fragile so handle with care, especially fixing the vent (yellow parts) at the side... try not to force it in as it might break the thin white parts.
Part 9: Backpack
Nothing much to mention... the backpack is very nicely designed and produced with good parts separation ;)
Part 10: Completed Deathscythe EW
Here's Deathscythe EW, version TT Hongli, for your viewing pleasure ;)
Part 11: More Posing
Chest + Waist + Legs
Double-shield... borrowed from Deathscythe EW from Dragon Momoko :P
Quick Review
Plastic quality
The detailing and plastics quality is a bit better than the usual TT Hongli/Gao Gao kit ;) Dragon Momoko still a little better in terms of detailing but this kit is not far behind.
Articulations
Articulations are near-excellent for the new XXXG-01 inner frame by Bandai!
- Head/Neck: Excellent!
- Shoulder: Fantastic! Very highly pose-able with the pull-out mechanism.
- Arm/Elbow: Excellent in skeleton form, still very good when external armor applied.
- Wrist: Normal+.
- Hand: Normal.
- Waist: Good.
- Skirt Armour: Good.
- Hip/Tight: Excellent!
- Knee: Excellent, but not much application of the good articulation due to the blade thingy sticking out from the knee :p
- Ankle: Normal+
Looks and Feels
Very decent and very very close (90%) to the original ;) Personally, I am aiming to complete my Gundam W series with TT Hongli but if you have the extra money, do support the original.
Stay tuned for my comparison of both bootleg Deathscythe EW ;)
Fin ;)
