Hi folks :) This is the 3rd of Daban HGUC series... Sinanju, with sweet 1st batch premium ;)
Manufacturer: Daban
Scale: 1/144
Grade: HG
Origin: Gundam Unicorn UC0096
Price: RM55 excluding postage (Contact me at DuelMasterNG@yahoo.com for availability)
Due to the curvy surface, not much panel lining is done and I decided to use the foil stickers for the emblems instead of Gundam Marker ;)
Section 1: Runners
Detailing are as good as the original! I actually could not find any flaw with detailing but maybe I just have not build my Bandai Sinanju to compare :P I'll give this a 95%.
The plastics quality is pretty good, although they are a little glossier compare to the original ;)
Section 2: Foil Stickers
I decided to use the stickers with this kit since "stickering" should be one of the evaluation criteria for HGUC Sinanju :) As you can see, a hell lot of foil stickers for Sinanju, same as the original.
To my delight, the quality of the foil stickers are pretty good and accurate :)
Section 3: 1st Batch Premium
This is only gave out in the 1st batch of production. The manufacturer already announce that subsequent batch does not comes with these premium but will be available as separate items so for those who wants to own the premium, act fast ;)
Hyper Bazooka
The Hyper Bazooka used in the anime ;)
1/48 Sinanju Head Action Stand
The 1/48 scale Sinanju Head display that double-up as an action stand ;) The original was selling for not less than RM40 so this is a fantastic value for money!
Section 4: Legs
Good detailing, and there is no snap-fitting issue ;)
Articulations are not fantastic as you could see that it is using ball-joint at the hip/tight and can only do about 90 degree at the knee.
The stickers are pretty accurate but I missed the center position of the knee... no biggy, can just use the excessive gold stickers to cover up :P
Section 5: Waist Unit
A nicely done section that snap-fitted perfectly ;) I just love the parts separation here :) Is it me or this looks like an ogre face?
Section 6: Chest Unit
As you can see, nicely done too ;) Just don't complain about the difficulty putting up all those stickers :P
Section 7: Arms & Shoulders
Sinanju's left and right arms & shoulders are identical... until you fix up the hands, they can be either left or right ;)
No snap-fitting issue here, but same as the other 2 kits released earlier, the wrist polycaps are a bit tight so you might need to apply a little more force when pushing in the hands... The entire wrist peg should go into the polycap and not half dangling ;)
Coming to articulations, the usual HG articulations applies.
Section 8: Head Unit
No issue with the head ;) I just cut away the flag-like thingy at the antenna.
Section 9: Backpack Unit
This is one signature of Sinanju ;) Snap-fitting nicely.
Section 10: Sinanju, Ready to Deploy ;)
Well done, Daban ;)
Section 11: Size Comparison
Comparing with HGUC Geara Zulu ;)
Section 12: Weaponry
Shield
Nice shield. The foil stickers are pretty accurate too ;)
Beam Rifle
My beam rifle is a bit bended to the left...
Beam Axes
Can be joint or used separately, fully furnished with beam effects ;)
Beam Sabers
Standard issue :P
Are we missing anything here?
Hyper Bazooka
In Bazooka Mode - this looks pretty nice. Just the back portion is a bit loose and the ammo fell off quite often... I overcome this issue with some blu-tag inside the chamber ;)
In short mode - In this mode, the bazooka can be attached on the beam rifle or the shield (in place of the grenade launcher).
In the separate Bazooka instruction booklet, it is explained that I should replace the sensors on the rifle with that used for the bazooka but I still unable to find the right way to do that... hence, I am using the rifle sensors instead :P
Section 13: 1/48 Sinanju Head Action Stand
The 1/48 Sinanju head actually having quite good parts separations :)
The only disappointment here is the entire head and action stand are molded in same red color as per the original product... how I wish Daban would put in a little extra effort to mold separate chest, neck and collar parts into the right color ;)
Section 14: Action Pose
Action pose with the Hyper Bazooka Rifle using the 1/48 Sinanju Head Action Stand ;)
Quick Review
Plastic Quality and Detailing
Detailing are as good as the original! I actually could not find any flaw with detailing but maybe I just have not build my Bandai Sinanju to compare :P I'll give this a 95%.
The plastics quality is pretty good, although they are a little glossier compare to the original ;)
Articulations
Articulations are good, but nowhere near fantastic...
- Head/Neck: Good.
- Shoulder: Very good, with pull-out mechanism ;)
- Arm/Elbow: Normal, @ 90 degree bending.
- Wrist: Normal, with ordinary wrist movement.
- Hand: Normal, with HG fixed hands.
- Waist: Bad... the cannula (energy pipe) actually preventing large movement.
- Skirt Armour: Good, if no modification, but I recommend separating the front and back skirts so that they can move individually ;)
- Hip/Tight: Normal, with ball-joints.
- Knee: Normal.
- Ankle: Good.
Looks and Feels
The detailing are nicely done with almost no lost of any detailing. As you can see from the pictures, this is as good as the original :)
With the 1st batch premium (Hyper Bazooka & 1/48 Sinanju Head Action Stand), this is certainly a MUST GET! Do take note that the premium only comes with the 1st batch of 3,000 units and not much making they way to Malaysia so do act fast or be prepared to spend extra dollar on the extras :P
For the kit itself, it is a very viable replacement for the original and a good option for kit-bashing. However, if you can afford, do buy original (I do have a few units of original 1/48 Sinanju Head Action Stand if you are ori-gang) ;)
Fin :)
