NG MBF-P01 Astray Gold Frame (Bandai)

I did this on 709... the day where BERSIH took place, therefore I nick-named this kit Gundam Bersih too ;)

Manufacturer: Bandai
Scale: 1/100
Grade: NG
Origin: Gundam SEED Astray
Price: 4000 Yen


Part 1: Weaponry

Just though of reducing the quantity of runners so I started with Weaponry first :p There's a beam rifle, a shield, and a Bazooka similar to the one used by Duel Gundam.

I did some panel lining with gold colour ;)




Part 2: Legs

The knee and ankle articulations are pretty decent. There are quite a number of nub marks on the gold-coloured parts but none of them would be visible after assembling ;)

For the visible locations, the nub marks are actually beneath the parts so you won't be scratching off the chrome colour while cleaning them ;)

Pretty nicely done for the chrome parts.




Part 3: Torso

Nothing much to mention about the torso ;p




Torso + Legs ;)





Part 4: Upper Body

Parts separation is nicely done, and the nub marks on the gold parts are not visible at all... nicely done!




Part 5: Arms & Shoulders

I must say, the shoulder mechanism employed by Gundam Astray (i.e. Gold Frame, Blue Frame, Red Frame) are pretty fantastic in the articulation... it permits a lot of movement, only to be limited by the oversized shoulder armour or backpack ;)

The elbow and wrist articulations also pretty nicely done too. The only visible nub mark for the gold parts are the inner side of the wrist but can be easily made away with my Artline 990 Gold marker ;)

For any Astray Gundam, the small piece at the back of the upper arm would drop off pretty often... this could be resolved by modelling glue, blutag, or small piece of double-sided tape.




Part 6: The Head

Pretty nice :)




Part 7: The Astray Gold Frame

The Gundam with only the basic backpack :)






Part 8: Posing with Beam Rifle, Bazooka & Shield ;)

With beam rifle, bazooka and shield ;) As you can see, I panel-lined some of the black parts with gold colour, and the outcome is pretty nice.












Part 9: Posing with Astray Blue Frame :D




Quick Review

Plastic quality

It's a Bandai, so obviously the plastic is pretty nice ;)


Colour, especially the Gold

The part gates are nicely done and Bandai is making this kit with the chrome gold colour in mind, unlike some extra or metallic or titanium finish version of some kits... some of the gates/runner connectors are actually beneath the parts, allowing the touching up of the nub marks without causing damage to the gold surface ;)


Articulations

• Head/Neck: Usual ball-joint.
  
• Shoulder: Fantastic! Very highly pose-able.
  
• Arm/Elbow: Very good.
• Wrist: Very good.
• Hand: Fingers are non-moveable.
  
• Waist: Normal, can turn left and right.
• Skirt Armour: No skirt armour :p
  
• Hip/Tight: Pretty good... just a bit limited for side-way movement.
  
• Knee: Very good.
• Ankle: Normal+.

Pose-ability

Pretty pose-able for an NG ;) It would be even more pose-able if you cut off a little bit at the top of the tight.


Looks and Feels

This is a pretty plain Gundam, but the touch of gold makes it look very nice, and I love it! I have no regret buying this but a warning for those who intend to get this... you'll poison yourself to get the Gold Frame Amatsu and the rest of the Astray Gundam if you are doing so ;)


Fin ;)

NG ZGMF-X56S/a Force Impulse + Sword Silhouette Extra Finish (TT Hongli)

Hi folks ;) this round I would do a quick review of the TT Hongli Force Impulse + Sword Silhouette Extra Finish.

Manufacturer: TT Hongli
Scale: 1/100
Grade: NG
Origin: Gundam SEED Destiny
Price: RM50 - RM70


Part 1: Core Splendor

A tiny little Core Splendor ;) This piece of thing can transform to form the core block which would be shown somewhere below.





Part 2: Force Flyer / Silhouette

Well, as the name indicated, this is a Force Impulse so we can't go without the Force Flyer/Silhouette I supposed ;)

The flyer parts are pretty simple in the parts separations, so you would need a bit of colouring to make it nicer.

The Force Silhouette is also pretty simple... I'm not sure about the Bandai version but the TT Hongli version is a bit tight for snap-fitting so you might need to do a little bit extra the enlarge the hole. The thruster parts also pops off pretty often so some modelling glue would be needed.





Part 3: Sword Flyer / Silhouette

As an addition, this kit comes with the Sword Silhouette too, and combined with the previous flyer, you've got your Sword Flyer.

Same flaw as the the Force Silhouette, the TT Hongli version is a bit tight for snap-fitting so you might need to do a little bit extra the enlarge the hole, and the thruster parts also pops off pretty often so some modelling glue would be needed.






Part 4: Legs

The legs are the usual NG legs, connected to the hip by ball joint which only provides moderate side movement. The knee and ankle articulations are not bad.





Part 5: Torso

Nothing much to mention about the torso, except the separation is pretty nicely done ;p





Part 6: Upper Body

Pretty simple, but the shoulder do have pull-out mechanism for pose-ability and transformation :)




Part 7: Arms & Shoulders

Nothing much to mention about the arms and shoulders... only moderate elbow articulation (about 90 degree bend only).




Part 8: Forming the Impulse ;)

Lower Body ;)





Core Splendor, Unite!





Plus the Upper Body ;)





And the Head ;)





The Complete Impulse Gundam, without the Silhouette System ;)









Part 9: Force Impulse

With beam rifle and shield ;) Pose-ability not bad huh.










Part 10: Sword Impulse

Off course, with the twin swords :)











Part 11: Force Impulse with the Sword Silhouette :D

This, is what this kit is all about ;)











Part 12: Size Comparison :D

Some size comparison with HGUC RX-78-2 and HGUC Psycho Gundam ;)




Quick Review

Plastic quality

So so, but it is acceptable for the price I am paying ;)


Colour

The extra finish colour is pretty nice, but some of the parts are unevenly coloured especially the silver colour. The good thing is that the silver is very close to Tamiya Chrome silver so can always touch-up with that ;)

The nub marks is very annoying for any Extra Finish kit, even for Bandai own production... I'm sure you would know what I'm gonna say so I'll skip that :p (for those who is wondering, you could post a comment and I'll answer there ;p)


Articulations

• Head/Neck: Usual ball-joint.
  
• Shoulder: Normal+.
  
• Arm/Elbow: Normal-... only 90 degree bending is possible.
• Wrist: Normal.
• Hand: Normal.
  
• Waist: Normal, can turn left and right. You have to trim some excessive plastic at the back of the torso for better articulation here.
  
• Skirt Armour: Usual ;)
  
• Hip/Tight: Pretty good... just a bit limited for side-way movement due to the ball-joint.
  
• Knee: Good.
• Ankle: Normal.

Looks and Feels

Not bad if you are into Extra Finish thingy and could not get your hand on a Bandai original either for its availability or price factor ;) I am taking this for the fun since I do not have an Impulse yet and turns out this kit does worth the money I spent for a bootleg ;)

For those who a sick of the nub marks issue, you would not want to get this :p


Fin ;)