Boobytrap Posted June 4, 2020 Posted June 4, 2020 I've built every PG except for the RX-78 and Zaku and I would agree with other assessments that the Strike (w/ Aile pack) is probably the best PG Bandai has made. It fell right into the sweet spot between Bandai's philosophy change in PG design. With the early PG's (other than W0C but we won't go there) they focused more on the inner frame details (pistons, gears, pipes, rivets, etc...). They look great with the armor removed and a little paint to highlight those details. I also really enjoyed the builds as there was a lot of complexity and novel approaches. The problem was that once you put the armor on they were soooo plain. No parts separation, no panel lines, no bumps, no recesses, just giant pieces of plastic. Articulation, while pretty good for its time, is only so-so compared to more modern models especially with the added weight and restrictions when the outer armor is added. With later PG's (starting with the 00) Bandai shifted its focus almost exclusively to the outside adding all of the things I mentioned above (including articulation) that were missing. The trade off was that they pretty much eliminated all of the great inner details and build complexity (other than maybe adding LED's) the previous PG's had. They are OK builds but I always got the feeling that I was building an oversized MG. Even though they might be more pretty and have some fun light features I have definitely had a much greater sense of satisfaction in completing an earlier PG vs a later PG. With the Strike they were in that transition period so you get the best of both worlds; great detail on the inside and outside with fantastic articulation. I also have a preference for the body proportions they used and think it is the best looking of any Strike in any scale. In regards to durability I have found them all to be pretty consistent. While all PG use friction joints they hold their positions and I have not noticed any decline in their tightness over the years (I paint all of mine so I'm sure this helps). The only exception would be those that have large heavy weapons, the 00 being the worst offender. Something to keep in mind should you get the Perfect Strike. The regular Strike has no issue supporting the sword/shield/gun it comes with in extreme poses for long periods of time but I'm not sure how well the Perfect Strike would do with its large cannon and sword. Hopefully the new bits they have done for this version will take that into account if necessary. Quote
David Hingtgen Posted June 6, 2020 Posted June 6, 2020 Good, modern MG's are better than most PG's. At this point, the only thing most PG's have going for them is raw size. Of course there's exceptions, but at this point---I would generally ignore "PG" vs "MG" for most kits, and simply go by "most recent release date". That will generally be the best version of it. Quote
David Hingtgen Posted June 7, 2020 Posted June 7, 2020 Ok, am I nuts, or is HiRM Wing Zero just a POS? I had it pre-ordered, got it day 1, started it, put it away for a LONG while, started again, stopped, and am starting again. It's mostly done now, except for the wings and lower torso. But it just keeps pissing me off. Every single piece is "iffy". *Nothing* really snaps/clicks into place. I'm gluing everything. But the plastic is either so rock-hard, or so rubbery, that even glue really doesn't want to keep it together--I'm SUPERgluing parts of it now. And even when glued, there's still gaps---are they INTENDING to have "gaps to simulate actual panel-gaps between armor plates" or is it just bad fit/design? If I didn't know better I'd think it was a KO. Plus, the rock-hard plastic, even under-gated, makes nub marks and slices guaranteed. (and the rubbery plastic is just terrible in every way). I'm seriously considering just throwing it away, unfinished, and moving on to like my next HG kit. (but it cost so much $...) Quote
Grey728 Posted June 7, 2020 Posted June 7, 2020 18 minutes ago, David Hingtgen said: Ok, am I nuts, or is HiRM Wing Zero just a POS? I had it pre-ordered, got it day 1, started it, put it away for a LONG while, started again, stopped, and am starting again. It's mostly done now, except for the wings and lower torso. But it just keeps pissing me off. Every single piece is "iffy". *Nothing* really snaps/clicks into place. I'm gluing everything. But the plastic is either so rock-hard, or so rubbery, that even glue really doesn't want to keep it together--I'm SUPERgluing parts of it now. And even when glued, there's still gaps---are they INTENDING to have "gaps to simulate actual panel-gaps between armor plates" or is it just bad fit/design? If I didn't know better I'd think it was a KO. Plus, the rock-hard plastic, even under-gated, makes nub marks and slices guaranteed. (and the rubbery plastic is just terrible in every way). I'm seriously considering just throwing it away, unfinished, and moving on to like my next HG kit. (but it cost so much $...) The HiRM Gundam Wing EW with angel wings was garbage like the Barbatos before it but I don't seem to have any issues with the Gundam Wing EW with the solid white/blue/red wings. I think Bandai finally got their act together on this and the Red Astray thereafter. Quote
David Hingtgen Posted June 7, 2020 Posted June 7, 2020 Mine is angel-wings. Though ironically I have yet to remove a single piece of "wing" from the sprues. But every single armor piece is just janky... And it's the first "Wing Zero twin buster rifle" I've ever had, that will separate if you look at it funny, with wiggly bits. Considering the two versions should share most "body" parts, how was the "proto" version changed to be better? I'll have to wait and see how the new MG is, before deciding between it, and the Super Nova (Moxin?) one, for my "best Wing Zero EW". Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted June 7, 2020 Posted June 7, 2020 I'm wondering as well. I have both versions of the HiRM Wing in my (copious) backlog. I could do a runner-by-runner check I suppose. Quote
badboy00z Posted June 7, 2020 Posted June 7, 2020 On 5/29/2020 at 3:08 AM, seti88 said: Yups...a ver KA....does that qualify as a 2.0? I would say so based on the Nu. The Ver. Ka is leaps beyond the original. Quote
badboy00z Posted June 7, 2020 Posted June 7, 2020 On 6/4/2020 at 4:40 AM, Graham said: Question for the hive mind. Although I've built a great many Gunpla over the years they have for the most part been MG, RG and a very small smattering of HG, as well as some older non-grade kits back in the early 90s. However, I have never built a Perfect Grade kit. Now I'm thinking about it. While I'm mostly a UC timeline fan there are unfortunately no UC-era PG kits that I really like (I'd love a PG V Gundam, V2 Gundam, RX-79G Ground Type, RX-93, XM1 Crossbone, but alas they don't exist). Existing PG UC-era kits such as the RX-79, MKII, Unicorn, GP-01/GP-01FB, Zeta are just not Mobile Suits designs that I'm attracted to. So the only PG Mobile Suits that I like enough to buy are non-UC era designs, with my favorites being the Exia or the Strike Gundam. So for those that have built the Exia or Strike PG kits, which is the better choice in terms of fun factor, frustration factor, details, gimmicks, long term durability, poseability, long term tightness of joints etc? If you're a fan of the RX-78-2, I would wait for the Perfect Grade Unleashed /2.0 that's coming out. Quote
Archer Posted June 7, 2020 Posted June 7, 2020 26 minutes ago, badboy00z said: If you're a fan of the RX-78-2, I would wait for the Perfect Grade Unleashed /2.0 that's coming out. Have we seen any images of this yet? Curious to see what they mean by "Unleashed" Quote
slide Posted June 8, 2020 Posted June 8, 2020 7 hours ago, Archer said: Have we seen any images of this yet? Curious to see what they mean by "Unleashed" Maybe they want us to "Unleash" our wallets... Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted June 8, 2020 Posted June 8, 2020 Supposedly it's incorporating aspects from the "Gunpla Evolution" project. More detail, better articulation, multi-color molded parts, easier assembly, etc... Quote
badboy00z Posted June 9, 2020 Posted June 9, 2020 On 6/7/2020 at 5:40 PM, Archer said: Have we seen any images of this yet? Curious to see what they mean by "Unleashed" Nothing more than a line art of the head so far. It's supposed to be a culmination of all the Gunpla Evolution Project "points" from other kits. Quote
lechuck Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 It seems Bandai's GunPla devision has got something up their sleeve for MG. https://www.taghobby.com/archives/457984 Quote
Darth Mingus Posted June 10, 2020 Posted June 10, 2020 4 hours ago, lechuck said: It seems Bandai's GunPla devision has got something up their sleeve for MG. https://www.taghobby.com/archives/457984 I guess we are getting another RX-78-2... Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 Looks like so far it's just a trademark registration, so who knows when or even if anything comes from this. Quote
chyll2 Posted June 11, 2020 Posted June 11, 2020 14 hours ago, Darth Mingus said: I guess we are getting another RX-78-2... Find assumption, it always start with RX-78-2 unless the line has a different vision. Quote
Darth Mingus Posted June 17, 2020 Posted June 17, 2020 Sigh... the A-to-Z project is getting out of hand: On the other hand, I am super excited for the Barbatos expansion pack. Now the debate is whether I need 6 MG Barbatos kits... Quote
VF-Zer0S Posted June 17, 2020 Posted June 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Darth Mingus said: Sigh... the A-to-Z project is getting out of hand: On the other hand, I am super excited for the Barbatos expansion pack. Now the debate is whether I need 6 MG Barbatos kits... Low key the F90 is so ridiculous that I love it lol Quote
anubis20 Posted June 19, 2020 Posted June 19, 2020 Woundwort complete! Next up will be MG Barbatos Quote
anubis20 Posted June 20, 2020 Posted June 20, 2020 6 hours ago, electric indigo said: Oh great, now I need a Woundwort... I didnt have any AoZ kits before this year, its all @no3Ljm ‘s fault Quote
electric indigo Posted June 23, 2020 Posted June 23, 2020 Testament Gundam coming as a P-Bandai release. Did anybody build the Dragon Momoko kit? Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted June 24, 2020 Posted June 24, 2020 Panel lining's a bit heavy for my tastes, should have gone with a grey shade. Quote
lechuck Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Unicorn Gundam is going to be the first entry for MGEX. Seems like they are adding LEDs to the kit. It is not clear to me if this is completely new or some retool of the existing model. At least there is mention of the proportions being fixed. Quote
Mommar Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 That's cool looking but I cant imagine how well the articulation is going to work with those led strips inside of it. Quote
tekering Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 28 minutes ago, lechuck said: Seems like they are adding LEDs to the kit. It is not clear to me if this is completely new or some retool of the existing model. Oh, I'm totally down for this. Internal LEDs would be perfect for the Unicorn, and I love the MG scale. Lemme check the link... ¥23,000? For a 1:100 Gunpla model kit requiring assembly, paint and decal application? Frak that noise, Bandai. Quote
anubis20 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 41 minutes ago, lechuck said: Unicorn Gundam is going to be the first entry for MGEX. Seems like they are adding LEDs to the kit. It is not clear to me if this is completely new or some retool of the existing model. At least there is mention of the proportions being fixed. Im hoping its a new kit because the old Ka sucked Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 2 hours ago, lechuck said: Unicorn Gundam is going to be the first entry for MGEX. Seems like they are adding LEDs to the kit. It is not clear to me if this is completely new or some retool of the existing model. At least there is mention of the proportions being fixed. Current thinking is that it's a completely new kit. The old frame wouldn't be able to fit LEDs, and the proportions have been changed. I'll be in for one, may as well add to my collection of unicorn and unicorn derivatives (6 HGs, 5 RGs, 2 MGs, 2PGs) Quote
seti88 Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 3 hours ago, tekering said: Oh, I'm totally down for this. Internal LEDs would be perfect for the Unicorn, and I love the MG scale. Lemme check the link... ¥23,000? For a 1:100 Gunpla model kit requiring assembly, paint and decal application? Frak that noise, Bandai. Wow that pricing for a MG??.....why not get the PG unicorn with LED set instead which is approximately similarly priced? What are you thinking bandai... Quote
PsYcHoDyNaMiX Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 (edited) 2 hours ago, seti88 said: Wow that pricing for a MG??.....why not get the PG unicorn with LED set instead which is approximately similarly priced? What are you thinking bandai... but but but.... there's leds in the shields!!! XD Prob a pass for me as I own too many unicorn variants: 1x MG Unicorn OVA 2x MG Gunpla Expo FA Unicorn 1x MG FA Unicorn 1x Special coating MG Banshee OVA 2x Pbandai MG Banshee Norn (orange frame) 2x MG Phenex (non NT) 1x (now was 2 lol) PG Unicorn 1x PG Banshee 2x PG Unicorn Final 2x PG Banshee Final 2x PG Phenex 3x Bandai LED Kits 1x MJH (3rd party) LED Kit And... sitll awaiting for my 2x RG Phenex from Nippon-Yasan -_-. EDIT: Oh and I forgot about the GFFMCs LOL... 2x Unicorn Green Awakened Ver, 1x Banshee OVA, 1x Banshee Norn Final... Edited July 1, 2020 by PsYcHoDyNaMiX Quote
badboy00z Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I have/ had plans to add LEDs to my Unicorn build but that might not happen anymore depending on how the MGEX will be. I for one am excited and happy about this reveal. Quote
Kelsain Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Yeah, I know the current MG leaves a lot to be desired, that’s way more than I wanna spend. The LEDs never look quite right to me anyway. Quote
Sanity is Optional Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 Just wait until the inevitable Phenex release, probably going to be north of $300. Quote
PsYcHoDyNaMiX Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 2 hours ago, Sanity is Optional said: Just wait until the inevitable Phenex release, probably going to be north of $300. LOL dont forget the perfectability gundam XD Quote
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