Official Gundam Seed Destiny Thread

[Anubis]

    DESTINY spoilers

Spoilers for upcoming episodes from TV Magazine:

Orb Escape Epic Battle! 1

Dagger L

"Equipped with the Jet Striker, they attack from the skies."

Windam

"The Earth Alliance's newest mass-production model MS. Excelling in mobility, it nimbly swoops down."

Blaze Zaku Warrior

"Equipped with the high-mobility Blaze Wizard, it confronts the enemy!"

Leg Flyer

"To provide backing for the damaged Impulse, the Leg Flyer is sent out from the Minerva."

Also shown: Blaze Zaku Phantom, Minerva

Orb Escape Epic Battle! 2

"The neutral Orb having become partners with the Earth Alliance, Minerva departs Onogoro Island. But on their way out, the Earth Alliance's MS forces had been waiting with their main unit, the latest model MA Zamzazar!"

Impulse Gundam

"The Impulse facing the huge Zamzazar while its leg is destroyed. But there's still a great number of foes!"

Zamzazar

"It moves over the water swiftly. With huge claws and many powerful cannons it also carries equipment which deflects Minerva's main armaments."

Freedom Gundam Restored!

"Kira and company, realizing that Lacus & Cagalli were in danger, rush out of Orb for the sake of travelling on their own path of righteousness but Orb's army tries to prevent that."

Freedom Gundam

"The machine Kira flew in the war 2 years ago. Possessing nuclear power, it's a high-power MS and can also shoot down enemies in all directions at once."

Murasame

"Orb's new mass-produced MS. It chases the Freedom, which took Cagalli away..."

Archangel

"Murrue, Waltfeld and others fly away on the Archangel, which had been hidden."

  ¶ 2:58 AM

replacement leg flyer (?), Big Mobile Armor, Archangel, Freedom, on my.

Blaze Zaku Warrior with Blaze Wizard? Aile-type Pack for the Zaku's? Or the regular booster pack already used by Rey and Athrun?

The Mobile Armor also has Forbidden's deflector shields.

Orb's going to be stupid after all and back the Alliance.

As Elrond said "Our list of Allies grows thin."

Edited December 20, 2004 by Anubis

[Effect]

Finally we'll get more scenes with the three Gundam pilots and Neo. Long over due I say. Anyway episode 10 did have a lot of talking. I wish they hadn't had the Lacus look-alike show up though. Having Planet, or at least seeming to be split on the Earth situation was interesting. Some wanted to fight yet it seemed like an equal number were angry at the Planet leadership for allowing this to happen and think they should do everything, even step down to avoid a war. At least it seemed that way. I feel sad about Mia though and I have feeling that she'll be among those that die through out the series. Most likely after finally feeling and believing herself(Mia) to be finally needed.

Hmm Orb going with the EA. Looks like Athrun will rejoin Zaft, even if in appearance only(wonder how Kira and friends will take that). Zaft drops down to earth again it seems but from what was said in the other post it seems they are in for a world of hurt. Especially since dropping items to stop Earth's abilit to use nukes wouldn't work this time around. One might think that Earth pilots would be a lot better at fighting in gravity as well then compared with Coords. Then again that could be wrong or wishful thinking.

I just hope we finally get some EA aces that aren't crazy and don't end up switching sides or forming their own faction.

Hmm Dullindal and Neo working together. That would be interesting. Personally I think Dullindal just SCREAMS not to be trusted. Kinda like he has villan writen on his face.

Actually I've been thinking. This massive build up forces on Zaft's part. Maybe Dullindal had been planing to attack Earth all along just that the Zala faction wasn't counted out and the EA beat Dullindal to the punch. The whole stealing of the gundams might and might not be part of the plan though which tends to put a problem in my theory.

Edited December 20, 2004 by Effect

[wolfx]

Hmm Dullindal and Neo working together. That would be interesting. Personally I think Dullindal just SCREAMS not to be trusted. Kinda like he has villan writen on his face.

Actually I've been thinking. This massive build up forces on Zaft's part. Maybe Dullindal had been planing to attack Earth all along just that the Zala faction wasn't counted out and the EA beat Dullindal to the punch. The whole stealing of the gundams might and might not be part of the plan though which tends to put a problem in my theory.

I'm thinking Neo and his unmarked squadron/fleet are the real good guys in the end. He got word that Dullindal was planning to attack earth, so he does a premptive and steals the Gundams. Dullindal somehow provided the Zaft terrorists with the equipment to colony drop junius 7. He probably expected it to fall but had contingency plans in an event that it didn't fall. I'm thinking everything was going according to plan for him except for the Gundams being stolen and Athrun and Cagali to be caught up in the whole thing. After all he had to leave the Minerva in fear she wouldn't survive.

Still too early to tell....but if this really happens, i can gawk and say "I told you so!"

[DarkPhoenix]

Blaze Zaku Warrior

"Equipped with the high-mobility Blaze Wizard, it confronts the enemy!"

Blaze Zaku Warrior with Blaze Wizard? Aile-type Pack for the Zaku's? Or the regular booster pack already used by Rey and Athrun?

Zaku Phantoms are the commander types (headfin, and dual shields), while Zaku Warriors are the grunt units (no fin, one shield). The 'blaze' pack is the twin gattlings you see Yzak using, I believe... so it's just a grunt using that beautiful gattling pack, and MAYBE also that beam pole-arm.

[Effect]

Hmm Dullindal and Neo working together. That would be interesting. Personally I think Dullindal just SCREAMS not to be trusted. Kinda like he has villan writen on his face.

Actually I've been thinking. This massive build up forces on Zaft's part. Maybe Dullindal had been planing to attack Earth all along just that the Zala faction wasn't counted out and the EA beat Dullindal to the punch. The whole stealing of the gundams might and might not be part of the plan though which tends to put a problem in my theory.

I'm thinking Neo and his unmarked squadron/fleet are the real good guys in the end. He got word that Dullindal was planning to attack earth, so he does a premptive and steals the Gundams. Dullindal somehow provided the Zaft terrorists with the equipment to colony drop junius 7. He probably expected it to fall but had contingency plans in an event that it didn't fall. I'm thinking everything was going according to plan for him except for the Gundams being stolen and Athrun and Cagali to be caught up in the whole thing. After all he had to leave the Minerva in fear she wouldn't survive.

Still too early to tell....but if this really happens, i can gawk and say "I told you so!"

That's a very interesting theory. I honestly can really see that.

[Anubis]

Blaze Zaku Warrior

"Equipped with the high-mobility Blaze Wizard, it confronts the enemy!"

Blaze Zaku Warrior with Blaze Wizard?  Aile-type Pack for the Zaku's? Or the regular booster pack already used by Rey and Athrun?

Zaku Phantoms are the commander types (headfin, and dual shields), while Zaku Warriors are the grunt units (no fin, one shield). The 'blaze' pack is the twin gattlings you see Yzak using, I believe... so it's just a grunt using that beautiful gattling pack, and MAYBE also that beam pole-arm.

Actually Yzak's Zaku was the Slash Zaku Phontom. What Rey's been using was the Blaze Zaku Phantom.

[DarkPhoenix]

Blaze Zaku Warrior

"Equipped with the high-mobility Blaze Wizard, it confronts the enemy!"

Blaze Zaku Warrior with Blaze Wizard?  Aile-type Pack for the Zaku's? Or the regular booster pack already used by Rey and Athrun?

Zaku Phantoms are the commander types (headfin, and dual shields), while Zaku Warriors are the grunt units (no fin, one shield). The 'blaze' pack is the twin gattlings you see Yzak using, I believe... so it's just a grunt using that beautiful gattling pack, and MAYBE also that beam pole-arm.

Actually Yzak's Zaku was the Slash Zaku Phontom. What Rey's been using was the Blaze Zaku Phantom.

Really? Huh. Okay then. We've already seen a Blaze Zaku Warrior, then.. Athrun was using that configuriation during the Junius Seven operation.

[Anubis]

Blaze Zaku Warrior

"Equipped with the high-mobility Blaze Wizard, it confronts the enemy!"

Blaze Zaku Warrior with Blaze Wizard?  Aile-type Pack for the Zaku's? Or the regular booster pack already used by Rey and Athrun?

Zaku Phantoms are the commander types (headfin, and dual shields), while Zaku Warriors are the grunt units (no fin, one shield). The 'blaze' pack is the twin gattlings you see Yzak using, I believe... so it's just a grunt using that beautiful gattling pack, and MAYBE also that beam pole-arm.

Actually Yzak's Zaku was the Slash Zaku Phontom. What Rey's been using was the Blaze Zaku Phantom.

Really? Huh. Okay then. We've already seen a Blaze Zaku Warrior, then.. Athrun was using that configuriation during the Junius Seven operation.

OK, I guess the backpack is called the Blaze Wizard then. Wierd name.

[Anubis]

Zamzazar

"It moves over the water swiftly. With huge claws and many powerful cannons it also carries equipment which deflects Minerva's main armaments."

Is it me or doesn't even the name of this thing sound Zeta-ish? Wonder how it'll look.

So this is the christmas two-parter? Merry christmas indeed!!

Edited December 20, 2004 by Anubis

[azrael]

Concerning ORB, the Seirans (Yuna and his dad) are planning a coup since Cagalli is the only one who wants ORB to stay out of this. That's what next week is about. If you didn't get it back in episode 8, you'll get it now.

Replacement leg flyer...nothing new. Impulse is a modular system so this is not surprising.

Archangel....Wonder who's gonna be in the captain's chair, Andy or Murrue?

Blaze Wizard...Blaze pack with wings or more engines?

Actually Yzak's Zaku was the Slash Zaku Phontom. What Rey's been using was the Blaze Zaku Phantom.

For you people who don't know which packs are which...

Blaze = Boosters with missile pods

Gunner = Big gun

Slash = dual beam gatling guns

Looks like Athrun will rejoin Zaft, even if in appearance only(wonder how Kira and friends will take that)

Not really, Athrun will have his own faction with Minerva (kinda like AEUG). That's kinda why Athrun got Saviour. I'm guessing Athrun is AEUG and Archangel will probably by ...what's that group name in Zeta.....Karaba.

[wolfx]

Looks like Athrun will rejoin Zaft, even if in appearance only(wonder how Kira and friends will take that)

Not really, Athrun will have his own faction with Minerva (kinda like AEUG). That's kinda why Athrun got Saviour. I'm guessing Athrun is AEUG and Archangel will probably by ...what's that group name in Zeta.....Karaba.

TITANS? But highly unlikely....since I'm sure Dullindal will make him join ZAFT again and use his Zala name to gain him more support, just like how he used Mia. Minerva also seems loyal to Dullindal what with the captain having hanky panky relations and all....so i doubt they will break off from ZAFT and form their own little faction.

[Effect]

Looks like Athrun will rejoin Zaft, even if in appearance only(wonder how Kira and friends will take that)

Not really, Athrun will have his own faction with Minerva (kinda like AEUG). That's kinda why Athrun got Saviour. I'm guessing Athrun is AEUG and Archangel will probably by ...what's that group name in Zeta.....Karaba.

TITANS? But highly unlikely....since I'm sure Dullindal will make him join ZAFT again and use his Zala name to gain him more support, just like how he used Mia. Minerva also seems loyal to Dullindal what with the captain having hanky panky relations and all....so i doubt they will break off from ZAFT and form their own little faction.

That's how I took things to be honest. Sure Athrun would be off on his own but I don't doubt Dullindal will already have a press confrence or camera crew or TV ad already setup and ready the second after(actually before) Athrun agrees to take the Saviour. Athrun will most likely end up being Zaft's poster boy even if he doesn't want to or know about it.

Edited December 21, 2004 by Effect

[Magnus]

You know, is it just me, or does it seem as though the main 'protagonist' (Shinn) really doesn't get any screen time at all?

I mean, out of an entire episode we see him punch a wall. And that's more than he's gotten in other eps. His character really seems to be neglected, which is kinda bizarre given that he's supposed to be the main

[azrael]

You know, is it just me, or does it seem as though the main 'protagonist' (Shinn) really doesn't get any screen time at all?

I mean, out of an entire episode we see him punch a wall. And that's more than he's gotten in other eps. His character really seems to be neglected, which is kinda bizarre given that he's supposed to be the main

Give it a moment. They have to set up the story first. In SEED or Zeta, we started off at the middle of the war or at the middle. Here, we are starting from 0 so things need to develop first.

[wolfx]

You know, is it just me, or does it seem as though the main 'protagonist' (Shinn) really doesn't get any screen time at all?

I mean, out of an entire episode we see him punch a wall. And that's more than he's gotten in other eps. His character really seems to be neglected, which is kinda bizarre given that he's supposed to be the main

That's what i thought too....with little Ahtrun and Kira as Cameos, ala Amuro in Zeta. But seems now the story will focus more around Athrun and his past which is catching up to him.

[Anubis]

I'd say Andy would let Murrue take the Captain's seat since it's her ship, and he'll take the XO seat Natarle used to have.

I think Archangel and Minerva will have to stay hooked up with Zaft like it or not for the time being. They can;t go it alone since they don't know who they're dealing with really yet. I think it's quite possible Dullindal was planning an Earth blitz after the colony drop, and supplied the Zala guys. Suffice to say Dullindal has something going on, we just don't know for sure what his gameplan is.

For now, Archangel and Minerva should have to head for Zaft for the moment. Given Gladys's relationship with Dullindal and she sees nothing not to trust, they'll be around there until they start to figure out what's going on, then they'll have to take the AEUG style independant route. The Minerva really needs it's Zaku compliment on board. Since Freedom will be on the Archangel already, it's safe to conclude the Strike Rouge is already on the ship as well.

The Girtly Lue theory is an interesting one, but I don't know yet. Jabril sent orders to them himself to go to Junius 7 to gather the footage. Even had a codename for them: The Phantom Pain. It could be possible for them to break off, or be putting on act for their BC bosses, but who knows. This is a tough show to predict at this point given how much they've already done in only 10 episodes. The pacing has been awesome in this show.

[Graham]

The Gaia, Chaos and Abyss MSiAs have just been released in Hong Kong. I picked up one of each a few minutes ago.

They are presently sitting unopened on my desk. Give me a few minutes to get them out of their boxes and have a quick play and I'll write a mini-review.

Graham

[wolfx]

The pacing has been awesome in this show.

I concur. Keeps you on the edge of your seat, aye?

[azrael]

I think Archangel and Minerva will have to stay hooked up with Zaft like it or not for the time being.

Well, Archangel ain't in a position to negotiate considering the crew are all considered EA traitors. I have a feeling that Archangel is carrying all parties still loyal to the Attha family so that just adds to the problem. They're probably carrying the now (considering ORB has the Murasames now) outdated Astrays or just Strike Rouge (i.e. not good). Unfortunately for Minerva and Archangel, they're still outnumbered. And why do I get the feeling Saviour is gonna fall out of the sky ala Freedom in SEED and save everybody's asses?

The Minerva really needs it's Zaku compliment on board

They've got 3 ZAKUs, Impulse and Saviour. They'll live.

Oh, and about the Leg flyer, that's a spare. Apparently Minerva has more sections of Impulse in that ship....only question is, why? Shinn is obviously going to detach his legs on that MA...why does he need another set of legs? Symmetry?

This is a tough show to predict at this point given how much they've already done in only 10 episodes. The pacing has been awesome in this show.

We only have spoilers up to episode 14...Beyond that, we gotta wait till next month's issues of Newtype and TV Mag.

Edited December 21, 2004 by azrael

[Anubis]

I watched the first episode of V Gundam, and I thoughgt it was pretty funny that in the first spisode, bad guy saw the leg flyer coming after the chest already linked with the core fighter, immediately recognized what it was, and destroyed it, so they had to send another leg unit.

[Seven]

You know, is it just me, or does it seem as though the main 'protagonist' (Shinn) really doesn't get any screen time at all?

I mean, out of an entire episode we see him punch a wall. And that's more than he's gotten in other eps. His character really seems to be neglected, which is kinda bizarre given that he's supposed to be the main

I have to agree with you there. Even in Zeta Gundam, it was fairly obvious that Camille was the main focus while Char was more of a mentor. From the get go Camille gets a lot of development and the story rarely strays from including him in some capacity, even when the story is filling in background on Char, Amuro and the rest of the White Base crew.

I only bring it up since people have been saying that Destiny is falling into a "Zeta" template for a series, while Seed fell more into the original MSG template. I don't agree with that, since it seems that this is definitely more about Athrun, and Zeta was definitely not always about Char. I'd like it if they focused on Shinn more since I'm getting rather tired of the introverted, reluctant, bottled-up protagonists that Athrun and Kira are. In that way, Shinn and Camille are similar in that they both seem to let their emotions run rampant.

[F360°]

maybe the reason shins getting less spotlight is because he's not that likeble for a main character.,, maybe they are slowly moving it to athrun..

exampe,, Athrun will be like Kira in Seed as Shin will be athrun in seed.

[Anubis]

Remember, there's a large cast here, and at the present there's not much for Shinn to do but wait and reflect while they're in port. So now Athrun and the others take the focus since they have things to do. It does kind of feel like the Athrun show right now, but that's just because he's pretty busy. Soon Shinn and the others (Rey and Luna) will get more face time.

[DarkPhoenix]

The Gaia, Chaos and Abyss MSiAs have just been released in Hong Kong. I picked up one of each a few minutes ago.

They are presently sitting unopened on my desk. Give me a few minutes to get them out of their boxes and have a quick play and I'll write a mini-review.

Graham

Yay! I have Gaia and Chaos on order from hlj.com

[Magnus]

Ooh, I just ordered Gaia, Chaos, and Abyss off of ebay, and should have them next week.

Come on Graham, spill the beans! How are they?

[Graham]

Sorry, wasn't able to write more yesterday, work got in the way .

OK, first up the quick review for those with short attention spans : -

• MSiA Chaos = Crap.
  
• MSiA Abyss = Excellent.
  
• MSiA Gaia = Excellent.
  

Now for the slightly longer version

MSiA Chaos Gundam

Includes: 1 x Chaos Gundam figure, 2 x beam sabers with detachable hilts, 2 x detachable Mobile Weapons Pods, 1 x beam rifle, 1 x shield, 6 x hands (2 x closed fist, 2 x open hands for holding the shield or beam sabers, 2 x beam rifle hands).

Positives: Attractive box, same style as other Destiny MSiA. Figure has nice sculpt and good paint job. Quite a lot of ABS plastic on this one, including the main body of the Mobile Weapons Pods and the MA mode head cowling. Good articulation (ver.2 knees and elbows). Well articulated waist allows the figure to bend forward (necessary for MA mode). Lots of gimmicks, such as detachable Mobile Weapons Pods which feature opening doors to show missiles and extendable beam weapon barrels. The thrusters on the Mobile Weapons pods are also articulated with a ball joint allowing you to simulate thrust vectoring. The MA head cowling also has a sliding eye sensor to reveal the beam weapon(?) underneath. Beam Saber hilts can be stored on hips. Folding claws on the feet and knees.

Negatives: Very strong (nasty) PVC smell on opening box. Shoulder sockets are not deep enough, resulting in both the left & right arms falling off several times. Balance is a big problem in MA mode. I have not been able to make the figure stand up in MA mode at all yet. Beam rifle and two of the fins on the mobile Weapons Pods suffer from gashapon disease (warping). The ABS head cowling for MA mode does not attach firmly enough and is easily knocked off. The hip sockets for the Beam Saber hilts are not secure enough, meaning it is easy for them to fall out and get lost.

Conclusion: Nice sculpt, but figure is let down by too many parts which fall off too easily and balance problems in MA mode. Definitely one to keep in MS mode, where there is no balance issues.

MSiA Gaia Gundam

Includes: 1 x Gaia Gundam, 1 x beam rifle, 2 x Beam Sabers with detachable hilts, 6 x hands (2 x closed fists, 2 x beam rifle hands, 2 x saber/shield hands), 1 x shield, 2 x back wing beam blades.

Positives: Nice box. Excellent sculpt. Great articulation in both MS and doggy modes. Good paint job. Transforms easily and stays together well in either mode. No balance problems in either mode. Holds all accessories without problem. No gashapon disease. Beam Saber hilts stay firmly attached in their hip sockets (unlike the Chaos Gundam)

Negatives: None really. Well, my only minor niggle is that it is not perfect transformation and you have to detach and reattach the hands when transforming to doggy mode.

Conclusion: Looks fantastic (very menacing) in either MS mode or mobile-doggy mode. My favorite figure out of the three.

MSiA Abyss Gundam

Includes: 1 x Abyss Gundam figure. 1 x Beam Lance, 4 x hands (2 x closed fists, 2 x hands for holding beam lance).

Positives: Nice box. Excellent sculpt. Great articulation. Good paint job. The easiest of the three figures to transform, just swing the blue arm shield things above the head and lock them into two pegs on the back section, rotate back mounted guns so they point forward and slightly fold the feet...that's it! Despite the big arm thingies and the back guns the figure balances well in MS mode and the superior arm articulation allows for some very martial arts looking poses with the beam lance (looks more like a beam halberd IMO).

Negatives: Strong (nasty) PVC smell on opening the box. Few accessories, but that is accurate to the TV series. Slight warping of two of the long beam weapon barrels on the blue arm thingies.

Conclusion:MA mode looks a bit hokey IMO, but it is supposed to be an underwater mode AFAIK, so I shouldn't be too critical. Good figure. Recommended.

Graham

[Magnus]

Thanks for the review Graham!

Out of the three, I was thinking Abyss would be the most sturdy, and Gaia the weakest, but Chaos is crap eh?

I know that the Freedom AMSIA had terrible hip-socket beam saber holders. Those handles fell off at the slightest tough - I wish Kunio had laid off on using them for Destiny

The arm-socket thing sounds like it might be more of an individual defect than reflective of the entire line - I had the same problem with the first Force Impulse Gundam I got, but the second one had no such trouble.

Is there any way of using the tried and true "hot water" method to undue the warping on Chaos? How sturdy are his legs when in MA mode?

[HG Blows]

Sorry, wasn't able to write more yesterday, work got in the way .

OK, first up the quick review for those with short attention spans : -

• MSiA Chaos = Crap.
  
• MSiA Abyss = Excellent.
  
• MSiA Gaia = Excellent.
  

Now for the slightly longer version

MSiA Chaos Gundam

Includes: 1 x Chaos Gundam figure, 2 x beam sabers with detachable hilts, 2 x detachable Mobile Weapons Pods, 1 x beam rifle, 1 x shield, 6 x hands (2 x closed fist, 2 x open hands for holding the shield or beam sabers, 2 x beam rifle hands).

Positives: Attractive box, same style as other Destiny MSiA. Figure has nice sculpt and good paint job. Quite a lot of ABS plastic on this one, including the main body of the Mobile Weapons Pods and the MA mode head cowling. Good articulation (ver.2 knees and elbows). Well articulated waist allows the figure to bend forward (necessary for MA mode). Lots of gimmicks, such as detachable Mobile Weapons Pods which feature opening doors to show missiles and extendable beam weapon barrels. The thrusters on the Mobile Weapons pods are also articulated with a ball joint allowing you to simulate thrust vectoring. The MA head cowling also has a sliding eye sensor to reveal the beam weapon(?) underneath. Beam Saber hilts can be stored on hips. Folding claws on the feet and knees.

Negatives: Very strong (nasty) PVC smell on opening box. Shoulder sockets are not deep enough, resulting in both the left & right arms falling off several times. Balance is a big problem in MA mode. I have not been able to make the figure stand up in MA mode at all yet. Beam rifle and two of the fins on the mobile Weapons Pods suffer from gashapon disease (warping). The ABS head cowling for MA mode does not attach firmly enough and is easily knocked off. The hip sockets for the Beam Saber hilts are not secure enough, meaning it is easy for them to fall out and get lost.

Conclusion: Nice sculpt, but figure is let down by too many parts which fall off too easily and balance problems in MA mode. Definitely one to keep in MS mode, where there is no balance issues.

.

Graham

Saviour is the same way. His canon thingies on his back weighs him down big time. Haven't tryed the fighter looking mode, don't really like the half ass fighter modes on gundams.

[Graham]

Saviour is the same way. His canon thingies on his back weighs him down big time. Haven't tryed the fighter looking mode, don't really like the half ass fighter modes on gundams.

Saviour's not too bad IMO. In MS mode I usually flip the cannons up over his shoulders so they are pointing forwards in firing position. Helps a lot with balance.

Yes, I agree that most variable flying Gundams have extremely half-assed fighter modes, which usually consists of rotate waist 180 degrees, rotate head 180 degrees, bend legs at knees and stick shield either on the back or chest.

Graham

[wolfx]

Pictures!!!

[Graham]

Thanks for the review Graham!

Out of the three, I was thinking Abyss would be the most sturdy, and Gaia the weakest, but Chaos is crap eh?

I know that the Freedom AMSIA had terrible hip-socket beam saber holders. Those handles fell off at the slightest tough - I wish Kunio had laid off on using them for Destiny

The arm-socket thing sounds like it might be more of an individual defect than reflective of the entire line - I had the same problem with the first Force Impulse Gundam I got, but the second one had no such trouble.

Is there any way of using the tried and true "hot water" method to undue the warping on Chaos? How sturdy are his legs when in MA mode?

I've been considering picking up a second Chaos, just to see if my first one is a dud. Still thinking about it though.

Haven't tried the hot water or hair dryer methods yet. Will see if the clear nail varnish works first.

Legs are not that sturdy on mine. Forgot to mention in my review that my Chaos has quite loose elbow and knee joints. Knees tend to want to buckle in MA mode and loose elbow joint cannot support beam rifle witout flopping down .

Graham

[Graham]

Pictures!!!

I'll see if I can snap and upload a few quick pics when I get home after baby goes to bed. No promises though.

Graham

[Graham]

Here's some very quick pics. Only a few though as it's late at night and I'm knackered. First Abyss in MS mode.

Graham

[Graham]

Now Gaia in MD (Mobile-Doggy) mode.

Graham

[Black Valkyrie]

Hmm........... Zeta, VF or Legioss ?

http://s03.2log.net/home/gunota/murasame1.jpg

http://s03.2log.net/home/gunota/mura2m1shrike.jpg