Gundam statue to be dismantled, Gundam Front exhibit closed

In retrospect, it's no surprise that the Gundam statue in Odaiba will be dismantled - unless you have a brand that is as powerful and focused on theme park ideas as Disney (and even then, they've had clunkers and changes in their park segments), it only makes sense to have a set time for your theme presentations.

If you want to see the Gundam statue, do be sure to go there before March 5, when it will be taken down. The Gundam Front Tokyo exhibit at DiverCity Mall in Tokyo will close down on April 5. Bandai has announced that they do have plans for the future, but will announce it as soon as they are ready.

http://gundamguy.blogspot.com/2016/12/life-size-gundam-statue-will-be-closing.html

Archived from Instagram: Gundam Astray Noir and Regenes Impulse

Just putting up some photos of two kits that have been in my Gundam kitbash sights lately. Also posted in Mecha Toys

Astray Noir

The Astray Noir is a limited-run kit that I figured I could do some kitbashing on. In this case, i didn't bother to try and assemble the Noir pack it came with, I simply used the Noir Pack from my original Strike Noir. Also I removed the katana blades that were attached to the pistols. While the idea of a gunblade sounds good in theory, the execution was awkward. After that, I also armed it with Duel rifles, and the shield from the Strike Noir.

Regenes Impulse

Aside from the Destiny backpack and the head parts I acquired to get the non-spiked monoeye look, this is basically the old MG Impulse that I have. I've stowed the Destiny pack into storage, so here it is with a ver.1 MG Aile Pack. I have to say, it looks like the Dagger Strike in this photo.

I'll probably have more photo ops coming up, as this two-set also tested to see how my old hangar functions as a photo booth after all this time.

HGUC 1/144 AMS-129M Geara "Zee" Zulu

I'd been wanting to get one of these kits into my collection for a long time, and from the looks of how much stuff it's got, I heartily agree that this is one superior amphibious attack mecha. Based on the Geara Zulu frame (from Gundam Unicorn), the Zee Zulu is a sleeker aquatic version that can also function as a light infantry unit on land.

As you can see with the first photo, you're not lacking in equipment, though whether that equipment looks like it's really needed.... but more on that later.

HGUC 1/144 MS-06R1A Zaku II (Black Tri-stars)

I'll be honest, I wasn't all that hot about this particular Gundam kit - I'm not really a fan of the Black Tri-Stars in general (oh, for the days when their name was translated as the Black Trinary). However, upon assembling this kit, I was pleasantly surprised at the simple but well thought-out construction.

 

I admit, one issue for me was the lack of weaponry - Zaku kits are usually loaded for bear!

HGAGE G-Exes Jackedge

I have to say that the head/face design for this mecha is one of my absolute favorites in the AGE series. That being said, the G-Exes frame being an ace version of the Shaldoll (and thus the Jackedge being an ace variant for the Rogue) makes it very posable. Although the rifle/knife combination is a bit of an overkill for me, I like the idea of using the shield with it. More to follow in this entry.

 There's no denying the fact that it's an ace unit. The head design alone assures that.

HGAGE Shaldoll Rogue

I actually had this with me when I received the Perfect Strike, but I only had time to build the two Rogue kits this past weekend. Here are some photos and observations about the Shaldoll Rogue.

The Rogue is basically a recolor of the Shaldoll normal unit variant, the only difference being the colors, the faceplate, the battleaxe, and the gun hand. But even with these "minor" changes, it's become a much cooler unit already. As you can see in the first pic, you have an option to use four weapons: the cannon hand, the axe (impleid for left hand, as there are gaps that suggest it), the shield and the one saber from the backpack.

Perfect Strike - Final Entry

This is my final entry on teh HGGS 1/144 Perfect Strike Gundam. I'll have some observations after the photos. As it is, enjoy!

I attempted to pose it as if it were charging into an enemy.

Perfect Strike - Almost there...

 

Perfect Strike - A Closer Look

I've gotten to the meat of the kit, so to speak, and that's how they integrated the Aile, Launcher and Sword packs into one unit.

In the first two photos, I compare the size of the backpack to the old HG Aile pack.

As can be expected, the new enlarged wings and the two pack systems just made it look bigger and meaner. I also get a lot of the Destiny Gundam vibe from this backpack.

A Perfect Strike...

Wings are based on a mix of the MG and PG. Perhaps it refers to the incoming MG Ver.2? Also, the Launcher's stabilizer arm has less articulation than the original version (came with an FG). Not sure if you can swap out parts (I need someone's help on that one, will contact ASAP).

The sword can't be used with the old FG - it doesn't have the peg hole for the mount. Still, it looks like they used the old FG parts as the basis for the weapons systems.

I was actually writing a bit, when a friend dropped this off at my place. Yes, It looks like a Perfect Strike, indeed.

Observations: 
1) Main kit really is the old HGGS Aile Strike. It has all the old parts for it, with slight recolors - the grey has become Metallic grey, for example.

2) The new parts are minimal, in the sense that there are no extra parts to change the Launcher and Sword pieces into searpate weapons systems (I guess they were happy enough with the RG versions).

I'll be assembling this by sections over the next few days.

Gundam - The Newtype Asylum Photos

A long time ago, I was part of one of the first English-language Gundam sites, the Newtype Asylum. Though I wasn't there from the beginning, I was most certainly there for the end.

We were working on a fanfic, with the idea of filling in the times in-between official stories.

These two photos were done especially for the story. It used two of my earliest Master Grade Zaku Kits. I'd have to say, they hold up well over time.

The two Zakus are the same kit. We just played around with the armaments and poses

The two weird fins on the legs are from a 1/100 F90 kit.