Hobby Talk: Model Kit Review, MG MSN-00100 Hyaku Shiki ver 2.0

Link to revised review here.

I was never a fan of the Hyaku Shiki before this.  Well, at least once in the Super Robot Wars (SRW) 4, this MS has a very good map weapon.  Hyaku Shiki kind of being over shadowed by the more popular Z Gundam and the Gundam MKII.  This 2.0 kit is the best redemption for this MS.

Why this kit
I was looking to add more colors to my display cabinet.  I already had red of Aegis, blue of 00 and strike, green of fenice and awesomeness of unicorn and nu.  One of the best gunpla kit of 2015 will make a perfect choice.

Kit Details
The Hyaku Shiki 2.0 kit was released in May 2015, a D0 box kit with 14 runners and 342 parts. You get 1 sheet of stickers and 1 sheet of dry transfer decals .  This kit is priced at RM 240.  A very huge price tag for a kit with only 3 gold runners.

Build / Difficulty
(Score: +1)
The build for this kit is easy.  Being a 2.0 kit, there's a lot of small parts for detailing.  Watch out for small parts from especially from the A plate.

But the highlight of the build is the gold parts.  You can feel how good the gold is going to look by just opening the box.  Almost all gold parts are undercut, which hides away all the nub marks and greatly improves the look.

But there are some really tiny scratch looking lines on the gold parts.  I initially thought I accidentally scratched the gold runners but when I searched online, the marks seems consistent and almost everyone who built the Hyaku Shiki 2.0 also mentioned it.  In-perfection in the coating process I guess.  Not that obvious but once seen, it cannot be unseen.

While building is easy, handling of the gold parts is not.  When removing the nubs, take care of the edges.  Although it's undercut, mistake is still deadly.  When doing the panel lining, do it slowly and hold your grip.  If you mess up, it's really hard to clean.  And the gold is really sensitive to cleaning agent.  I ended up with some surface less gold than others.

Just remember, the more money you spend on a kit, the more time you should spend building it.  This one is no exception.  Take your time on the gold parts.

I took 3 weeks building this kit.  Not my best effort as I kind of rush through the decals.  And the panel lining is not as clean as I would have hoped.

Looks / Details
(Score: +2)
The glory of the gold.  This kit looks amazing!  Some of you may like the original 1.0 chromatic gold look but for me, this shade of gold makes the kit shines brighter.  And a lot cleaner look too. P.S. No longer a fingerprint magnet.

And this kit is never short of details.  Yes, the gold armor may not cover the whole body of this kit but the exposed parts have excellent details.  Take an example of the exposed legs/ankle area.  The silver plastic for the piston + silver/red armor lining make up for the non gold area.



Although the gold parts are literally flawless from nubs, the rest aren't that kind.  Nub marks are quite bad on the blue torso and red foot.  But the gold cleverly takes the attention away.  Unless you're eyeing for flaws, the nubs can be forgiven.

Probably another bummer could be the stickers.  The stickers doesn't look that good on the gold.  The square of the sticker is too g-d d--n obvious on the gold plates.  The dry transfer looks top notch good, but the stickers is really a let down.

Accessories
(Score: Neutral)
There's nothing to brag about the accessories department.  You get a rather plain looking beam rifle and clay bazooka.  There are some color options on these 2 weapons but nothing fancy.

You also get 2 really cool light saber looking beam saber.  Possibly the coolest beam saber I have seen so far.  But despite that, this kit is kind of thin on the accessories.


Articulation / Pose ability
(Score: +1)
This kit will do what a 2.0 can do.  Double bending elbow and knee gives a 180 bend, but agin, another thigh bending kit similar to the 00.

There are lots of other gimmicks that allows additional pose ability e.g. moving the shoulder out of it's socket and move-able hip joints.

All the joints are generally tight and requires some effort to move the limbs into a pose.  But some joints feels a bit looser than the rest e.g. waist and shoulder joint.

This kit is a little back heavy, just a little.  It has no problem standing on its own without needing a lot of weight compensation.  On ground or on air, this kit is very pose-able.

Shelf presence
(Score: +2)
Gold is the attraction magnet.  Enough said.

Bonus
(Score: Neutral)
The Hyaku Shiki 2.0 already looks good as it is.  Since the Hyaku Shiki does not have commonality with other kits, there's no valuable add on available.  Oh, except for the ballute system from the old Hyaku Shiki kit.  But trust me, don't.  Cause the ballute system is not particularly good looking, and you'll ended up with another yellow shiki which doesn't even look good.

Summary and Rating
(Total Score: +6)
A superb looking kit.  Simple but the lack of accessories might be troubling for some fans.  This kit appears 10 years after the series protagonist gets his version 2.0.  But that 10 years is worth the wait.

A very fun build, very good pose-ability and a simple kit.  Drawbacks include requirements for lots of attention to details so definitely not for beginners, and the price tag is very steep for a kit with almost similar contents as the Aile Strike ver RM.  The latter cost Rm 100 less.

Gundam: Hyaku Shiki
Code: MSN-00100
Series: Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Pilot: Quattro Bajeena
Faction: Anti Earth Union Group
Weapons: Beam Saber, BR-M-87 Beam Rifle, AE/ZIM.C-BAZ-531300mm Clay Bazooka
Release: May 2015
Box: D0
Runner: 14
Parts: 342
Price: 6800 yen

Pundit: Highly recommended, but for serious and thick pocket collectors only.

Variants
There are 2 entries for the MG Hyaku Shiki before this one.  The only one worth to get is the 1.0 if you prefer the chrome gold.  Don't spend the money on the ballute system.  Use the same money and get MK II ver 2.0 instead.

Dalong's Review
Dalong's Score: 103

Up Next: Zaku II version 2.0

Hobby Talk: Model Kit Review, MG XXXG-01Wfr Wing Gundam Fenice Rinascita

Link to revised review here.

What's with the long name?  That's how Italian people named their products I guess.

Why this kit
The Wing Fenice is always one of my favorite Gundam from the Build Fighters series.  I wanted to get this kit before, but it went out of stock pretty fast.  Probably many others agreed with me that this is a better looking Wing Gundam's variant.  Plus I never build a Wing Gundam frame before.

Kit Details
The Wing Fenice Rinascita kit was released in June 2015, a D1 box kit with 20 runners and 462 parts. You get 1 big sheet of stickers but most of the stickers are unused according to the manual.  This kit is priced at RM 170.

Build / Difficulty
(Score: -1)
This kit is complicated because of the transformation.  The internal frame has a lot of complicated movements that resulted in small frame pieces holding everything together.  This directly contributes to the kit being a bit fragile and feels like it'll snap when you try to bend the joints.  You'll need to take extra time to understand the transformation mechanics to avoid damaging the kit if you ever wanted to transform this kit.

And there's lots of small pieces and these will fall off easily.  Even larger pieces feels it'll fall off at any given time.

And then, there's the problem with bad nubs.  Bad nubs are the main enemy of this kit. Despite being a 2015 kit and the claim of having entirely new runners, the nubs are horrible.  And it's especially bad and painfully visible on the green armor which makes up around 50% of the outlook of this kit.

This kit takes me 2 weeks to complete the build.  Not much detailing is needed, not much stickers to apply.  But spend some times on the nubs.  I didn't do a good job on it myself.

Looks / Details
(Score: +1)
Despite all the downfall, this kit looks amazing.  The red, white and green color scheme is unique and quite a departure from classic Gundam colors.  There's fair amount of details thanks to the complicated assemblies of small parts but the lack of decals does make the kit look less busy.  The looks are further enhanced by lots of sharp edges and posing this with the pink curtain effect is a must.

However the bad nubs cannot be unseen.  Although you get almost similar parts from the Wing Zero custom, but the older Wing Zero custom kit appears to have nubs at less visible place, equally obvious but more distinctively hidden.

Accessories
(Score: +1)
You get a buster rifle, an uzi type handgun, a beam sword which can be combined into a super big beam cannon.  Lot's of play ability there.

You also get a huge rinascita wing shield which stores another beam saber.  On top of these, you get pink curtain effect parts and an action base.

Articulation / Pose ability
(Score: -1)
Although this kit has a wide range of movement, having lots of add ons to the kit e.g thrusters, big weapons and shield, the pose ability greatly limited.  And having a weaker internal frame to accommodate the transformation, means you'll get weaker joint which doesn't help with the weight issue.

The kit is very top heavy given the big wings and weapons.  An action base is included for a reason cause this kit needs to be airborne.  You can get the kit to stand but expect it to fall over a lot.  Stick it on the action base and you're good.

Shelf presence
(Score: +1)
Unique colors, way oversize weapons and shield, big wings, effect parts.  This kit definitely attracts attention.  This kit looks good, and since it retains most of the unique features from the original Wing Gundam, fans almost will recognize it immediately.

Bonus
(Score: +1)
I never did the transformation, not ever since the less fun experience from the Aegis Gundam.  The transformation looks way better than the original Wing.  It's a new kit they said.

Summary and Rating
(Total Score: +2)
This kit looks great.  But for the looks, there are too much penalty to pay on the build, the horrible nubs and the kinda shaky internal frame.  And it don't really pose that well thanks to everything it has around it that prevents it from moving.

Possibly the best looking Wing Gundam variant.  The bird mode looks good.  But the quality's doesn't look like its from 2015, but more like a recycled 2004 kit.

Gundam: Wing Gundam Fenice Rinascita
Code: XXXG-01Wfr
Series: Gundam Build Fighters
Pilot: Ricardo Fellini
Weapons: Beam Mantle, Beam Saber, Buster Rifle, Handgun
Release: June 2015
Box: D1
Runner: 20
Parts: 462
Price: 4800 yen

Pundit: Get it if you're a fan of BF, else go safe and get either Yuy Heero's MS.

Variants
This kit is actually a derivative from the original Wing.
1) Wing 0 Custom (2004) - For the wings...
2) Wing Ver Ka (2004) - Katoki's version of Wing EW
3) Wing Gundam EW (2010) - The other variant of the Wing
4) Wing Proto Zero (2011) - From the movie

Dalong's Review
Dalong's Score: 99

Up Next: Hyaku Shiki ver 2.0

Hobby Talk: Model Kit Review, MG GAT-X105 Aile Strike Gundam ver RM

Link to revised review here.

Back to gunpla reviews.  The godlike Kira Yamato's original MS, now remastered to become even better than before.  Remaster is..? I think it's like 1.5 or 1.75?

Why this kit
A gunpla kit has a lot of variants for a reason.  One, it's a very popular kit.  Two, it's highly customize-able.  And three, imagination...  Strike Gundam kit is the modern representation of the classic RX-78-2.  The remaster of an already strong Strike kit, it's a yes.

Kit Details
The Aile Strike ver RM kit was released in May 2013, a D0 box kit with 15 runners and 370 parts. You also get 1 big sheet of stickers and 1 big sheet of dry transfer decals.  This kit is priced at RM 150.  You also get 1 huge archangel launcher action base included in the box.

Build / Difficulty
(Score: Neutral)
This build for this kit is very straight forward.  You'll know what you're building unlike some transformable Gundam which kept you guessing what parts you are building.

This kit takes me 2 weeks to build.  It has quite a lot of detailing needs to be done plus massive amount of decals needs to be put on.  But applying the stickers and decals are easy as there's no difficult angle, insane curves or even unreachable area where the decals should go.

Looks / Details
(Score: +1)
This kit looks great as it is.  It has a lot of details, massive improvement from the original strike.  Not much color separation as all you get is the classic Gundam colors.  This kit looks clean, not overly complicated.

Accessories
(Score: Neutral)
You get a beam rifle, a shield, 2 armor schneider, 2 beam saber and an aile striker pack + battery pack.  Oh, haven't I mentioned the big @$$ action base?  There's not much colors to the tools, but I'm glad the armor schneider gets a white blade.  Take that PG strike.

But the plus side is, you can get the RM 175 sword/launcher strike kit to get additional weapons.  And the grand slam is sold separately (RM25), in case you need the PG exclusive chrome blade.

Articulation / Pose ability
(Score: +2)
Strike Gundam kit probably has the best internal frame among all 191 MG kits out there.  Even bested the RX-78-2.  Thanks to this, the kit has the best movement and can do any imaginable pose without a problem.

And also thanks to that, this kit is very balanced.  No weight issue at all, even with the aile striker pack slapped on.  The feet are well planted to the ground.  No problem at all.

And this kit is solid AF.  I had never seen such a rock solid kit before.  In all my previous MG builds, something will feel lose, parts will fall off.  But not on this kit.  Every joint, every armor piece is strongly connected.  With the exception of the V-fins which falls off more that I thought it would and the aile striker pack which has the classic gunpla flimsy feel to it.  Nothing is perfect I guess.

Shelf presence
(Score: Neutral)
This kit most likely won't stands out too much as other kits.  It looks great, no doubt about it but lacks of "Look at me, I'm f**king awesome" kind of feeling.  But there's a way to fix that.  Look at the bonus section.

Bonus
(Score: +2)
This default look is great, but not explosive.  Being a popular kit, the accessories and add-ons are widely available.  To make this kit shines a little bit more, you can get the sword/launcher strike kit and slap everything on to create the perfect strike.

Not fancy enough?  You can even slap on the universal booster and give this guy some clear wing effects.  Or you can choose to mix any of this kit's variant's accessories to this kit.  Damn, the Lego feeling.

Summary and Rating
(Total Score: +5)
This kit has the best internal frame that provides excellent pose-ability and is a very balanced kit.  However, what comes in the box are the most basic of a kit.  But it provides you the perfect platform for expansion.  And I'm thinking of completing the perfect strike some time in the future.



Gundam: Aile Strike Gundam
Code: GAT-X105, AQM/E-X01
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam Seed
Pilot: Kira Yamato, Mu La Flaga
Faction: Earth Alliance
Weapons: Beam Saber, Armor Schneider, 57mm High Energy Beam Rifle
Release: May 2013
Box: D0
Runner: 15
Parts: 370
Price: 4200 yen

Pundit: Must have!  And buy the perfect strike "expansion" kit if you have the extra cash.

Variants
There's too many strike variants available.  I'm just picking a few newer and more popular ones.
1) Build Strike Gundam + Universal Booster (2014) - From Gundam Build fighters and are based on the remastered frame.  I've built the HG version and the MG is definitely worth to get.
2) Astray Blue Frame D (2014) - Blue framed variant, color and armor variation + lots of toys.
3) Sengoku Astray (2014) - Red framed samurai variant of strike.
4) Strike Rouge + Ootori (2013) - Cagalli's pink strike with lots of add ons + toys.  Bug fixes in the striker pack.  Kind of version 1.8 of this kit.
5) Buster, Blitz and Duel (2012) - The other 3 bad guys from the original Gundam Seed.  Based on the 1.0 strike frame.
6) Astray Blue Frame 2nd, Red frame (2009/2010) - Original 2 astray based on the 1.0 frame.
7) Sword/Launcher Strike (2008) - Expansion pack for the perfect strike.
8) Many many more...

Dalong's Review
Dalong's Score: 105

Up Next: Wing Gundam Fenice

Hobby Talk: Lego Kit Review: Lego Star Wars - Poe's X Wing Fighter

My second Lego kit.  Just in time for Star Wars Episode 7 when I built it.


Why this kit
I always wanted an X Wing but the original Luke's X Wing cost a bomb.  That's $199.00 which is equivalent to around RM 800 or a lifetime supply of KFC.  When Poe's X Wing kit is launched at $79.00 and I was a bit Lego crazy, I immediately clicked add to cart and checked out.

Kit Details
The Lego Wall-E kit was released in September 2015 as one of many in the Force Awaken series.  The box consists of 717 Lego blocks and 1 sticker sheet.  This kit is priced at $79.00 which is around RM 333.

Build / Difficulty
The overall build is fairly easy.  The moving parts on the wings requires extra attention but nothing too difficult.  The manual is also very detailed so there's no reason you can go wrong.

Looks / Details
This kit is big!  It's about 14" in length and the wing span adds to its size.  It has a cleaner look compared to Luke's X Wing.  The colors might not appeal to hardcore 1970/80's star wars fans, but who cares.  It's an X Wing and it can be pink and it'll still look good.

Accessories
You'll get 4 mini figures including Poe and BB-8, a ground supply vehicle and bunch of weapon effect parts with spring loaded cannon for play ability.

Articulation / Pose ability
The wings can be folded or opened into attack mode using Lego technics mechanism.  Cockpit which can accommodate 1 mini figure can be opened and closed.  You can pose this kit in garage mode or in attack mode.

Shelf presence
It's an X Wing.  Star wars fans will definitely recognize this.  But because of the different color scheme, it's not as iconic.

Summary
Sorry, no rating again.  If you're a star wars fans on a budget, this is the kit for you rather than spending almost 3x the price for Luke's X Wing.  You can also top up your purchase with the rest of the force awaken series.

Hobby Talk: Lego Kit Review, Lego Idea's - Wall-E

No, it's not the regular Gundam kit review.  It's something a bit different.  Lego.

Why this kit
I was a bit Lego crazy when I decided to pick up this kit.  Thanks to last year's Shell Lego campaign, everyone else is also crazy about these building blocks.  And the hardest kit to get at that time, Wall-E.  And, saya nak LEGO.. that's why.

Kit Details
The Lego Wall-E kit was released in September 2015.  The box consists of 677 Lego blocks and 1 sticker sheet.  This kit is priced at $59.99 which is around RM 267.

Build / Difficulty
It's always fun building a Lego kit.  Because it's easy.  This kit is rated for 12+ years old.  Imaging a guy almost 3x the box rating building this.  It's super easy to build the kit.  Lego comes in bricks, not runners so no snipping, sanding, nub management.  Nothing is needed.  Just straightforward build.

Lego blocks are in the right size to be considered kids friendly so no really small parts to be worried about.  The manual is very detailed so there's no reason you can go wrong.

Looks / Details
Wall-E in Lego is designed at the same time it was animated back in 2005.  This said, the design of this Lego kit is really similar to what you seen on screen.  The proportion is a bit off from the movie but that's the best you can do from a 677 piece Lego kit.

Accessories
You'll get a plant in a pot.  Sorry, no shoe.

Articulation / Pose ability
The kit has a lot of movement.  But being a Lego kit, it can never reach the dynamics you seen in the movie e.g. retracting every single part into Wall-E's body.

So, no hiding from Eva, Lego Wall-E.

Shelf presence
Who can't recognize Wall-E?  Wall-E on your shelf, Plus!

Summary
Sorry, no rating.  There are a lot of Lego kit out there but it's highly recommended for you to snatch this one from the Lego store if it's available.  Your Millennium Falcon or Death Star can wait.  Price... Lego is expensive AF, so price might be the sole reason for you to pull the handbrake from buying Lego.

Hobby Talk: Model Kit Review, MG RX-93 Nu Gundam ver Ka

Link to revised review here.

The best gunpla kit ever..! Now you've seen everything!  Thank you Katoki Hajime!

Why this kit
No matter which review website you go, no matter who you asked for opinion, they'll recommend one kit.  And here I recommend the same kit.  The Nu Gundam ver Ka.

Kit Details
The Nu Gundam ver Ka kit was released in December 2012, a D1 box kit with 25 runners and 592 parts. You also get 1 big sheet of water slide decals, 1 sheet of shiny stickers and 1 sheet of stickers for color variants.  This kit is priced at RM 255.

Build / Difficulty
(Score: +2)
Building this kit is a joy.  There are so many parts involve in building this kit up.  The build is a combination of small parts which gives you the most amount of details.  Look at the amount of parts that goes into building the legs alone.  Subarashi!

The internal frame is impressive.  You'll get a small amount of green psycho frame.  And the amount of details and variations that made into this kit is just astounding.

Again, being a Katoki Hajime redesigned kit, there's a lot of work needed for detailing and the decals.  I would really prefer separate color parts for color separation instead of using stickers.

I took 5 weeks to complete this build. Every single part of this kit is complicated and requires a lot of attention.  Plus, there's a massive amount of water slide decals.  Phew!

Looks / Details
(Score: +2)
Best looking kit ever!  And this is a huge kit, easily towers over kits most of master grade kit.  Here's the Nu Gundam standing alongside the destroy mode Unicorn.  Putting the fins funnels on, this kit is going to look big and awesome on your shelf.

Few fans complained the psycho frame spoiled the originality of this kit.  But you can always choose not to reveal the psycho frame and this kit still looks great.

Not to forget, you can also include the LED kit in this kit.  The LED is optional and does not come with the box.  However, it doesn't really add much to the look and the putting in the LED kit is a bit tough since the head unit is not easily accessible.

Accessories
(Score: +1)
You'll get a beam rifle, a hyper bazooke, a shield, 2 beam sabers and 6 fin funnels.

Every single accessories are well detailed, comes in great color variation and the right amount of decals.

Articulation / Pose ability
(Score: Neutral)
The kit is capable of wide range of movement and is good with pose ability.  However, because so many parts went into making this kit extremely detailed, the stability of the kit is a bit compromised.

Things fall off a lot.  And all those transforming part of the kit feels a bit flimsy.  Getting everything right requires some patience.  And then we go to the fin funnels.  The fins funnels are flimsy as hell and will fall off once you move the kit around.  The mechanism for holding the fins funnels together works but not great.  The trick is to remove the fin funnels, get the pose you want and put the fin funnels back on.

Shelf presence
(Score: +2)
This kit definitely stands out on your shelf.  There's so many color variation, so much details and as I mentioned earlier, this is a big kit.

This kit comes with a custom action base that enables you to mount the fin funnels on.  If you have lots of shelf space to sacrifice, why not consider getting the double or even triple fin funnel add on pack.

So much awesomeness in a box.

Bonus
(Score: +3)
This kit looks superb right out of the box.  But there's so much more option to make this kit looks even more awesome.
1) Get the triple fin funnel add on pack + effect parts.
2) The the LED add on + black light for it to glow in the dark.
3) Do the LED kit conversion just like the Unicorn.

Summary and Rating
(Total Score: +10)
This kit is as awesome as it can get.  All gunpla builders should never not build this kit.  It's kind of pricey but all the money you spend on this kit is well worth it.  Because this kit is so amazing, you might get post version ka syndrome for your next build.

Gundam: Nu Gundam
Code: RX-93
Series: Mobile Suit Gundam Char's Counterattack
Pilot: Amuro Ray
Faction: Londo Bell
Weapons: Beam Saber, Large Beam Saber, Beam Rifle, Hyper Bazooka, Fin Funnels
Release: December 2012
Box: D1
Runner: 25
Parts: 592
Price: 7000 yen

Pundit: Must have!

Variants
Few variants of this kit that you can also consider.
1) Gundam Mark II ver 2.0 (2005) - Roughly the same frame, and have lots of play-ability.
2) Nu Gundam (2000) - Original version.  Not recommended since the ver ka is so much more awesome.
3) Hi Nu Gundam ver Ka (2014) - Amuro's other MS.  Less awesome compared to this one.

Dalong's Review
Dalong's Score: 120

Up Next: Aile Strike Gundam ver RM