In Retrospect
Looking back, my first experience with the Gundam monster was back when I started getting serious about anime. I was at a sci-fi con (I'm such a nerd... not because I went to a con... I went to it ONLY to see the anime >_<) and I saw Gundam F-91 and because someone screwed up the pamphlet I though I was watching something called "Layzner" when I was actually seeing the first 5 episodes of Gundam Wing days after they aired in Japan (I'm special ^_^). Anyway, After becoming obsessed with Gundam Wing after it came stateside, recording every episode as it came on Cartoon Network (both the kiddie and adult versions), Spending more than $200-$250 on model kits already with more on my list(!!!), spending about $60 on the action figures (some of which was passed down to dear Bannana), buying the movie long before it hit the states and basically going on an insane Gundam rampage with all things Gundam in mind...
I've this to say:
The Gundam series derserves some serious props for lasting as long as it has for trying to use the same theme over and over (more than 20 years), making a MASSIVE timeline and affecting the country of Japan in a way much like Star Wars affected the world. That theme is simple, yet dillouted somewhat in the overly preachy dialogue which rises to a frightening almost Star Trek-ish level, but surfaces now and again to point out why these events are taking place. This theme is peace, this theme is freedom. It's something like the American Revolution all over again and drawn out over a stupidly long period of time. It's somewhat touching to see the subtle touches of human emotion and action they give the giant cold metal things called "Gundams", and it's heartwarming to see the emotional bonds that grow between the pilots and their machines. The very destruction of or loss of one of these machines is heavy on the heart of those nerds who watch it to see big robots, but accidently start liking the plot (like... uh, tekyu >_<) find themselves holding back a painful bout of tears and when they see their own pain mirrored by its pilot or their friends... the waterworks flow. Tekyu was bawling his eyes out after seeing Gundam Deathscythe get blown up, but the waterworks went full flow when its pilot, Duo, was watching the broadcast of them killing the robot with which he held as dear as his closest friend... SCREAM in agony and it was blown to smithereens.
Overall the vast Gundam saga with its continous timeline as well as its number of alternate world series (Wing, X, etc.) leaves some lasting marks. If you have a sophisticated pallate, then don't touch this with a ten foot pole unless you can suffer it for the reptitious robot action. Unless you can shut much of your mind off and simply sit back and admire you will gag. Wing has awesome, stylish visuals and when the action's good, it's hardcore. But it never goes over a certain limit, if you liked G-Wing then Evangelion will blow you out of the water. Tekyu's final word is that it is beautiful escapisim and has awesome big robots, but has much room for improvement. Let us hope a new G-series is in order and hope that is can out do G-wing which is what launched the insanity in the USA.
Wing Gundam:
01 Wing GundamAccessories: Yup, a model with accessories. Groooovey. He has his shield, his gun and his big ol lightsaber sword depicted on the front of the package.
Difficulty: Not too hard, and thank god he snaps together! I am NOT in the mood for a big mess of cement ^_^' Biggest problem for me was the stickers! ACK!!! And with the stickers he looks quite decent, despite lack of factory paint.
Comments: Looks awesome! Even without being painted (did I mention I hate painting?) Wing Gundam looks plain kick arse! At about 5" tall he does kinda loom over my lil' 4" V Gundam ^_^' His sword should have been some transluscent flamey shaped plastic, the plastic on his wings isn't as strong as I'd like, his transformation is kinda lame... very lame. Now for the better stuff! As always he has that oh so cool shogun-type-helmet-head look that all Gundams have, the wings on his back add a very cool effect to his person, he can hold his sword, shield and gun at the same time which looks kinda cool, though somewhat goofy in appearance the thought of a transformer Gundam is quite cool :) He's poseable, VERY poseable, in fact the only things that really hinders poseability are his wings which can be moved so they're not a problem and his weird claws thingies on his forearms for his jet mode which get in the way when he puts his forearms up. His transformation is easy, but you must pop off his hands which is kinda bothersome. The finished product is interesting, I have a bootleg figure which was based on the 7.5" figure (badly based I might add since it IS a bootleg) so I finally have a clear picture of what was intended to do what, but the bootleg is not made correctly so its transformed jet is so awful it can't compare to this, I might add that the color sucks too. But since I'm not reviewing that I'll continue with my cool 5" Gundam Wing ^_^ I don't think I'll be painting him anytime soon as after I stickered him I don't really think he needs it because he looks quite good as he is... that and I hate painting and I don't happen to have any on hand ^_^' d'oh! Anyway, if the 5" figure kit is this cool I can't wait to get one of the 7.5" figures! For the moment they only have Gundam Deathscythe-HELL and Gundam Altron so it'll probably be Deathscythe-HELL.
Overall: For a figure I paid $8.50 for he's extremely cool, I HIGHLY recommend one if you can get you hands on one.
Gundam Deathscythe 1/144 scale
First Impressions: First glance I’d had of Deathscythe was when I had the pleasure of previewing the original 6 episodes of Gundam Wing (original meaning, uncut, uncensored, non-butchered and in Japanese language w/out subtitles). I was in awe of the show, but for some odd reason Deathscythe didn’t stand out at the time. Anyway, the after finding the Gundam Wing figures at TRU I got SOOOOOO excited after getting Gundam Wing that set out to get Deathscythe (they’d run of him the time before). A day or so later following my purchase of GD, I saw Duo’s cameo in the first episode of Gundam Wing on Cartoon Network and immediately found my favorite of the Five G-boys. The Grim Reaper Gundam, “God of Death” which Duo refers to it as affectionately (Just as Wu Fei refers to Shenlong as “Nataku”), is definitely my favorite. Combining the dark scythe wielding Gundam, with the perky pessimistic pilot makes Deathscythe easily the coolest hands down!^_^ Well in Tekyu’s opinion anyway, I love all 5 Gundams (well… Wing Gundam is somewhat of a yawn as is Heero >_< but they’re not too bad so I guess I can let it slide).
Accessories: Gundam Deathscythe comes with Buster Shield with optional sprouting beam, Beam scythe, Beam Jammer backpack and spare/packed away Beam Scythe.
Comments: Assembling this one made me realize just how cheap the plastic is for these! When I was trying to remove the scythe handle from the plastic tree, it snapped. >_< it REALLY make me mad too that it did that! To make things more irritating I lost one of his shoulder boosters… SO he’s got ONE Booster and scythe with enough staff to fit completely into one of his fists, so at least it’s possible to live with. His Buster shield is not quite a prize itself, it seems extremely fragile, which is of course… not cool, but is still not too bad. The beams from the scythe and buster shield are both made of the same icky unpainted plastic as Wing Gundam’s Beam Sword (which I will add ALSO should have been made of translucent plastic!!! >_<) and look rather goofy when painted. After seeing the difference between this and its HG evolved counterpart (Deathscythe Hell 1/100 scale) it seems rather inferior and when I get the HG Deathscythe this ‘lil fella is goin’ into storage. OH MY GOD!!!! His crest thingy just broke!!!! ;_; And here I barely touched it >_< DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This guy gets a low rating, lower than Wing Gundam even though this is the better charcter, Wing is a better figure. Skip this guy and got for the HG Deathscythe or Deathscythe Hell.
Overall: Cheap CHEAP materials used for this kit. EXTREMELY fragile. Like I said, go for the HG version, it costs more but its far better.
GUNDAM Deathscythe Hell (HG 1/100 Scale)
First Impressions: When I first saw its box, I stared in disbelief then quickly snatched it up to inspect it. That he was awesome was plain to see. Comparing box size between this and the minature counterpart I decided that this was probably a better idea after getting the 1/44 Scale Gundam Wing and Deathscythe. My choices were either HG Altron or Deathscythe Hell, naturally being a big fan of the mecha and its pilot I of course chose Deathscythe Hell. ^_^ The cloaky bat wing effect seemed somewhat ominous, but I enjoyed my ‘lil Deathscythe just fine even though it wasn’t perfect, so I had some pretty high expectations for this fella. Getting a look inside I say that his scythe blades and buster shield beams were indeed made of translucent plastic which I might add was a great relief after being so disappointed with Deathscythe and Wing not having this. There is also plenty more colored plastic than with the previous two. To say the least, I was quite impressed
Building difficulty: Not the hardest, but not as easy I was expecting. I had some minor trouble getting the left shoulder wing joint to go in properly and I had the usual sticker problems, other than that things worked out quite well. Thing that bothers me though is that even though I followed the instructions to the letter, I have 8 pieces left over! Including a piece of what I assume was meant to be scythe plastic! That bugs me, but all told it took me about maybe two and a half hours.
Accessories: This EXTREMELY bad boy comes with his HUGE Twin beam scythe, his spare scythe and his rather pumped up Buster Shield. I suppose you could include his Beam Jammer (what make him invisible to enemy equipment) and his cape/wings.
Comments: HELL is a good name for him, his bat like wings give off a very demonic appearance and the scythe he carries doesn’t make him look any friendlier. Looks fantastic even whilst unpainted. The Scythe, however cool, is far too heavy for Deathscythe to do too much with sadly. The scythe hinders and attempts at a lot of cool potential poses with its massive size and wobbly staff. The Cloak is very nice, bit it does hinder some movement of the arms making him not as poseable in cloak mode as his bat-wing mode. Most of his problems are minor and can be managed with effort and patience, other than there being less paint than I wish there’d be he’s an incredible figure! Puts those little 5” figures in their place as mere toys, their detail and quality of parts being far better and their colored plastic and more poseability make the GUNDAM WING HG series both incredible displays and some pretty cool (if fragile) action figures!
Overall: Awesome, by the time I’d finished the legs alone, I knew he was worth paying for. Of course his price is somewhat steeper than that of the 5” figures. >_< The HG figures cost about $25 which can get pretty expensive pretty fast. >_< And STILL the lack of enough factory paint to resemble the pictures (which I assume are manual type pictures) on the box or of the mobile suits in the TV series. Which is really a shame too because I know it will hinder many a person’s idea of buying a Gundam Wing figure, especially for $25.
Gundam Wing Super Deformed
This was a christmas present from my Buddy, Xavier. It’s an adorable super deformed (Chibi like) Wing Gundam! :D I’ve been seeing this line sold in Kay-Bee toy stores as of late and if you happen to come across one ya like I say jump on it. Though a tad pricey for something so tiny, it’s worth it if ya like the Gundam. Must find Deathscythe…
In the box: In the box you find nothing you wouldn’t expect from a Gundam kit. A group of plastic trees with numerous parts hanging on each one. A sticker sheet, and the colored instructions. The inside of the box has a bunch of pictures as well. Neeeeeato ^_^
Assembly: Quick and easy. Not as many parts as the 1/144 or 1/100 scale figures. Slap the stickers on and if ya don’t paint you can be done in under 20 minutes to half an hour.
Overall: Shockingly enough this lil’ fella has about 16 points of articulation! :O It’s 2 and a half inches tall, comes with a beam saber, buster rifle and shield. Can transform to bird mode which I gotta say is pretty funny to see. I say he’s worth it and I plan to pick up a few more.
Gundam Deathscythe 1/100 - sweeeeeeet as can be! Comes with translucent flames bursting from its shoulder rockets to add to that scythe slashing boost and more colored parts. HIGHLY recommended!
Gundam Epyon 1/100 - So awesome it hurts! Can transform and has everything it did in the show, a serious must have!
Gundam Altron 1/100 - One bad mutha, has 2 dragon arms and all sorts of cool extras seen on the show! Just with that the trident had translucent ends. Also costs more than it's worth.
Gundam Heavyarms 1/144 - Not bad, missing some extra stuff it should have had sice they never made a 1/100 scale model, wish it had more colored parts, but not too bad.
Gundam Shenlong 1/144 - pretty cool! But the 1/100 is sooooo much better it's insane!
Tallgeese III 1/114 - Sweet Aine painted this badboy for me and DAMN did she do a good job! I thought he was cool assembled, but painted he RULES!!!! Can also be turned into either Tallgeese 1 or 2!!!!
Deathscythe Hell Custom (Action figure) - The model gave me a headache it was so bloody fussy! The figure is a FAR better alternative. Would perfer the 1/100 scale but it's $30 bones.
Tallgeese (Action Figure) - Hard to find at first, but definately worthwhile!!
Gundam V 01 (Action figure) - From gundam V comes some pretty cool stuff! Too damn small like the Gundam wing figures, but with great attention to detail and many cool accessories.
SD Epyon model kit - A painfully adorable lil' Epyon! Just BUY it! Don't ask questions! :)
More to come...