*Updated* transformation section is updated.
1. Intro:
Name: ZGMF-X23 Saviour
Size: NG 1/100
Pilot: Athrun Zala
Boxart:
Manual art:
Price: 2600 yen. same price as arios ng.
2. Details and articulation
Having this as a NG transformable gundam means i will compare it with arios.
Starting from the head i already have a major major complain. One of the highlights of the saviour or other Athrun suits is the head. The crown-like rectangular piece is what makes it special. However, for some whatsoever reason, Bandai decided that the translucent blue parts should be made of two parts. Hence from this pic u can see that is a white separation in between. This is because the crown piece is made up of two parts. Which is a disappointment for me.
Unpainted, straight-out-of-the box pic
Well at least they did technically gave us a warning. But then again not many will notice the little bugger on its crown.
Painted-by-a-pro pic
Another thing that i notice only after building the gundam is the difference in the shade of red. The painted red looks much sharper. Whereas the unpainted red looks toyish.
Justice Kick!
Articlation wise this it is somewhat limited too, not as good as arios definitely.
And now, i am not so proud to present <drumroll> stargazergunpla's first gunpla disaster.
The tip of both wings are supposed to be yellow, followed by a big white part. now they are red. Reason: the yellow part and the big white part are STICKERS that bend at multiple points.Like any sticker worth its salt, those stickers are only meant for people withe steady hands, perfect hand-eye coordination and plenty of luck. So i broke one part and :( . That was something that frustrated me to no end. There was no way i will buy this kit if i knew it had stickers for big parts. now i had to buy white paint to touch this up. :(
unpainted-but-stickers-are-sticked-on-by-a-pro pic
3. Weapons and accessories
Having practically said nothing good in the details/articulation department, i am moving on to the weapons department with a heavy heart. Luckily, the shield is good. Very sharp looking and no stickers involved.
Angular shaped and the saviour can hold it rather well.
However, not all is merry about the shield. the handle on the back is quite loose and can fall off untill u attach it to the arms.
This being a 2006 kit it can actually hold its beam saber rather well, though the arios can hold its own better due to superior design.
Going back to the first pic u can see the beam rifle is just one big block of plastic with a small white part as the scope. Uninspiring and boring it seems but it does serve its purpose.
All armed up the gundam looks very good, surprisingly after all the complains. One big plus of the design that i particularly liked is that it keeps its beam sabers on its shoulders.From this pic u can see that the beam saber is attached very sturdily on its left shoulder. this means that i do not have to worry about missing parts and the beam saber is made fully utilised.
4. Poseability
Despite having high heels this gundam can hold its own on the ground. A very sturdy gundam like arios.
Cruising mode, using bandai's action base.
As u can see in this pic i tried to rotate the canons on its back to the front, but the left one came loose and went straight down before i clicked the shutter.
Decided that the canons are cooler at the back after all....
This model has very few falling parts, close to none actually and is very sturdy, something that is always appreciated.
5. Transformation:
I finally painted the yellow parts and white parts on the wings. Looks ok from afar,looks horrendous up close. But there is always a first time for everything. Anyway the transformation is actually very solid and it is pretty obvious from its MS form that this is a transforming gundam. Follow the instructions and u will do fine except for the knees bending portion where u will need to fiddle around for a while to get it right.
The knees bend in 2 directions so it does not bend like normal MS. Took me a while to get it right since i don't understand japanese. The plain-looking beam rifle can be mounted securely on the side. And most importantly the gundam is well hidden.
Well-hidden until u look at it from the front or back. The shield can also be attached at the bottom, just in case Shinn shoots it from below. Only complain i have is that this mode seems to take up a lot of space.
6. Conclusion
A sturdy model with a solid transformation. But the crown's clear blue part and its somewhat overall blockiness really kinda makes this gundam not as good as in the anime.
Details: 5/10 The bend-at-many points stickers really hate me.
Articulation: 7/10
Sturdiness: 9/10 As sturdy as gunpla goes.
Poseability: 6.5/10 Lack of gimmicks restrict the number of possible poses.
No comments:
Post a Comment