The holidays and all the days off were nice
I built and sorted through a lot of what I'd bought up to now, focusing on the ones I felt like picking up.
I got one step closer to the middle-aged guys I envied as a kid.
SEED series
MG Freedom Gundam
HG Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam
GQuuuuuuX series
HG Gundam GQuuuuuuX, Char's Zaku II, White Gundam
Universal Century
HG Atlas Gundam, EG Nu Gundam
1) MG Freedom Gundam 2.0 Gundam Base Clear Ver.
Freedom is one of the finest Gundam designs of the 21st century, and as a refined version of a popular kit, the quality is excellent
I built it at my parents' place over the Lunar New Year holiday, and I attached one rail gun part on the left wrong and struggled to pry it off.
I confirmed the appeal of clear versions, which photos just can't capture.
2) HG Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam
As you'd expect from a recent HG, the many colors are nicely separated into parts, and stickers only go where they're needed, so the build is fun
Apart from the beam shield, which I left off because it's not my taste, you can mount all the weapons at once, which is nice
3) HG Gundam GQuuuuuuX
The design, sitting somewhere between Gundam and Evangelion, really grew on me.
Extremely intricate detail is realized with tiny parts, so the assembly fatigue is considerable
Partially painting the silver, gray, and red areas raised my satisfaction, but I'm scared to do it all again on the Endymion Unit version
4) HG White Gundam and Char's Zaku II
Add the Red Gundam to these and I'd have built everything Char pilots in episode 2 of the GQuuuuuuX anime, but likewise the panel-lining on the White Gundam's face was so tiring that I can't bring myself to
Honestly, I don't think I ever liked the Zaku's design much, while the White Gundam has the kind of quality that makes the slightly steep price feel worth it
5) HG Atlas Gundam
I had Thunderbolt playing while I built it, and watching that insane action made me want to buy a Full Armor Gundam too
There are a few too many stickers going into the joints and the rail gun's color separation is a letdown, but the small seals add detail, so the result is satisfying
6) EG Nu Gundam
Honestly, I grabbed this one because it's the fastest to build and I wanted to clear out my pile of Gunpla boxes
First of all, the clean lines of the Nu Gundam design itself make it obvious why people call it overpowered, and I'm happy with the value for money that lives up to the Entry Grade name
I'm torn over whether, to get someone into Gundam, I should buy them this or make them watch the anime
*If I hit my goals this year one way or another, I'll buy myself the 600,000-won Unleashed Nu Gundam as a birthday present
Takeaways
1) Partial painting, but only at the marker level
Painting is definitely difficult, but it seems like rewarding work.
For now, panel-lining and adding detail with metallic markers from Daiso (Korea's dollar-store chain) is plenty
Separate from painting, satisfaction with the 80,000-won Ultimate Nipper is top-tier
2) A February of hardcore Gundam-watching so I could buy more Gundam
- Watched First Gundam and Zeta Gundam via YouTube recap videos
- Binged GQuuuuuuX on Amazon
- Watched Thunderbolt as the OVA
- Currently watching Unicorn
Is it OK for a work that opposes war and emphasizes connection between people to depict weapons of war this coolly? In that sense, Thunderbolt seems like an excellent work.
GQuuuuuuX was short, intense, and good too.
3) Gundam model kit developers really are amazing
The reason any kit you buy feels cheap is thanks to the contributions of the people who keep advancing things so anyone can easily build sculptures of this insane quality
