Ok I lied, the first real post is not about nail polishes but a model of my beloved RX-0 Unicorn Gundam. :3 (I need a cat face emoticon!) I guess this is what you'd call a Review of the product, with some average looking photos of the actual model.
This post is for all the Otaku-tachi, which apparently I am one according to my students. The Mobile Suit Gundam universe is by far my all time favourite anime/manga series amongst the mecha genre. The movie-length anime series of Gundam Unicorn is in my opinion the most epic and well executed of them all. The animation and soundtrack are top notch, and the story line is not ridiculous (a lot of them are out there). Anyway, there's no need for me to rave on about it, since the post is about the model. Let's get into it.
The Package:
Maker: Bandai (Uh duh)
Product No. 0162053
RX-0 Unicorn Gundam Full Psycho-frame Prototype Mobile Suit
Master Grade (MG) 1/100 scale
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| Box front, didn't want to peel the price tag off in case it rips the paper underneath it. The artwork is always so pretty! |
The box is 39 cm x 31 cm x 9 cm in dimensions, and it doesn't weigh much. If this is of any importance, e.g. shipping cost, luggage space, etc.
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| Side of the box with some action pictures of the completed Unicorn mode (top) and Destroyer mode (bottom). |
It has the Unicorn mode, which needs to be made first. This then transforms into the Destroyer mode (full psycho-frame has pretty red pieces showing through), and some of the additional pieces need to be made separately and swapped out with the original pieces.
It comes with an instruction/illustrations booklet, which is in Japanese. Not that it matters, because the diagrams are pretty detailed and self-explanatory. There are also little warning signs you need to take extra notes before you cut out the pieces. There was one little nob on a piece that we accidentally cut off, and luckily it wasn't affecting the assembly at all. The moral of the story: Be Patient and Careful! Following the steps and don't jump ahead, or things can be mixed up.
The Making Process:
Overall the assembly of the parts is pretty straight forward. The parts are made with joints that click into one another; therefore, no glue is needed to hold them together. Again, be careful so you don't clip off the joints, lol. All the joints are pretty sturdy, so you don't need to worry about it falling apart at all!
My manicure and jewelry making tools had become unexpectedly useful in this occasion. We used the 1/4" half flush wire cutter for clipping the parts off the stencil. A 400 grit nail board for filing off the jagged edges from the cut, and a 1200 grit board for smoothing and removing obvious outlines. There was quite a bit of plastic dust from the filing, so not breathing that in would be a good advice. :p
The good thing about filing is that the model is predominantly white, so it doesn't affect the finish of the plastic. The clear plastic parts on the other hand, tend to leave an opaque mark as a result of being compressed while they are being cut. Not sure how you can avoid that and filing doesn't help much. The metallic finish parts are also tricky, as filing with the 1200 grit would dull the metallic shine. I managed to polish it back to almost the same finish with a satin finish buffing and shine nail board. I'm sure there are more appropriate and manlier tools for this job, but mine did a more than satisfactory job! :3
Pictures: Unicorn mode
We decided to finish the Unicorn mode with its full set of weapons first. I actually prefer the Unicorn mode because it's white. :) The photos have been slightly digitally enhanced to show the details of the model, only a little on the brightness, contrast and level since I'm a photoshop noob and don't know how to use other functions... I blame this on my really old shitty point and shoot, a good SLR would be nice to have for any occasion.
Trying to make poses with this thing is pretty damn hard, the joints are really rigid and without much movement freedom. It also can't hold ALL of the weapons (okay, only 4 and a shield), so you have to pick and choose what you want it to hold for the photos. There is also noooo bloody way for you to make awesome action poses like those in the box pictures without a stand and a lot of tweaking, so it's not going to happen here.
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| Full weapon set: 2 Beam Sabers (outer), 1 Hyper Bazooka (2nd from the left), 1 Beam Magnum (2nd from the right, comes with 2 clips but 11 rounds? o_O), and the shield (middle). |
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| Size comparison between the 'Crouching Unicorn' and the Teeny weeny 'Honey, I shrunk the kids'-sized Pilot! <3 |
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| A functionally unfeasible but cool-looking pose, I'm sure you need both hands to fire the Bazooka. :p |
If you want full-on epicness, the Full Armour version is surely drool-worthy. It won't cost you an arm or a leg, just a lot of spare time. Here is a link to someone else's master work, the workmanship and photography skills are nothing short of professional.
Extras:
Cost: 3180 Yen before tax (~ 35 AUD after tax), a total bargain! We also had a look on the internet, and it was selling at around 80 AUD. Apparently the model is classified as semi-vintage, meaning it's no longer being produced. We had to dig around quite a bit in Akihabara for this one as well, because I don't particularly like the newer versions. I'd say it was the best find from our japan trip!!
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| It's not much of a toy, so hubby is trying hard to give it some character - by pointing the gun at his wife! |
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