The Energon Pub

Aluus wrote:Just finished Hyaku-Shiki. I know this kit's 10 years old, but if you haven't picked it up yet, you should. It definitely shows its age under the armor, but goddamn is it pretty when its finished.

Debating my next MG. 00 Qan[T] being newer should be pretty advanced, but i've heard that the Hi-Nu is the big daddy of MG gundams

That it is.

I've done the MG Hi-Nu and I must say, that was one fun model to build. And it comes with the biggest stand i've seen since you can have it posed with it's funnels deployed.

I'm holding off on 00 Quan[T] until after tax time since I do get my yearly annual bonus right before then, of course, I gotta take care of some important payments first.

I dunno about Sinanju. Truth be told I've avoided mono-eyed MS's like the plague. Only one i've ever built is the NG 1/100 Over Flag.

Sinanju reminds me of a beefed up customized Kampfer truth be told. It's supposed to be Sazabi's successor, but it doesn't much look like Sazabi to me aside from the color. Anyway, with Hyaku-Shiki completed, I already have the coolest "Char" suit! =P

Aluus wrote:I dunno about Sinanju. Truth be told I've avoided mono-eyed MS's like the plague. Only one i've ever built is the NG 1/100 Over Flag.

Sinanju reminds me of a beefed up customized Kampfer truth be told. It's supposed to be Sazabi's successor, but it doesn't much look like Sazabi to me aside from the color. Anyway, with Hyaku-Shiki completed, I already have the coolest "Char" suit! =P

The Sinanju has multiple points of design elements that are derived from the Sazabi. Certainly, the former is not as chunky as the latter but that's the main difference between the aesthetics of the two MS designs.

Both designs are based on high maneuverability due to multiple vernier thrusters installed throughout the Mobile Suit. The placement of verniers on the Sazabi's upper arms, hip skirts, and lower legs are mirrored by the Sinanju's design. The external propellant tanks and storage pods for funnels on the Sazabi's backpack are also mirrored by the Sinanju's propellant tanks and its vernier thruster wing-like components. Overall, the Sinanju looks like a refined Sazabi to me.

The evolution or refining of the Sazabi to the Sinanju design is similar to the Zaku II to the Geara Zulu. However, the latter is easier to see since the evolution of the design of the Zaku II has an intermediate MS design(the Geara Doga) that bridges the gap, whereas the jump from the Sazabi to the Sinanju is more abrupt.

Ooh, finally found a good sub for A Wakening of a Trailblazer and...

...and...

Holy ****.

That was easily the most epic two hours of Gundam fiction I have ever witnessed. And with this, 00 just edged out Zeta as my favorite Gundam series ever.

Shadowman wrote: And with this, 00 just edged out Zeta as my favorite Gundam series ever.

That's a bold statement. I'm going to have to give it a watch!

Hey guys!

Just want your advice - I got an HGUC RGM-79 GM this past Christmas, along with an Acguy and a Guncannon Mass Production Type. Today, it has ran its course, unfortunately. The peg and ball on its left leg have shattered, and I'm trying to glue it back together with Testors model cement.

First off, I would like to know if older release kits are more prone to plastic breakage - My MSM-07 Z'Gok's arm joints also have shattered. Also, If my emergency glue operation doesn't work out, I would like to know the best HGUC GM out there, besides the one I've already broken. I want to get a GM-type MS when I get a Gouf Custom and Sniper Zaku I with Christmas money.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Badass Grimlock

Yes, older kits sadly have.. older technology. It's not really a brittle plastic issue, it's more of a, 'these ball joints are hard plastic, not rubber plastic'. I've had the same situation with ~2000-2003 era Gundam kits. Once you're finished glueing, I suggest not playing with the toy excessively. Newer kits are really articulating though. If you're interested in more HGUC, check out the line here;

http://dalong.net/review/hg.htm

Blurrz wrote:Yes, older kits sadly have.. older technology. It's not really a brittle plastic issue, it's more of a, 'these ball joints are hard plastic, not rubber plastic'. I've had the same situation with ~2000-2003 era Gundam kits. Once you're finished glueing, I suggest not playing with the toy excessively. Newer kits are really articulating though. If you're interested in more HGUC, check out the line here;

http://dalong.net/review/hg.htm

Checked that out - That site is where I decide what models I get next. It's that important.

Here are my thoughts on A Wakening of the Trailblazer...spoilers ahead!

Pros:

1) Great animation.

2) Good pacing, considering it's a 2 hour long movie.

3) Graham and the Solbraves were great in their scenes (Trans-Graham!).


Cons:

1) The ELS were less of an antagonist and more of a plot device to provide protagonists a problem to fix. Their background as well as their concept(race of beings with a destroyed homeworld, a mix of the Borg and the T-1000) are sorely lacking in originality. They weren't a compelling antagonist to me.

2) Little to no character development for the Meisters and only Setsuna was shown in the epilogue. What happened to everyone else afterwards?

3) Related to point 3, there was too much of a spread for all the characters in the movie. On one hand, it's great to see people like Patrick get some decent screen time but on the other hand, the main characters like the Meisters basically show up for glorified cameos in a story they should be headlining.

4) The ending was too abrupt. The ELS ceased their assault and form a large flower in outer space as a white flag. At that point it seems like all the humans are suddenly relieved...rather than showing confusion at the sudden turn of events. Then we get the credits.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie quite a bit but there are some serious flaws in the story.

Badass Grimlock wrote:Hey guys!

Just want your advice - I got an HGUC RGM-79 GM this past Christmas, along with an Acguy and a Guncannon Mass Production Type. Today, it has ran its course, unfortunately. The peg and ball on its left leg have shattered, and I'm trying to glue it back together with Testors model cement.

First off, I would like to know if older release kits are more prone to plastic breakage - My MSM-07 Z'Gok's arm joints also have shattered. Also, If my emergency glue operation doesn't work out, I would like to know the best HGUC GM out there, besides the one I've already broken. I want to get a GM-type MS when I get a Gouf Custom and Sniper Zaku I with Christmas money.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Badass Grimlock

Hey there, BG!

I have some good news for you and some bad news.

The bad news first: Yes, unfortunately the older Gundam model kits/gunpla are more prone to breakage. I will state something contrary to what Blurrz stated, though, as I believe it is an issue based in the type(s) of plastic used for the kits.

The HGUC RGM-79 uses only PS/polystyrene plastic for the parts. PS is not very durable and can easily break. PS isn't a problem when used for larger parts of models like a forearm or a torso but when used for joints where stress is focused at times of manipulation, the PS used can easily experience stress damage and break.

In the later gunpla, we see Bandai shift over to using ABS plastic for joints, which means the parts are far less prone to breaking. Even so, ABS is sometimes omitted in relatively newer HG model kits like the 0 Gundam, which has reported issues with the elbow joints breaking.

As far as the shattered joint, I'm afraid that there's little use in trying to fix it if it's in several pieces. If it was a straightforward break with just two pieces, I would say that you could try drilling a small hole into the peg and the ball, insert a metal rod into both parts, and then glue them back together. It's a common approach to fixing such breaks in model kits. If the break is a shatter, though, it's unlikely you can return the part to a state where it's strong enough to serve as a dependable joint for the model.

As far as the best HGUC GM kit, there's no answer without some criteria. If you're looking for something that won't break as easily as the older HGUC RGM-79, the GM kits after the RGM-79 use ABS for joints so you should be safe choosing one of those.

Personally, one of my favourite HGUC GM models is the RGM-79 Powered GM. It's nicely bulked up with armour and armaments. Sure, it looks like an orange creamsicle but I like the Arios and Kyrios from Gundam 00 so I'm okay with the colour scheme.

The Zaku I Sniper Type is one of my favourite HGUC kits and as a Zaku fan, it's my favourite Zaku variation.

Convotron wrote:Here are my thoughts on A Wakening of the Trailblazer...spoilers ahead!

Pros:

1) Great animation.

2) Good pacing, considering it's a 2 hour long movie.

3) Graham and the Solbraves were great in their scenes (Trans-Graham!).


Cons:

1) The ELS were less of an antagonist and more of a plot device to provide protagonists a problem to fix. Their background as well as their concept(race of beings with a destroyed homeworld, a mix of the Borg and the T-1000) are sorely lacking in originality. They weren't a compelling antagonist to me.

2) Little to no character development for the Meisters and only Setsuna was shown in the epilogue. What happened to everyone else afterwards?

3) Related to point 3, there was too much of a spread for all the characters in the movie. On one hand, it's great to see people like Patrick get some decent screen time but on the other hand, the main characters like the Meisters basically show up for glorified cameos in a story they should be headlining.

4) The ending was too abrupt. The ELS ceased their assault and form a large flower in outer space as a white flag. At that point it seems like all the humans are suddenly relieved...rather than showing confusion at the sudden turn of events. Then we get the credits.

Overall, I enjoyed the movie quite a bit but there are some serious flaws in the story.

I would add the enormously reduced construction time for the new GN drives. Character development is non existent. The story is weak and non original from a sci-fi perspective and takes Gundam to a place it's never been (and hopefully never goes again.)

This movie reminds me of the Transformers movies. Story is a distant second to action and the most beam spam ever seen in such a short period of time. It was two hours of my life I'll never get back.

I enjoyed OO in season 1 and thought it had great potential, but it never lived up to it and simply became a vehicle to sell models. However, many people enjoyed it and more fans is always great for the Gundam franchise.

Convotron wrote:

Badass Grimlock wrote:Hey guys!

Just want your advice - I got an HGUC RGM-79 GM this past Christmas, along with an Acguy and a Guncannon Mass Production Type. Today, it has ran its course, unfortunately. The peg and ball on its left leg have shattered, and I'm trying to glue it back together with Testors model cement.

First off, I would like to know if older release kits are more prone to plastic breakage - My MSM-07 Z'Gok's arm joints also have shattered. Also, If my emergency glue operation doesn't work out, I would like to know the best HGUC GM out there, besides the one I've already broken. I want to get a GM-type MS when I get a Gouf Custom and Sniper Zaku I with Christmas money.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Badass Grimlock

Hey there, BG!

I have some good news for you and some bad news.

The bad news first: Yes, unfortunately the older Gundam model kits/gunpla are more prone to breakage. I will state something contrary to what Blurrz stated, though, as I believe it is an issue based in the type(s) of plastic used for the kits.

The HGUC RGM-79 uses only PS/polystyrene plastic for the parts. PS is not very durable and can easily break. PS isn't a problem when used for larger parts of models like a forearm or a torso but when used for joints where stress is focused at times of manipulation, the PS used can easily experience stress damage and break.

In the later gunpla, we see Bandai shift over to using ABS plastic for joints, which means the parts are far less prone to breaking. Even so, ABS is sometimes omitted in relatively newer HG model kits like the 0 Gundam, which has reported issues with the elbow joints breaking.

As far as the shattered joint, I'm afraid that there's little use in trying to fix it if it's in several pieces. If it was a straightforward break with just two pieces, I would say that you could try drilling a small hole into the peg and the ball, insert a metal rod into both parts, and then glue them back together. It's a common approach to fixing such breaks in model kits. If the break is a shatter, though, it's unlikely you can return the part to a state where it's strong enough to serve as a dependable joint for the model.

As far as the best HGUC GM kit, there's no answer without some criteria. If you're looking for something that won't break as easily as the older HGUC RGM-79, the GM kits after the RGM-79 use ABS for joints so you should be safe choosing one of those.

Personally, one of my favourite HGUC GM models is the RGM-79 Powered GM. It's nicely bulked up with armour and armaments. Sure, it looks like an orange creamsicle but I like the Arios and Kyrios from Gundam 00 so I'm okay with the colour scheme.

The Zaku I Sniper Type is one of my favourite HGUC kits and as a Zaku fan, it's my favourite Zaku variation.

Sorry about that - Didn't word it correctly. What I meant to say was "The ball on the end of the post has broken off with a section of the post". Thankfully, I did manage to glue it back together, but old GM is probably just a display piece now. The first time I glued it, I messed around with his foot a little and the darn thing broke off again! So I glued it together a second time. Now it's fine.

Sniper Zaku looks to be a great kit. I think I can get past the triple-jointed ankles, but other than that, I think it looks awesome, especially toting that giant sniper rifle of his. One question, though: If your mono-eye is enlarged to have better range and precision, do you really need a scope on your gun?

Also, does anybody here have an HGUC Gouf Custom?

Badass Grimlock wrote:Also, does anybody here have an HGUC Gouf Custom?

I don't buy 1/144 kits, but I was looking at a friends and it's a nice kit. I didn't see it oob, but he has it painted and displayed with the Gundam ground war set and it looks great.

Yeah, Gouf Custom is good.

And.. the next RG (aka Ridiculouslyawesomeandarticulated Grade) will be Aile Strike Gundam. Hot damn!

Blurrz wrote:And.. the next RG (aka Ridiculouslyawesomeandarticulated Grade) will be Aile Strike Gundam. Hot damn!

If Bandai included all 3 strike packs and a skygrasper or two I would buy this. I'm still waiting for my sword and launcher packs for the PG.

I'm glad they decided to move to a different universe so soon. I love UC, but it's nice to see variety in a line. I would be tempted by a RG Turn A.

I'm looking forward to the RG Strike Gundam for sure. I wonder if Bandai will make it anime accurate or use the Evolve version like they did with the PG and MG kits.

Question, where do the Sentai candy kits "fit" in the Gunpla world? They're made by the same company and even feature those cap things so are they like mini-pla?

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Question, where do the Sentai candy kits "fit" in the Gunpla world? They're made by the same company and even feature those cap things so are they like mini-pla?

Gunpla is simply a term to cover model kits that are of Gundam designs. So with that in mind, the sentai candy kits don't fit in gunpla. They're plamo(plastic model kits), which gunpla are a subcategory of(all gunpla are plamo but not all plamo are gunpla).

I've only seen a few photos of the sentai candy kits. Are they similar to the Kabaya Transformers candy kits? If so, I'd categorize them as gashapon.

Convotron wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Question, where do the Sentai candy kits "fit" in the Gunpla world? They're made by the same company and even feature those cap things so are they like mini-pla?

Gunpla is simply a term to cover model kits that are of Gundam designs. So with that in mind, the sentai candy kits don't fit in gunpla. They're plamo(plastic model kits), which gunpla are a subcategory of(all gunpla are plamo but not all plamo are gunpla).

I've only seen a few photos of the sentai candy kits. Are they similar to the Kabaya Transformers candy kits? If so, I'd categorize them as gashapon.

From what I've seen they're better. I know in terms of articulation they're better than the DX Sentai Mecha. I've ordered a few so I'll let ya know.

Question: Did Bandai actually say yet that it's the Aile Strike or have they just shown the shadow image? Could be the Strike Rouge. Remember, they released that as a complete set in the PG line and the Strike by itself. It would be monumentally stupid of them, but then again, Japanese toymakers sometimes do things like that *cough*MP Starscream*cough*

The promotional material released by Bandai states "RG 1/144 GAT-X105 AILE STRIKE 2011.4 ROLL OUT" so it should be the Aile Strike Gundam.

Bandai is all to fond of milking as much out of molds as they can. Look at all the variations of Gundam designs available via model kits and toys, many of which are exclusive products. The Strike design is the basis of numerous variations in SEED and its spin offs so I'm sure we'll see the Rouge and others in the near future. I do hope that Bandai will make available the Sword and Launcher packs as stand alone add ons like they did with the MG Core Booster Ver.Ka.

Also to correct myself, the MG Strike is anime accurate. For some reason I thought it also used the Evolve version design.

wait.... wut?

are they trying to market the Wing Gundam KAI as a new MG with slightly altered colors or something?

Aluus wrote:wait.... wut?

are they trying to market the Wing Gundam KAI as a new MG with slightly altered colors or something?

Seems so.

Wanna bet they'll do something similar with Wing Zero?

Doubtful. This is probably just to keep the packaging in line with what they did for deathscythe and future gundams. Deathscythe was packaged as an "endless waltz" version instead of being called deathscythe kai.

Just finished the Gundam 00 movie, and:

Wow, how disappointing... I really didn't care for anything about it. I'm glad they took the chance on the ELS, but it just didn't do it for me. Bad MS designs, boring enemy, no politics, and lousy ending to the movie. Maybe I'll watch it again in a few months and hopefully I'll have a better opinion on it. 00 Just got worse and worse after the first season I think.

At least Unicorn is shaping up to be great!