Gundam Wing Model Kits

Gunpla Build - Real Grade Wing Gundam 2021-08-10

Dear God WHAT HAVE I DONE!!?!?!?

Not too long ago, I was a person who loathed the mobile suit designs in Gundam Wing, and I especially had it out for the design of the Wing Gundam.

Fast forward to the present, where I have all these MF’ers on my shelf:

And now I have this …. this THING in my backlog:

My teenage self would be very cross right now.

Gunpla Build - High Grade Gundam Deathscythe (part 3) 2021-06-14

Followup on super special leg articulation

Well that didn’t take too long. Yesterday I couldn’t figure out how to make use of the Deathscythe’s special leg articulation, but after a stroke of pure luck I have the answer.

It turns out that I was using the wrong poses to test the feature:

For example, this bend involves the hip, knee, and ankle, so it isn’t really a test of what the knee, on its own, can do. Instead, we need a way to test the knee in isolation.

Gunpla Build - High Grade Gundam Deathscythe (part 2) 2021-06-13

Deathscythe’s weapons came together with a bit of strife, but maybe now I have “The Messies” out of my system. Let’s move on start putting together the body.

Feet and Legs

This is by far the most complicated section of the body. Just look at this pile of pieces!

And that’s not even all of them! (I forgot to add two to the pile when I took this photo)

Gunpla Build - High Grade Gundam Deathscythe (part 1) 2021-06-12

Normally I take a little break between builds, but not this time. As soon as I finished writing about the Entry Grade Gundam, I had this thing unboxed and ready to go. I can’t wait to put Deathscythe together.

The Runners

We’ve seen this before with all the High Grade Gundam Wing kits - it always looks like there aren’t enough parts on the runners. But I know better now. These pieces are going to transform into something great.

Gunpla Build - High Grade Gundam Deathscythe 2021-06-10

My last two builds were … not great. I don’t think I’ve had a “two-game skid” like this before. It’s not great for motivation.

But this next build will break the streak. I know it will. This is a surefire knockout if ever there was one. It is another High Grade Gundam Wing kit, and so far every single one of those not named Leo has been incredible.

It is also a model of the very first mobile suit I ever liked. The original favorite of every edgelord teen. The inspiration for several thousand Anime Music Videos set to Linkin Park songs.

That’s right - the Great Destroyer is back:

Gunpla Build - High Grade Leo (Final) 2021-05-16

Somehow I managed to write six - six! - posts about the Leo, a mobile suit I have absolutely no love for. How the heck did that happen?

Anyway, let’s get started and see if the Leo can redeem itself.

Outdoor Photos

I got a chance to take some outdoor photos this time. The lighting is a lot more blue than I expected, but you can see all the detail - and all the mistakes - with much greater clarity.

Action Base 5

I took a few photos using my new Action Base 5. I plan on doing a full review of it soon.

Or soonish.

Honestly, I have no idea. I've had the base for months now, but I haven't gotten around to using it. Stay tuned.

Quality of My Work

This was not my best build. Not even close. In fact, this is downright sloppy work.

Gunpla Build - High Grade Leo (Part 2) 2021-05-09

Full disclosure - these two brown pieces on the torso were the last two body parts I worked on. I rushed through them, and didn’t let them fully dry If you look real close you can see some fingerprints and discoloration:

I’m not going to worry about it, since it will largely be hidden by the rest of the torso (and the arms)

Upper Torso

As I mentioned before, my plan was to paint the midsection of the Leo brown. I have only one photo of this, and before you ask, no, the paint is not finished drying in the picture:

Gunpla Build - High Grade Leo (Part 1) 2021-05-06

Okay, without further ado now let’s get the build started.

First, a look at the runners:

That is a fairly small (but extremely well organized set of parts. Most interesting to me is the fact that it only uses a single row of ball-joint polycaps. As someone who regularly watches video reviews of new kits, I know that Bandai keeps trying to lessen - and in some cases, eliminate - the use of polycaps in High Grade kits, so this isn’t a huge shock.