Gundam Wing Model Kits

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Waist 2020-03-02

We are in the home stretch now. Only two pieces to build! The next one on the list is the waist. Should be fairly straightforward - let me just get all the pieces ready and ….

Holy crap. That is a lot of pieces. I honestly cannot figure out how there were that many pieces left on all the remaining runners. Did they just appear out of thin air?

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Gun 2020-03-01

As I mentioned in the last post, the next two parts on the Tallgeese build list were the second vernier and second leg. Since these are identical in appearance to the originals, I felt no need to write about them. The only item of note is that I cracked the ankle guard on the leg. These pieces snap onto the leg, but they are so thin and small that it is not immediately obvious how it attaches and stays secure. Somehow, though, it does, at which point it stays in place even when it is cracked:

I still put some superglue on just in case.

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Arm 2020-02-23

As the post says, this is just about one arm - specifically the left arm - since that was what came up next in the random build order.

This is the third and final body part that uses an Advanced MS Joint. In this case it makes up the entire arm frame:

Previous Advanced MS Joints on this kit included a small hinge for the leg and the foot assembly, neither of which felt like the old ones from the early Real Grade kits. This is the one exception. The photo above shows the piece in its original form. To make it into an arm, you have to:

Pull out a random ball joint that ends up being tossed away
Rotate a piece a full 180 degrees
Bend the pieces so that they resemble the actual shape of an arm
Rotate a small clip (You can see it on the bottom, pointing straight down) and secure it to the rest of the frame

That is what I remember having to do on my old RGs. While impressive, it is also kind of a pain, and I hope the joints do not become floppy and noodly over time.

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Shield (and Beam Sabers) 2020-02-17

The shield is the next component on the build list.

The construction is quite simple. This is all you need:

Tragically, the decals got a little dark, so not only are they now extremely obviously decals, but they clash against the pure white of the shield. I originally thought and hoped that the color may fade away over time, but the next day it looked even worse.

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Vernier 2020-02-15

The next item on our list of parts to build is “Backpack Vernier 2”, which I suppose could be either of the two Verniers. Whatever, let’s build one and talk about it.

The verniers on this model look like a f-ing work of art. Take a look at this:

They open up from all sorts of directions to reveal three thrusters each, then fold back into a nice, neat, compact form when closed.

The only question is - how exactly do they work? At least, that is the question I have had on my mind since I first laid eyes upon this kit. It seems impossible that this feature works without springs, or diecast metal, or something other than plastic. Now I get to see how it really works.

Gunpla Chronicles - Tallgeese Legs (and feet) 2020-02-12

I decided to go with the Tallgeese over the Maganac as the next build, so let us get cracking.

Here are the runners:

We have 12 in total, which feels a bit low for a Real Grade, but keep in mind that some of these are big and crammed full of pieces.

Also, I very quickly learned that the white pieces do have a glossy appearance out of the box. That is extremely cool, and I will stick with my original plan not to topcoat them.

Here is the instruction booklet:

I am only showing it because I forgot how much I love these Real Grade booklets. Multi paged, stapled, nice quality paper, and they don’t try to cram as many steps as possible onto a single page:

One page for a SINGLE leg. That’s luxury friends

Gunpla Chronicles - Gundam Wing Mania! 2020-02-03

I got a handful of small gift cards for my birthday last month, and with so many family members encouraging my model kit hobby, I figured I might as well do the same. I ended up buying four different kits, all of them at extremely good prices l(which is the only reason I got four in the first place). They have not yet all arrived - one of them appears to be shipping directly from Japan, and may not arrive until the end of Feburary! - but as of today I do have two of them. And lo and behold, there’s a bit of a theme behind them. Can you guess from this photo?

Gunpla Chronicles - Glory of the Losers: High Grade Gundam Sandrock 2019-11-25

A few months ago I used an interesting writing experiment to express my gradual change in opinion regarding the mobile suit designs of Gundam Wing. In particular I pointed out some examples of recent-ish Wing kits that are specifically responsible for my change of mind. One such kit was a High Grade version of the Gundam Sandrock released this year. As I pointed out in those posts, of all the five Gundams of Gundam Wing, I liked the Sandrock the least of all. Thus I was surprised as anyone at how positively I responded to the screenshots video reviews of this model. But it’s true - I really do like the look of this kit!

On the same weekend that I built the Gundam Ground Type, I found myself near a Barnes & Noble. I went in to see what kits they had, and lo and behold, there was the Sandrock, at under fifteen bucks no less. Whether it be fate or simply good timing, I decided that I had to let go of the old hatreds and see whether this kit really was everything it looked to be.