I can explain, I swear.
I know I just got done building not one, but two models, and a Panda’gguy. I also know that I considered taking a break back in September.
Long story short, I learned that Barnes and Noble was doing a clearance event, and that Gundam model kits might be one of the many things they mark down. I went online to look at prices and availability, when I stumbled upon the HG Gundam Astaroth from Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans. It looked cool as heck, and the price was cheaper than I’ve ever seen for a High Grade kit (13 bucks, though online it can be found for a ten spot). I felt like I couldn’t pass it up.
Unfortunately, B&N almost made the decision for me. Their website said my local store had the model in stock, but it wasn’t on the shelf, and every attempt at reserving it online was rejected. According to the store’s staff, their model kits are shipped in a couple big boxes, such that they have no idea what’s inside any of them. There was no way to tell where it might be in the stock room, and I guess they didn’t want to spend hours digging. I was ready to give up, but this was a case where the more obsessive aspects of my personality took over. I ended up attempting to reserve it every few days, in hopes that it would work. At the start of October, it finally did.
This is the first time I’ve purchased a model kit from America’s Only Remaining Bookstore Chain, and it might be the last too. It is far too much of a crapshoot. You never know what they have or what they’re preparing to put out on the shelf (when I picked up the kit, there weren’t any others copies on the sales floor, so I have no idea if this was their only one).
There’s another reason the experience was so sour - I just got done talking about how my obsessive behavior got the best of me during my previous two builds, how I needed to take a break, and what do I do? I let my obsessive behavior get the best of me in trying to buy this kit. This had to stop, otherwise this hobby was going to become a waste of time and money.
So I made a deal with myself - I bought the kit on October 1st, and I told myself I couldn’t build it until November. If I could be patient - if I could demonstrate a bit of self control - then maybe I could exercise that same control when building the kit, and (hopefully) not make the same mistakes I did before. And if I were to break my promise? Then I would stop building Gunpla. For good.
The most surprising thing about this little test was just how easy it was. I didn’t even have to put the box in some out of sight place. I didn’t really forget about it, but at the same time I didn’t think about it much either. It was only near the very end that I started to get excited, and even then, it was more a feeling of enthusiasm than obsession.
… I suppose I should talk a little about the kit now. This mobile suit comes from the universe of Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans, but it doesn’t actually appear in the show. Instead, it is featured in a side story manga, Iron Blooded Orphans: Steel Moon, which is currently being published in Gundam Ace magazine. I’ve never heard of Bandai making a manga exclusive mobile suit design, much less turn it into a model kit. I’m sure it isn’t a new idea, but I’m also surprised that anyone would decide to sell it stateside. Since the manga isn’t legally available, there aren’t that many people who would be familiar with it. If anything, I imagine it’s being sold here because retailers like Barnes & Noble don’t get a choice in the matter.
Thankfully the Internet is a wonderful thing, and there is still some decent background information on the Astaroth. It is one of several remaining Gundams frames left over from the Calamity War, a major event in IBO that almost wiped humanity out. After the war, the suit fell into hands of one of a rich and powerful family. Over time, this family found themselves embroiled in a very costly scandal, and they were forced to sell much of the Astaroth’s armor and weapons in order to pay their debts. The only thing left was the suit’s inner frame, which itself was finally sold to a organized crime group. Under new ownership, the Astaroth was refitted with parts from other mobile suits in order to make it useable in combat. This is the explanation for its asymmetric, patchwork look.
I am by no means an artist, but I imagine that the reason we don’t often see asymmetrical mobile suits like this is because they’re difficult to design. They have to look believeable, as if there is a reason why all the parts don’t match up. A look that appears too random or arbitrary will make an asymmetric deisgn into a tough sell.
That being said, I think they nailed it with the Astaroth. I love the differences in the shoulder armor, and how the right leg looks like it is missing some armor. I also dig the red pieces on the back of the legs, which are the only callback to the original design of the mobile suit (in case you’re wondering, here’s what the Astaroth originally looked like). The suit also takes a cue from Gundam SEED, in the form of the stabilizer fins attached to the skirt armor. While I’m not a fan of SEED, I think it works in this case. Without those fins, the unit would look downright anemic.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the Astaroth’s primary weapon. They call it the “Demolition Knife”, but it isn’t a knife so much as the mobile suit equivalent of the Buster Sword from Final Fantasy 7. It’s huge, and it even folds up for storage.
I’m excited to build this kit, but not too excited. That’s a good thing, mind you, and I hope it translates to a good build and a good outcome.
Other Thoughts
- Aside from personal pride, one reason why I want this to be a good build is because it pretty much has to. Take a look at the finished model without any decals or panel lining.
Now look at it when it’s all dolled up.
In the first image, the model looks cheap and tacky. In the second photo, it like a killing machine. I know which one I want to emulate.
- Someone on reddit pointed out that the Astaroth is one of the few suits from Iron Blooded Orphans that has a traditional looking Gundam head, which may or may not be part of the appeal for me.