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.
While this may be a (potentially) great looking kit, it is still an inexpensive High Grade, so it does not come with a whole lot. The instruction book has smaller dimensions than what you typically get for a High Grade, and there are only eight runners, one of which contains just two weapon parts:
This leaves me curious. This model appears to have some excellent color separation, and good color separation usually requires lots of pieces. It will be interesting to see how it achieves it.
Weapons
Gundam Wing mobile suits lack weapon variety. Some of them only have a single main weapon period. This is true not only of the grunt suits but of the Gundams themselves. In the case of Sandrock, the weapon of choice is a pair of massive shotel swords, which is appropriate for this mecha’s Middle Eastern theming.
In the TV show, these shotels were by far the least impressive of all the weapons used by the main Gundams. In person, however, I find them to be quite impressive. Yes, they are extremely simple in design – each one consists of just a blade and a handle - but their shape and scale makes them stand out. I would not want to be on the business end of one of these.
As you can see, you get two pairs. One set is made of clear red plastic, which represent the shotels when they are heated up. It is not the best way to represent this effect, but it is better than nothing. I dipped these two in clear Pledge floor polish to make them look extra shiny.
As for the standard pair, I painted them silver, so as to make them look more like metal and less like plastic. It was not my best work, as metallic paints tend to have a weird consistency. They do not dry as quickly, they struggle to stick to plastic (even after applying primer, which I did in this case), and if you are not careful it can dry unevenly. If you look at these blades from certain angles, you can see spots where it does not look painted at all. From other angles, however, it looks like it has a nice, consistent finish.
The handles are quite simple in construction, so I tried to class them up with some gold inlays.
Here is what you get when you put them together. Again, simple but deadly.
Shield
The Sandrock’s shield is meant to look like the head of a snake, complete with fangs. I thought that it was stupid in the TV show, but here, on this model kit, I think it works. That does not necessarily mean I think it is “cool”, or “intimidating”, but I do think it fits extremely well with the overall theming of this mecha.
The construction is much simpler than it looks; this shield is made of just three pieces laid on top of one another. The pieces are all very thin, which is how they are able to stack like this and still look flush. Add some decals for the eyes and you are done. All told, this is a nice piece of engineering that looks simpler than it is.
Head
This is one of those heads that look great when finished, but require a lot of panel lining and painting. I hate doing this kind of really small scale detailing, especially when it involves yellow paint, but I cannot argue with the results.
There is a lot of panel lining and shadowing that can be applied to the head, and if you do it right, you can add a lot of depth and character, and even fake a greater sense of parts separation.
Backpack
The backpack is so tiny and boxy. That makes sense considering the Gundams in Wing are (initially) intended to be used on Earth, and are not meant to be flying around everywhere. I added some paint to help make it pop a bit more.
Chest
Compared to the TV show version of Sandrock, the chest is more compact from top to bottom. This is something we see a lot in modern model kits, and in most cases I find it to be a major improvement. It allows you to take in all the flourishes and details at once without having to scan your eyes.
Once again, the color separation here is phenomenal using just a few parts.
Arms
The shoulder armor is angled upwards on this kit, moreso than in the show.
One other thing to mention about the shoulder armor – there are panel lining grooves on the inside. You can’t really see them from most angles, but when you do catch the inside of the armor, these panel lines deliver a sense of consistency. Without them, it looks like a nice, detailed, intricate piece of armor from the outside, with nothing going on behind the curtain.
Skirt Armor
There are so many colors in the skirt section, as well as a lot of depth. You have pieces on top of other pieces, and this lends a sense of part separation that you do not normally see in a High Grade. Once again this process of layering the parts works wonders.
Another thing I love about this kit is that it adds panel lines to most of the skirt pieces. With a little bit of tan paint, it really adds something special to the look.
How about a better comparison. Here is a piece without the panel lining:
And now the same piece with it.
With the panel lining in place, it reminds me of, well, it reminds me of this:
Legs
I can close my eyes and describe the top half of Gundam Wing’s five Gundams in exacting detail, but I could not describe their lower halves if my life depended on it. They generally lack anything in the way of flourishes, and in some cases, they even lack color.
Sandrock is guilty on both counts. They are white. Then you get to the feet, at which point they are grey.
That’s it. And yet, there is potential here. The legs are extremely round and curvy, which is something you do not often see in mobile suit designs. Then you have the feet, which look a lot like a high-heeled shoes. What I am saying is there is something strongly feminine about the lower half of the Sandrock, which feels, if not subversive, then at least bold.
I watched a lot of video reviews of this kit, and one thing they all spent time discussing was how good the articulation is. Here is a sneak peek at what we are dealing with here.
That is …. damn. That is good.
Conclusion
This build was done in less than half a day. I guess it was that simple to complete (I don’t think I rushed through it). In the next post I will show you all the final assembly. Trust me, you’re in for a treat.