I had a lot of fun building the Revive Gundam, but now it is time to wrap up this build with some nice action shots.
But first, I forgot to cover one last gimmick. You can mount the shield to the model’s backpack, like so:
This is one of those features that is “nice to have”, but not really necessary. After all, there aren’t that many mobile suits that I can think of that frequently stow away their shield like this. Furthermore, in the case of this particular model, the gimmick requires there to be a noticeable hole in the center of the backpack:
It’s not a huge deal, but things like this make it look less like a model and more like an action figure. If I am being honest, I’d rather the lose the gimmick if it meant losing the hole.
I know I used this photo in the last post, but I’m putting it here again:
I mentioned at the end of part 4 that action poses look better when the feel natural, and this is a fantastic example. You can tell that it is reaching back while having range to spare. This would look much worse if the arm was at a different angle, or the hand was just barely grasping the beam saber. In this shot, however, the Gundam is looking cool as a cucumber.
Toss in a leg bend, and it looks even better.
The pose below is not the best, perse, but one that was very easy to do thanks to the leg articulation.
Now this is much better:
This pose makes a strong case that the original Gundam Beam Rifle is secretly an incredible design. Poses like this don’t work quite as well with other one-handed guns of a different shape. Too short, and it doesn’t look menacing. Too long and it look like you’re trying too hard. But this Beam Rifle is just the right size to pull it off.
Here is a classic Gundam pose (the same one we see on this kit’s box art):
One nice thing about this version of the Beam Rifle is that the secondary grip is narrow enough to be, well, useable:
Here is a pose that gave me an excuse to use one of the open palm hands:
I don’t think the Gundam ever dual wields its weapons, but let’s do it anyway:
The Hyper Bazooka is surprisingly poseable:
I don’t normally do ridiculous “two beam saber” photos, but I was having so much fun posing this model. I guess I got carried away.
When I first built this kit, I felt underwhelmed for the first day or two. But after spending a few days looking at it, I started to at least get whelmed. Finally, after taking these photos, I decided that I actually do love this model.
I think the HG Revive does a great job of taking the classic look of the Grandaddy Gundam and modernizing it. It preserves the original colors, and even the goofy shape of the original head, but its proportions are just a bit leaner, most notably in the waist and in the knee armor. I like to think of it as “not the original original Gundam design, but the ideal vision of the original design that exists in everyone’s head.”
Of course, it isn’t just the look that excels, but the articulation. This kit is so solid, so bendy, and thus so fun to pose. Photographing action poses is so much more engaging when you can think of a pose and pull it off without worrying about pieces falling off, or the articulation being insufficient, or that the model is going to lose its balance and tip over.
Comparison with the Real Grade
The High Grade Revive Gundam is great, but it is even better when standing next to the Real Grade Gundam:
They both look better standing next to each other. In a lot of ways they are polar opposites of one another, but each is an interesting and worthy interpretation of the mobile suit. Seeing them side by side helps me appreciate what each one brings to the table.
Glowy Eyes
I feel like the eyes are hard to see in most of my photos, so here’s one where I positioned the light source to make them really shine:
Conclusion
If you are looking for a model of the Grandaddy in 1⁄144 scale, and you don’t mind the classic look, this Revive kit is an excellent choice. You get a solid look, bright colors, and great articulation. This is Gunpla joy at its purest.
Other Thoughts
- The design of the OG Gundam may be simple and primitive, but there is also something about it that is majestic. There is something special about it that other mobile suit designs simply cannot capture.