Here it is folks - the fully assembled Gundam Heavyarms:
First thing’s first - despite my earlier concerns, the proportions of the model do look much better once the arms are attached.
Also, in case you were wondering, here is how it looks without the gun attached:
If it had some guns or other weapons to hold onto, this wouldn’t actually look too bad, but it doesn’t, so let’s get that gun back on:
About the Knife
These Gundam Wing “Revive” models are all meant to be TV show accurate, and Heavyarms is no exception. However, there are certain things about these models that simply look better in model kit form. For example, consider the combat knife. In this sketch of the Heavyarms, it looks …. puny:
On the model, the knife is technically the same length, but it looks a lot more menacing:
Even when folded up, it remains a lingering presence:
And when deployed, you can’t really ignore it:
At least, that’s true of standing poses. Action poses are a little tricker:
As big as the knife is, it isn’t quite big enough for action poses. You have to get it at just the right angle to effectively portray motion, or to simply make it visible.
It’s size also reduces its versatility. With a bigger melee weapon, you can do poses involving both hands, or you can position it above/behind/etc. That’s not really possible with the knife.
The Gatling gun (really all the guns) has the same problem. All it can do is point and shoot. You can’t do reloading or aiming poses, and your options for two handed poses are limited to holding onto the grip:
Or holding it steady in some other fashion:
Playing around with this model gives me a greater sense of appreciation for normal, handheld weapons. They are able to convey a greater sense of motion and intent than Heavyarms’ point and shoot guns. For example, consider the pose below, where Heavyarms borrowed some weapons from a GM:
It is pretty clear that it is defending itself from an attack from the right, while swinging its gun over to fire back. Now consider this same pose, with its stock equipment:
Is it swinging its gun around? Is it just doing a cool pose? Is it firing to the left while looking the other way? It isn’t entirely clear. There’s no way to position the gun in way that suggests whether it is firing, or at rest.
Here’s another example:
This might look cool if we saw what it was firing at, but alone, it looks like the model is taking a knee during a football match.
The fact of the matter is that a “point and shoot” mobile suit like Heayarms looks better when it has something else to pose with. Thankfully, that’s something we can fix. Looks like someone wants to recreate a classic battle from Gundam Wing:
Heavyarms is a lot more fun to pose when it has something to pose with.
Conclusion
So Heavyarms doesn’t pose well on its own, but is that a problem, per se?
I don’t think so.
There are two types of people who are going to buy this kit - new Gunpla builders who love Heavyarms, and veteran builders. The former group isn’t going to care about how many action poses it can pull off. They’re going to happy just having one of their favorite mobile suits on their shelf.
On the other hand, the latter group is going to have plenty of other models to pose it alongside. In the end, it is a problem that isn’t really a problem.
Meanwhile, this is a great looking model. The colors, the part separation, the lack of seam lines - all of it is incredible. High Grade model kit tech really has come a long way in the last few years.
The High Grade Heavyarms is limited in a lot of ways, but never in any way that hinders it. It does what it needs to do, and it looks great doing it. If you’re a Gundam Wing fan, or even someone like me who found this kit to be surprisingly good looking, consider this a no-brainer.
Other Thoughts
- You may have noticed that I didn’t cover the model’s articulation. That’s because I never put it through its paces. I didn’t see a need. Heavyarms can point and shoot, and it bends and twists as much as it needs to. That’s good enough for me.
- My Gundam Wing collection continues to grow. If you told me even five years ago that I would have this many Wing models, I wouldn’t have believed you.
