Since the High Grade Heavyarms is the same(ish) price as the Sandrock - and that they are both from the same series - I assumed they would have similar part counts. That does not seem to be the case.
Here are the runners for Sandrock:
And here are the ones for Heavyarms:
Granted, the runners are different shapes, but it still feels like Heavyarms has more going on. For example, its “A” Runner (the one in the center) is the full size of the box.
I suppose this makes sense. Heavyarms has all sorts of weapons stowed away in secret compartments. That means certain limbs will have multiple extra pieces (for the interior weapons, the hinges, etc).
Oh, and here are the decals:
The sheet is small, but it is jam packed.
Now, let’s get started.
Feet
In a rare (but increasingly more common) move, the feet feature a toe bend:
Admittedly, this is not a mobile suit that is known for running or kneeling or jumping, but it’s there nonetheless.
As you can see, there is some detailing on the sides, as well as some on the bottom:
There is some more detailing to do on the tops of the feet, as well as the side caps of the ankle guards:
The kit comes with decals for those little cutouts in the ankle guards, but I opted to paint them for the sake of consistency.
Speaking of the ankle guards, here is something I’ve never seen before - they only plug into one side of the foot:
I haven’t the foggiest idea why this is the case. Perhaps they are too wide in shape to connect on both sides.
The ankle guards are a great example of a running theme with the Heavyarms - it takes a lot of classic Gundam design tropes and plays with them in ways that are surprising and delightful. On most Gundams, ankle guards are plain and narrow. They are large enough to cover up the ankle joint, and that’s it.
On the Heavyarms, the guards are tall and wide (as well as having some nice detailing). This has the effect of making the feet look a lot like a high top shoe:
Legs
We have a lot to cover here.
First, my wife got me some new paint:
It is an iridescent, color changing metallic white. I thought it would work well for painting the individual missiles in the leg mounted missile pods:
The missile pods are an interesting construction. The hook piece (top right in the photo) connects under the missile piece, with the hook sticking out to the side of the pod. This creates the latch that the door connects to.
As for the leg proper, there is a lot of detailing that needs to be done:
It was a lot of effort, it paid off:
A few more observations about the leg. First, I wanted to test the articulation, specifically the inward tilt. Since the ankle guard is only connected to one side of the foot, I wanted to see if maybe this improved the ankle’s range of motion:
The verdict - not really.
Second, the knee bend is perfectly fine, but not quite the best I’ve ever seen:
Third, it dawned on me that the legs look very familiar:
Granted, they aren’t identical, but there is definitely a theme to their general shape.
Lower Torso
There is also a theme to the shape of the skirt armor:
Thick black bars running along the top, and thinner bars along the bottom. I like how the side skirts in particular are very similar in shape to the shield. This kind of visual consistency isn’t easy to notice in the Gundam Wing anime, what with the mobile suits barely being animated, but it is here, and it is great.
As for the front skirts, they are long, flat, and blocky. It is a good look for Heavyarms, but it doesn’t clash with the with the other skirt armor. We also get another thick black bar front and center:
One thing I love about the skirt armor is that it dares to be colorful. In fact, it uses three colors. That’s not something you typically see on Gundam-type mobile suits.
Before we go, let’s put it all together:
Even though it is halfway complete, there is no mistaking what mobile suit this is. No one can say that Heavyarms is in anyway nondescript.
Conclusion
So far, so good. Some of my painting work is admittedly a bit sloppy this time around. I’m certainly not rushing through the build - I simply haven’t been in a great mood lately. Spending time painstakingly scraping off excess paint just isn’t appealing to me at this moment in time.
See you for Part 2!