Gunpla Build - Entry Grade Gundam Final

Let’s cut to the chase - I have extremely mixed emotions about the Entry Grade Gundam.

It’s good. But it’s not. It is a marvel of engineering, but it’s also kind of not.

I think it is perfect for beginners - but also not.

Here are a couple of miscellaneous observations about the Entry Grade Gundam:

• I've mentioned this before, but the Entry Grade is smaller than the Revive Gundam. Here's a photo that finally conveys this discrepancy: My guess is that it needed to be ever so slightly smaller in order to fit it into a small box/bag/whatever. Or maybe smaller pieces were cheaper. Whatever the reason, it is only noticeable when it sits next to a true 1/144th scale kit.
• I can confirm that while the Entry Grade does not include beam saber blades, it can use standard High Grade blades:

Articulation

The articulation on this kit is all over the place. For instance, it can do this, but only barely:

Notice how it can only grab the very tip of the handle. Or consider this shot:

I had the Entry Grade holding onto its beam saber just before I snapped this, but it was such a stretch that the arm pulled away. Meanwhile, the Revive Gundam is holding on with ease.

The Entry Grade can also perform The Final Shot, which is impressive:

But it struggles to do something as simple as bend its knee. The skirt armor gets in the way:

A simple crouching pose thus forces you to get creative:

Meanwhile the Revive has a straight back and perfect form:

It cannot do a full split (again because the skirt armor gets in the way):

Perhaps weirdest of all is that it can only partially rotate at the torso (via a ball joint):

Whereas the Revive can spin around at will:

Let me be clear - I’m not trying to dunk on the Entry Grade for not being as poseable as a High Grade.

No, my issue is that the articulation feels so weird. It feels like it was designed to be able to pull off specific, iconic poses with ease, at the expense of the basic, simple articulation that is the bread and butter of most Gunpla.

For example, let’s look again at how the shoulder joints are exposed:

I’m pretty sure this was only done to ensure that it could pull off the Final Shot. But it makes it look visually weird and inconsistent. I don’t think it was worth the tradeoff.

Why?

Why is this kit like this? A few simple tweaks would have solved a lot of the articulation problems, without the need for extra pieces. I simply cannot shake the feeling that there is some degree of intent behind these design choices, and not in a good way. But more on that later.

Visual Design

Despite being only seven bucks, the Entry Grade manages to look like an actual Gundam, rather than the equivalent of a Gundam themed Happy Meal toy. That’s certainly something.

However, that doesn’t mean it looks good.

To my eye, the proportions are all wrong. The Entry Grade is too wide and stocky. It’s arms are a little too stubby. From certain angles, its head looks too small for its body.

In comparison, the Revive feels leaner and more lanky. Everything feels like it is exactly the right size. There is a certain sense of elegance to it.

Then there are all the weird deficiencies. I already pointed out how there is no detail behind the ankle guard, and how the back of the foot is completely missing. In addition to that, I also noticed that the inside of the shoulder is left exposed:

These little deficiencies add up. As I write this, the kit has been at my desk at work for a few days now, and I’ve definitely noticed each of them. They pop up even during the simplest of poses:

Even in this basic shooting pose, we can see there is nothing behind the ankle guard.

So I guess the question now is “will these flaws bother a newbie?” I can’t say for sure, but my gut says “yes, sooner rather than later”.

Conclusion

I don’t think this is the best model kit Bandai could make for seven bucks, but rather the one they wanted to make.

It’s the Gunpla equivalent of “The first one’s free”, the initial hit from the drug dealer that gives you a taste, but leaves you wanting more. Or in this case, the initial model that shows you just enough of the potential of Gunpla, while having enough flaws to leave you wanting something better. And look, the instructions even have an advertisement for two highly recommended kits!

aaaaand now you’re addicted to the plastic crack.

I know I began this build feeling optimistic about this new Entry Grade line, but my cynicism has taken hold, to match the approach Bandai took to this kit. It doesn’t generate interest in Gunpla by making you proud of and happy with what you just built, but by getting you to look forward to the next, better thing you will move on to. That’s a surefire way of selling more models, but it is also a great way of making your customers see them more as cheap commodities than as fun, personal works of art to enjoy and appreciate.

That just doesn’t jive with how I approach this hobby. Thumbs down.