Normally I take a little break between builds, but not this time. As soon as I finished writing about the Entry Grade Gundam, I had this thing unboxed and ready to go. I can’t wait to put Deathscythe together.
The Runners
We’ve seen this before with all the High Grade Gundam Wing kits - it always looks like there aren’t enough parts on the runners. But I know better now. These pieces are going to transform into something great.
Pop quiz - what color is the Deathscythe? According to this model, if you said “black”, then you’re wrong! Based on the color guide, as well as the pieces on the ‘A’ Runner, the Deathscythe is actually a mix of navy blue and purple.
Is this a retcon? This image here definitely looks black to me:
But this image is plainly blue:
Looks like we need a tiebreaker. Here is an image from the Gundam Wing episode list over at Hulu:
This is a big, clean, fairly crisp image from the show, so whatever color this uses is what I’m going to use as my source of truth. Let’s load it into some image editing software and see what its color picker has to say:
That’s definitely blue. And as it turns out, the color picker says that the top image is almost the exact same shade. Looks like my eyes are playing tricks on me, and that I’ve been wrong all these years in accusing Deathscythe and Sandrock of having nearly identical color palettes.
In this case, I’m glad to be proven wrong. Dark blue is a still a good color for this mobile suit, and it means that the five Gundams have better color variation than I’ve been giving them credit for. I apologize profusely.
Scythe
A scythe is not exactly a complicated weapon in real life, so neither is it in model kit form:
Simple as it may be, it does have a hinge that allows it to pivot between regular and vertical mode, and quite frankly that’s all it needs.
Zooming in, there is some nice detail at the tip. Love the pneumatic piston:
Let’s add the effect parts. We actually get two choices for blades - one long and one short:
I’m guessing that the short one is meant to be used in vertical mode:
Lastly, the model comes with a second, “deactivated” scythe that you can strap to the back of the mobile suit:
I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this feels a bit superfluous. I mean, I’ll probably use it, but I also wouldn’t care if it wasn’t there. Ultimately, I don’t think that including it in the kit deprived us from any extra gimmicks or details, so it’s existence is benign.
Buster Shield
This gave me a bit of trouble. This is what I first came up with:
I did not like it at all. The red piece has noticeable stress marks. The gold paint on the cross is too dark. And the finish of the top coat on the base piece is uneven.
I really wanted this model to look at least halfway decent, so I had another go at. I stripped the gold paint off the cross, and repainted the red part (with the use of copious amounts of painter’s tape). Somehow I managed to pull it off without any accidents. It’s not perfect - there’s a few places where the paint is uneven - but it still looks better to my eye:
Anyway, regardless of my struggles with detailing, the shield is a perfect distillation of how these Gundam Wing kits are engineered. These are the only pieces it uses:
And yet through careful layering of one piece on top of another, they come together to make something greater.
Now for the gimmick. The Buster Shield is a weird accessory, in that it doubles as a projectile. This is why it’s equipped with thrusters in the back:
And it is also why it can do this:
Now we just slot in this effect part, and Ta Da!!:
A couple of additional notes on the shield:
- I debated whether or not to use metallic paint on the blades. In my experience, metallic paint tends not to spread evenly. You have to apply it slowly, using many thin coats. For some reason I tend to forget this is a lesson in between builds, so I’ve had to learn it the hard way many times over. But nothing is too good for Deathscythe, so this time I tried to do it right. Personally, I’m quite happy with the results.
- The blades have gear-like teeth at the top, which ensure that they move together when they open and close.
Conclusion
This feels like as good a stopping point as any.
Other Thoughts
- Similar to the Sandrock and its shotels, the Deathscythe's scythe looks much larger and more intimidating in real life than it does on the screen. This thing is absolutely massive, especially with its long blade equipped.
- From a strictly technical perspective, the Deathscythe's arsenal is among the most anemic I've ever encountered in regards to sheer quantity and complexity. However, they are also among the most versatile. Both accessories have two different modes of operation, and there are multiple effects parts. Assuming the mobile suit's articulation is up to snuff, there is a _lot_ one can do with just a scythe and a shield. I am very much looking forward to posing this model.
-
According to the instruction manual, the shield is compatible with the the Action Base 5's special weapon peg. For those who aren't familiar, the weapon peg holds certain kinds of weapons in midair for throwing and firing poses. It's a cool feature, but I've never had a chance to use it until now. Let's try it out:
