It feels good to finally write about this build, almost a year after finishing it. And it feels even better to be here, in the final post.
Let’s wrap this one up so I can finally be current once again on build posts.
How it Looks
I still love the design of the mobile suit itself. I love how it has a literal V built into its body, which extends out through its thrusters. I love how it plays around with the traditional Gundam color scheme by using a Royal Blue, and by using so much yellow (which tends to be the most overlooked color in the classic Gundam palette).
I also love how the thrusters give it a bit of extra size without adding bulk. Even when standing still, they make the V2 look fast.
As similar as it is to the V1, in other ways there is no Gundam quite like the V2. It really is a special design.
That being said, there are some problems with the design. Or at least, there are some problems with the design at 1⁄144 scale. But we’ll get back to that later.
Articulation
Because they’re so similar in construction, the articulation is pretty much the same as it was for the V1. So go read about that if you need to know the details.
There are, however, a few differences. First, there’s the thrusters. These don’t exist on the V1, so this is the only case of new articulation.
The thrusters can move back and forth:
You can also move them up and down:
There there is the matter of the arms. These use a fairly uncommon hinge joint, rather than a standard polycap:
I don’t exactly know why they went with this design instead, but as you can see, it really lets the shoulder move around a lot.
Posing
Now, about those problems …
I had a lot of trouble getting good, interesting photos of this model kit. After a point, I finally realized that it simply isn’t “poseagenic” (a term I just came up with to describe a model that looks awkward in most action poses).
I spent a lot of time thinking about why this was the case. At first I surmised that maybe it was a problem unique to miniature mobile suits, that their small size led to their bodies being extra small and extra cramped at the 1/144th scale.
But I don’t think that’s it. Or at least, I don’t think the problem is so general. If it were, I’d have had similar problems with the V1, and that simply wasn’t the case.
Instead, I think the problem is more that the particular design of the V2 doesn’t really work at this scale.
Allow me to explain why. Let’s start by taking a look at the V1:
Look at its skirt armor. There’s a nice bit of space between the bottom of the skirt and the knee; at the risk of sounding creepy, the V1 is “showing a lot of leg”. If we bend or otherwise move it, we can create different stances that suggest different emotions or actions.
With the V2, the front and rear skirts are much longer, with the front skirts in particular almost reaching the knee in a basic standing pose:
No matter what you do with the legs, they end up being partially obscured, so they’re less expressive:
Here is the same shot with the V2
On a similar note, consider the arms. On the V1, the shoulder armor is small, simple, and boxy. Not only does this give the arms free reign to move around as needed, but (once again) it shows them off and allows them to be fully expressive.
On the V2, the shoulder armor is much bigger (and more colorful). It draws attention to itself in a way that the V1’s armor does not. Additionally, the V2 has these weird covers that come off of the shoulders and partially cover the upper arm:
It’s just another bit of visual distraction, one that also tends to get in the way during poses.
Finally, consider the beam shield emitter. On the V1, it just slightly juts off from the elbow, and even when you flip it open, it’s pretty small:
When you actually deploy the shield, it rests very close to the arm and looks very natural:
On the V2, the elbow area is much larger and more elaborate, and the beam shield emitter much larger:
When you deploy the shield, it sticks out, much further away from the body:
In short, the V2 tries to make everything a little bit bigger and more grandiose, and it just doesn’t translate well at this scale. There’s no room for anything to move, and even if you do get it into a desirable pose, there’s no guarantee that it will affect the mood or the tone that you’re going for.
It’s heartbreaking for me to say this, but it’s the truth: on its own, out of the box, this is one of the least poseagenic, least charming High Grades I’ve ever built.
Enter the Wings of Light
And this, ultimately, is why I don’t regret buying the Wings of Light. They’re the key to making this model work. You don’t want to go for fancy action poses here. Instead, your best bet is to slap on the Wings and let them do the work:
The Wings do a great job of giving the model a sense of speed and motion, and their sheer size helps keep you from focusing on the rest of the body (in all its awkwardly posed non-glory)
It sucks that you have to buy such a rare (and possibly expensive) accessory to make it look half decent, but that’s what we’re dealing with here.
Conclusion
The reason it took me so long to write about this build is because I had no photos of the finished model. And I’m starting to realize that the reason I had no photos of the finished model is because I only subconsciously understood how un-poseagenic it is.
But now that I understand that, it all makes perfect sense. Even if I didn’t realize it at the time, there was a part of my brain that must have known that I’d have to spend an inordinate amount of time finding action poses that looked good, and just didn’t want to deal with that.
I still think the V2 is a great looking design, and I even think this model in particular looks pretty good in the right circumstances. But overall, this kit was a big letdown. My advice to you is to spring for a 1⁄100 scale version. Or get the Assault Buster version with all the extra weapons. It might not look half bad loaded up with a bunch of gear, without any actual space in which to try and pose. And if you insist on getting this version, find a good pose, but it on the shelf, and leave it alone.
Other Thoughts
- It would probably help a lot if we had more holding hands. Most of the poses I thought up for this model would look best with one open palmed hand.
- I cannot understate just how little the stubby little arms are able to move around.