Folks, I’m just not feeling this one:
This probably isn’t a surprise considering that:
- I’m building this kit as part of Garbage Time 2023
- I’ve spent most of Garbage Time 2023 wining and griping
The bottom line is that I just don’t really like any of the different Barbatos variants, and so I don’t really have an interest in doing a photo shoot.
But I still didn’t expect my motivation to plummet so quickly.
I think I need to be honest with myself - I don’t like any of the Barbatos designs.
I think they are all a little too busy. Or messy. Or … something.
I get what they’re trying to do, but it’s all too much. You can’t be a demon, and a skeleton_, and a wolf. It leads to a cluttered design that has strong “I’m trying to appeal to 15 year olds who like things to be edgy for the sake of it” energy. Which, to be fair, might not be far from the truth.
I suppose if I had to pick a “favorite”, it would be this one right here. The Lupus is arguably the cleanest design of the three, and has the most thematic cohesion. It’s the “wolf”, and true to its name it has a very sharp, angular look. It also has the best overall proportions of the bunch.
But that doesn’t mean I actually like it. Like with all the Barbatos variants, I don’t like the color tones it uses, nor the placement of those colors. The tones are too neutral; the red, yellow, and blue ought to either be much darker or much brighter. In regards to the placement, it feels too scattershot. There’s just bits of each color placed wildly across the body.
I think the super narrow waste of the Gundam Frame looks particularly silly on all the Barbatos variants. Other Gundam-types do better job of concealing it, or building around it, but Barbs always leaves it out in the open.
I don’t like how the feet have claws. It feels too on the nose. And the Lupus makes it worse by making the claws even bigger.
I also I think the Lupus’ arms are just a little too long for its size, and that the V-Fin is a little too big.
Overall, I don’t think this is a design where everything clicks. It could with a couple of tweaks, but as it stands I keep finding problems with it every time I see it.
Thankfully, it is still possible to put together some cool looking poses:
But I just don’t want to bother trying. Sorry to disappoint anyone. After all, this doesn’t normally happen. But I suppose it should be expected that not everything will click with me.