I don’t know why, but a certain kit - one that has been on the backlog for quite some time - has been speaking to me for a while. I’m not entirely sure why. It just …. has.
So I decided to say “F*ck It” and just build the damn thing:
About the Mobile Suit
The Schwalbe Graze is basically a Commander Type/Ace Custom variant of the Graze, which is the primary grunt suit used by the antagonists in Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans.
Originally it was akin to a Concept Car - the military took the original Graze prototype and slapped a bunch of extra gear and thrusters on it to see how much more performant it would be.
The results were promising - so promising, in fact, that they were this close to putting the Schwalbe Graze into mass production. Ultimately, however, the powers that be decided that doing so would be too expensive, whereas the “basic” Graze provided good enough performance for a better price. So a handful of Schwalbes were built and assigned to commanders and ace pilots.
Weapons and Stuff
In terms of armaments, the Schwalbe Graze can (and does) use the same weapons as the standard Graze, including its giant axe as well as its rifle.
It is also equipped with a “Wire Claw” on its left arm. This is exactly what it says on the tin - a claw attached to a wire that can be used as a long(er) range melee weapon, or to tie someone up.
At least one pilot uses an additional custom weapon, a lance with a built in machine gun.
The Lance
Wouldn't you know it, but that custom lance is the very same one I built way back when as part of the Iron Blooded Orphans Option Set 1. It was one of the very first things I ever tried to hand paint, and the results were, well ....
Later, I ended up trying to repaint it, and used it as a custom weapon for the High Grade Wing Zero. It still didn't come out all that great:
I'm probably not going to use it with this model. Maybe one photo, but it's probably best to just leave this accessory in the past.
About the Visual Design
Let’s compare the Schwalbe Graze to the original version:
While they clearly share the same base design, there are some notable differences. The Schwalbe has the antenna typical to Commander-Type mobile suits, as well as a number of additional thrusters all over its body. It also has a pair of long, dagger-like side skirts.
While I think the base Graze is one of the better looking grunt suits in all of Gundam, the Schwalbe Graze looks that much meaner and tougher. It doesn’t feel like a souped up grunt suit, but rather like a legitimate threat in its own right.
Appearances in Media
There are two main Schwalbe Grazes that appear in Season 1 of Iron Blooded Orphans. One is piloted by Gaelio Bauduin. It is purple, and it carries the lance:
The other is piloted my McGillis Fareed. This one is blue, and it’s the one that this particular model kit is based on.
If my memory serves me correctly (and it very well may not), Gaelio’s unit shows up throughout Season 1, but McGillis’ only appears in episode 5. Or at the very least that is its most prominent showing.
In that episode, McGillis goes up against Gundam Barbatos, mainly so that he can gauge its strength and performance:
Okay, so maybe it’s not a fight so much as it is one mobile suit f^cking around with another:
Regardless, the battle shows that in the hands of a good pilot, the Schwalbe Graze is able to go up against a Gundam without getting smashed to pieces. Lots of Gundam shows have scenes like this, where the confident enemy commander toys around with a Gundam pilot, but this is one of the more effective versions of it.
About the Model Kit
I’m not 100% sure what to expect from this model kit. My experience so far is that IBO High Grades have not aged entirely well. The “full inner frame in a High Grade!” gimmick was impressive for the time, but the frames are a bit fragile. They don’t necessarily break, but they do fall apart frequently.
What’s more, it seems like a lot of IBO High Grades were aggressively priced to be in the under-$20, and in some cases even under-$15 price category. That means they make a lot of sacrifices, whether that’s in regards to missing accessories, or really bad out-of-the-box color separation.
At least that’s the case for the two Gundam-type kits I’ve built. This is my first time building an IBO grunt, and there’s a chance that - being a grunt suit and all - it’s simpler, and thus will require less work to make it look good. Of course, there’s only one way to find out.
Other Thoughts
I have some blue weathering compound that I’ve been unable to use on any other kit:
The Schwalbe Graze is the only thing on the backlog that matches this color, so you can be sure I’m going to use a ton of it.