First things first - this is a pretty typical parts layout for an IBO High Grade:
Secondly, that sticker sheet is considerably large, and is compromised almost entirely of color correcting stickers. Initially, that gave me pause.
But let’s talk a little bit more about that metallic coating. It’s much nicer than I expected it to be.
My first observation is that it’s not all just one kind of metallic coating. Different parts have different tones - some look more silver/platinum, others gunmetal, and others still have more of a copper tint. This means that the final model isn’t going to be entirely monochrome (pun intended).
(On a similar note, some of them are more shiny, while others are more matte)
My second observation is that all of the plastic has a metallic finish, even the weapons.
My final (pre-build) observation is that the metallic finish looks really nice. Imagine a coating as high quality as the one on the GN Blade of the Real Grade Exia, but applied to an entire mobile suit:
That’s what we’re dealing with here.
I bring this up because this kit is quite a bit more expensive than your standard IBO High Grade, and it’s nice to see where the extra cost went into.
Now let’s look into the build itself. I’m not going to go over it blow by blow, as the actual construction is very similar to all the other ones I’ve built. But there are few things about the metal coating that make the build at least partially unique.
Nub Marks
It’s unavoidable really, but the metal coating will scratch off when cleaning off nub marks. It’s not really noticeable on the gunmetal parts, but is very much so on the silvery ones.
The good news is that I found that one of my metallic Gundam Markers looks close enough to the finish of these particular parts, which meant that the nub marks were fairly easy to disguise. But without that I’m not sure what I would have done.
Color Correction
It turns out that there’s no real reason to do any color correction. The colored stickers simply wouldn’t look good (or make much sense) alongside the metallic coating, and since the weapons are already a nice matte gunmetal, they too don’t need any extra work. The kit has all the color it’s going to need right out of the box.
Panel Lining
There are a few places where I thought some panel lines would look nice, but it turns out a) they don’t really make much of a difference, and b) the marker is extremely difficult to wipe off the plastic, so there’s no margin for error. Basically, it just wasn’t worth it.
What this means is that outside of hiding the nub marks, this kit doesn’t need any extra work. You can snap it together, and it’s going to look as good as it will get.
So with that in mind, let’s take a look at it.
Completed
There’s a joke to be made here about how this looks like a Smash Bros character who used a Metal Box, but in all seriousness this looks incredible.
The differences in tint, as well as the combination of matte and shiny textures, more than make up for the lack of color separation. And the overall shininess means that you can still see all the surface details even without panel lining.
One thing I forgot to mention (until now!) is that instead of having side skirts, Hajiroboshi has holsters its two weapons. This is another edge it has over Barbatos, whose tiny, fang-sized side skirts add next to nothing to its overall look. Might as well replace them with something practical.
This also means Haji can carry all of its weapons on its person, and that’s always a plus in my book.
Here’s something interesting. It wasn’t until I was done with the photoshoot, and I started writing this post, that I realized that I didn’t take all that many photos with the mace equipped. I think I now know the reason why.
I know I said earlier that in comparison, Barbatos’ mace was too big, and that Hajiraboshi’s was better for being smaller. But during the photoshoot I think I subconsciously realized that while that might be true in theory, in practice Haji’s mace is a bit too small. And now that I’m looking at all these photos, I am now consciously admitting that yeah, it’s too small.
I think it could stand to be a bit wider, or a bit longer (or maybe both!)
A Few More Photos
This little blurb is being written in December 2024. I was looking back at this post and realized how few photos I took with the mace. I didn't think I gave it a fair shake, so I tried to take a couple more shots with it holding the weapon like a baseball bat:
Unfortunately I didn't get very far. The mace isn't quite long enough to look believable as a bat. But more importantly, the joints have already started getting loosey-goosey less than a month after building:
Well, at least I tried!
Okay, let’s take a look at the rifle:
This too looks a bit small at first glance, but I actually think it’s just the right size for this mobile suit. And while it looks a bit goofy, it also has some nice surface detail. I like it a lot more than I probably should.
It’s compact size also makes it great for posing. It’s too small to get in the way, and it’s so light that it doesn’t weight the arm down.
I still struggle a lot with coming up with good action poses, but I’m really happy with how these rifle poses came out. Maybe it’s easier when the weapon gets out of the way?
And now let’s end with a bit of trolling:
Conclusion
I’m pleasantly surprised with this one. They put a lot of care into the metal finish, and the result looks very intriguing, rather than cheap or gimmicky. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again; I wouldn’t want all of my models to look like this, but I’m glad that this one does.