This kit has so much stuff I need to lay it out in two photos. First, the runners and stickers:
None of them are particularly large, but there are a lot of of them, in a lot of different colors. And look at how small that sticker sheet is! That’s a testament to just how good its color accuracy is.
Then we have the remaining effect parts:
These are made out of a bendy, clear plastic, the kind that reminds me of what cheap protractors and rulers used to be made of in grade school. That’s sounds like an insult, but it’s not. I’m sure that having some bend and some give is vital to fitting these onto the model.
About the Build (in general)
Just like the Rose and Maxter before it, there is a level of parts separation here that is above and beyond most High Grades. And the parts are engineered such that the model essentially has no seamlines.
Okay, so technically there are some on the sides of the legs, but they’re designed to look that way. You’ll see what I mean soon enough.
Anyway, the end result is that I was able to complete this build in a single day. That wasn’t at all my intention, but I’m also not going to complain. It feels like a nice luxury to make something that looks so good with so little effort.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the Dragon Gundam has in store for us.
Head (and Torso)
The torso is pretty simple, though I should note that it comes with tiny black stickers for the vents.
As for the head, the are no seamlines whatsoever, but there is oh so much color separation.
Let’s look at the ponytail:
Each segment just plugs into the next, similar to the Epyon’s whip.
Core Lander
This is a funny little one, as it has a bunch of the Feilong Flags sticking out the back:
Shoulder
We have some Feilong Flags that are tucked inside the shoulder:
These of course aren’t actual useable flags, but props meant to look like them:
Upper Arm
This is all there is to the arm proper, including the elbow:
It’s … not very much! Of course, the reason is that most of the length of the arm is made up by the Dragon Fangs, but this still concerns me. Exactly how much range and reach are these arms going to have during poses?
Dragon Fangs
We get some more small black stickers for some vents, but other than that this is entirely made of color separated plastic:
They are a marvel of High Grade engineering, and they look phenomenal. But again, I’m worried about them. You’ve got to stick the holding hands into those tiny mouths, and let’s just say it’s easier said than done.
Speaking of which …
Holding Hands
We get a whole bunch:
Pretty much everything you might need.
Extra Long Arms
These are for when you want to extend the arms out:
There is a tiny bit of bend in the middle, but not much. These are meant to be in a fixed position for relatively fixed poses.
EXTRA Extra Long Arms
These, I think, are only meant to be used for the Dragon Gundam’s super attack. You can’t really attach them to the body:
Lower Torso
This is simply, but it’s also all nicely color separated:
The texturing of the panel lines reminds me a bit of Sandrock
Legs and Feet
We have a few things to go over here:
First, this is our only real case of a seamline on the model. However, they designed it to look like a channel for you to panel line, rather than be something for you to remove:
Indeed, you can see that it’s still present in the Premium Bandai promotional photos:
This is a deliberate change from the original mobile suit design, in which the legs are completely clean and flush. But considering that G Gundam director Imagawa himself is seemingly involved with these new High Grade designs, I’m going to assume that they have his blessing.
This is also one of the only body parts where we find some optional color correction:
You don’t have to paint these grey bits in, but it does add a lot to the look.
Finished
That’s it for this build folks. Quick and painless, it was a pleasure all around. But I’m a little worried about how this thing is going to pose.