And now we finally get to the last Astaroth variant - and probably my last IBO kit for a while (if forever).
I feel like a broken record here. Like so many others in the IBO line, this is a great looking model that’s a bit too loosey-goosey to effectively pose.
But first, let’s focus on the visuals.
Despite having so many parts in common with the Astaroth Origin, the color scheme of the Rinascimento means that - to my eye - it looks more like a slightly bulkier, slightly more asymmetrical version of the regular Astaroth. Almost like a second draft if you will.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve long thought that OG Astaroth was a little too skinny and simple for its own good. But it also feels a bit underwhelming, especially after Astaroth Origin was so different (and so good).
Maybe it’d look better with the weapons equipped. Then it might look even bulkier, like in the lineart:
Survey says …
Yeah no, that doesn’t make it bulkier at all. In fact, you can barely see the two swords strapped to its back.
Maybe they’d look better if I flared them outward like this:
And then angled it a little differently:
I guess that’s a bit better, but still no cigar. Ah well.
Action Poses
The Bastard Chopper looks great in hand. It’s not too big or too small:
But we run into problems when we combine it with the Demolition Knife:
The combined weapon is just too heavy. Even after tightening up the left shoulder joint with some super glue, the arm still kept being weighed down by it.
And yes, I do mostly blame this on the size of the weapon, but it doesn’t help that these IBO frames have such floppy joints in the first place.
More Jank
In addition to a floppy arm, I ran into some trouble with the upper leg armor. It fell off so many times that eventually I just glued it onto the frame. And by the time the photoshoot was complete, the knee joints started getting a bit wobbly too.None of this is surprising for an IBO frame, but it's still disappointing every time it happens.
I suppose you can solve the weight issue by splitting the two swords up, but then you have to deal with the fact that the Demolition Knife on its own is wobbly. It’s hard to keep the blade or the handle straight.
Let’s mix things up about by using the third arm:
This thing is legitimately cool. It’s got enough articulation to do all sorts of things:
And there’s something to be said about seeing this thing leaping around with three weapons:
And there’s something comical about seeing such an oversized hand holding onto a little stabby-stabby knife:
But it’s also so over the top, and I found it difficult to come up with cool or interesting poses to do with it. Perhaps if were in a scene with another mobile suit, but I never got around to trying.
The Astaroth Lineup
Well, here they are:
I’m not going to go into a deep dive comparison here. I’ve already said my piece about what I think of each design, but I’ll make a few more quick observations.
When you put them side by side, they start looking a whole lot more similar. But I still think Astaroth Origin has the advantage on account of looking more … I dunno … capable?
Like I said earlier, Rinascimento just seems like a better version of this idea. And it reminds me a bit of the ZII, in that it replaces all the white on its predecessor with grey, and is all the better for it.
Conclusion
Not a bad build by any means, but also not quite as mind blowing as I hyped myself up for. If you had to buy one Astaroth, I’d say to go with the Origin, but if you wanted one in this asymmetric style then the Rinascimento is the way to go.