Gunpla Build - High Grade Leo-R (Build)

Alright, let’s crack this open and see what we have:

I’m detecting at least two runners from the original High Grade Leo, and I think all the others are original to this kit. Let’s zoom in a bit on that sticker sheet:

Apparently those big blue stickers are meant for arms, right around elbow joint. I’m disappointed that these aren’t made of color accurate plastic, but it looks like it’s due to the fact that it reuses the original Leo arms, and thus they couldn’t easily do so.

I guess the saving grace is that this is such a minor detail that you could easily leave the stickers off without really affecting the final look of the model.

Well, with that in mind, let’s get to the build.

Lance

It’s a pretty simple thing. I do like the stripes on the grip though!

Head

Here is the Leo-R without her hair:

It’s interesting that this thing is so female coded that they even gave it bigger eyes than a male coded mobile suit like the Tallgeese.

Anyway, the long part of the hair clips in first:

Then we clip on the top part of the hair, as well as the golden head crest:

I tried using a little bit of panel lining marker on the creases in her hair, and then smudged and rubbed it in until only a little bit of it remained. My intent was to give it a little more texture and definition, though I’m not sure I succeeded at that goal. I don’t think it looks worse, I’m just not sure that it’s better.

Secret Leo Head

Just like on the Tallgeese, there's a secret Leo head underneath the Leo-R's face:

It even has a pink sticker for the camera!

I guess if you wanted to you could keep it this way.

Upper Torso

It’s the same general structure as the Leo, but the shape has clearly changed.

It has a very obvious hourglass waist, and a much more pronounced chest which, unlike the regular Leo, is made with some extra parts for the boobs.

Around back, it looks almost the same as a regular Leo, with the addition to two mounting holes for the thrusters:

Lower Torso

This looks pretty standard, with the exception of the two grey bits on the side. They look different than the regular Leo, but more importantly, they flare up and outward to help further create that hourglass figure (there’s a joke in here about having “Gunpla bearing hips”):

Moving around back, we see the same thrusters as on the Tallgeese, though sadly they don’t open up:

Feet

Look at those heels:

Considering how small they are, there are no thrusters or any other kind of detail on here. And if you think these are as hard to stand on as they would be in real life, you’d be right. The completed Leo-R can stand on her heels, but it’s not always easy.

But who wants to let something like stability get in the way of fashion.

Legs

The legs have thruster flaps mounted on the side, and these are essentially the model’s side skirts:

As you can see, there’s some nice surface detail on the inside, and I did my best to bring it out with a chrome marker.

Here are the fully completed legs:

They assemble just like the regular Leo’s, and even mostly look the same, though the Leo-R’s calves are much more slender.

This is where we encounter our first seamline, particularly on the inside of the thigh:

Since this plastic is so light, it cleans up easily.

Arms

These are just regular Leo arms with some extra stickers:

This does mean that there are seamlines to deal with, though once again they clean up nicely.

More interesting are the holding hands:

It has four of them - two closed fists, an open palm left hand, and a special right hand for holding the lance. More holding hands is always a good thing.

Shoulder Pauldrons

These are built around the same ball-shaped shoulders as the regular Leo:

I really like the blue plates that sandwich the armor, and I also just like the idea of the pauldons in general. They really add a lot to the design, and give her that much more of a “warrior woman” feel.

Backpack

Well, not really a backpack so much as a pair of small thrusters:

They have a nice bit of parts layering, but have no other gimmicks or anything.

Shield

Unfortunately, the Leo-R does not come with all the parts necessary to build a working shield. That’s a huge letdown, because I think a buckler would look particularly good on this mecha-valkyrie.

It’s a good thing, then, that I have a spare Leo around, and since it’s the red-headed stepchild of my collection, I’m all too happy to gut its shield:

That right there - the inner framing of the shield - is all I needed. And with a little bit of repainting, the Leo-R now has it for herself to use:

There’s only one potential problem. The Leo and the Tallgeese mount their shields to their shoulders, and the Leo-R can’t do that. My only hope is that she’ll be able to grip the shield by its handle, and that it won’t flop around. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Leftover Parts

This kit comes with a lot of leftover Leo parts:

Normally I keep all of my spare parts, but I tossed these two away. I just don’t see a situation in which I’m going to need them.

Conclusion

Our lady is ready to fight, and soon we’ll see just what she can do.