Our Lady Leo is ready to debut:
Let’s see what she can do.
Damage
I worked really hard on this one, and tried very carefully to keep from spray painting any of the joints and sockets, in hopes of not breaking any of them.
But it still happened.
Well, it wasn’t really a broken joint perse. More like the knee joint got stuck and caused the back cover on the knee to start splitting. I don’t really know how it happened, but with a little bit of glue, Tamiya cement, and grey paint, I managed to fix it and mostly cover it up:
Thankfully the joint still works; I guess this is one instance where I should be grateful for the C-Clip design. And since it’s in the back, it’s not like it’s going to be highly visible. But I’d be lying if I said I’m not bothered at all. Sometimes you think you do everything right, and still manage to cause problems for yourself.
Back to the Photos
Okay, so back to the photoshoot:
During the build, I was a little worried about the color accuracy. Some of the blue parts looked to my eye like they were less blue and more green, akin to the Leo-R’s color scheme in her lineart. But now that she’s assembled, it’s finally starting to look properly blue.
Speaking of color, once she’s in the lightbox, I find that the gold plastic doesn’t look so bad. In fact, I might go so far as to say that it looks pretty good. It’s not too bright, or too dark, and has just the right amount of shine.
And in regards to the visual design, she looks as good in person as she did in the promotional photos. Just a cool valkyrie-adjacent warrior woman.
Weird Pricing
But having said all that, there’s something weird about the price of this model compared to the other two Leos that make up the OZ Prize squadron. The Leo-R is $26 on Premium Bandai, making it three dollars more than the Leo-S, despite the latter having a big ol’ cape, and two weapons:
And it’s only three dollars less than the Leo-N, which is extra chonky and comes with a huge axe:
I’m not sure how the Leo-R - which is the most slight figure of the three, and which has only one weapon, sits in the middle of the pack price-wise. As cool as she may be, this might be one of the worst values I’ve seen from a $26 kit. Whether or not you consider that a problem is up to you, but I thought it was worth noting.
Action Poses
There’s something to be said for a model with a limited weapon set. I find that I spend less time having to get shots with every combination of weapons, and more time coming up with poses:
It helps that the Leo-R is quite poseagenic. It looks graceful, but also fast and fierce.
With Shield
Sorry Leo, but I had to give your shield to someone more deserving:
The good news is that the Leo-R didn’t need a shoulder mount to hold onto the shield. She can simply grip it in her hand, and in most (though not all!) cases it will stay in place.
And wow does it fit her perfectly.
Which, in a way, is a bad thing, since you can’t use the shield out of the box. All they needed to do was find a way to add one extra part on a runner somewhere, and the Leo-R would have been that much closer to perfection.
As it stands, I’m glad I was able to make it work, but I hate that I had to do it in the first place.
Some More Poses
Here are a couple more poses just for good measure:
Comparison with Leo
I’m sorry to dunk on the Leo even more, but I can’t help myself. Even ignoring the big crest on her head, the Leo-R is still taller than her counterpart. The guy can’t win at anything.
But on a more serious note, comparing these two really highlights why I hate the basic Leo design so much. Every single time it has the chance to do something - anything - interesting, it instead takes the most boring and basic route. And before you say “but that’s the point! It’s a grunt suit!”, there are plenty of grunt mobile suits that have at least a little more pizazz (or are basic, but in a “realistic and utilitarian” way).
Comparison with Tallgeese
This comparison is more interesting:
The Leo-R is still slightly taller than the Tallgeese, though the difference is not quite as stark.
More interesting is the fact that they look so similar. They have the same side skirts and rear skirt thrusters, and the Leo-R’s tiny shoulder thrusters look like a slimmer, more feminine version of the Tallgeese’s massive verniers. They even both make use of gold/yellow trim.
I think one could easily make an argument that this is less of a female Leo and more of a female Tallgeese (which, yeah, I know is basically the same thing, but work with me here).
Conclusion
I like this model. I really do. But it all feels so … lush.
Compare it to the G-Gundam High Grades being sold on Premium Bandai. Those kits aren’t cheap, but they come with so much stuff, and they have a level of color separation (and a lack of seamlines) that goes above and beyond a typical High Grade. They feel, well, premium.
But the Leo-R, on the other hand, feels like a standard retail release. It’s got a few unfortunate seamlines, some color big correcting stickers, and a lack of accessories.
That would be fine for a $15-$20 retail kit, but for a $26, P-Bandai exclusive? It feels lacking. In fact, if it weren’t for the fact that I got free shipping on the order, I don’t think I would have bought this one. And while I don’t want to say that I regret it, at the same time I think I need to be a little more discerning with future P-Bandai purchases, to make them “count” a little more.