Since this model is just a modified verison of the original Farsia, we get the instruction manual for that model, plus a small insert for all of the new or modified build instructions:
And then we get a mix of new and recycled runners:
It’s … not a whole lot. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this build, but it was more than this.
But let’s not judge it quite so soon.
Seamlines … Seamlines Everywhere …
This kit has seamlines everywhere. Off the top of my head:
- Two on each leg
- Two on each arm
- Two on its torso
- One big one on its backpack
And for whatever reason - whether it be the design of the kit or builder error - I couldn’t fully erase any of them. It looks as if some of the grit from the sandpaper got stuck in the cracks and won’t go away, which I’d normally attribute to the pink plastic being so light in color. But I’ve erased plenty of seamlines on white plastic - the lightest of all colors - without issue. So what’s going on with this kit?
Whatever the reason, suffice to say that at a certain point in the build I knew it wasn’t going to look as nice as I wanted it to, and so I ended up rushing through the rest of it to just get it over with. Fair warning - this isn’t my best work.
Panel Lining Problems
This kit has very shallow panel lines, which means that it is very easy to inadvertently wipe it away with your fingers. Not only will the panel line be gone, but now you’ll have smeared ink all over the pink plastic (and believe me, it stains very easily).
My advice - wait until the very last minute, do the panel lines, and do not touch them. Just let them dry so they (hopefully) set.
These Colors DO Bleed
I decided to give this model a gloss coat, and I forgot to remember that if you’re not careful, Mr. Super Clear Gloss spray will cause panel lining marker to bleed. That happened in multiple places on this model, so I had to go in, scrape out all of the marker bleed, and re-coat.
Like I said, this is not my best work.
Weapons
The flower bits are just two parts snapped together, but they have a lot of surface detail. They’re also not supposed to be monochrome, so I painted them as I saw fit:
In order to pose the bits, the kit comes with these flexible plastic straws:
This is a really interesting alternative to other, more rigid options for displaying bits, as (in theory) they’ll let you pose the bits exactly how you want. Though on the other hand, I can think of at least two major drawbacks:
- There are five bits and only three straws, so you’ll have to cut them - and once you cut them, there’s no turning back. You can’t easily extend the length as needed like you can with, say, the GWitch Weapon Display Set
- I don’t know yet if these straws will hold position under the weight of the flower bits.
We’ll have to see how well they fare.
Moving on, we have the wand, which is basically just a flower bit attached to a handle:
Unfortunately there is no beam effect part for creating the Beam Ribbon, so the wand’s usefulness as a prop is limited.
Hands
We get a nice assortment of hands:
The open palm hands have the embedded beam cannons that are seemingly standard issue on all Vagan mobile suits. They’re actually on ball joints, so you can move them around a bit.
Now check out the holding hand for the wand:
I’ve never seen a Gunpla hand work this way, where the grippy bit plugs in from the front. But now that I’ve seen it, I wish more hands were like this - it seems way sturdier (and less prone to breaking) than the traditional sandwich-style hand.
Feet
This is one of the only sections of the body that uses different parts than the original Farsia, though hell if I can remember what the difference is (I threw the original parts out).
They’re cute little high heels, though I can tell you right now that they aren’t very good at holding the model up.
Legs
I’m not actually sure if I assembled these correctly.
The problem is simple - if you assemble the knee joint so that it can fully bend, it ends up being at an angle:
Which then ultimately causes the knee to be at a permanent bend that makes the mobile suit look bowlegged.
The alternative is to assemble the joint so that it’s straight, but if you do that you lock it into place:
I don’t know for sure, but I think this is intentional. The original Farsia flies around on its little platform, so it has no need for a full knee bend. But that doesn’t really help with the Fawn Farsia, whose legs are free and clear and are supposed to move around at will.
I doubt it will be too much of a problem while posing but it’s still weird. Couldn’t they have designed the joint differently?
There’s another problem with the leg, which is that the ankle attaches to the knee joint with a tiny little C-Clip, and it is an extremely shallow, loose connection. Both ankles are liable to fall off with even the slightest provocation.
And of course, there’s the gnarly seamlines running down the sides, but at least this photo is evidence that they aren’t visible from certain angles.
Lower Torso
This is just about the smallest, daintiest thing I’ve ever built:
For what it’s worth, the little tail can be removed and held like a sword.
Upper Torso
The general shape of this reminds me a lot of the torso on Sailor Moon’s costume:
It’s definitely not beating the allegations that this is the mobile suit equivalent of a Magical Girl.
You will notice the shiny gem in the center; that’s made by inserting a metallic decal right behind the clear orange part in order to reflect light. Simple but effective.
Head
One of the trademarks of Vagan mobile suits is that they don’t really have a face. Instead, they have nothing more than a thin green line that runs across where the eyes would normally be.
I was curious as to how this would work during assembly. You start off by laying a green sticker on underside of this part:
And then you insert another part right below it to conceal all but a tiny strip of the sticker:
And that’s it really.
Oh, I guess I should mention that this is one of the only body parts that has no seamlines.
Backpack
Is this really a backpack? I mean, it is where the thrusters are.
I don’t know what else to call it, so backpack it is.
We’ve got some shiny, color correcting decals for the thrusters, as well as some vents on the inside that I painted grey for good measure (you can just barely see them in the previous photo, right behind the head and the torso).
Arms
We’ve got another particularly nasty seamline on the shoulders, but other than that this was fairly straightforward:
That pink armor at the wrist is pretty cool. You don’t tend to see anything like that; it looks more like clothing than armor.
Finished
This was not the best build. Not by a long shot. And that was surprising considering that everyone raves about the engineering on Gundam AGE kits. Indeed, my own experience with the AGE II Magnum was excellent, so I had every reason to believe the Fawn Farsia would follow suit.
The problem, I think, is that this is a design that is extremely unconventional - and dareisay it, dainty - and that means it couldn’t be as sturdy as traditional designs.
As for the seamlines, I think the fact that this mobile suit is so smooth and curvy meant that there were really no good options for hiding them. That doesn’t make them any easier to deal with, but at least it’s a plausible explanation.
But hey, the build is over, and now we get to see how it poses. I’m not getting my hopes up, as I can imagine a number of possible problems. But we’ll give it a go and see it how fares.