Big thanks to the splendid fellows at Gundam Mad for selling me this kit and getting it to me unexpectedly quickly. This article isn't sponsored, but the A4-size Dragon Ball Super: Broly poster they included with the kit pleases me enough anyway.
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| Perfect! Now my wall is properly Super Saiyan Powerade-flavoured! |
I have a needlessly complicated history with Neon Genesis Evangelion.
It's mostly thanks to the fact that the series itself didn't make it to the UK legally until the Netflix release, so all I had in terms of choice were the DVD releases of Death & Rebirth and End of Evangelion (both of which went out of print), and the Rebuild films - the first of which I love, the second I quite like, and the third one just made me confused and slightly miserable. Here's hoping Thrice Upon A Time is any good when that finally comes out.
I suppose there's also the platinum box set of the first six episodes I got when I was on holiday in Cape Cod, MA about a decade ago, but all that did was convince me that the show's original dub didn't age all that well (no disrespect meant to Spike Spencer, he's a good guy).
Point is, I missed out on the experience most people had with Evangelion primarily thanks to the company that would've released it going out of business, and UK anime fans wouldn't be able to legally see the anime until almost fifteen years after the original run started. Anime licensing is fun, isn't it?
But I have been catching up with the series thanks to the Netflix version and it's quite a refreshing new view for me on the events of the show after having watched Evangelion 1.11 so many times. So now's as good a time as any to do some Eva-related model kit building! I would've gotten the Perfect Grade, but it sold out before I could get my hands on it. And besides, this is a very recent Real Grade, so it should be really good.
Yep, that's a whole lot of purple. Let's unwrap all this and get it into some kind of order.
Before I do though, I want to briefly focus on Runner M and how it pulls off the colour separation by having multiple colours going into each part. I think that's quite cool. And given the size of the green bands on the horn (left side of the runner), quite necessary.
The angular, less boxy design of a lot of these parts really spell out that this is not going to be the same experience as putting together a Gundam kit, so this'll be something of a departure for my usual building fare.
Chest
So Runner I throws some yellow into the mix. Not sure how that fits in with Eva-01's colour scheme, but we'll find out.
Slotting part L1 (the red sphere) into the right place on C10 was a little awkward. It works when turned the right way, but the inability to get a good grip on it is bringing me flashbacks to the God Gundam's energy multiplier.
There's a small hole on top of the combined C9 and C10, and judging by the hinged part behind it, I'm assuming this is where the entry plug fits. So this must be the back of the neck. That explains the yellow.
We have our first purple part installed, folks!
And now our first green. Sweet!
Trying to rotate C38 without C39's pointy bit sticking into my finger is a bit of an uphill battle, particularly since you have to slot them in a specific way before turning. I managed it in the end, but still, that's left a few marks on my finger.
Great, C30 and C31 need stickers. Thankfully they're some quite nice looking metallic stickers on a single line of the exposed inner armour, which should show up in some of the later photos. Fortunately, I'm looking at the sticker sheet and I'm not seeing any eye stickers, so this is already better than most Real Grades I've built.
*turns the page*
OH NO NOT ANOTHER POINTY PART I HAVE TO TWIST.
At least this one's easier though, since the shaft is slightly longer. And yes, that is indeed what the actress said to the bishop.
Now that I've got more of the stickered parts added, they certainly look good coming together, at least if lined up right.
Just one more sequence of this to add to the torso.
And now to add the joints.
Rotating the bottom joint to lock it in place was a little awkward, but as long as it's lined up correctly when pushed in, it works.
Does this mean we get to stick more purple and green on?
*turns the page*
Awww yeah!
And now back to the back to finish this segment off. I like the shiny metallic look of the H runner (and the K runner, but we're not there yet).
Not sure how the silver spine plates are supposed to be distant from each other, since there's several places on the spine where they fit. This photo comes from when I fit them in based on the sticker diagram on the back of the manual. The actual instruction isn't all that clear, let's be real.
Ah well, that's the torso done. Onto the...
Head
The silver bit that goes on the front (H1 2) fits on by sliding it onto the front rather than from above. The manual isn't too clear about that - had to look up this speed build from Tid-Gunpla to be sure I was doing it right.
And now to dig out the M runner for a black and white part.
Oh, that makes sense, it forms the eyes! I'm once again thankful that this is the only Real Grade I own where the eyes aren't stickers.
Of note is the fact that there's actually a choice of two horn parts, one of which you spotted on the M runner, and the other is a purely purple one on the A runner where the green stripes are done with stickers. I personally went with the one on the M runner, since I have more confidence in my ability to clean up nub marks than I do with accurately applying stickers.
You have to have the jaw tilted pretty far back before putting it on the head, but check the notch on the green hinge and line it up to the part on the head where it holds on. You should be fine then.
And now for the parts that by nature require a lot of repetition. First, the...
Legs
Pay attention to the arrows when rotating the top part - there's only one direction it moves in, as it turns out.
The middle part of these pieces of purple armour only stays in place when one of the side pieces is fitted, so don't fret if it doesn't feel like that part is fitting.
And now the other one...
Man, this thing is really coming together. Height-wise, it's about as tall as your average Master Grade, which is pretty massive for a Real Grade. Not sure what scale this is at (in fact I don't even think it has a scale listed), but I'm already very happy so far!
Arms
According to the starting diagram, this also includes the iconic Eva fins as well. I look forward to doing those.
The stripy piece off the M runner has three large under gates. Nothing my nippers and craft knife can't get rid of.
Now we're onto the hands. Gonna assemble this one with the open-palm option since I plan on putting it on the stand. It'll look more natural with them, since the others are closed-fist or straight-fingered eva-run hands. The most iconic anime run this side of Naruto and Devilman Crybaby.
Apart from the index finger being bent a bit too far up (see the top photo), I'm liking what I see. Time to do the other one...
And now the shoulders.
And with that, all the purple runners (excluding the different hand poses) are done! Let's fit them on the body!
What a gorgeous looking thing! Now for everything else that it comes with.
Weapons
(a.k.a., "The stuff that's about as effective against an angel as drinking straws are against tsunamis". Unless you're Asuka and can make strategic use of a needle gun, I suppose.)
It's natural that the J and K runners deliver in this department, but I love the colour variety on this weapon.
Bit let down by the progressive knives though - they're all one colour (with the edges done with stickers, because of course they are) and the folded/unfolded versions are different solid pieces rather than articulated. I'm not sure what the much older Perfect Grade Eva Unit-01 did, but it couldn't have been this.
Now we get to the part where the entry plug is inserted. Hold on, I wanna try something...
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| Unit-01's dummy system reveals itself to be a mistake 5 seconds and one unconscious Asuka later. |
And now the umbilical cable.
Bending the top part of the cable into the first half of the umbilical plug is a little fiddly, but it is indeed possible. Particularly when you get the other half on.
Home stretch, folks. Let's make like a certain meteorite-based arrow and get this thing a stand!
Transport Platform
So now we want to be getting out the X runners, which are much chunkier than the parts I'm used to working with. And a really nice shade of military green.
While I've got the base platform all on its own, I think it would make sense to put the stickers on it now.
I couldn't quite press out all the air bubbles, but that's something to be expected with a sticker this big.
I also decided to apply some of the other stickers on the Eva itself, and in the process discovered that the entry plug sticker means that the entry plug itself can't be inserted into the Eva. Which is pretty lame. I'm gonna be taking the sticker off of the plug since the part itself is safest inside the eva, but I decided to take a second picture of Unit-01 about to bite the plug in half for old time's sake.
It's a shame too, as it looks quite cool with it on.
And now to stick the Eva on it. Pull out the necessary parts of the stand, attach the umbilical cord and...
Ok, because of the flexibility of the umbilical cable, that took longer than it really should have, but I still managed it!
All in all, a really satisfying kit to build! There's a few things I can complain about, of course - the progressive knives didn't need to be as lacking in detail and articulation as they are, a lot of the stickers are completely unnecessary (and I don't like that you can't put the entry plug in the Eva with the sticker on it), and the cable makes it rather tricky to put on the stand.
I still had a ton of fun building this kit and it was a wonderful break from the usual trappings of the Gundam franchise's aesthetic. This is easily a solid S-rank kit, and far and away the best Real Grade kit I've built since the Nu Gundam.
Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
The Good
+ Very different in design from just about anything else in the Real Grade line
+ Rubbery feel adds to its own otherworldly identity
+ Great articulation
+ The AT field effect part is a nice touch
The Bad
- Progressive knives are weirdly half-arsed for a Real Grade
- Caution stripe stickers around the transport platform are finnicky
- Why would they even bother including a sticker for the entry plug if it can't fit inside the kit with it on?
- The copper wire for the umbilical plug makes displaying it on the platform a bit awkward
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