Big thanks to Gundam Mad for selling me this kit. Well, that and an SD Zeromaru and a Blu-Ray copy of Gundam: The Origin. Mighty handy. And...something, something, not sponsored, you know the drill.
Time for an Iron-Blooded Orphans kit. Not the first one I've built from that timeline, my first being the brilliant Master Grade Barbatos with its numerous visible mechanical parts and working pistons. I'm quite enamoured by the multi-arm gimmick of this particular gundam, though I'm thankful I went with the High Grade over the older ungraded IBO version, since that one apparently has some serious balance problems. Here's hoping this kit (for lack of a better term) holds up.
Also, shout out to Channel 2S on Youtube, whose Revised Total Beginner's Guide To Gunpla was what got this kit on my radar a long while back, around the time I was considering getting into this hobby. I'm not even mad that the closest we have to a part 2 of that video is an April Fool's prank - that beginner's guide gave me too many solid recommendations for me to pass it up.
Body
No working pistons this time, unlike the MG Barbatos. Eh, High Grades don't necessarily emphasize the finer details anyway.
Not sure why one highlight is done with a white sticker, but I suppose I should count my blessings when it comes to stickers, given how I mentioned getting the Zeromaru earlier.
Ooh, I like the contrast and highlighting my brown panel marker gives to this gundam's beige! I look forward to the larger shield-like part that goes on the back.
Head (normal mode)
I like the shiny accentuation the stickers bring to the head, but the lower of the two stickers was rather annoying to attach - lots of folding parts, much like the red insides of the
Byarlant Custom.
Oh, on the topic of stickers, the ones around the head camera and central fins required quite a bit of folding around the part that the manual doesn't show easily. Hopefully the above photo gives a better idea, though if you're really stuck, the colour images nearer the end of the manual might help.
Head (aiming mode)
So that's two loads of heads with awkward stickers all over them. Marvelous!
Arms
(and by that, I mean the arms on the sides of the torso, not the sub-arms just yet)
And for the purpose of displaying the kit in a general situation, I'll be using the normal head rather than the aiming head.
Now to get it fully upright.
Feet
Legs
This stage of assembly in the picture above is a little awkward, but as long as the horizontal part on B2 15 lines up with the horizontal slot inside the inner leg part and the lower parts line up, you should be alright. Bending the leg back helps a little in this regard.
Now because a Gundam can't have a single ball joint for a crotch...
Waist
And now to bring the basics together finally...
Seems pretty skinny and barebones on its own, but we've got bigger things to put together. Firstly, the gimmick that made me want this kit...
Backpack
I'll give the sub-arm gimmick a go in a moment. For now, there's this thing without any English translation in the heading. Google Lens tells me it's called the...
Rear Skirt (Shield)
...yeah, had a feeling it was a shield. The arm attachment was a giveaway.
Really simple in terms of assembly, but there's a lot of panel-lining to do to give it some colour variety.
Weapon
Just the one. But my word, it looks chunky, as one might expect from the post-disaster timeline.
Downside is it's a bit too lengthy for the arm to hold it up easily, and it's at this point that I discovered that the shoulder joints are needlessly loose. Which isn't great. But let's bring that gimmick out and get a good shot of this Gundam!
So, the Gusion Rebake. Yeah, there's some pretty simple, to-the-point niggles I have, particularly regarding the lack of security in some of the arm joints and the puzzling abundance of stickers (though again, given the kit I've got to build next, I should count my blessings). But with the nice blend of simple assembly with relatively complex parts, I get why this kit's been recommended among others with the High Grade line. This is a kit that really makes the most of the parts on the runners, with no spare parts left over other than the polycaps. A good kit, not gonna lie.
Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
The Good
+ Nothing beats the unique angular look of the IBO kits
+ Sub-arm gimmick looks amazing when extended
+ Stands up surprisingly well despite the back weight, which from what I've heard, is more than can be said for the 1/100 IBO version
The Bad
- Some of the colour-correcting stickers require some annoying folds
- Arm joints could be better, especially when trying to hold the rifle up
Build Experience: B
Completed Kit Rating: A
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