Big thanks to Gundam Mad for selling me this kit. This article isn't sponsored, but I'm still glad I went with this specific one over the slightly discounted one with a damaged box.
It shouldn't matter with a blog with this small of an audience, but I do occasionally glance at the general view count my posts get. And the normal thing I notice is that whenever I do something really nostalgic or recognizable to people within my particular friend group, the hit count tends to be noticeably higher. Well, I fully expect that to happen with this kit this time round, because we're going back to the Digimon franchise.
I mentioned around the last time we poked our heads into this franchise that I was hoping to get my hands on this specific kit since it looked more aesthetically pleasing (and seemed to have more positive reception than Omegamon from all the other gunpla personalities that talked about it who I saw). So let's see if all this talk of it being better than Omegamon as a kit building experience really holds up.
I mean...it kind of has to by default, I'm still not forgiving Bandai for those annoying chest plate parts.
Head
The black stickers that correct the colours on the horns don't always reach all the way round the horns themselves, so it's a good thing I had my black panel marker on hand to fill it in.
Body
When it comes to those red straps across the chest, the manual provides side-on views to be able to tell which way up they go.
Arms
This apparently doesn't include Wargreymon's telltale giant claws, so apparently those are classed as weapons. Fair enough.
That worked out pretty well, apart from the weird stickers on the thumbs, I have no idea how to attach them correctly beyond what the manual says about "matching the shapes". I think I figured it out on a second attempt, but it still doesn't look great.
Legs
The red armour has a weird gap on the lower part of it that I'm not too fond of, but I'm fairly sure it's for articulation purposes.
Waist
Time to put it all together. Weirdly, there's some stickers to put on the shoulder spikes that don't get brought up until this point in the manual.
It feels a little stiff when getting it into a decent standing position, but I like what I see. But there's some transparent purple parts that lie unused in the box...
Brave Shield
Lining up the parts makes sense with the hole at the top, but even so, getting the parts together at this part is awkward. You're supposed to secure them with a small peg at the top from the F runner, but I'm still not certain that I've done it right.
And now there's a whole load of stickers for the symbol on the back of the shield.
For something so numerous on the kit, I was actually quite surprised by how much I enjoyed attaching these stickers. You should be fine as long as you're careful and use the usual tools - whether you're a tweezers or a toothpick person, these aren't difficult to attach.
The cool thing about both halves of the shield is that they can be attached to the holes in the side of the wrists. There's even a part on the C runner to fit both sides of the shield to one wrist. But here's what we're really here for to complete the ensemble.
Dramon Killers
Yeah, turns out they do have a proper technical name besides "claws". And I doubt they have anything to do with taking the life of Disturbed frontman David Draiman (no matter how much of a letdown Evolution was).
I love the look of this guy. The term "Amplified" is in its name in reference to the much bulkier proportions compared to the source material. And I'm mighty impressed. Admittedly, it carries the same janky articulation as Omegamon, but with the wider variety of colours and finishes, along with so fewer annoying parts to contend with, I was right to think this kit outclasses Omegamon at every turn. Between this and the Metalgarurumon Amplified kit, I wouldn't mind seeing even more Digimon kits further down the line. Maybe Venomyotismon or something?
Anyway, gotta dash, I have a holiday to be preparing for. Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
The Good
+ Imposing shelf presence
+ Brilliant attention to detail
+ Blimey, those claws are actually quite sharp
The Bad
- Not really one for much articulation
- Transparent blue parts inside the shield might be a bit confusing
Build Experience: A
Completed Kit Rating: S
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