Big thanks to the guys at Gundam Mad for eventually getting this kit in stock. This article isn't sponsored, but I'm counting my blessings seeing how I waited for this kit to get back in stock throughout pretty much the whole of the first UK lockdown.
And now we have a second one coming up at the time of writing, so now's as good a time as any to indulge in the very thing I did during the last lockdown - this very model kit blog! And this time we're moving over to the Anno Domini timeline, the continuity where I originally started watching Gundam. I'm going to be building the Gundam that always stood out to me as one of the most striking from 00, the Dynames. Perhaps it'll tide me over until I can get my hands on the lighting version of the Perfect Grade Exia.
GN Drive Unit
I'm very well aware that this fits one of Bandai's green LED units, but I don't have one of those on me right now.
Chest Unit
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| The little figure of Lockon seems so charmingly laid back! |
The camera doesn't pick this up in the photo, but those clear parts you see are the holographic parts, used for the visible GN wires in the torso and limbs. And I quite like the effect.
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| Just below the GN Drive slot, you can see the cockpit, and there's a sweet detail of the camera in front of Lockon's right eye in there. |
Not sure if the LED unit adds extra length to the GN Drive or not, the manual doesn't seem to say anything about building it without the LED other than "it's optional", but it fits nicely into the torso regardless, so I'm not gonna worry about it.
Head Unit
If you want the segment in front of the forehead camera to be out of the way like the manual says, the forehead camera slides forward for that purpose. Good thing I have the tweezers handy.
Arm Units
I don't see an option for an articulated hand anywhere in this kit (well...articulated outside of the thumbs), but the advantage is that the hands are really simple to put together, no fiddly nonsense or any need to hold tiny parts together before securing them with another part.
Waist Unit
This is probably the most elaborate waist unit I've built that isn't the Ex-S, and I like the gimmick of the thrusters opening out so that the yellow insides move forward. Good stuff.
Leg Units
And now the Dynames is at full height, and I like the unique design quirks of the Gundams in the Anno Domini timeline that are present in this kit, like the holographic GN wires and overall slightly chunkier look. But it's not so much the Gundam itself that I'm excited for, so much as it's the...
Weapons
After all, what is Lockon Stratos without a rifle with which to snipe things? It's...it's right there in his name!
The extended tripod arms (the white parts in the above photo) are separate parts, and it's a little disappointing that it doesn't extend out of the ones already on the rifle.
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| I also started putting the transparent stickers on when I attached the first two shields. |
And that's the Dynames. Was it worth the several months worth of waiting for stock? Well, it may not have felt particularly long, what with all the other kits I've built in the meantime, but I still love this thing. Considering I primarily bought this for the glory that is the GN Sniper Rifle, I still ended up loving many aspects of this kit, particularly those design quirks that could have only come from the 00 continuity like the GN Drive, condensers and those holographic wires. I only wish there was a way to capture the pretty rainbow effect of those wires on camera easily - turning on the flash didn't help.
The closest I have to a complaint is that the sticker that goes on the inside of the clear part on the front of the torso was really difficult to get straight, and I didn't manage to do so in the end. It doesn't matter all that much though, seeing how the clear part in question is too dark a shade of green to make it all that visible, and it gets covered up by that green hatch in front anyway. All in all, a wonderful depiction of one of my favourite Gundams!
Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
The Good
+ Great articulation
+ Fun selection of accessories
+ Holographic parts are a nice touch
The Bad
- Chest sticker alignment is harder than it looks
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