Big thanks to Gundam Mad for selling me this kit.
So, this is...what, my third Wing kit after the HG Sandrock and the subject of my first ever build diary? And my second Ver.Ka kit? Well, no time like the present - I type this opening paragraph right after watching the first two episodes of Gundam Wing for the first time, and I'm really enjoying it in spite of all the takes I keep hearing about how it's aged a bit poorly. (I mean, I know there's just over a decade of separation between the two, but have any of those guys seen how well 0079 holds up in places? That threat-of-the-week formula is exactly why most people opted for the movie trilogy.)
Literally the first runners you see when you open the box are the two C runners with the iconic angel wings. They know what makes this mobile suit stand out (even if I kind of prefer the EW version of the ordinary Wing Gundam, but that one's harder to find kits of)
I heard the blue armour on the lower front of the chest doesn't stay in easily, and such talk is right. This PVA you can see in the above photo had better suffice, dear lord.
If there's one little detail I like, it's these shoulder gatling gimmicks.
Be warned, the part that connects the shoulders onto the sides of the torso can be loose if not put together tightly enough. I actually had to disassemble one of the shoulders because it kept moving upwards too loosely.
Should be natural for a kit this recent, but the actual Gundam looks very pretty, I'm quite a fan of when a kit is detailed enough to use what look like the same colours on different runners that are actually subtly different shades when assembled. But I feel like this kit is missing a certain something...
"These sure look really cool, but aren't they awfully back-heavy?", I hear you ask. And the answer is yes, obviously it is. But thankfully this isn't a Real Grade Crossbone situation, this kit did at least have the courtesy to provide a display base, and you bet I'm going to be keeping the Gundam on it between now and when I need to attach the weapons and/or sort out the reams and reams of water-slide transfers.
That's more like it. I even appreciate the expected set of catches on each joint of the action base so I can tweak the angle just right. Not a fan of the fact that you have to take a piece out of the back of the waist unit to fit it on the stand, but now I'm just nitpicking.
Not sure why the manual doesn't say how to attach the shield. It's certainly simple - it slides over the blue armor on the arm. But the manual tells you how to build it, then doesn't bring it up again until the details on the Bird Mode transformation. Odd.
In the end, I decided to pose it with one of the beam sabers out (the other is stored in its little hidey-hole on one of the inner wings).
And I also clipped out the tiny Heero figure. He can be seen doing the iconic pose from the first Wing opening.
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| Pair this up right with the Lockon Stratos figure, and Heero will look like he doesn't want his eye poked out! |
Apart from the waterslide decals, that's the Wing Zero EW Ver.Ka finished. There were a few moments I wasn't too keen on like the loose shoulder mechanisms or the confusing shield attachment, but I have to be honest - for someone who wasn't initially a fan of this particular design of the Wing Zero, properly working on it up close has given it a real opportunity to grow on me. Perhaps I'm just a little biased because of everything I hear about the other versions of this kit, but no, trust me - you can set aside all the horror stories about the hand grenade that is the Hi Resolution version. As far as detail, structure and display potential goes, this is the Wing Zero EW you want.
Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
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