Big thanks to Gundam Mad for selling me this kit.
Originally I was going to type up another after-action report for the kit done during my last Twitch stream, the High Grade 00 Sky Moebius, but honestly I didn't feel like it would give me much to talk about at that stage beyond briefly losing one part only to recover it after the stream, along with losing the leg joint cover when taking it off to place it on a stand, only to find it again when doing my laundry. And I suppose there was the really nice-looking Diver Gear stand as well, because...you know...Build Divers.
But this one should be very interesting. It not only stands out from that crescent-shaped psycho plating on the back, but supposedly in-story, this Gundam was meant as some kind of precursor to the Sazabi. And yeah, the Sazabi's my favourite mech from the whole franchise, so naturally I'm biased. Here's hoping I get more visual panache out of this kit than when I first heard about it on one of those "Weirdest Gundam" listicles that fall into the classic trap of padding the list out with lesser-known entries from G Gundam.
Interesting to note that there are no stickers or decals of any kind in this kit. Not even for the eyes. No polycaps either. And I can really tell that this was a from-the-ground-up development on Bandai's part, seeing how the only runner diagrams with the telltale X symbols all over it is the secondary runner for the stand and two of the parts on one of the I runners. Everything else is used in this kit in some fashion.
It's also interesting to note that the psycho-plates on the I runner aren't fully transparent like its equivalent on any variant of the Unicorn Gundam (besides the EX-Standard version). I'm intrigued to know how that part in particular will look once finished.
Body
Not sure why the manual suggests to push the grey neck part onto the white part before attaching it to the torso, seeing how awkward it is to do that while keeping the ball joint in place, but it all worked out fine in the end. And I like the more washed-out shade of blue, it's like a rough attempt at the typical "Protagonist Gundam" colour scheme. Befitting of what is basically Zeon ripping the Federation's design off.
Head
As mentioned before, the eyes aren't stickers. Instead, the eyes are a specifically-coloured core part, with a choice between solid lime green and clear. As you can see in the image, I outlined the raised eyes with my black panel marker to add that particular detail back. Although this comes at the cost of them no longer having the usual foil shine, it at least saves me having to scuff up the sticker in trying to align it right. And the green is bright enough to not really need to catch any light.
Arms
Feet/Legs
Make sure the grey parts are pushed together properly, otherwise the sole of the toe will have trouble sitting flush when pushed onto the front.
Now that the actual Gundam is together, I like how solid this thing feels. The lack of polycaps gives it some tightness to the movement, without giving off the impression of needing to break in the joints as the
Plaiobot Gurren Lagann. But the star attraction is yet to come...
Backpack/Psycho Plates
Now since the manual wraps round to this next part...
Base
Putting together the Diver Gear base from my last kit has gotten me used to putting together these kind of bases. Only this time, there's no paper detail to cut out and place underneath a transparent part. Obviously. The grey part on top slots into a hole in the back of the Gundam underneath the back flap, which feels easier to work with than the usual between-the-legs arrangement you normally get with action bases.
And although most displays of this kit I've looked up beforehand use the stand specifically to hold up the psycho plates from the back, it is possible to use it for both them and the Gundam, so for shelf space purposes, I'll do that.
Be sure to fit the peg on the red side of the psycho-plate in properly so that it stays up the right way.
Weapons
I feel like quipping both the beam tomahawk and the rifle. As nice as it is to be able to store the former on the backpack, that effect part is too cool to go to waste.
And with that, the Moon Gundam is complete. To put it simply, I love this kit.
On top of it being a generally fun build that shows a really bright potential future for the way Bandai does High Grade kits, the kit is generally beautiful on its own merits. The fact that it feels so much more stable than other kits with heavy segmented back parts like the Real Grade Nu Gundam helps in that respect. No matter what skill level you're at with High Grade kits (or Gunpla in general), this kit is pretty much essential.
Stay safe and keep clipping, folks!
The Good
+ Simple build
+ Lots of articulation
+ Way more detail than you'd expect from a High Grade
+ No stickers at all, not even in the eyes
+ Imposing shelf presence
+Unique twist on the traditional Gundam colour scheme
+ I really like the psycho-plating on the back
The Bad
- Completed psycho-plating is a bit wobbly, even if it doesn't fall apart
Build Experience: S
Completed Kit Rating: S
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