Mecha Analysis: G no Reconguista Episode 10

Previously on Mecha Analysis
Gundam Build Fighters Try Episode 8
Gundam G no Reconguista Episode 9

Today on Mecha Analysis, we look at episode 10 of Gundam Reconguista in G.
Something to keep in mind when looking at the mechanical designs of Gundam G no Reconguista: The ones responsible for mechanical design are as follows,

• Akira Yasuda, known for designing mechs in Turn A Gundam, Code Geass and Overman King Gainer.
• Kimitoshi Yamane, notable for mechanical designs in G Gundam, Gundam SEED, SEED Destiny, SEED Stargazer, IGLOO, and Eureka Seven: AO
• Not much can be found about Ippei Gyobu. I think he's new.

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Episode 10
We have hit two-digit numbers! The lines have been blurred further with the Capital Guard taking action against the Capital Army by helping the pirates. As both factions migrate to space, I wonder if space time will last any longer than the last time they were up there.

Wuxia

Looks like the Capital Army continues to introduce stronger mobile suits to the battlefield. The tradition of cheers for the to-be-deployed team returns! The Wuxia seem to boast in high flexibility and agility on air and on ground. Though they are equipped with a beam weapon, the pilots seem to prefer hand-to-hand combat.

As for the team of Wuxia in this episode, three mobile suits eventually defeated by the protgonist? Smells like the return of Black Tri-Stars!

G-Self High Torque Pack

This green armor placed on the G-Self was originally designed for the Wuxia, but, for one reason or another, was not compatible. So the Capital Guard worked with the pirate mechanics to retro-fit the pack to the G-Self.

The High Torque Pack's functions to provide extra thrust for ground combat. Main thrusters are located on the lower legs and back and the lack of weapon attachments reflect the Wuxia's hand-to-hand combat.
Overall an interesting pack. If it were released in kit form, I'd be interesting in wiring LED's into the proper locations. Then again, that would be a later project. I'm still waiting for the HG Recten (and variants) to be announced. I want a Rex No with a Bandana!

 

That will be it for the weekend: nothing will be ready in time. I want to finish up the December episode of Why I Hate Money before December, but that is not going to be possible. It should be ready and posted by Wednesday, so please stay tuned! For those of us in America, I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving with family and friends. Enjoy the rest of your vacation (if you have one)!

Mecha Analysis: Gundam Build Fighters Try Episode 8

Previously on Mecha Analysis
Gundam G no Reconguista Episode 9
Gundam Build Fighters Try Episode 7

Today on Mecha Analysis, we look at episode 8 of Gundam Build Fighters Try.
Something to keep in mind when looking at the Gunpla: Returning from Gundam Build Fighters, the ones responsible for mechanical design of Gundam Build Fighters Try are as follows,

• Kunio Okawara: THE Gundam designer, designing the original RX-78-2, and Zaku II along with many designs through the years. He's had his hand in Zeta, ZZ, 0080, F90, F91, 0083, Victory, G Gundam, 08th, Wing, X, Turn A, SEED, 00, Unicorn, and many other non-Gundam anime. Holy crap this list is long.
• Not much is said about Junichi Akutsu, Junya Ishigaki, and Kenji Teraoka.
• Kanetake Ebikawa, though has been working as a mechanical designer since the late 90s with anime like Blue Submarine No.6 and Full Metal Panic!, did not start designing for the Gundam franchise until 2007 with Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Other notable works include Gunpla Builders Beginning G, Gundam AGE, and Euerka Seven: AO.

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Episode 8
The main antagonist is revealed! Up until now, most antagonists were quickly dealt with. Here we see the enemy reign supreme. GYANKO BANZAI!! Unfortunately, we only see team Try Fighters as a cameo of owning.

One new feature that is shown from the Try Fighters is the full Winning Launcher. The first time we see it, one of the attachments is destroyed. This time, we see Lightning Gundam own the board with twin beam rifles. Heero Yuy would be proud!

One thing I was disappointed about is the state of Build Burning Gundam. In the original Build Fighters series, there was a focus on having to rebuild Gunpla after every fight. This time around, there is no mention on the repair of Build Burning Gundam after its epic fight against Destiny. We can assume Yuuma was the one that made fixes, but could he really fix it back up to the level Sei Iroi built and customized it? I wish the writers would touch upon this subject. Nevertheless, Build Burning is now back in tip top shape for unknown reasons.

Team G-Master

 

As previously mentioned, this episode, as the finals of this tournament, is to reveal the main antagonist. This group of white suited band of fighters come from Miyazato Institute High School wielding V Gundam, G-Fighter and the flagship mobile suit, Mega Shiki, customized by Sakai.

V Gundam, aside from its pink color, is customized with a β Sword Silhouette pack, typically seen on Sword Impulse Gundam. Abandoning all its melee weapons, this mobile suit was tuned for close combat. The G-Fighter, piloted by a Sleggar Law clone, is modified with a larger wing span to equip a plethora of explosive missiles. This heavy weapons support mobile armor can also apparently go toe-to-toe in a martial arts fight.

Mega Shiki is equipped with a back-mounted mega particle beam cannon along with its regular beam rifle. This all-around mobile suit also has dual beam sabers with blades shaped like katanas. This formidable mobile suit looks as good as it performs. I think I'm in love.

How exciting, the finals next week: I anticipate an epic fight! See you then!

[SD Messer WIP 002] Before The Winter...

Previously on Gundariumsmith,
Next WIP post will probably show the filled in holes smoothed out and hopefully primed (as weather/time permits). The body is a little trickier with the custom mono-eye - I am not sure what the sequence of painting / assembly will look like yet.

---

 

As New England draw closer to winter, airbrushing outdoors becomes impossible - temperature drops, and sun sets earlier not ideal weather for airbrushing. At some point, I need to work with the guy at A Splash of Color to create a spray booth! Nevertheless after this WIP post, I will probably not be posting anything on this build until mid-Spring earliest. Hopefully our candy red paint job will improve from last time (if, in fact, that is my color choice).

After filling in the majority of the holes with putty, I put on a second layer, this time for sculpting. With my lack of skills and tools, the best I could do at the moment is general shapes. It looks okay, but I am definitely not satisfied with how it turned out. I need to at least smooth out all the dimples. One problem I ran into while filling these spaces, was an unexplainable collapse of the plastic walls on the other side. I did not take a picture of it, but on both arms that I puttied, the plastic became quite soft and began collapsing on itself. I remedied the problem by adding putty to the collapsing surface.

Though not fully satisfied with the result, I decided to prime what I had anyway. I would normally try to smooth out seam lines before priming, but the seams on the SD Messer are hidden quite well, especially for a 5-piece mobile suit. I decided it was not needed.

I think that's the extent of what I can accomplish before painting. Unfortunately I will have to put this project on hold for the winter. Hopefully more exciting things to fill the cold season with!

Mecha Analysis: G no Reconguista Episode 9

Previously on Mecha Analysis
Gundam Build Fighters Try Episode 7
Gundam G no Reconguista Episode 8

Today on Mecha Analysis, we look at episode 9 of Chuchumy: The Animation.
Something to keep in mind when looking at the mechanical designs of Chuchumy: The ones responsible for mechanical design are as follows,

• Akira Yasuda, known for designing mechs in Turn A Gundam, Code Geass and Overman King Gainer.
• Kimitoshi Yamane, notable for mechanical designs in G Gundam, Gundam SEED, SEED Destiny, SEED Stargazer, IGLOO, and Eureka Seven: AO
• Not much can be found about Ippei Gyobu. I think he's new.

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Episode 9
Even though there was not much action in this episode, the tension continues to build. I cannot wait for next weeks episode!

Rex No

 

After a short cameo with the introduction to the Montero, we finally see the return of these hover-footed mobile suits. No new features are displayed, but the fact that they show up again is significant enough to showcase.

Montero

Speaking of the Montero, the Rex No's that helped introduce this mobile suit return to play it off. So long, Montero, at least Klim was not on board. Will Klim return as the pilot for the Armorzagan, or will he bring on a machine of superior speed and agility? Come back, genius pilot!

There's a lot to talk about in this episode, but without much action or focus on technology, there's not much for the Mecha Analysis series. Watching the previews, I'm sure next week will be different! Also more Gunpla articles to come this weekend! Please stay tuned!

Mecha Analysis: Gundam Build Fighters Try Episode 7

Previously on Mecha Analysis
Gundam G no Reconguista Episode 8
Gundam Build Fighters Try Episode 6

Today on Mecha Analysis, we look at episode 7 of Gundam Build Fighters Try.
Something to keep in mind when looking at the Gunpla: Returning from Gundam Build Fighters, the ones responsible for mechanical design of Gundam Build Fighters Try are as follows,

• Kunio Okawara: THE Gundam designer, designing the original RX-78-2, and Zaku II along with many designs through the years. He's had his hand in Zeta, ZZ, 0080, F90, F91, 0083, Victory, G Gundam, 08th, Wing, X, Turn A, SEED, 00, Unicorn, and many other non-Gundam anime. Holy crap this list is long.
• Not much is said about Junichi Akutsu, Junya Ishigaki, and Kenji Teraoka.
• Kanetake Ebikawa, though has been working as a mechanical designer since the late 90s with anime like Blue Submarine No.6 and Full Metal Panic!, did not start designing for the Gundam franchise until 2007 with Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Other notable works include Gunpla Builders Beginning G, Gundam AGE, and Euerka Seven: AO.

---

Episode 7
Not much to talk about this episode. There was a lot more focus on a warrior's resolve in battle rather than teamwork, skills, or builds. At least there was an exciting battle to conclude the episode!

Team Angelfish

Chusui Middle School's demise came a lot faster than expected. Their faces show up as a mysterious enemy in episode 4, and they show up again in episode 5, just to be defeated swiftly in this episode. I wonder if they'll make a comeback later on either as a comedic enemy or with a savage battle of redemption.

Team FAITH

Joto Municipal Middle School's team is comprised of Murasame, Windam (equipped with a Jet Striker Pack), and Destiny Gundam. As indicated by the main cast, this team's Gunpla are all straight builds and are vastly inferior to other Gunpla teams. However, Shimon's skill makes up for it.

Unfortunately there's not much to talk about when it comes to features. Everything about these Gunpla are standard (besides the fact that Windam and the Jet Striker Pack are not available as kits). So we move on.

Team Try-hards

Lightning and Winning Gundam are pushed off so quickly. They must really feel for that Shimon's hospitalized brother. We are left with the slug fest of destiny - Build Burning vs. Destiny! Unfortunately no new attacks were used against Destiny - only three recycled ones.

 

Once again, a very short article on an episode that did not focus on the Gunpla. With this battle leaving Build Burning Gundam in pieces begs the question, how will Sekai get it fixed? I hope to find that out soon! See you tomorrow~

Open Ocean Adventures: GH-001 Grimoire

Click Here for full imgur album

Introduction
Nothing about Reconguista in G really caught my interest. The mobile suits were kind of weird, the voice actor director seems to be satisfied with mediocrity, and the animation is not clean like most new anime. Despite my critical opinion, I am enjoying the show.

When I dropped by the local Hobby Shop in Sasebo, Japan, the only Recon G kits out were the G-Self and the Grimoire; one of which caught my eye long before the show came out, let alone having enough Internet to watch. So I picked it up for 1200 yen to build it while I went back out to sea. Little did I know, I was more excited for this kit than I had originally intended

Back Story
The Grimoire is a space pirate grunt suit from the Gundam series Reconguista in G. It was introduced in the opening of the first episode retrieving the G-Self as it was falling in mid air. Armed with unexplained beam whips that come from their rifles, these mobile suits are pretty cool.

Body Unit
The upper body is made up of two half shells that surround a neck core that houses a standard neck polycap, and arm socket polycaps. This allows for, but does not utilize a color separation between the new kit core and the inside collar.

The core of the body is made up of two shells that form a ball. This ball has two holes that house a stem and ball joint for the rest of the body unit parts.

The most detailed Part of the three sections is the skirted lower body. Although the side skirts look more like magazines or military pouches, the front skirt houses rotating boosters. The back skirt, as with most other kits, is a single modeled piece.
The backpack is made up of three pieces; two shells and an antenna. These pieces happen to be in a black runner which also houses the rifle; the only pure black items in this kit.

Arm Units
Despite the arm span being limited to the small shoulders, the design makes up for the lack of articulation. From the piece that covers up what would be a giant cavity under the shoulder to the boxy forearms. The arms have quite a unique design.

My favorite section is the wrists; not only do they utilize a ball joint like most high grade kits, in addition, they have another pivoting point that is flush to the curvature of the forearm shells. This allows for quite a bit of range for the hands.
The biceps are colored yellow which, in addition for the small shoulders, gives the mobile suit the illusion of a sleeveless shirt. This works well together with the boxy forearms giving the suit massive bracers.

Leg Units
It seems the joints in the whole kit have been done right. The pelvic joints mostly hidden under the skirt are quite sturdy and look fabulous the few times the actually appear. The knees utilize a square shank polycap that is surrounded by the calf shells. This joint in the calf is also quite big allowing for more friction due to the surface area. The calf shells also do not fully enclose the joint allowing for a color separation between the joint and the calfs.

My favorite part however is the feet. Although the ankle caps like to pop off as they shear against the armor surrounding it, and the tibia guards or boot tongues are mounted only on the inside via ball joint, the grips on the bottom have combat boot grips and have quite the color separation.

Head unit 
The disc that is the head on this mobile suit is made up of four pieces; two she'll halves, the face cover, and the sight lens. However, what makes this head the most beautiful head I have put together is the fifth piece; the shiny Magenta sticker behind the sight lens. This sticker was placed on a curve making the reflection, no matter what light is put up to it, a stripe inside the head.

Armaments
The kit included three accessories; a combat knife, a shield, and a battle rifle that has a beam whip as kind of a bayonet. The combat knife is a single modeled piece with quite the panel lines.

The shield is made up of two pieces; the shield as a single molded item, and the mounting bracket for the forearm. The rifle is made up of two half shells as with most Gunpla rifles; nothing spectacular there.

Conclusion

Was it the lack of Gunpla for the last couple months, or is this Gunpla kit actually that spectacular? This answer, I will let you decide. Overall it was a beautiful build and I would advise anyone who likes Reconguista in G to grab this kit.

 

That is all from me, hope this helps in your Gunpla endeavors. This has been the Munitions, thank you for making it this far! 

Quick Review: Unicorn Gundam (Unicorn Mode)

Preamble

I was able to try out LED bulbs!

Over the summer, Morgenroete planned a Gundam Planet group purchase among our friends. While looking at the catalog to fill this order, we found the HGUC Limited Unicorn Gundam (Unicorn Mode) + 1/48 Head Display. Recently we were looking at GoodGuyDan's custom Unicorn Head Display and were inspired to try our hand at sprucing up a Unicorn Head. Unfortunately, before Morgenroete had time to work on the kit, he headed for the sea.
Remember that scene in episode 1 of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann where Kamina says "I can't steal from my blood brother" after Simon offers the cockpit seat of his newfound Ganmen? Yeah, I definitely did not show this kind of "older brother" mentality.

As Morgenroete left for his next assignment...

Thanks, Morgenroete, for the Unicorn Gundam.
Disclaimer: The 3-panel above might be an exaggeration of the truth (seriously, reality would not have such crooked border lines): Morgenroete may or may not be on a tall ship, and I may or may not have been there as the ship departed port.

Background
The RX-0 Unicorn Gundam is the lead protagonist suit of a recent novel/OVA series, Mobile Suit Gundam: Unicorn. It takes place in 0096, three years after the events in Char's Counter Attack, focusing on a boy thrown in the midst of an intergalactic treasure hunt for the sought after Laplace Box. Needless to say, the Unicorn Gundam becomes the center of attention due to this treasure hunt.

I'd talk more about Unicorn Gundam, the role it plays in the anime, the weapons and utilities, but you, the reader, already know about this mobile suit (in great detail), or you need to watch the seven episode series. Seriously, go watch it (I think its all available in America via PSN/XBL), if not for the story, for the action. Six episodes and a conclusion movie? It's even shorter than Firefly!

Quick Review
This marks my second lead protagonist suit (not counting SD kits). The first was MG G Gundam (my second Gunpla kit). Though I am not against lead suits, I have no taste for a shelf full of white, blue, red, and yellow. I am glad Unicorn Gundam does not share the full lead-suit color scheme.

Unicorn Gundam's primary color is white. There is a little gray in the core and joints, and navy blue on the back and feet, but the rest of the mobile suit is white. To make up for this monochrome mobile suit, a lot of detail is put in each piece. It certainly boasts lead suit in this regard.

The build of this kit is just as complex as the detail in each piece. This is due to the fact that this kit is based on the previous HGUC kit,  Unicorn Gundam Destroy Mode - with the exposed psycho-frame, the pieces would fit onto clear pink pieces, but in Unicorn Mode, the pieces just fit with each other, making for a seemingly necessarily complex build. I welcome the complexity, but some of the builds feel sort of flimsy.
On the subject of flimsy, a major problem I have with the suit is the elbow joints. The way the polycap and the two joint halves are put together makes for a joint that is prone to fall apart. I am not happy with the design decision, but at least it has not fallen apart while standing.

Play options are limited to a single shield and a Hyper Bazooka. In order to get the awesome looking Beam Magnum, one would have to get the  Unicorn Destroy Mode. Like the rest of the kit, the shield is mainly white with a hint of gray in the center. The detail in the plastic make up for the mostly monochromatic piece.

The Hyper Bazooka is quite impressive. It has a segment in the middle that can be removed to emulate the Bazooka's ability to deploy/contract in and out of use, the back ammo pack can be replaced with the end cap, and an extra ammo pack is included that can be stored on the mobile suit;s rear skirt armor. With a little color separation via paint, and the Hyper Bazooka will catch anyone's eye. One problem I have with the Hyper Bazooka is the structural integrity. Because the barrel is extendable with multiple segments, the piece tends to be flimsy. It should not be too much of a problem, but a build out of box, I was not too happy with it.
Both the Hyper Bazooka and Shield have the option of back mounting. For the bazooka, a tab flips out and for the shield, an adapter is plugged into the polycap. Either item looks good on the back.

Mobile suit standards like hands and beam sabers exist - grip and open hands with one trigger finger and four beam sabers included (only two effect parts included). Nothing too impressive here, though I believe the hands are the same as the Nemo hands - closed fist play option possibly available!

Overall I am happy with the Unicorn Mode version of Unicorn Gundam. Its simple yet complex look without all the flashy colors definitely makes for a shelf worth Gunpla kit right out of the box. Though I am personally not a fan of the Hyper Bazooka paired with this mobile suit, I do like the play options the weapon has alone. I definitely do not regret stealing this kit from Morgenroete, and it may open the doors to a variant or two in the future (I am definitely all for an Awakened Banshee Norn).

Open Ocean Custom: Gallus GM [Ren Custom]

If you're seeing this in your news feed for the second time, I apologize: for some strange reason this post was reverted to a draft. Good thing nothing got deleted - no harm, no foul.

 

Introduction

A group of my friends decided to make a group build a while ago. Of the many ideas, the final decision became space pirates of the mono-eye type. At the time, the Schuzrum Gallus and the Rozen Zulu [Ep. 7 Ver] came out.  I just had to test them out.

One of the ideas floating around my head was to use the arm cuffs of the Rozen Zulu. However, due to the shear size of the mobile suit compared to many others, my original kit bash with the Kampfer was out the window. In addition, due to the lack of access to hobby shops while out at sea, I could not exactly modify the idea.

Back Story
While on watch at sea, my mind started running with ideas. Eventually, Fiona Reynolds - a recent Earth Federation Space Force Academy graduate (assuming there is one) that was tasked to stand watch on a far away space colony - was realized. As the story goes, Fiona joins a faction of the space pirates through a series of conversations and revelations about Federation practices.

Over time her suit is fixed and upgraded with extra Gallus parts. However, due to the weaker hydraulic power of the GM core, many armor plates were removed. The purpose of the mobile suit is to give an extended distance of travel and a form of defense for the spider excavator. This excavator is a modified colony shuttle that is now used to plunder supplies from the federation.

Gm sniper K9 and Skull Weapon Set

Fortunately the Gallus and Rozen Zulu were not the only ones I had bought at the time: I figured I could tinker. I was told that the GM sniper K9 was a fun build.  So along with the Skull Weapon Set, I set forth and built the first version of my kit bash. The K9, instead of a giant rifle, was replaced with the booster fitting from the skull set. However, the crossbones boosters were replaced with the arms. This would allow the as to be closer to the back as opposed to the original extended apparatus.

 

Schuzrum Gallus
After starting the Gallus, I discovered that the ligaments had very similar connections. Thus, after the straight build, I started to tinker with combinations between the two kits. I found that the original Gallus had a wide chest. At first it was alright, but after attaching the arms and legs to the GM Sniper core, I found the kitbash I was looking for. I wanted to keep the shields, but they inhibited on the details of the arms.

Paint
The only primer I could find in a hurry was a gray 1000 grit Tamiya primer. But because I was lacking paints, I decided only to prime the armor plates of the Gallus ligaments. The core was the only part I did not prime while underway.

 

Now that I have paints, I would like to get started. However, the alongside period is busy and I do not have as much time as I would like. Hopefully more progress soon to come!