HG Jesta
Hello hello everyone, Baby TheEnd here with the first of many long overdue reviews! We're gonna take a look at the High Grade Jesta from Gundam Unicorn. The Jesta's job in combat is to escort the Unicorn Gundam into the battlefield, and then keep the lowly grunt suits off of it while Unicorn goes NT-D Mode and takes on whatever Newtype opponents there are! Unfortunately they don't see too much screen time in episode 5 of Gundam Unicorn, but hopefully the "Black Tri-Stars" Jesta squad will have more of a presence in episode 6. Enough rambling though, onto the review!
Playing Favorites
Hey everyone! I know my updates have become pretty sparse in the past couple of months, and I have no excuse for that [well, other than lots of art projects...]. I don't want this blog to become abandoned though, and I fully intend to write reviews for some of the kits that have been on queue for far too long. While I work on those, though, I thought of a quick little something to put together to help you, my wonderful readers, get to know me a bit better: my favorites of the Gundam universe! To be a bit more specific:
- Favorite mass-produced mobile suit
- Favorite mobile suit or Gundam
- Favorite pilot
- Favorite Gundam series
- Favorite kit of each scale I've built so far
Feel free to leave a comment and let me know your favorites as well~! Understand, though, that these are STRICTLY OPINIONS, and if it turns into an all-out "UC vs 00 vs SEED vs WHATEVER" war I will not hesitate to delete replies or the entire post, if it needs to happen. With that said, let's begin!!
MG Gundam Mk.II 2.0 HD Titans Colors
Hey everyone, I've got a kickass Master Grade Gunpla review for you! We're going to be looking at the MG Gundam Mk.II kit, specifically the limited edition HD Titans Colors version. Those of you familiar with the Universal Century timeline of the Gundam multiverse know that the Gundam Mk.II comes from the Zeta Gundam series. In celebration of the series releasing on Blu-Ray with more vibrant colors and animation touch-ups, Bandai released this version of the Mk.II 2.0 as well as three other MG kits in HD colors. Now that that's all out of the way, let's take a look at this awesome kit!
What's on the Table
Hey everyone, I want to apologize for still not posting a review up yet. With my new major at school, I've been pretty consumed by the myriad of drawing projects. In light of that, let me tell you about the stuff I'm currently working on!
~*~BUILD PROGRESS~*~
I'm currently juggling a few different kits right now, and though I went through somewhat of a Gunpla lull a few weeks back I've been building whenever I have a few hours of free time.
First up is the HG Zudah which is almost done. Painting all of the darker blue markings on it has taken a lot of the build time, and so far I think it looks pretty good. The white trim has been a nightmare to get right, but luckily the end is in sight!
I've been making slow progress on the MG Full Armor Unicorn Gundam as well. I'm forcing myself to take this build slowly though, because I want it to be as close to perfect as it can get. I'm also on the same mindset for the MG Ex-S Gundam that I'll be painting Deep Striker colors, but due to the generally cold weather of winter I can't work on it much.
All three of the resin kits are here at school with me as well, but since they take a considerably longer amount of time to get any work done, I'm waiting for a weekend >__>;;
~*~DECALS~*~
I've almost got the HG 00 Qan[T] Full Saber finished up in terms of decals. This was my first attempt at water transfer decals, both from Bandai and SamuelDecal. Most of them went on without any problems, but the long skinny ones for the GN Sword Bits were nothing short of a nightmare to position.
I also have some decals to put on the Hi Nu Gundoom, but it needs a clear coat first =\
~*~PHOTOGRAPHY~*~
While I haven't upgraded the camera I've been using for this blog, many of you may have noticed that I changed backdrops and lighting for photos quite a few times. Now, though, that problem is no more, for I am the proud owner of a Sunpak eBox Studio photobox! I'm really excited to break it in~
~*~COSPLAY~*~
I made a decision [on a whim] to make a complete Gundam TR-1 Hazel Custom cosplay from cardboard and whatever other relevant materials I'd need. I haven't started construction yet, since I still need to figure out what needs resizing to fit me [I don't have the same proportions as a Gundam, after all!], but when I do start I'll keep you posted on that to the best of my ability!!
~*~BUILD PROGRESS~*~
I'm currently juggling a few different kits right now, and though I went through somewhat of a Gunpla lull a few weeks back I've been building whenever I have a few hours of free time.
First up is the HG Zudah which is almost done. Painting all of the darker blue markings on it has taken a lot of the build time, and so far I think it looks pretty good. The white trim has been a nightmare to get right, but luckily the end is in sight!
I've been making slow progress on the MG Full Armor Unicorn Gundam as well. I'm forcing myself to take this build slowly though, because I want it to be as close to perfect as it can get. I'm also on the same mindset for the MG Ex-S Gundam that I'll be painting Deep Striker colors, but due to the generally cold weather of winter I can't work on it much.
All three of the resin kits are here at school with me as well, but since they take a considerably longer amount of time to get any work done, I'm waiting for a weekend >__>;;
~*~DECALS~*~
I've almost got the HG 00 Qan[T] Full Saber finished up in terms of decals. This was my first attempt at water transfer decals, both from Bandai and SamuelDecal. Most of them went on without any problems, but the long skinny ones for the GN Sword Bits were nothing short of a nightmare to position.
I also have some decals to put on the Hi Nu Gundoom, but it needs a clear coat first =\
~*~PHOTOGRAPHY~*~
While I haven't upgraded the camera I've been using for this blog, many of you may have noticed that I changed backdrops and lighting for photos quite a few times. Now, though, that problem is no more, for I am the proud owner of a Sunpak eBox Studio photobox! I'm really excited to break it in~
~*~COSPLAY~*~
I made a decision [on a whim] to make a complete Gundam TR-1 Hazel Custom cosplay from cardboard and whatever other relevant materials I'd need. I haven't started construction yet, since I still need to figure out what needs resizing to fit me [I don't have the same proportions as a Gundam, after all!], but when I do start I'll keep you posted on that to the best of my ability!!
BLOG STATUS
Hi readers, long time no chat! I just want to quickly let you all know that I will be making more posts soon. A problem I've been looking to fix for a while has been the quality of my photoshoot area, but I've purchased a lightbox that I'll be able to set up on January 8th or so. Around then, I should be able to give you guys a good review with proper photos!
Until then~
Until then~
TT Hongli and You
As a blogger of the Gunpla community, I feel like this post would have come up sooner or later. I don't plan on making this long-winded or anything, and by no means am I calling anybody out on anything. These are simply my opinions, and should be regarded as such.
~*~Baby TheEnd's Views on KO [knock-off] Gunpla~*~
To put it bluntly, KO Gunpla companies are absolutely in the wrong. Considering each product is meticulously designed by Bandai, to be reproducing these kits using cheap labor and cheap plastic, and then selling them at a fraction of the intended price doesn't sit well with me. Gunpla is by no means an inexpensive hobby, and as harsh as this sounds, if you don't have the money for it then you're out of luck. It also goes without saying that there are plenty of cheap Bandai kits out there, and while these do tend to be the older kits [and SD kits, if you're into that] they still serve their purpose. And with pretty minimal effort, these [and all other] kits can be modified to have improved articulation, more detail, and so on.
However, with all hobbies you need to know how to restrain yourself from going overboard. If I bought every kit I wanted as soon as it came out, I'd never have any money. Period. The fact of the matter is that, especially for new kits, they aren't going anywhere, so you have plenty of time to save up some money to buy them.
But back to the KO Gunpla products, I can't say I'm ok with buying these fake model kits. Again, Bandai was the one who originally designed them, and giving your money to anyone else for their design seems almost like theft. I've heard of people using these kits specifically to get certain parts they need for a custom build or something similar, and I'm not sure if I'm 100% accepting of that or not. However, spare parts are quite difficult to obtain, so at the very least I can sympathize with those people.
Now, there is one company in particular I'd like to talk about: MC Model. This company really blurs the line of what a knock-off kit is. MC Model seems to be a pretty new company that takes Bandai Gunpla kit with resin conversion parts attached to it and creates a regular plastic model kit using the modified Gunpla. To avoid trouble, they change the word "Gundam" to "Gundoom," and this is really the only part that I'm sure I'm not alright with. Name change aside, the line is blurred as to what this kit is, as I said earlier. I fully realize that a Bandai Gunpla kit was used as a base for the resin conversion parts, and then all of this was re-cast using plastic. However, the quality of the four kits that MC Model has produced thus far are absolutely superb. The plastic feels a little cheap, but these kits can hold together well, there are tons of option parts [extra hands and stuff] included, and the water transfer decals are [reportedly] superior to the ones Bandai produces.
Let's look at this from another perspective for a moment. Resin conversion parts are resin recasts of a modified Gunpla kit which is used at the master prototype. By creating multiple copies of the modified kit's new design, would this be considered a KO resin kit? What about full resin kits, rather than resin conversion parts? Does making multiple plastic model recasts of a Bandai kit with resin conversion parts count as a KO as well? This is where the definition of what you consider a KO kit would likely begin to get a bit fuzzy.
All of this is definitely a very complicated matter, and I definitely don't consider myself a master of the subject by any means. In the end, though, what it really comes down to is peoples' demand for the continued production of these cheap KO kits. They'll no longer be a thorn in Bandai's side [and a blemish on the Gunpla community] when people who insist on purchasing these fake kits cease to do so, putting the money in Bandai's pocket where it should be.
~*~Baby TheEnd's Views on KO [knock-off] Gunpla~*~
To put it bluntly, KO Gunpla companies are absolutely in the wrong. Considering each product is meticulously designed by Bandai, to be reproducing these kits using cheap labor and cheap plastic, and then selling them at a fraction of the intended price doesn't sit well with me. Gunpla is by no means an inexpensive hobby, and as harsh as this sounds, if you don't have the money for it then you're out of luck. It also goes without saying that there are plenty of cheap Bandai kits out there, and while these do tend to be the older kits [and SD kits, if you're into that] they still serve their purpose. And with pretty minimal effort, these [and all other] kits can be modified to have improved articulation, more detail, and so on.
However, with all hobbies you need to know how to restrain yourself from going overboard. If I bought every kit I wanted as soon as it came out, I'd never have any money. Period. The fact of the matter is that, especially for new kits, they aren't going anywhere, so you have plenty of time to save up some money to buy them.
But back to the KO Gunpla products, I can't say I'm ok with buying these fake model kits. Again, Bandai was the one who originally designed them, and giving your money to anyone else for their design seems almost like theft. I've heard of people using these kits specifically to get certain parts they need for a custom build or something similar, and I'm not sure if I'm 100% accepting of that or not. However, spare parts are quite difficult to obtain, so at the very least I can sympathize with those people.
Now, there is one company in particular I'd like to talk about: MC Model. This company really blurs the line of what a knock-off kit is. MC Model seems to be a pretty new company that takes Bandai Gunpla kit with resin conversion parts attached to it and creates a regular plastic model kit using the modified Gunpla. To avoid trouble, they change the word "Gundam" to "Gundoom," and this is really the only part that I'm sure I'm not alright with. Name change aside, the line is blurred as to what this kit is, as I said earlier. I fully realize that a Bandai Gunpla kit was used as a base for the resin conversion parts, and then all of this was re-cast using plastic. However, the quality of the four kits that MC Model has produced thus far are absolutely superb. The plastic feels a little cheap, but these kits can hold together well, there are tons of option parts [extra hands and stuff] included, and the water transfer decals are [reportedly] superior to the ones Bandai produces.
Let's look at this from another perspective for a moment. Resin conversion parts are resin recasts of a modified Gunpla kit which is used at the master prototype. By creating multiple copies of the modified kit's new design, would this be considered a KO resin kit? What about full resin kits, rather than resin conversion parts? Does making multiple plastic model recasts of a Bandai kit with resin conversion parts count as a KO as well? This is where the definition of what you consider a KO kit would likely begin to get a bit fuzzy.
All of this is definitely a very complicated matter, and I definitely don't consider myself a master of the subject by any means. In the end, though, what it really comes down to is peoples' demand for the continued production of these cheap KO kits. They'll no longer be a thorn in Bandai's side [and a blemish on the Gunpla community] when people who insist on purchasing these fake kits cease to do so, putting the money in Bandai's pocket where it should be.
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