00 Gundam (HG 1:144) Model Review

So I actually swore off buying any more HG Gundam Models because MG Models were so much better. But after getting into Gundam 00 Season 2 … I broke my rule and bought myself a HG 1:144 00Gundam ^_^;;

Yes, I admit, I wanted a model to play around with while I watch the series! I’m childish that way.

Gundam 00 S2 is my MOST anticipated anime series to watch this season. Sure, I like my comedies, and tsundere romances, but, you gotta admit, there’s a certain irresistable charm to giant robots cutting and blowing each other stuff to a backdrop of political intrigue.

Just when the first season of Gundam 00 ended, there were already previews of Mobile Suits to be used in the second season. I remember first seeing the line-art of 00 Gundam, Setsuna’s new Gundam, and being incredibly disappointed. 2 GN Drives? Who cares! The Alvatore had seven… SEVEN. And Exia looked better to me with its 7 swords and Melee speciality. 00 was a downgrade!

But after seeing the 00 in action … I’ve gone a complete 180 in this. The explanation of the twin GN Drives working in tandem to square the output instead of double – that’s incredibly sexy. So I HAD to order this, even if it’s a HG, and will require a bit of work to make it look good.

But enough about the background to me wanting this model. Here it is, finally, painted, detailed and completed. It took me approximately 6 hours to finish. The paints I used are Matt White, Brilliant Blue, Bright Red, Gun Metal, Metallic Red (for the forehead clear piece), and Flat Yellow. Detailing was done with Black Gundam Marker for the panel lines, and Blue Gundam Marker for the clear gun pieces.

I have to admit there is MUCH more satisfaction in completing a model yourself, rather than purchasing a pre-completed Figure that is ready to display. Before I got heavily into pre-completed figures, I was actually an avid Gundam Model Fan. I still am, but haven’t been making as much lately. Completing this one was a nice change of pace, and return to a prior love.

The second episode of Gundam 00 S2 debuts the 00 Gundam, Setsuna’s replacement for Gundam Exia for the series. Its uses both 0 Gundam’s and Exia’s GN Drives in a twin drive system, mounted on its shoulders. I thought it looked silly at first, but now the design has grown on me, and now I love its bewbie shoulders ^_^;;

The drives have to synchronise to at least 80% before the 00 Gundam can operate. Setsuna uses Trans-AM and Magical Hax to force the drives to sync.

Other Hax is the fact that the twin drives can create a protective wave of GN Particles to prevent beam attacks from hitting it. But the bewbies have to be rotated to the front for it to do that. The Model’s articulation in the bewbies can rotate just like in the anime!

Bewbies rotate to the back to propel it faster I imagine. As you can see, the model can do this too.

Stock footage of the 00 Gundam on its debut launch. I’ve already seen this from the previews at the beginning of this year, but the bit where it starts dodging afterwards with corresponding movement of its drives is new and looks awesome.

The Model actually comes with 2 GN-Sword IIs, but I’m only using one of them to replicate the show ^_^;;

The GN Drives particle effects looks so damn sweet. I hear the 1:100 version of the 00 Gundam will have light up GN Drives – not sure if I’ll be getting that too. I’ll see if I’m tempted enough.

The HG 00 has INCREDIBLE articulation though. So maybe I won’t have to get the 1:100 version.

My favourite part in Episode 2 is when the enemy pilot throws a chaff grenade of some sort, nullifying Setsuna’s beam attacks. The enemy pilot then gloats and says something like, “Because I have better range, I have the advantage in melee!”

Of course, since Setsuna is originally a melee specialist, he does his “ORE WA GUNDAM DA!”

Completely and utterly PWNT.

And that brings me to the end of yet another review. This High Grade Model is interesting in that it actually sports better articulation than many, if not most, Master Grade Models. It has a new wrist joint, and also a new ankle joint, so that it can actually perform proper standing splitz.

Because of this, I’ll rank this Model with a 9/10. Sure, it does require painting to make it look exactly like the anime version, but painting should be done any way to make the models look the best they can be. But those without access to paint, or no place to paint them, this may be an issue for you and the score probably lower.

Just to note here, I didn’t use any of the stickers, except for the eye stickers (optical eyes, not DC eyes). The worst thing about this model is that if you use the stickers, you are absolutely stuffed in regards to the V fin. The V fin is actually a yellow sticker. That is bloody horrid, and if I wasn’t painting this, I would have scored the model much lower because of it.

And now for some Figma and Gundam fun!

The figma stand fits in the back of 00 Gundam. Cool huh? Anyway, sayara till next post! ~Ace