Overview:
I had a friend order this kit from HobbyLink Japan a little over a month ago, and it’s been sitting on the backburner until now. HLJ lists the current price as ¥2000, which amounts to roughly $18.97 (CAD). Regular international shipping will cost ¥800 – ¥900, which is another $8.50. Even with shipping, the product ends up being cheaper than most retail prices in North America (I saved 25%).
Specs:
Dimensions: 31.0 x 19.0 x 8.3 cm
Weight: 360g
Material: injection-plastic with gloss top coat
Model size: ~15cm
Included inside: Guren Type-02 knightmare frame x 1, slash harken and wire x 1, left hand x 2 (one with dagger, one without), Kallen figure x 2 (one mountable inside cockpit, one posing outside), action base x 1
Approximate build time: 5 hours
Build Process:
This is a relatively easy kit to build. The glossy plastic creates a slight problem in that runner attachments are clearly visible, and painting over the affected areas is difficult if you can’t match the gloss. The alternative is to paint over the entire kit, with or without a new gloss top coat. The right arm with the radiation wave emitter can be sprayed with chrome for added effect, but this is not a necessary step.
Also, the two Kallen figures come unpainted, as with the dagger. The latter is easy enough to paint; however, due to the small size of the figures painting is extremely difficult. Because of time constraints and a lack of supplies, I have left mine unpainted.
Impressions:
This is definitely a good bargain. The model itself is posable even without the action stand, and is very sturdy. It’s smaller than HG 1/100 Gundam kits, but the quality is essentially the same.
Filed under: Models, Reviews | Tagged: Bandai, Code Geass, Guren, Mecha, Plamo
You could also go over that red spot in the palm of the right arm with Future Floor Wax to give it a glowing effect.
The arm looks sharp. Nice work! I might plan on picking this up along with the Lancelot if more Code Geass models are ever produce.
I’ve been waiting for Cornelia’s custom Gloucester for a while now, but I don’t expect it to be out anytime soon. The Guren was only released recently, and I suppose grunt units will take longer. It’s funny though – I feel a greater affinity towards mass-production models than prototype units due to the latter’s sheer numbers. The amount of unique prototypes makes every one of them less unique. Ironic, eh?