Bandai will be releasing a 1/100 high grade Gundam Avalanche Exia. This is the same Exia with additional armor that makes it look like Shin Musha Gundam’s long lost blue brother. It comes with interchangeable hands rather than the flexing fingers of the master grade series but we can start noticing some of that inner frame technology moving down the quality ladder. The feet have an additional joint already, similar to the flexing feet of the Gundam ver. OYW and practically every other model kit that came out after that. Gundam BASE Side 1 had previously released pictures of the Avalanche Exia but now, they have a whole gallery of the promotional photos for this model kit. Looks like an interesting buy to me.

The image in the far right is obviously the Gundam Exia which Setsuna pilots. The two other robot images are from the recently-published design of the 00 Gundam. Here are some of the more obvious cosmetic changes:

• green orb on chest is gone
• one more green orb for each arm
  
• blue wrists
• thruster backpack instead of hunchback cone design
• traditional red forehead piece on the V-fin
• flat strap wiring on the shoulder-to-arm is gone
• knees actually remind me of the RX-78-2
• while the hips remind me of the PG Strike Gundam
  
• new arm design
• yellow fins on the collarbone appear to have migrated to the head as the additional V-fin
• and the crowning glory appears to be two GN drives mounted on the shoulders and they swivel into the back or outwards to the sides

Nice? Ehhhhh… I’m still wondering what the weaponry looks like. Will it still be the seven sword system or will it be something different? Are those hardpoints on the arms for mounting weapons like in the Exia or are they just cosmetic keepsakes with no purpose whatsoever? Will it be a cheeser like how the Freedom and Strike Freedom turned out to be or will it remain realistic? To be honest, the 00 Gundam doesn’t look as sexy and slim as the Exia so its agility is put into question whereas the Exia could do acrobatics while slicin’ and dicin’ enemies.

Again, the unit has yet to be seen in action. But from what I’ve been reading in the past, the Exia’s GN drive will definitely be part of this new mobile suit since it was previously mentioned that the 0 Gundam’s GN drive was not compatible with the 00 Gundam.

Hmmm…we’ll just have to wait and see, I guess. More images of the 00 Gundam at SRW Hotnews.

HGUC Kämpfer – August
HCM-Pro Gundam Sandrock – July, 2,940 yen
HCM-Pro Tallgeese – price & date not set (another source says August for 2,940 yen)
GFF Gundam Alex – w/ Chobham armor and frame system, September, 4,725 yen

Got this information from Gunota Headlines. Interesting stuff I find here is the GFF Gundam Alex with the Chobham armor.

I wonder if they’ll ever release Nightingale as a kit…

Picture Update:

Got some pics from SRW Hotnews of some really ugly mecha designs.

First up is Raigo Gundam from Gundam SEED Astrays. Is Bandai/Sunrise forcing Kunio “please-let-me-retire-in-peace” Okawara to make more designs for Gundam SEED Astrays? Can’t they get BEECRAFT or the original designer for the Astray Gundam to make more mecha designs?! This one is just absolutely horrendous I don’t know where to begin calling it ugly. It’s obviously just a mashup of different MS parts from previous mobile suits and doesn’t offer anything new to the table, design-wise at the least. Plus from this small picture, the face looks like it’s suffering from a severe underbite.

Next up is the Throne Varanus from Gundam 00. I know some people who are fond of the Throne designs. I’m definitely not one of them. This looks nice because it’s neat and clean but the rest of the Throne, I just find absolutely ugly much less the fact that they’re useless opponents in the series.

I do love the Gundam designs of Gundam 00. They sort of grew on me over time. But the Thrones are just…ugh. Ugly is a generous description for it. But again, it could be worse.

Well, this one’s definitely not an ugly design although it looks bulky and tedious and I have a feeling it would also have problems remaining standing. But Avalanche Exia does look nice. It makes me want to get this and get the Musha Gundam and mix them up together and see what happens. Btw, the Avalanche Exia will be released as a HG 1/100 model kit, coming out this July.

I’ve always viewed Gundam Exia as a sleek and quick MS that slices and dices its opponents then retreats real fast, ninja-style. That’s why an FA (Full Armor) Exia just completely escapes my imagination. Apparently, someone did daydream of it and put it down to illustration.

Think Exia would still be able to kick ass with all that bulk? It doesn’t even look like it can turn its head properly with all those doodads and add-ons attached to it.

Note: This illustration was from the Mecha Pics Thread of SRWG.org.

I ran across this mod earlier in the week and took greater interest in it when Gundamaniac posted it in his blog. I think Ngee Khiong also had this up in his blog. Originally, I had assumed that this was a perfect grade conversion of the Exia using the PG Strike inner frame. I was wrong. This is actually a 1/100 mod. With that scale, it’s pretty amazing how the modeller was able to put in all those joints, panels and details in the model kit. Really awesome work. Makes me wonder if the modeller also put this up for auction like what Keita did.

In other news, I’m highly anticipating the upcoming MG Shin Musha Gundam. This is definitely a must-buy for me. Even more than MG100 Turn A Gundam. I do hope that I can also find time to finish my two Gundam Unicorns before I buy this sweet piece of Master Grade work. Will probably drop by my local hobby store later to buy some paints and maybe a new can of flat top coat. I haven’t even started taking out the runners from their plastic bags.

Keita does it again! I mentioned in a previous blog entry that Keita was working on his upcoming masterpiece which is the Gundam Exia SE. Well, it’s finished and he added something that we (or at least I) didn’t expect: Trans Am Mode! Continue Reading

Practically all the webcomics I visit on a daily basis have put April Fool’s dummy websites. I bet that all across the globe, there are tons more people making pranks on other people in celebration of April Fool’s day. I can take a joke. But most of the April Fool’s pranks I’ve encountered in all my years of social awareness have been cruel or not even close to funny. Take the unlock-Shen-Long-in-SF2 as an example. That was sick news when it came out. Everyone was trying to unlock Shen Long. Apparently, it was a sick joke.

I never liked April Fool’s Day simply because the jokes/pranks gave people false hopes. Jokes were meant to be funny and I know a lot of them were mostly at the expense of others. But not April Fool’s jokes. These kinds of jokes are funny on two points: when the guy puts out the prank and starts reading or hearing the response, and when the fact that none of it is true is discovered. You’re supposed to take joy in seeing people’s hopes go down upon discovery that what they thought was true apparently wasn’t and what joy they were feeling inside  was for nothing. That. Is. Just. Fucking. Sick.

Well none of that here. For April Fool’s day, I’m posting a pic for mecha and gunpla mod fans to look forward to: Keita’s next masterpiece. He calls it Gundam Exia SE:

Remember when I said I’m going to buy two MG Gundam Unicorns and build one to be set at Normal Mode and the other in Destroy Mode? N.P.GPM beat me to it but boy is his version a lot sexier than I could ever make it. Of course, he had installed the usual metal bells and bolts which I wish they sold here in the Philippines but they don’t. You can see more images of his third-most-recent work in his website.

I haven’t featured much of N.P.GPM’s work recently but other works that are noteworthy are his HGUC Exia and Dynames as well as his MG Sazabi in glossy finish which I believe is how the Sazabi should be done.

Personal Byte: I’ve yet to pick up my second MG Gundam Unicorn from Wasabi Toys but with all the work I have lately, I just spend most of my time at home resting but I’m anxious to finish that project. N.P.GPM’s work has definitely got me going for it again.

This is the 1:100 scale Gundam Astraea prototype. For those who don’t know, the Astraea is part of the sidestory manga for Gundam 00, Sunrise’s current ongoing Gundam series. It looks nearly exactly like the Exia, only significantly lacking melee weapons and sports a beam rifle instead.

I am liking the head design for this one. This is still the prototype and I’ve yet to see actual colored/finished pictures of this model kit. It will be in High Grade.

Do note though that Bandai’s 1:100 HG line is slowly getting close to its MG counterpart. The same way the detail in the MG line is getting closer to PG level.

Update!

I was able to locate a better-looking picture of the Gundam Astraea and the Gundam Plutone including its pilots: Chall Acoustica and Fon Speak.

Continue Reading