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It was a surprise to all when Bandai announced that the second kit to get Master Grade treatment from Gundam 00 would be the GN-X. It's not exactly one of the fan favorites, I really hated it since day one. However I decided to order one of these new kits and hope for the best. When the order shipped I was indifferent. When I started construction I was filled with annoyance. Now that she's finished, I'm filled with a sort of odd, warm, fuzzy feeling.
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The Bad
Where to start with my review... oh, yes, it suffers from
00 Syndrome.
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00 Syndrome is the eventual toppling that occurs because the designers felt that the best feature for giant robots are really small feet. Granted, magical GN particles make it so they fly around 99% of the time. Like the MG Exia if you pick up this model you really need to invest in an action base.
Unfortunately Bandai continues to release these kits with the poor clip-on attach point. As covered in previous reviews, they do a poor job of keeping the kit firmly attached to the stand. I always end up gluing them to the kit.
While I'm babbling about the bits of this kit I don't like I need to point out the four major flaws: the connection points between the x-fins (best name for 'em?) and the body. They're not polycap joints, just plastic cap and ball. They're lose to the point that they fall out of place easily and pop off often during posing. After paint I'm hoping the super glue trick serves me well.
There are other non-polycap joints on the kit, like the fins on the ass thruster, which don't flap around. How it is that one set of joints has a much tighter and appropriate fit, yet others don't, confuses me.
One minor issue I have is with the hands. I've never noticed it before but the extent to which the finger joints are visible really irks me. Of all my complaints this is the most petty. I just wish they'd taken the effort to hide them effectively.
Another minor issue with the kit are the wrist rings between the forearm and hand. A staple of many a MG kit for years people have found they hardly ever pop into place and stay there. Years later this phenomena still troubles the GN-X.
Last but not least, the front thigh armor pieces are wider at the mid point than the rear. It's one of those 'what were they thinking' aspects.
The Good
Okay, I'm done complaining now. I really am! Remember when I said things turned out for the best? Well despite my initial dislike of the design - I now love how this kit looks. Maybe it's akin to the Turn-A where you can't truly appreciate the design till you have the kit.
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I've even learned to appreciate the Jay Leno meets monkey head.
The arm and leg articulation is stronger than I expected...
The foot also folds flat for a slick look...
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That same folding ability also ads another weak link in trying to pose this guy without a stand.
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I'm not sure to what benefit, but the front thigh armor piece can extend far out.
Update: It slipped past me, but the thigh piece pops forward to reveal the beam saber.
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Another bit I really like is the ass thruster/backpack. It's a really cool design element that I never noticed before.
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One of my favorite elements is how the Tau Drive pops into place. It's a shame it doesn't light up in the back like the Ignition Mode Exia.
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Included with a kit is a slip that allows those living in Japan to get a LED replacement for the front of the drive to light up the front of the kit. An easy mod for the cheap would be to get a LED, attach it to a small watch battery, and stuff it in there.
The Guns
To wrap things up, a few pictures of the weapons...
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I should note that the connection piece between the shield and the arm is really thin and doesn't go in too deep. It pops off easier than any kit I've played with.
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At first I was thinking of replacing the weaponry with parts left over from my Tallgeese. Yet after completing the rifle extension I don't think I can bear to do that.
And in Conclusion...
When all's said and done this is one of the few instances where my perception and enjoyment of a kit improved between start and finish.
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(Keeping the cheap trend alive, the GN-X shares several runners with the MG Exia)
While I could only recommend the MG Exia to those who're fans of the design, I think I can recommend this to just about every gunpla fan with some patience. No, it's no as epic as the Sinanju, or as poseable as the MG Astray series, but a solid release none the less.
Now please, Bandai, release the
00V Advanced GN-X!
Update #1
I noticed that on HLJ the GN-X description contains this little tidbit, "Accompanying the kit are in-scale unpainted exceptionally detailed pilot figures of Sergei Smirnov and Soma Peries." (I'm going to assume that's straight from a Bandai sales rep) In-scale you say?
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That's Sergei in the cockpit with his figure standing next to him. I'm going to go out on a limb and say someone is being very gracious with their scaling accuracy.
Speaking of the cockpit, I should note that you can't lower the cockpit if the piece is on a stand. Booo.
Update #2
New day, new photos I forgot to take yesterday. First a bit more on the fexability,
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Unless I'm doing something wrong that's how far the torso can tilt off waist. No really.
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The shoulder can swing front and back fairly far. The chest armor slides along to accommodate the movement.
I also wanted to post a bit more on the GN-X's ability to stand up. Like the Exia, when you have all of the mass centered above the feet has no problem standing. It's just that the X parts, along with this weapons, makes that harder. It gets worse when you try and spread the legs out for some sort of action pose. While the ankle is strong, it's the foot piece that gets it.
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The forward, gray piece, is a non-polycap joint. It's pretty strong but if you bump the kit you risk knocking it out of line with the main part of the foot.
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When that happens the footprint contact of the kit decreases in half and is likely to result in a topple.
But, I repeat, get an action base! It's worth it for this kit, and
they're cheap. I gripe because Bandai really needs to include them in these 00 kits, or do something to lower the center of gravity. The MG Nu I'm working on has die cast leg parts that provide immense stability.
Update #3
Check out my finished GN-X!
