Mad Jeshiro | GUNPLA REVIEWS: June 2017

I hope this is no longer a hoax, but looking baack to Supernova's Altron, this could be really true. Of course we will be expecting a hype detailing again. I am looking forward to this kit that there will be few foil markings.

If Supernova continue with this line, we should expect an awesome treatment for Heavy Arms, Deathscythe, and the Wing Zero Custom.

I would like to apologize if the update for my next review (Aegis) is taking really slow. The first reason is that I am finishing all the kits I have now from my client. Second is that we are back in the decals-making business. Yes, decals for certain kits as long as we have the source. I don't know how to ship them internationally and all of our orders are just within Philippines. :/

Introduction:

I don’t want to run out of articles so this is a big opportunity for me even though it’s not my usual grade. Still, this is a good way to take a rest from the 1/100 line. The problem though is that the brand bothers me a lot. Yes, TTH is a very popular brand when it comes to a lot issues. I did try my best here since I have already experienced a lot of TTH kits from the past, but there were still problems on my end and that can’t be blamed if the plastic quality becomes the subject.

I want to be quick with this review or article because I got a lot of kits to review for the next few weeks. Most of them are High Grades but that doesn’t mean they are easy builds. They are not bootleg so I have to be really careful (Bandai! Sa wakas! >_<). I also ran out of X-Acto blades and I need to get a fresh set again. So yeah, I will try to be quick in this article but precise on the main details or issues that need to be checked.

Anyways, please do comment any wrong terms/words I may have used here. As for the typos, just don’t mind them and I will try to fix them when I got the time.

Unboxing:

Nothing odd here because it’s always a common trait for TTH to replace the word Gundam with Fighter and add a lot of Chinese characters on the box art.

There are 2 plastic bags inside but TTH, as we know it, packs 4 or 5 sprues in a single plastic bag so the parts are prone to scratches. You may want to check the parts thoroughly if there were any broken pegs.

As for the construction manual, it doesn’t have any new changes and retains the usual 1 long paper folded in several pages. Well this kit is quite old, so it’s kind of obvious. LOL xD

It features the built kit (which is a just a painted model) on the front and the action poses on the last page.

The next images will be the sprues or runners

Sprues:

Sprue A (x1)

Sprue B (x1)

Sprue C (x1)

Sprue D (x2)

Sprue E (x2)

Sprue F (x2)

PC-132 (x1)

This is the first time I have seen TTH with a nice texture for their plastic. Or maybe it’s just here in Nu Gundam or Nu Fighter. The brown parts were quite close to the texture of Dragon Momoko’s. The common downside here unfortunately is the amount of flashes on the parts’ edges. The detailing (edges and panel lines) are not that sharp compared to Daban Model.

The color of the yellow and red parts is also deeper than the ones they have released before. I mean these parts are not dull and have a good tone. This is really unusual for TTH to have a good plastic coloration and texture. Anyways, you get the foil stickers and a small sheet of clear stickers.

Body Unit:

And the painful journey here in TTH starts again. Yes everything from pegs or movable joints are really tight. The good thing is that if you apply more pressure, you can avoid the seams.

The abdomen or white art is using a clamp-like lock but there are tendencies that it can be pulled off during movement (if the body is already attached in the waist). Overall, the body looks great as long as the seams are not visible.

You can move the main male pegs to a certain degree and that adds some extra range in movement.

Head Unit:

The head features very simple parts separation here with no badly molded parts. There were few signs of flashes but that can’t be helped if the brand is TTH.

The design is based from the anime series so it’s not as cool as the “ver Ka” version in the MG line. Also, the A3 or red piece (sometimes called “jewel” by other builders) is really tight. And you might want to be careful when pressing this down or you might hit the v-fin.

I tried to put some color on the eye sensors using metallic green but it’s not very visible because of the head’s shape.

Arm Unit:

Usual amount of parts for a High Grade but what makes the arm unit unique is the gimmick for the left arm. I mentioned this earlier that the texture or finish of the brown parts looks nice.

The way each section of the arm when already built kind of reminds me or looks the same with the HG 1/144 Unicorn.

Anyways, the main issues here are still the same tight pegs and joints. Good thing that the plastic is quite durable so it’s not that prone to stress marks. The articulation is limited and the arm can bend to a maximum of 90 degrees.

The gimmick I mentioned is the beam saber that you can pull out here in the left arm. You will need to slide the blue part away from the yellow cap and lift this tube like piece.

Leg Unit:

The leg features decent amount of parts and a lot of polycaps to use.

Snap fitting was a real pain because of the tight pegs here and there. I’m trying to press them hard to avoid wide seam lines and it was fortunate there were no broken parts. The way you build it is also different. It was kind of a new experience again for me.

The range of movement here in the legs is also limited because of the design. You only have a certain angle if the leg is bent forward or backward. But this isn’t much of a big if the model is attached on an action base. The flap or thrusters on the back of the legs can be move to a certain degree as well.

Upper Body Unit/Shoulder Armor:

Very basic amount of parts here in the shoulder armor.

The yellow parts are not that loose but they are prone to popping off if you don’t apply some good adhesive.

The pegs are not tight here but adding some extra pressure when fitting them is still necessary.

Waist Unit:

The parts here for the waist are pretty simple and you don’t have much separated pieces for the side skirts. You will just attach them in the PC parts.

Do I have to mention if this part is a smooth build? :v

As for movable parts, the front skirts are separated from each other so you can move either left or right when posing. The range of the side skirts and front skirts’ angle isn’t bad. The back skirt is fixed and you can’t move this part.

Backpack Unit:

Nice amount of parts here to build the backpack and Bandai didn’t release this to use white foil stickers. Instead you get separate parts for the white ones.

The flashes are very visible on the edges and the alignment of the corners or pointed edges are off. Well that’s what you get here in TTH.

There are lots of tight pegs again and my fingers are already hurting during this period. As long as the parts don’t have any big issues, that is fine.

Funnels:

We now move to the funnels and they included yellow foil stickers here to add some extra coloring on the white parts.

The foil stickers are not that bad and stick pretty well on the surface. Another good pointer for the foil stickers here is that the cuts are good. The funnels can fold too but you may have to improvise in building the rods to hold them.

Please do check out in the construction manual that the funnels have a specific design where the connectors (brown) are placed. This is to ensure that the original design (when attached all together) is followed correctly.

As for the issues here in the Funnels, the F14 (brown connectors) seems fragile and the female pegs are really tight. You may want to scrape the inner rim a bit.

Also the tip of the funnels fits just fine but they have a tendency to separate slowly thus the seams appear. Adding some glue might do the trick.

Weapons:

Beam Saber:

It’s nice that the there’s a movable guard in the handle.

There are no problems here and the parts fit nicely.

Beam Rifle:

The assembly is very straightforward here in the rifle. But the good pointer is that they fit smoothly (FINALLY!).

Hyper Bazooka:

At least you get a colored piece for the ammo and that’s neat.

No issues here with weapon and I’m already starting to think that the bad route is always on the main model here in TTH.

Shield:

The detailing on that brown part for the shield looks good. The lines are deep and it has the same metallic look I’ve mentioned earlier.

The design is pretty plain though, so adding the clear sticker is a must.

Extras:

This kit comes with a few extra fixed manipulators/hands that you can use for posing. There are 3 beam saber effects and two of them are for the main beam saber attached in the backpack. Also, you get another piece with a hook so you can separate the funnels in three’s to balance the weight. This is good especially you don’t have an action base here.

Completed Model:

Without the funnels:

Articulation test:

You can lift the legs this much which is still good even though the front skirt hinders it a bit.

The legs are using a ball joint which is common in High Grade kits so you can only stretch the legs this much.

The arms features a nice angle up to this degree. This is really cool for a HG model.

With the funnels:

I didn’t lean the model forward to balance the weight, but I assure you it took me more than 30 minutes to make him stand like that without any support.

Here are the rest of the shots and I would like to apologize to Master Paul Yasser with my bad lighting (LOL). But after a few good shots, I am starting to get the idea where to aim or point my lamp.

So this is my personal ratings for the kit…

design based from GDC card

Plastic Quality: 7/10

The quality isn’t bad as before or maybe this is just an isolated case. I don’t know either but it was really uncommon for TTH to have this nice texture on the brown parts. There were still a few flashes but most of them are thinner than the other TTH kits I have encountered. There were no badly molded parts and that’s also a factor to consider. Even though a lot of them have tight pegs, the stress marks were not that visible and that often. I think giving the kit a 7 for plastic quality is just right.

Assembly: 5/10

I don’t want to return to the TTH brand but I can’t stop either if the kits would help add an article in my blog. Seriously, this kit is a real pain in your fingers. Everything in main model is tight; pegs, joints, and any parts that should move. The plastic quality may be nice but I am starting to doubt if I would recommend this kit among beginners.

Detailing: 7/10

For some reason, I love the design and detailing of this kit. The whole plain look really resembles the old fashioned anime design. You may be able to add some few mods here but not as extravagant as the ver Ka version. Or maybe some 1/144 caution seals/markings here to add more color. Overall, the look of Nu Gundam here is awesome.

Articulation: 6/10

I think the model features good range of movement for a High Grade. The Nu would look even better if placed on a pedestal/action base. The movement range for the arms and legs are just right. It was not that too extreme but not disappointing for builders either. Of course, it could have been better if the legs have more range.

Gimmicks: 4/10

As far as I can remember and seen, the kit doesn’t have any to boast off. But if I were to put the funnels in consideration, I think it was nice that it can be folded. All you need now are improvised rods and some effects to put them into action.

Weapons: 6/10

These are basic weapons for the Nu. They even add the Hyper Bazooka in this kit so you get to play with other action poses aside from just using the beam rifle.

Extras: 6/10

Having the option with 3 more fixed hands and two of them have the white guard piece are already a good bonus. You get another part for the backpack and put the funnels in a 3 by 3 design is also good.

Patience: 5/10

The only thing that consumes a lot of time here is pressing the parts to fit them nicely. If you force them too much, the pegs may break or the stress marks might appear. I think being “slow but sure” is a good advice here in TTH. But as long as you know what you are doing and how to handle these issues with fewer errors, then my rating of 5 is just right.

Overall Rating: 6/10

I would definitely recommend the Bandai one and avoid those bad issues I have mentioned. If this was in Daban Model’s side, my comments could have been more positive. But I just really don’t like it when the arms or legs or the body have really tight parts. And getting injured with these issues or problems would only put you in a more stressful situation. I mean, you may be able to handle the issues, but don’t you think it is way better to get the Bandai one? Just because the bootleg kit is cheap doesn’t mean it is always good. You may want to think carefully if the price is worth the trouble and hassle you will get here.

This is just my suggestion, so you still have the final decision to go for this kit. If you just want to practice a new color combination in painting, then why not. Or you just need a few parts for some modifications and apply them on other kits. That’s all I have to say for this kit and thanks for reading this article.

Again, if you have noticed any errors on what I said, just comment them.

Have a look on our Gunpla-related Facebook page - Click Here

The Poisoned 021: RX-124 TR-6 WONDWART by CuteCube Workshop

The Poisoned 020: Custom Pedestals / Action Base

The Poisoned 019: Sandrock of Supernova COMING SOON

The Poisoned 018: Unit 01 Evangelion by Dragon Momoko?

The Poisoned 017: Neo Zeong of Daban Model

Review 030: HG 1/144 Nu Gundam (TT Hongli)