Introduction:
I’m really way behind schedule because this kit was supposed to be posted right after the IBO HG kits. But I had a lot of stuff to fix on my end so it can’t be helped. The Altron of Super Nova was also in-demand during those times so I had to post the article first before this one. As I already mentioned before, I am running out of kits to review and that means I will have to wait before I can post a new article. If I rushed things and posted them at least 1 week apart, I will run out of articles to post. :/
I don’t have any funds to support my blog and Daban Model already announced a lot of new kits so there isn’t much to post. >_>
Anyways, I am glad I still have a few kits on my side and that gives me at least 4 articles. I still haven’t touched any of my backlogs back from August 2016. Just check them after a few days to see if there any ants or other insects trying to make a cosy nest.
I will try to keep my comments short as much as possible unless something got my attention regarding Crossone X1. If you saw any typos while reading my article, just ignore them or you can put that on the comments section below. But I do really like to get some response regarding my use of terminologies related to the Gundam Universe (ex. I got corrected about the usage of the word “funnels”).
Unboxing:
There is nothing much to see in the box art aside from the texts in Chinese characters. And I would like to remind my readers that I don’t have any information or background whatsoever regarding Crossbone and its series. I will only check wikia so I will have some info about its armaments.
You get three plastic bags here with at least 3 sprue frames on each bag. I have always mentioned this that it’s not a good idea to cram a lot of frames* inside one plastic bag because scratches on the surface, broken pegs, and other issues may happen. I also noticed that Daban tends to use plastic bags that are bigger than the actual size of the sprue frame and that leads to shaking, thus the issues I mentioned.
The construction manual doesn’t have any odd or new features but I did noticed something uncommon.
It is also stapled on the middle giving you that Master Grade or HG 1/100 style. I’m not sure if Bandai also have the same type of construction manual. For me, I like this one compared to the usual construction manual folded into several pages. I just get to flip the page after page with no hassle of folding it again.
You get to see the gimmicks and other features of the model on the last page.
There was some extra information about the Crossbone X1 on the second page but it’s written in Japanese. I guess I will just have to browse in gundam wikia again. :v
So here’s the list of the sprue frames included in the kit.
*- My apologies if I have changed my usage for this word again. A lot of builders use both “runners” and “sprue” and it still bothers me which one is the best term to use it on my blog. I just want to make sure that I am using the correct terminologies. After checking the contents of my Universe Booster kit (I was nostalgic >_> ), I saw a small paper for beginners regarding the basics of Gunpla. Then I saw that Bandai used the term “sprue frames”. I will stick to this from now on because it says so. :P
Sprue Frames:
You get 11 sprue frames here with lots of small parts. I would like to break down the plastic quality here into two. First is that the parts have a nice glossy finish and I do like the white. It’s not the yellowish white you get in TT Hongli. It’s a very clean white and the surface is smooth. The second is about its detailing in terms of sharpness or how accurate the molding is. I could say it’s pretty much close to a 90% when compared to Bandai. The panel lines are not deep but it was enough to put some ink. The parts still have those rounded or curved edges.
You get another crappy foil sticker but I might use them to get that insignia for the chest and for the backpack unit.
Body Unit:
The body gives you an average amount of parts.
There were no snap fitting issues here and they fit just fine. I added some gold on those rounded parts on the shoulders instead of using the foil stickers. The body structure and design how it should move reminded me of the Try Burning Gundam. I haven’t fully browsed a lot of kits when I started this hobby and it’s quite rare for me to see a ball-joint mechanism as the connector for your arms. Usually, I only see the common male and female peg design. As I recall, articulation with the TBG by Hobby Star is really great but the ball joint has a tendency to pop off from the PC socket. If the purpose of this design is to extend the movement range of the arms, I hope they fix it up a bit, because there were also same issues even in Bandai’s side when they released the HG Build Burning.
Head Unit:
The head features average amount of parts.
It was a smooth build and there were no snap fitting issues. The only thing I will take note of is that the detailing isn’t as sharp as Bandai, so the skull with crossbones on the forehead looks really crappy. :v
Arm Unit/Upper Body Unit:
I followed what’s written on the manual so the parts for the shoulder armor (upper body unit) were also included here. But both arm and shoulder units have average amount of parts. But it was nice that Bandai** decided to use separate red part for the wrist.
I added some metallic gold here for some extra color. xD
Overall, it was a smooth build and the only issue I encountered is the octagonal piece behind the arms (brand maker). It was a bit tight but I consider this as a very minor issue.
Movement range for the arms is really great. You can move it sideways to a decent degree and you can bend it nicely as well.
I guess this is one the gimmicks of the model. You can lift this up and remove the Brand Maker. This will enable you to use the beam effects for Crossbone X1.
**- I mentioned “Bandai” because the design and idea was from them. I am not saying that this kit is Bandai. I already wrote this statement before, but some people are just too strict. Daban Model copies the contents of the kit so this gives me a good “reflection” on the original one. I always give the credits for the ideas and cool features to Bandai.
Leg Unit:
The leg gives you an average amount of parts. It was a nice idea to provide a yellow piece instead of relying too much on stickers.
It was another smooth build but I’m sure you noticed something in the image. Yes, the dimples on the feet are a real eyesore. I am not sure though if this is an isolated case but it ruins the sexy look of the legs. :(
The range of movement for the legs isn’t bad but not the best I have seen in a High Grade model. But it can’t be helped if the design is the reason for its flaws. :/
These “ankle guards” hinders the movement of the ball-joints so you only get a small degree when moving the feet back and forth. The thigh however is separated and you can rotate it to get some extra movement, which is a nice factor.
Waist Unit:
The waist is really simple with below average amount of parts.
I didn’t cut the front skirts in half like I usually do. It’s because the front part doesn’t have any sockets that will hold the ball-joints. I didn’t encounter any snap fitting issues and that’s more important here.
You can lift the front skirts up more than 90-degrees without any interference from the side skirts. The side skirts however can’t be lifted too high, giving it a very low angle in movement. The back skirt is fixed to the waist so you can’t move it up.
Backpack Unit:
The backpack features above average amount of parts.
No problems here during assembly and the ball-joints fits juts fine on each socket.
The kit also provides a simple but nice core fighter and you can attach the variable thrusters.
Armaments:
Beam Zanber:
It’s not often you get to see more than 2 parts just to build a beam saber. And not just any saber, it’s nice to see that the design is based from a pirate’s cutlass. xD
I got some difficulties here because the peg of the beam is a bit tight.
Buster Gun:
One of the main weapons of Crossbone is this flintlock-inspired gun. The amount of parts was few and gives you an initial idea on the build.
It was a very straightforward build with no major issues. As mentioned earlier regarding the peg of Beam Zanber, it was really tight. I tried to pull it out so I can form the Zanbuster, but it was really scary that I might break the peg. My apologies that I can’t show it to you guys. :/
Beam Saber:
You get the very common weapon of most mobile suits – the beam saber.
Heat Dagger:
The kit also provides the heat daggers which are part of Crossbone X1’s weaponry.
You also have another version of the Heat Daggers and attach it on the sole to make it look like a spike.
Extras:
You already have a lot of weapons for Crossbone X1 but you still have a few more at your dispersal. The kit provides the beam effects and lets you use the beam shield beam blades for posing. There are also extra fixed manipulators if you want to use the Buster Gun.
Completed Model:
Movement Test:
Rest of the Shots:
Here are my personal ratings for the kit…
Plastic Quality: 7/10
There’s nothing new here when it comes to Daban’s plastic quality. I don’t know when was this kit released but I’m guessing it’s around 2015 or 2016. The surface of the parts were glossy and has a nice texture .It doesn’t have a “chalky” or rough feeling when you cut the nubs. I don’t like what happened on the feet where the dimples were really visible. I also noticed a lot of flashes but these were just very few. You can sand these sections to get a nicer finish. For me it was okay and far better than the TTH HG kits. :P
Assembly: 8/10
There were few shortcomings here and there but that it isn’t much of a surprise knowing that there will always be issues in a bootleg brand. I already have my expectations on most negative factors when it comes to bootlegs brands. But overall, it was a solid build with no big problems. And that’s the surprise when you get to build certain kits from a bootleg brand. Not all kits from Daban Model or Dragon Momoko have lots of bad issues and this kit is one of them.
Detailing: 7/10
It was a bit simple and plain or maybe I was just comparing it too much on the Full Cloth version. As for Daban’s side, the color isn’t dull so it’s a point for me. And for Bandai’s side, the overall design and the pirate-theme of the model is really cool. You still need to use a few foil stickers to get some extra yellow color, but builders who have a knack for painting can surely think of a way to fix this matter. I think I should check out more of the series to get a better insight.
Articulation: 8/10
For a High Grade model, this one seems to be pretty agile after doing several poses. I thought that the legs would be a problem because I have a limited range in movement. Turns out that you can have a lot of nice action poses and you will surely get more ideas if there was an action base to use. The cross-shape thrusters can be reposition to any direction as if the model is trying to dodge. If would be cool if there were effects added on the thrusters to show how agile the mobile suit is.
Gimmicks: 5/10
The only gimmick I can think of is the Brand Make where you can fold it from the wrist and attach the beam effects.
Weapons: 7/10
You get a lot of weapons for this kit and that means more action pose ideas. Unfortunately, the model can only hold a few of them. You can have it hold weapons on both manipulators and add the Heat dagger on the sole. Still, having a nice array of weaponry for a single model is a nice idea and credits go to Bandai.
Extras: 6/10
I was surprised with the extra beam effects for this model. Not being too greedy but Bandai should’ve added another beam shield for Crossbone X1, just to pose it on the defensive. :P
I will also count the core fighter where you can attach the variable thrusters and fixed manipulators as part of the extras.
Patience: 3/10
I think my rating here is just fine even though there were few issues. It was still a straightforward build and I don’t think it will consume you a whole day to finish the kit.
Overall Rating: 7/10
It was a nice kit and Daban managed to copy it just fine. I’m sure the Bandai one will be better. I had fun and enjoyed building it. I took at least 1 hour to build the kit part by part because I have some personal things to do on my side. Anyways, I’d recommend this kit for beginners and for those who just want to collect any model from the HG line. As you can see, there were very few issues with the kit and you have good features to explore. I don’t think I need to recommend this to any pro’s. At least they have a good background if they want to use this kit for painting purposes without spending much. :v
This kit may be good but you may still want to save up for Bandai. Just to get around with the minor issues and make sure you will enjoy building it. Plus, the color and detailing will be finer than Daban’s. But if the reason is the budget and you want it so badly, on my side, it’s understandable to pick a cheaper shortcut.
That’s all I can say for this kit and I’m sorry if it took me some time again to post a new article. I am now on the One Year War mode and that means I won’t get any new Gunpla kits for the whole year. But if I can fix my problem before the year ends, I will try to hunt any of the ff: MG XN 00 Raiser, MG Justice, or MG Double X (Daban).
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