Review 047: MG 1/100 Universe Booster (Bandai)

Introduction:

I almost forgot that I still have the Universe Booster to review. At least it would give me another article to post on my near-dead blog. I am still looking for a job to continue reviewing kits. The last job wasn’t much of a success because they have strict requirements. I am still in their list, but it will take me some time before I could finally start.

Anyways, I bought this kit way back 2016 during the GBWC event here in Philippines. I was short on budget but it was kind of a fortunate turn of event that these items were on sale. I already bought the Build Strike FP (posted a few months ago) so it was an automatic grab from the shelf. :D

Again, I will try to make my review short and just focus on the issues I have encountered. But if there are other ideas that will pop up in my head as I type this, I will add them as well. As for the typos, just ignore them. But I do appreciate corrections if I have used wrong terminologies or information related the Gundam Universe.


Unboxing:

As already expected from Bandai, the plastic bags and the constructional manual are neatly packed inside.

For those who have already checked different articles in my blog, I already said before that I have a different opinion when it comes to the amount of “runners” or sprue frames. If there are more than 2 frames packed in a single plastic bag, there’s a big chance that the middle “runner” would get scratches from the other “runners” in front and back of it. Fortunately, that kind of issue usually happens to bootleg brands. Unlike Bandai, there’s no air inside the plastic bags. Therefore, the “runners” doesn’t shake inside.

The manual features the same image from the box art.

And even though this is a Master Grade kit, you have the same style like the High Grade construction manual. It’s folded into several pages where only one side of the whole page has color and the other side is featured in black & white.

Sprue Frames (Runners):

So in our list, we have 9 “runners” and 2 sets of effect parts (5 pieces each for Left and Right sides). These effect parts are the ones attached to the Universe Booster’s body (when used as backpack) and also onto the Plavsky Particle wings. 

And here are the “runners”. My apologies if some of the pictures are blurry.



Universe Booster:

The parts separation is really astounding especially for a backpack. There are probably other backpack units with more than 70 pieces in the Master Grade line models.

Anyways, it was a smooth build and I had fun assembling this one. Thanks to Bandai, most of the parts and pegs fit perfectly. Yes, I said “most” because I encountered an issue that I will discuss later.

Now let’s talk about the articulation of the model. As you can see in the picture above, you can move it backwards if you’re switching to Backpack mode. But I noticed that each time I do this, a seam line appears which is really irritating. :/

You can also slide these parts outward. Of course, you can only do this if you already flipped the front part backwards.

As for the Rail Guns, you can rotate it to a perfect 360 degree thanks to the ball-joint system.

These parts also feature good articulation. They serve as straps on the upper body of Build Strike. Also, if you look at the picture, the encircled part is the issue I mentioned earlier. I’m not sure if this is an isolated case because the ball joint peg is a little loose. There are some occasions where Part B falls off from Part A. I had to put some blutack (tack it) to keep it from falling off.



Add-ons:

For other builders who are not familiar with this model, aside from the Universe Booster backpack unit, you also get a lot of neat extra items for Build Strike.

The first one are these parts attached on the calves of Build Strike. There are no issues here and the clear parts don’t fall off easily.

The second add-on is the parts for the Beam Gun and turns it into the Star Beam Rifle. I am not going to use the foil stickers on this one.

The other add-on included in the kit is the parts for the Chobam Shield and turn it into the Absorb Shield. It’s a smooth build with no issues.

Both sides open simultaneously because of the gear-like mechanism inside.

You also have the Charging Barrel that can be connected to the left side of the Star Beam Rifle. The articulation is good and you can rotate the tip to a full 360 degrees and the middle part to 180 degrees.

So you just need to replace that gray part in the shield. And then attach the Charging Barrel on top.

I will consider these ones as part of the Add-ons. XD

Yes aside from the Universe Booster, you can also add the Plavsky Wings that looks really awesome. There are two sets of wings here. The first is the fixed one and the other pair is the articulated version. Of course, I will use the articulated version for posing purposes. And we should also thank Bandai that they included these wings for free and not as a separate purchase item.

The other effect parts as I’ve already mentioned are for Universe Booster. The first one is attached here on top. Of course, you need to remove the clear red parts before placing them.

The second effect parts are for the strap-like section of Universe Booster. I don’t think there’s a possibility of an accident where you attach the Right side effect part to the Left side strap. As you can see in the picture above, the peg slots have a specific position.

You can replace the red clear part with the clear blue one. Unlike the red clear parts, these ones feature a male peg that allows you attach the Plavsky Particle Wings.

The final Add-on or considered as an extra bonus inside the kit is your action base. Thank you Bandai for this generous offer. XD

Okay, you have two kinds of “stands” to use and a special extension.

You can use this extension to add a little height to one of the “stands”.

The pedestal also features two slots so you can place the two “stands” at the same time.

Let’s not forget that you have the parts for the Power Gate. You have 4 pieces of this yellowish clear part and the clear parts for the connectors/rods.

Getting the desired angle or position for each piece is really tricky. :v

In order to attach the Power Gate to Universe Booster, you will need these connectors.

Same with the Build Strike Full Packacge, this kit gives you the backpack connector that will allow you to attach the Universe Booster to other Master Grade models like Wing Gundam Zero, Strike Gundam ver. RM or Gundam X.



Decals:

There are no waterslide decals included in the kit so I bought a sheet of Strike Gundam ver. RM. I will also mention something about Bandai’s WSD later.

Okay it’s time to put some “tattoos” to finish my project. :)



Completed Model:

My apologies if I didn’t tried the Universe Booster with both Power Gates and Plavsky Particle Wings.

Universe Booster with Power Gate:

Build Strike with Universe Booster:

Close-up Shot:

Build Strike Universe Booster (Power Gate + Plavsky Particle Effects):

Even with the help of my lamp and room lighting, some of my shots were still dark. So I tried using my camera phone’s flash. >__>

Rest of the shots (Action Pose):

And here are my ratings for Universe Booster.

Plastic Quality: 9/10

I think this is already a passive for Bandai. I didn’t notice any “imperfections” like swirls or rough sections on the parts’ surface. Most of the parts are also white so it’s quite easy to hide the nub marks. That goes to the red clear parts as well.


Articulation: 9/10

I know, only a few sections from Universe Booster are articulated or movable and features above average movement range. But I also added the capabilities of the Power Gate and Plavsky Particle Wings into consideration. You can do a lot of action poses for the Universe Booster with the Power Gate. The same goes to Build Strike once you have attached all the Add-ons available. Posing it might be tricky and time-consuming, but it doesn’t remove the fact that you can put the main model, wings, and gates into different positions/angles.


Detailing: 9/10

Compared to the Build Booster, the Universe Booster looks really cool even without the use of paint. The red clear parts added a nice look to the model. With the Power Gates added the design look stunning.


Assembly: 9/10

It was a really smooth and easy build. I think that’s already obvious considering I’m only building the Backpack unit. I also encountered few issues along the way but those were just minor ones and not much of big deal. These issues doesn’t decrease the model’s main features such articulation.


Gimmicks: 8/10

The effect parts (Plavsky Wings and Power Gate) gave a major contribution to the amount of gimmicks you can do with the Universe Booster. And with the help of the backpack connectors, you can also use the other models while retaining the same features of Universe Booster.

I don’t know what other models you can use where it will also look great with the UB. You might also need to repaint the model to match the colors of both the main model and the UB backpack. This also becomes a suggestion to other builders who love to experiment or mod. I am trying to imagine if the Universe Booster can be attached to Wing Gundam Proto Zero or modify Gundam X.


Armaments: 5/10

I’m going to give it a neutral rating because the only actual weapon in my opinion is the Rail Guns attached to the Universe Booster. Even if I add the parts for the _______ and ______ shield into this section, those are just add-ons and the actual weapons are included in Build Strike FP’s kit and not in this kit.


Extras: 7/10

As you already saw earlier, there’s a lot of stuff included in this kit and not just the Universe Booster backpack. It was a nice decision made by Bandai to include the parts for free and as separate-purchase items.


Patience: 3/10

The easiest Master Grade model I have built. LOL
I mean seriously, you only have the backpack unit as the main challenge and nothing else. And considering my rating from the Assembly Section, there’s no problem building the model.


Overall Rating: 9/10

Did I overdo the ratings? Well, I don’t think so. I am not saying this just because the kit is from Bandai. Besides, all of my comments are based from my own personal perspective. So there’s a possibility that other builders who have reviewed this kit might have a different opinion than mine.

Anyways, I am glad that there are no big issues with this model. There are also a lot of room for modifications especially if that’s your expertise. Another thing I want to mention is the amount of space consumed by this model (if used along with Build Strike). Even if the model doesn’t have any action pose on your shelf, the wings and the gates can still occupy a big space.

Yes, this is a good kit I could recommend to beginners. But if you want to attach this one to Build Strike, it would cost you more since you now have to buy the MG Build Strike FP as well. I am not sure if there are still Build Strike FP kits by Daban Model. If the price is already the same like Bandai, then go for Bandai – nuff said.

Modification or kitbash wise, yes I think this is a good model to use. You can either take the Rail Guns or some of the parts to add in another model or just add new stuff on Universe Booster itself. I never experienced modding or painting but I always try to do some brainstorming and suggest my ideas to a friend for future use. :P

So that’s it for my quick review and I hope that I can continue making more articles in the future. It’s unfortunate though that the era of bootleg Gunpla model kits are now coming to an end. I’m just disappointed that I can no longer review most of these kits. Yep I know that I can still review new kits from Bandai, but I also want to compare the Pros and Cons or you could say differences. I will try to follow up my review for Model Heart Wing Gundam Zero Custom if all goes well. Thank you guys for your support. :)