Plamo: The 30 Minutes Missions Gardonova (Brown)

Ah, there's nothing quite like a 30MM kit as a change of pace, is there? Having spent a lot of time before & during Orktober plotting & painting Orks, there's something to be said for quick build that rewards basic techniques. It's possibly an autistic trait at play, a clearly-defined task with elements of repetition and precision. With a 30MM kit you can be quite sure of a quality product with minimal stress. The Gardonova as an experience is very much that. It tweaks the formula a little bit, which merits discussion, but I had a good time. 

 

The Gardonova was released alongside the Revernova, and to my initial surprise, actually shares a high number of components with it. Granted, there’s a lot of overlap between 30MM kits due to the common joint runner and customisation being a stated feature, but I honestly didn’t realise until I was building it. The central body and major joints are the same, but the extremities are completely different. I’d compare the differences to be akin to a WW2 era tank destroyer conversion; the base vehicle is there, but the loss of the turret changes the profile rather dramatically. The Gardonova actually omits the head completely, shifts the main sensor to a chest piece, goes for stumpier legs, and the big, eff-off, claws. This gives it it a much more bestial appearance, if prompting some changes in articulation. It gets another double-jointed elbow and nice interlocking armour panels in each arm, but the added weight makes the shoulder joints a little prone to popping out. I also feel that the gun is a touch out of place, maybe that should have gone where the head used to be, maybe I’ll give it to another mecha, but there’s nowt wrong with it. The reason for the parts sharing is the “combination” feature, which is less Power Rangers and more like a formalised kitbash.The instructions spend a page highlighting what parts you can swap out, which has an appeal to it, but I think I’ll wait for a pair of kits with matched colours before trying it.

I applied some light weathering techniques, and I think it came out well. Since the grunt Spinatio and the like, I seem have nailed some effective and therapeutic methods for detailing, which this kit benefits from.

Like I said, a good time. My RPG group named him "Tickles".