Gunpla: The GAT-X102 Duel Gundam With Assault Shroud (HG)

OK, it had been a while since I’d done a gunpla or a 30MM kit. I've done a lot of those, and even the best ones can get samey after a while. So, the ones I do get tend to be impulse purchases, or when I need to kill some time. As I was cat-sitting that day, and having done a lot of 40k stuff in a weekly format, an idle evening putting together a robot seemed like a good idea. For me, this is like sitting down with a good book. Hence the Duel Gundam.

 

Of the original batch of Gundams featured in SEED, and pinched by the eugenics teens of ZAFT, the Duel is the odd one out, and I do like the odd ones out. It was the first prototype, and of course a high-end machine, each subsequent creation had a major gimmick, while the Duel was more of a grunt. This makes it very influential as a test-bed, but its dramatically overshadowed by the others. I mean, simply being the no frills option in a squad that includes a transformer and a mech that turns invisible, is no way to win fans. The ZAFT engineers apparently agreed, and slapped a set of armour and weapons on it with almost indecent speed. You see, the Duel actually had a gimmick all along, the old Full Armour deal. This sees a machine originally designed for agility to be fitted with external armour, something which is usually noted in universe as having the predictable downside, but often you have the option to purge the parts when they stop being useful. I can only assume somebody took a look at the battery powered Phase Shift Armour, went "fuck it", and created a hybrid technology unit from their bitzbox. Armour plates usually don't have a recharge time.

So, I'm not gonna say this kit is bad, but I am gonna say that its very outdated. The box set says 2011, but its actually a 2002 kit with new transfers and a slight tweak to one of its plastic colours. The 'Remaster" the box refers to is a re-release of the anime. And this one hasn't aged gracefully. Articulation is functional, but the elbow and shoulder design is basic even by the standards of polycap builds, and the armour of course gets in the way when applied. Colour separation and accuracy is lacking, especially on the "Assault Shroud" bits. These aren't necessarily fun colours either. Yellow atop blue and sombre grey? I would have preferred you'd done it all in white and let me sort it out. And, of course, we have a the parts-fit and plastic quality of a kit that's two decades old.


This disappointed me somewhat. Whatever am I going to do with you?

Gunpla: The MD-0031UL Dilanza Sol (HG)

I should probably try watching Gundam: The Witch from Mercury again. I think I just didn't get into the habit after watching four episodes. Sometimes, some media can be perfectly fine, and just not click with you. Still, I have a lot of respect for a series that tries to shake up the Gundam formula, and upsets a lot of gatekeeping neckbeards and bigots as it goes. I mention this because, at time of writing, I have not seen any of the episodes that feature today's subject. Rather, I picked it up for the most shallow of reasons. I was at a convention, and I thought it looked cool. I'm sure I'm not the only person to have done that. In my defence, something that G-Witch is objectively great at is providing varied and distinctive mecha designs. There's a lot of military manufacturers in that setting, and each has a strong character and corporate brand. The odds are, you'll find something that tickles your fancy. 

 

The Dilanza Sol is a product of Jeturk Heavy Machinery, the third Dilanza kit variant released, and the forth kit from that stable. There's a certain degree of Zaku II influence to their work, as the stock colour is green, and there's a pink version, but I don't want to oversell it. Jeturk tends towards big chonky boys with dual shoulder shields on flexible mounts, with integrated weapon storage. The phrase "tried & true" is used in the instructions, that seems reasonable. Jeturk does have a lot of creativity in its AI-based prototype the Darilbalde, but the Dilanza series seems a no-nonsense, no-frills weapon. The Sol variant is notable as for being not so much an improved version, as the undiluted version, the stock Dilanza seen before hand being purposefully limited for use in the school where the anime is set. So, the Dilanza Sol is the black coloured tacticool version to the regular versions "monkey model". Interesting. This sort of detail is what fascinates me about mecha design and world building.

As a build, I was pleasantly surprised with the Dilanza Sol. It features no polycaps, a modest sticker sheet, and no redundant parts. While a design such as this one has no real expectation of super-posability or anything, there is an ab crunch and toe joints for subtle but welcome movement. There's also a nice pair of weapons, a gun with a barrel extension plus beam bayonet, and the melee use beam torch. Both use a sliding rail to store in the shields, and have a dedicated beam effect. You can get some good poses with these weapons, with the shields not only having two axis of motion but well-designed joints so there is no obvious weight or balance issue. There are however some cut corners and missed opportunities though. The gun's magazine for example is removable and can also stow in the shields, but as there's just one, there's little reason to. Its skirt armour is also hollowed out on the inside, and nor do you have extra hands. The kit has basically all it needs, a few things which are a touch luxurious, but would have been exceptional had it addressed one of those minor flaws.

As a build I kept this fairly conventional, trying to minimise cut marks and such but then I started getting ideas when it came to weathering. Black is a funny colour to weather, as its already subdued and tends to contrast sharply with things. But, you know, it's the 21st century, and the odds were good there was a solution to look up. As such, I attempted some light dry-brushing of various greys, before a selective application of Agrax Earthshade in the recesses. I also picked out the visor and missile silos with a bit of brushwork. The overall effect isn't bad at all, but it's very subtle in places, and only really works on the grey bits. Does this count as "edge highlighting"? As a technique, this is promising. I'm less happy with the visor, but it's good enough.

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Job’s a good ‘un.