Hey everyone! Just wanted to say a few things. I collect Gundam kits, build them, display them. I don't paint, modify, sand, etc. A large number of modellers look down on this, since they spend untold hours perfecting the little buggers. Yeah for you, I don't have the time or the patience. This site is intended for all those who just wonder about the basics of each model. And there is more than just following the directions to build them. Not alot, but some. If you ask me the kits look good right after building, though painting makes them much better. But I'll settle for unpainted. Live with it.
1/144th Scale Gundam Model Kits
*Gundam Wing Models*
- Wing
- Deathscythe
- Sandrock
- Heavyarms
- Shenlong
- Tallgeese
- Vayeate
- Mercurius
- Wing 0
- Epyon
- Deathscythe Hell
- Altron
- Tallgeese II
*Gundam Wing Endless Waltz Models*
- Wing Zero Custom
- Deathscythe Hell Custom
- Sandrock Custom
- Nataku
- Heavyarms Custom
- Tallgeese III
- Serpent Custom
*Gundam X Models*
- Gundam X
- Gundam Double X
1/100th Scale Gundam Model Kits
- Gundam Wing
- Deathscythe Hell
1/144th Scale Gundam Model Kits
Gundam Wing
This suit was the second one that I built. It is a fairly simple model that looks pretty good. One of the worst problems with it is that you must manually remove the hands when transforming it into bird mode, but when you're dealing with such a small scale it would be hard to do otherwise. The bird mode looks good, but for the sake of the joints I wouldn't display it in that mode.
Gundam Deathscythe
This was the first model I made. It introduced me to the general form that all the gundam models loosely are built by. The one thing I must strongly warn about is the long slender shaft of the scythe. While cutting mine out it cracked badly and was unable to remain upright. It is extremely weak. This kit looks great if you just spend a little extra time making sure all the decals are placed well.
Gundam Sandrock
Sandrock is a hard kit to mess up. He has few decals and small parts. He is a good standing kit with his stout legs.
Gundam Heavyarms
Be careful with this kit. Several weak areas exist on this model. The small antennae are easy to lose or break. The gatling sheild is held together by two weak posts. A long slender handle attaches to the gun and would easily break. Like Wing, you must remove a hand to put on the gatling sheild. A nice place to store the hand is on the post on the backpack that the gun would attach to.
Gundam Shenlong
This kit isn't too bad. The beam glaive handle requires delicate handeling, as does the dragon. The kit's balance usually isn't good, so placing it near the edge of a shelf isn't a great idea. The glaive doesn't stay in its slot very well either. Even with all these problems this kit looks very nice.
Tallgeese
The various Tallgeese kits offer a welcome variation on the usual gundam building process. The Tallgeese has a balance problem due to its verniers and long thin legs. The ankle joints are a bit different than the norm, compounding the problem. The verniers cannot be displayed in an upright position with the dobergun attached to the shoulder. The lack of facial stickers is acceptable. Have fun piecing those verniers together!
Vayeate
While many people don't seem to like the Vayeate model, it was enjoyable to put together. It had very few problems in its design. The backpack generator door doesn't shut very well due to a slight warpage of the parts. The massive legs seem to put a strain on the hip joints, making the model slightly unstable. The faceplate cover comes off too easily as well. Other than that it is a great little model.
Mercurius
There is very little difference between the Vayeate and Mercurius models. Both are 90% the same, just different colors. The problems with the Vayeate hold true with this model as well. A mojor problem with this model is the sheild generators. Unless you want to glue them, don't expect those little disks to remain in that perfect pattern on Mercurius's back. The joints wear out from the weight fast, making the disks constantly fall. The most stable configuration I've found is to just wrap them over the shoulders.
Gundam Wing 0
Very similiar to Wing in alot of ways. Boosters won't look like the real ones unless you paint them, since they come in one color and no stickers.
Gundam Epyon
This kit is cool except for a few little things. There is no cable to connect the sword to its holster on the side.
Gundam Deathscythe Hell
This is another of my favorites. It looks great right after assembly. I liked it enough to buy the 100th scale model. Plus, because of Bandai's policy of reusing trees if possible, the kit comes with the original scythe from Deathscythe. Since I cracked the first one, this really made my day. The wings actually fold up and down, making the model easily poseable in the open or cloaked position. Due to the eventual wear of polycap joints, I would recommend leaving them in the cloaked position.
Gundam Altron
I dont know if this is just with mine, or with all of this model, but it stands really badly. As a plus this model contains the original beam glaive from Shenlong, so if you happened to damage yours, you can now replace it.
Tallgeese II
All I have to say is that if you want to reproduce the exact suit from the final battles of Gundam Wing, you'd better know how to paint. Treize's Tallgeese had a mainly blue motiff, but this model only contains about two or three small blue stickers to break up the white plastic that it is almost comletely molded in. Comes with original tallgeese head.
Gundam Wing 0 Custom
Well, they just don't make legs like they used to. Those big wings tend to drag the model backwards at the knees. Plus the polycaps get very worn fast, making displaying the wings up hard.
Gundam Deathscythe Hell Custom
When Bandai made this kit, they hit the nail on the head. It looks great, displays great. It's most serious problem is its method of holding the large wings together. Instead of putting in simple hinges, the model requires you to pull out a peice to move the wings around. I have no idea why such a weird detail would be added.
Gundam Sandrock Custom
The periwinkle gundam. I love this kit. The color is great, it stands well. It has a few problems though. The heat shotels are pure white, which looks really odd. The kit doesnt come with a cloak, though both the action figure and the 100th scale kit does.
Gundam Nataku
A nice little kit. Stands well, looks good right after assembly
Gundam Heavyarms Custom
This was the first Endless Waltz kit I went after. Very nice. Contains parts so that you can display all of his missile batteries open or closed.
Tallgeese III
This is perhaps my favorite kit. I love the way the kit looks unpainted. It is actually an improvement over the original color scheme in my opinion. Those long prongs on the mega cannon look kinda breakable. If you look at this kit closely, you realize that Bandai has just made alot of money by selling you the same kit three times with different heads in it. A white dobergun is a cool thing to see.
Serpent Custom
He looks odd, but I like him a bit. His shoulders need to slide open to display his missiles. It would have been easy to do, but they didn't. Thats my only problem with him.
Gundam X
This was quite a change from the Wing kits I was used to. This one has four little wings that you have to use patience and care to apply stickers to. If done well, he looks great!
Gundam Double X
This is X on steriods. Six little wings to apply the stickers to. Plus eight little fans on the arms and legs that need stickers. These little fans require careful attention to the instructions. The twin sattelite lasers that rest across his shoulders have a bit of a hard time staying in their flip-up supports.
1/100th Scale Gundam Model Kits
Gundam Wing
If you like attention to details, then go for these big kits over the little 144s. But if you are on a budget(like me) or find the big ones hard to find, the smaller kits are just fine. This Wing is great. Just take your time and it pays off.
Deathscythe Hell
I loved this kit in the small size, so I got it in the larger size. The scythe seems a little out of proportion, but otherwise this kit is cool.