Series: Mobile Suit in Action!! (MSiA)
Title: GF13-011NC Dragon Gundam (Battle Scarred)
Release Date: 2003 (US)
Suggested Price: $4.99
No. of Parts: 1 Dragon Gundam figure + 1 Core Lander + 13 parts
Plastic colors: white, green, red, yellow, grey, clear green, clear yellow, clear flame
Gimmicks: hyper wings, arm extensions (2 pairs), feilong flags (2), “flames” (2), Core Lander, hands (4)

Introduction

Contributor: G-Slayer
Date: January 4, 2006

Manufactured here in the States, Battle Scarred MSiA’s let Gundam fans recreate their favorite mobile suit battles with an added depth of realism (and save those fans the hardships of actually burning and weathering regular figures). After a somewhat satisfying experience with the Battle Scarred Gundam Rose figure, I picked this one up. With the Dragon Gundam figure, I can recreate Sai Saici’s second fight with Domon Kasshu’s God Gundam in Episode 37 of G Gundam.

Head

Not much to say about the head except that it’s well-detailed and can do a 360 spin. The benpatto, the long braid connected to the Gundam’s head, has been blown off, leaving behind a movable stump. I don’t complain about this as I think this adds to the overall realism of this figure.

Torso

Here is where we see a lot of damage (battle damage, I mean). The whole torso is scratched, battered, weathered all over, and has a crude paint job. Also, a hole is provided in the back of the chest for the Core Lander. However, this is also where we start having problems. First, movement of the waist is kept to an absolute minimum. Second, aside from obvious restrictions in leg movement, the skirt armor appears to have suffered the same type of damage on both sides.

Arms

With an outer frame made of gummy plastic, Dragon Gundam’s fully retracted arms attach to the shoulders via ball sockets. Speaking of which, the shoulder armor is rather loose, though not so much that it sags down. The task of attaching the arms is tough, since the gummy frame can be pushed back and forth slightly, keeping the ball joints from going into the sockets properly. But once they’re on, they stay on. Or you can just leave out the arms and reenact the scene where they get sliced off by God Gundam. Anyway, each arm bears about three points of articulation, with the Dragon Claws having movable jaws and sockets for the hands and flames.

Legs

As mentioned earlier, you can’t do much with the legs no thanks to the skirt armor. Also, Dragon Gundam seems to be weak in the knees, no pun intended. To my surprise, the joints of the knees aren’t as sturdy as those of other MSiA’s, and I predict that they’ll wear out with time. Each foot has two points of articulation, but they only move slightly.

Weapons and Accessories

The Battle Scarred Dragon Gundam gathers accessories from both its original counterpart and its Hyper Mode counterpart, along with some extra stuff:

Core Lander- As we all know, the Core Lander transforms into a backpack that attaches to the Gundam’s back. But this Core Lander doesn’t go all the way into the back, and this leaves a small space between both areas. That’s where the hyper wings come in.

Hyper wings- These are the butterfly wings that appear when Sai performs the Shin Ryuusei Kochouken, the ultimate Shaolin attack. Made of gummy green and yellow plastic, the wings have large hole for the cockpit of the Core Lander to go through and a small tab to attach the wings to the Core Lander. Once attached, both the Core Lander and the wings keep a firm hold on the Gundam’s back. Careful though-leaving the wings on for too long will bend them out of shape.

Arm extensions- A two-piece extension connects to each arm via ball joint. These pieces are weathered, easier to attach to the figure, and they add more poseability. The fully extended arm stay up when raise to a certain degree.

Feilong flags- Each flag comes in 4 detachable pieces, ranging from 1.1-2.6 inches. An extra piece is included to assemble a spear/deactive flag. The pieces with the “beams” come in hard green plastic and have been partially painted. Not much else to say here.

Flame projections- Made of gummy plastic that keeps its shape, each flame uses a peg to attach to the Dragon Claws. While this feature adds to the overall realism of this MSiA, the flames can weigh down the arms if they’re extended.

Hands- The Dragon Gundam has two sets of hands-closed fists and saber hands. All 4 hands have pegs to connect to the arms. Nothing special here except some weathering. Also, both saber hands are flimsy and thus, both are needed to hold a flag properly.

Conclusion

With fine detail and a wide array of gimmicks, this MSiA is exactly what a Battle Scarred Gundam should be. But some design flaws rob this impressive figure of a perfect rating. It’s easier to manage than my Gundam Rose, that’s for sure. Hopefully, my next Battle Scarred MSiA will be much better.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

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