Series: Arch Enemy
Title: GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam
Release Date: 2004
Suggested Price: $15.99
No. of Parts: 1 Strike Gundam figure + 11 parts
Plastic colors: light/dark gray, blue, red, yellow, red, black, yellow, gray
Gimmicks: Aile Pack, Armor Schneider combat knife (2), beam saber (2), beam rifle, shield

Introduction

Contributor: Cliff Lee
Date: February 3, 2005

Since Gundam SEED has made its debut on US television, it was only a matter of time before Bandai released their line of Arch Enemy series action figures representing that series. The RX-78, Char's Gelgoog, Wing Gundam Zero and Tallgeese III came and went and now it's the Aile Strike Gundam's turn.

Head

Standard head with a decent amount of details. The entire head and main V-fin is a shade of light gray while the secondary V-fin and eyes are yellow. The chin and forehead is the typical red and the cameras in the front and back of the head are teal. You can make out the vulcans on the side of its head in the form of a ring and a concave center. The head can turn to a 45 degree angle left and right.

Torso

Again this is pretty standard; the chest is blue and red with dark gray while the skirt is a light gray. The torso can turn slightly, but not as much as its head. The front and rear skirts are created so that they can flip upwards allowing the legs some greater mobility. The hatches of the Armor Schneider hip compartments are of a lighter tone of gray compared to the body of the compartments and they can hold the knives well.

Arms

This is an example of function over form. The arms and hands are light and dark gray. The design of the arms are nothing to scream about since they look quite ordinary, however the joints in the arms are tight, and VERY articulated which allows the user to create a variety of poses. Its right hand differs slightly from the left due to the extended trigger finger.

Legs

This is pretty much like the arms in that it's more function over form. The legs are dark and light gray while the feet are the typical red. Again much like the arms the design is rather ordinary but the joints are tight and articulated. For some reason but it could be just in my mind but the feet appears to be rather large but most likely for the purpose of balancing the figure.

Weapons and Accessories

Beam rifle- Basic, nicely detailed beam rifle with the trademark moveable secondary handle. The rifle is dark gray while the scope on the rifle is painted light blue. It has a nice bulky look to it that makes it appear rugged.

Shield- This thing is a piece of art. The shield is painted red, yellow and light gray. The handle on the shield is adjustable so it can slide all the way down or up into the left hand's grasp. The connection point on the shield comes with a detachable "L" piece with two pegs so you can attach the shield on the tip of the Strike's elbow or on the side of it's forearm.

Armor Schneider knives - Simple foldable knives, the handles are dark gray and the blades are a metallic shade. There are two problems with the knives, they seem like they can get loose easily and thus lose its ability to stay erect and they're VERY small. It seems like the knives were made for a 1/144 scaled Strike rather for something 1/100.

Beam sabers- They come in a pair and in two parts, the handles and "blades." The handles are white while the "blades" are a translucent pink.  The "blades" are long, measuring about 3/4 the size of the Strike.

Aile pack- Another well-done accessory. The pack is black, red with bits of yellow and light gray. It comes in three parts, the wings and the main section. The pegs on the front of the pack is where the pack docks onto the back of the Strike. The thrusters are connected to pegs which allows them to freely move around. The beam saber handles can be housed in the Aile pack like in the show. One problem with the pack is that when it is attached to the Strike the whole figure becomes difficult to pose due to the weight of the pack which throws off the figure's center of gravity.

Conclusion

Despite its faults this was a pretty nice figure to own. This figure is highly recommended for any fans of the Aile Strike Gundam and to those who don't wish or have the time to assemble and paint a model kit. It would have been nice if the lines on the figure were painted black like the Japanese MSIAs. I was actually tempted to take my thin black Gundam Marker to define the lines personally. Another thing I wished Bandai did was to include an extra couple of sets of hands, but hey, what can I ask for considering the price I got it for.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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