| MG
1/100 GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam
Series: Master Grade (MG) 1/100 Title: GAT-X105+AQM/E-X01 Aile Strike Gundam Release Date: 10/2003 Suggested Price: ¥ 3800 No. of Parts: 200-300+ Plastic colors: blue, red, white, black, gray Gimmicks: internal skeleton, Katoki-ish design, launch hangar, great poseability
Contributor: Winn Sevilla Date: January 4, 2004 With the latest installment of the Gundam world, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED being a hit, Bandai took the chance to flood fans with all sorts of merchandise: kits, AMSiAs, chogokins, books, dolls and any other stuff that fanatics would bite into. For once, I'm quite impressed on the show's success itself - taking plots from other installments and amazingly "gluing" them nicely altogether, really picky songs & the kinky sense of crybaby drama that only Korean, Mexican & other foreign telenovelas would have. In the plastic kits department, Gundam SEED has it all - from the lowly 1/144 "Low Grades" to the High Grade GS series, up to the 1/100 series and even worse, the 1/60 scale. Being a figure person myself, I made it a point to purchase a kit only and only if that MS isn't in figure format & better than the figure itself. Besides, I already own the AMSiA series of the Strike Gundam, so there was no need to purchase any kit. But no, when I saw the pictures of the Strike Gundam in MG format, it was simply a sin to let it pass. Heck, it had Katoki all over it! The GAT-X105 Strike Gundam was the one left out while the other four were stolen by ZAFT in a secret research facility in Heliopolis. Featuring three weapon systems that vary in mission & tactical specifics: "Aile" for high speed flight mobility, "Launcher" for long range artillery / energy bombardment assaults and finally "Sword" for close combat / melee attacks. Despite ZAFT having four Gundams (Aegis, Duel, Buster & Blitz) to fight against, Kira Yamato, the fated pilot of the Strike learned to utilize the weapon systems according to the battle situations that led to the Archangel's survival. In an ill-fated duel with the Aegis Gundam, the Strike Gundam was badly damaged. Retrieved and repaired by Orb, ace mobile armor pilot Mwu La Fllaga took over until it was finally destroyed protecting the Archangel. Box art- Massive. The box size itself is as big as the MG MSN-02 Zeong. Showing the same pose of the Strike Gundam that was used in the 1st & 2nd opening credits; it surely is an eye-catcher.
A sharper, more detailed look plus neck articulation. One minus about this is that there are no spare antennas supplied.
LOVELY. Internal mechanism allows you open the cockpit hatch and the armor is snapped on just like the AMSiA. The connecting joint from torso to arm is impressive - the new engineering approach allows it to swivel backward now allow more poses that would make owners of the old 1/100 cry. The rear verniers are good in detail, but are not articulated. The waist is ball jointed. Front & back skirt armors are articulated as expected in MG formats while the side skirt armors can be opened to store the armor schneiders. If you look inwards, you can notice details inside the skirts... seeeeesh.
The shoulder armor has internal detail gimmick which I really don't find the sense on why it is supposed to have one. The arms are constructed & articulated just like the MG RX-79 series, and of course internal details galore again - the armor is snapped on just like the AMSiA version. One con is there is only one pair of articulated hands - that makes you wish Bandai supplied you with a few more pairs to make the price worth it.
The internal details of both upper & lower are of course impressive since they're taken from the AMSiA. When assembled, the whole mechanism of the legs is a surprise - the front thigh armor tends to shift down when the whole leg is bended to its maximum using the same approach as the MG RX-79 series. (Which I don't know why Bandai did it - maybe it's just for kicks at the expense of the price.) The foot array's front half is separated and articulated for running/dashing poses which is excellent!
Beam rifle- Two words only: longer & Katoki-ish. Beam saber- Two piece construction. Both can be stored on the Aile Strike system. 'Armor Schneider' Combat Knives- Two piece construction. Can be folded and stored on the side skirt armor. Longer and look sharper than the old 1/100 version. Anti-beam shield- Sharper and a more slim design. The mounting array is a new approach - instead of the usual U-shaped brace, the new approach is an L-shaped design that is articulated. It's impressive in a way, but I'm not that at ease about durability aside from the fact it is ABS plastic material, so don't push it. Aile system- The Aile system is VERY detailed. The beam sabers' storage mount can be articulated forward which gives the possibility of a 1/100 scale Skygrasper (EGADS!). Wing binders are LONG, WIDE & FINALLY articulated and can be shifted downwards for system loading or standby poses. The lower verniers especially the fins' are deliciously detailed and & are connected to the system via ball joints. The Aile system is connected to the back of the Strike Gundam through a simple slot. One weird thing about this is that when you connect it to the Strike, it has a loose fit than a secure one - but its okay since the head and the complicated shoulder-torso joints ARE not hindered.
1. Foot clamps that can lock & be shifted
to areas within the base. For the higher price, this display stand is one of the factors that make it worth getting. You can pose the Aile Strike with the display stand in a variety of ways: 1. Pre-launch sequence with Aile System's main
wing binders folded down.
The kit is impressive up to the point where poseability, details and design are involved. All the gimmicks and bonuses in the package are price worthy - comparing it with the "old" 1/100 kit, I'll take this one. With this kind of construction, I wouldn't be surprised if Bandai used the same design for the other first three Gundams (Buster, Blitz & Duel). If you like your Strike Gundam to be more Katoki-ish, more poseable and had that cool display stand, then this is your buy. Period. Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 stars<<back to Gundam |
