Series: 1/44
Title: LM314V23 Victory 2 Buster Gundam
Release Date: 1993
Suggested Price: ¥ 500
No. of Parts: 150 + film stickers
Plastic colors: blue, yellow, white, gray, red, yellow, transparent pink
Gimmicks: none

Introduction

Contributor: Mwulf
Date: June 19, 2007

The Victory Gundam 1/144 models are cheap. They are no grade. They are old. Those are three strikes--and they're pretty big. Fortunately for us, these models are exceptionally well-made. They're detailed, colorful, very-poseable and come with a ton of accessories. In short--they're a perfect deal.

Head

The head is a bit disappointing. It's just as simple in construction as the other 1/144 models, but it lacks the trademark yellow V-Fins. Other than that it's well detailed, though you will need to spend some time with panel-lining (and paints, should you so choose) if you want to make it live up to its full potential.

Torso

It's the V2 torso, so it looks awesome. It's molded in all the colors you need--white, blue and yellow--so there's no painting required, but as always you'll probably want to add some panel-lines to bring out the torso's full potential. With the giant Buster equipment attached to the back of the torso the V2's wings don't quite fall into the right place, so the model does tend to look a bit disproportionate.

Arms

The arms are nothing special; just white and red plastic. They can move around quite a bit, but the V2 doesn't come with many handheld armaments so the possibility for posing the model are quite limited. This version of the V2 also lacks beam shields, which was a bit of a disappointment after seeing the same feature on the 1/144 V-Dash Gundam from the same series.

Legs

Again, the legs are nothing special. They are molded in the necessary colors and have the requisite details, and perhaps the skirt armor is a bit too large--but they do their job and that's all that really counts. The legs are sturdy and the feet can move around enough to allow for some creative poses, though the weight of the Buster equipment makes it a bit harder to keep the figure balanced.

Weapons and Accessories

You have the same boring solid-white plastic beam sabers and single-piece beam rifle. No shield, no stand.

Conclusion

The 1/144 is a solid model, even if it is a no grade, but it lacks the detail and accessories (most notably the clear-plastic display stand) of it's contemporary models. It's a good model, but it's not that great. I would not recommend buying it unless you are a really big fan of the Victory 2 Buster Gundam ~and~ lack the money to purchase the 1/100 V2 Buster. Even then, though, I'd have to recommend simply saving up and going for the bigger (and better) model.

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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