Series: Mobile Suit in Action!! (MSiA)
Title: MSiA XXXG-01H Gundam Heavyarms (2nd ver)
Release Date: 2004 (US)
Suggested Price: $7.99
No. of Parts: 1 Heavyarms Gundam figure + 5 parts
Plastic colors: white, black, gray, light gray, red, orange, yellow, blue, green
Gimmicks: transformation from regular Heavyarms to Heavyarms Kai (space mode), detachable barrels, opening missile and gatling bays, swinging army knives

Introduction

Contributor: Derrick "tomduo" Lang
Date: August 24, 2005

The classic red power house that is a fan favorite among many Gundam Wing fans, Trowa's MSiA has undergone a second remake by Bandai. The new version has the promise of new technology and design ideas to improve it over the somewhat passable original MSiA of the same Gundam.

Head

Much more highly detailed and painted than the 1.0 release of the Heavyarms. My version has wonderful painting without a smudge. The shoulder machine cannons impede horizontal movement to a measly 90 degrees, and the head's design seems to limit its vertical movement to only 25-30 degrees.

Torso

Much like the 1.0 MSiA of the Heavyarms, the design of the armor impedes twisting of the hips. The forms themselves are well painted, and well colored. The plastic is very nice, and seems resistant to easy breakage. The chest plate opens just like the 1.0 release, to reveal a pair of chest Gatlings to surprise the heck out of some Leo pilot.

Arms

The shoulder joints are not double jointed, like other MSiA 2.0 releases. The elbow joints are, which makes this unit much better than the 1.0 release. The shoulders are rather limited movement of the shoulders are again due to the armor design The hands are the 1.0 style peg in hole. This is inexcusable by Bandai, since the 1.0 style is prone to stripping and breakage.

Legs

The knee joints on the Heavyarms are 2.0, and the legs are overall nicely painted and maneuverable. The feet are also quite maneuverable, and feature a 2.0 feet.

Weapons and Accessories

Hand sets- This release comes with two sets of hands. One set of hands are fists, which is the standard second set on most MSiAs recently. The second set are open 'sword' hands, which I prefer since my toys are for playing with.

Army knife- Attached to the right arm of the suit permanently, the blade is nicely painted and swings out to help cut, slice, chop, filet, and debone any suit to come in its path.

Missile bays/chest Gatlings- The shoulder and chest bay doors are highly similar to the 1.0 release, and if it is not broke, then you shouldn't fix it. The leg bays are now openable, which I love about this release.

Gatling shield- Another improvement on this release is the new gatling shield. In the 1.0 release, the left hand had to be removed to put on the shield, but now the shield can be attached with the hand still on. The removal of the hand eventually caused my original's left hand peg to break.

Singe & double Gatling barrels- Designed to be attached to the Gatling shield, these allow either a H.A. or H.A. Kai gatling for the MSiA. The double barrel gatling piece also has a swing arm for the right hand to hold, which the 1.0 release lacked. The original only had the swing arm on the Single, which the 2.0 continues to have.

Rocket backpack- Also like the Gatling, the rockets on the backpack can also be removed to make the MSiA appear like the regular heavy arms. There are also slots for the gatling barrels to be stored.

Conclusion

This is a solid release, with great painting and wonderful new additions. The use of peg-in-hole hands struck a sour note with me, since they break easily and the first instance in my experience was with the 1.0 Heavyarms. Still, aside from slight maneuverability issues, this is a solid release that should appease most Gundam Wing, or even just toy fans. Since this will probably be the final Heavyarms MSiA release, Bandai should have fixed some serious problems before issuing a 2.0.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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