Series: Mobile Suit in Action!! (MSiA)
Title: XXXG-01W Wing Gundam (2nd ver)
Release Date: 02/2004 (US)
Suggested Price: $7.99
No. of Parts: 1 Wing Gundam figure + 7 parts
Plastic colors: white, red, blue, yellow, gray, green, black
Gimmicks: transformable Bird mode, spare hands (4), beam saber, shield, buster rifle

Introduction

Contributor: Chris Guanche
Date: July 5, 2004

Pretty much everyone and their little brother knows about Heero Yuy's XXXG-01W Wing Gundam. It's the story of a woefully unlucky suit that gets destroyed, rebuilt, neglected, damaged, neglected again and finally destroyed once more. That's certainly a lot of abuse for one suit to take. Back in 2000, Bandai unleashed the first wave of Gundam Wing MSiA in America. The original version of the Wing Gundam didn't transform, which has been rectified in this new release.

Head

The head is pretty standard for an MSiA release. The V-fins are molded from soft plastic that will bend and never break. Unfortunately, the head's range of movement is limited by the torso's design, so you're not going to get all the best poses from the anime.

Torso

The torso is a solid design with great twisting ability, which is of course required for transformation. The wings stick to the back very securely and won't fall off, which happens quite a bit with the 1/144 model kit. The details are nicely done, and the skirt armor allows the legs to move freely with little obstruction.

Arms

Nothing special here. What you get here is pretty much what you'd come to expect from the arms of any other MSiA release. Both forearms feature hardpoints to mount the shield on.

Legs

The Wing Gundam's legs are impressive. They have many points of articulation and transform quite easily. The legs lock into position, and the feet bend inwards to become the tail in Bird mode. The design of the feet is similar to that of the God Gundam.

Weapons and Accessories

Buster rifle- Heero's classic weapon, which can destroy armies of Leos just by looking at them. The rifle itself is one piece of hard plastic, but the trigger is a separate piece. This is so that it can slide inwards to lock into the shield when the Wing Gundam is in Bird mode. I recommend caution when removing the rifle from the shield so as not to break the trigger. In addition, two spare hands are included to hold the buster rifle on either arm.

Beam saber- A standard beam saber with the hilt and blade molded together as one piece. A spare hand is included to hold the beam saber on the right arm.

Bird mode- The Wing Gundam's transformation is simple when compared to other transforming designs. First, twist the torso so that it appears backwards. Then lock the legs, move the thrusters and bend the feet inward. Twist the head, then remove the hands and fold the claws over. Make the wings flat and spread them out. Finally, attach the buster rifle to the shield and connect the shield over the head. Voila, Bird mode.

Conclusion

Bandai has done well with this second release of the Wing Gundam. It's got great poseability and now features the transformable Bird mode that was previously lacking. It's a little light on accessories, but the same is true of the anime version. Definitely recommended for fans of the series or people who like transforming designs.

Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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