Finally, we are getting a Retail MG kit that we are excited about
HELLO! We are back!
In this week’s 117th edition of our Let’s Talk Gunpla segment, we will finally be taking a look at some of the huge retail announcements that was made recently and yes by the looks of it we may have to do 2 segments of the retail segment this week.
So this week we would pick the 3 releases that we all find to be interesting and on the next coming Friday we will talk about the rest of the upcoming retail kits that is slotted for release.
So without further ado let us get into the first three, shall we?
HG 1/144 Earthtree Gundam (HGBD: R)
Release Date: 2019/10
Estimated price: JPY 1,190* (MYR RM 47.50* / USD $ 11.32* / EUR € 10.10*)
*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation
The Gundam Build series has always been one spinoff series that has one of the very best MS designs that we’ve in any ‘Gundam’ related media. Although most of the designs that we’ve seen coming from this series is just mostly re-designs of existing kits. However, they did such a good job at it that we tend to find ourselves preferring the redesign version more than the original.
So understandably when this series was announced, all of us here was really excited to see what they have in store for us here. Unfortunately, after seeing ‘some’ of the announcements we were all left to be less enthusiastic about the HG line up for this upcoming series and today we will be talking about one of them here the Main mecha of the series, the HGBD: R Earthtree Gundam.
Yes, this it is by far one of the silliest names given on a Gundam. But it is one of the only things that we…actually liked about the kit.
but the rest? Not so much and we will explain why here.
Because in the past installments they have made alot of interesting kit combinations and they as well made alot awesome original designs. Like for an instance with the first Gundam Build Fighters, the designers made awesome combinations of all the best bits of the Freedom and the strike Gundam into one, with some new things thrown in. For Gundam Build Fighters Try, the Try Burning Gundam is an original design with some inspirations taken from G Gundam and Gundam seed. Even with the first Gundam Build Divers, the 00 Diver is something that we all agree is a unique take to the 00 gundam.
However, the same cannot be said for the combination used for the HGBD: R Earthtree Gundam.
From the top and bottom, all the combination from the Gundam Seed, AGE and some elements of the Wing Gundam really didn’t translate that well into this. We really try our hardest to find anything to love, but the more we look at it the more we were…finding ourselves not liking what we are seeing here.
Because all of the parts used here feels a little bit out of place. It’s like we are looking at a computer-generated custom kit that is made in the Gundam Battle warfare game. Yes, we know gunpla is freedom and all, but there is a limit on what you can do with you ‘freedom’. Sometimes dreams don’t come true for a good goddamn reason.
Although the normal look that you are seeing here is not the worse thing that we’ve seen yet because we as well found out that you can take off all the armor off and make it look…HILLARIOUS.
We really don’t know how they managed this, to make an ugly looking kit, uglier. which is a feat that we really didn’t know possible, until today.
So yeah, this might be one HG kit that we are not interested in getting. So, you might be wondering, why bother talking about this then?
Well because its something that we really had fun having a discussion about.
HG 1/144 JDG-009X Death Army (HGFC)
Release Date: 2019/11
Estimated price: JPY 1,020* (MYR RM 40.35* / USD $ 9.62* / EUR € 8.60*)
*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation
The HGBD: R Earthtree is not the only ugly kit that was announced, we as well had this, the HGFC Death Army which was announced around the same time too.
However, unlike the HGBD: R Earthtree, this is actually an HG kit that we are really looking forward to getting. Because this was one kit from the G Gundam series that has never seen a Gunpla release ever. Even despite is HUGE contribution (as cannon fodder of course) to the whole series.
We are really happy to see the Death Army finally getting that official gunpla treatment, this is really one grunt MS that we do think that really deserves to be made into one.
Now, all we need is for Bandai to give us the Neo-Malaysia’s Skull Gundam.
Anyways, as we take a closer look at this, we do really think that the retail side really did a good job with the HGFC Death Army. Because we really do think that this HG kit really looked exactly like its anime counterpart.
Not to mention too from the head unit to its foldable leg units, there isn’t anything here that we see with the HGFC Death Army that we didn’t like. Looking at it, we really can’t help to shake the feeling that Bandai really made this HG kit with love.
We do as well think that it is one of those very interesting HG release announcements that we’ve seen this year and one that we are really looking forward to seeing more of.
and yes we are quite excited into getting this one, of course.
MG 1/100 ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos (MG)
Release Date: 2019/11
Estimated price: JPY 3,825* (MYR RM 151.30* / USD $ 36.09* / EUR € 32.26*)
*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation
Out of all the kits that have been announced, this week. This is the only one out of all that we were really spellbound by.
The one kit that when we all looked at it, gave us the same vibe that we all get when we all saw the MG Zaku II Ver.2.0 for the first time. Which is a feeling that we all haven’t been getting with all the recent MG releases recently.
Which we do admit that after seeing it, made us really excited about it.
Why wouldn’t we be? From the insane detail that we see in the MG Barbatos’s inner-frame and outer frame, to its badass gimmicks. It is clear to us that all the time that it took to design this MG kit, is really worth it because from the outset at least, this looks to be one kit that would be able to do alot of the same things or (possibly we hope) better than its HG counterpart.
We would even go as far to say that, by what we are seeing here with the MG version’s inner and outer frame, they looked even better than the one that we see with the other 1/100 releases (ie the Hi-res and the no grade versions). Which is something that I never imagine an MG kit is able to do.
Plus like with the HGFC Death Army, the MG Barbatos as well really looks to us like it is something that was born from love. Looking at it we really can’t help to feel like this is going to be one of retail Bandai’s magnum opus. One that we really feel that will be something that would blow people’s mind away with how awesome it is.
God this is really is one kit that we really can’t wait to get!
With that concludes this week 117th edition of our Let’s Talk Gunpla segment! What do you think of this week’s Retail release announcements? Are you looking forward to this batch of upcoming Retail releases? We really think that the retail side is really going all out here, with them finally giving us something to really think about with the MG Barbatos. Looking at how badass this MG kit is, we really can’t wait to see what Bandai have in store for us for the MG line up!
We do hope that Bandai continues on giving us awesome kits. Especially for the MG line-up, they MG line up really needs to have more badass kits like this to make them interesting again.
Anyways, we will be back again with more retail news in this coming Friday and the next coming Wednesday! Kimi will be back again in this Monday with a review for the HG 1/144 WMS-003 Maganac (HGAC)! So do look forward to that! 😀
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Anyways, we shall see all of you again next week, and we hope that you all have an awesome week and weekend ahead! Have an awesome Gunpla building time there as well and until next time!
Ciao!
Kimi The Builder 