Hi guys, I'd just like to do a short review of the newest model by Loongon, the HG Anaklusmos from the series Earth Guardian EX
my local seller brought in some of these units and since the McModel version was much too expensive for a cheapskate like me, i thought i'd give this one a go :P
In case you haven't noticed, the template is inspired by one of my favourite reviewers at duelmasterng.blogspot.com :P feel free to check out his reviews on gunpla as well!
Section 1.1 : Boxart and Manual
very straightforward box art and single fold 4 page manual
typical HG build that can be expected
Section 1.2 : Runners
the kit comes with only 5 runners and 1 PC runner with a small sticker sheet
no details were spared here :D very nicely molded
very nice shiny-ish blue for the shell pieces
Section 2 : Assembly
2.1 Legs
very nice leg units, typical HG build, good 160 degree bend though
2.2 Waist Armor
very simple waist piece, not much of skirt armor to hinder posability
2.3 Upper Body
simple assembly for upper body, the head has some good parts separation, but unfortunately, if you look at the next pic.. they do NOT give eye stickers, so i'm going to have to go out and get some green markers to paint them in myself
2.4 Arms
HG type arm assembly, 'turtle' armor attaches to the side of the shoulder armor.. very good movement there via the connector piece to allow for various arrangements
2.5 Back thruster/armor piece
the last piece of the turtle armor, includes some thrusters that are painted red and look very good behind him
2.6 Weapon
unlike the McModel version, this one only comes with 1 weapon that can be used as a gun or a sword.. they do not include clear parts or transformable pieces for the weapon, which is pretty disappointing
but with the price i pay, i can't ask for much :P
Section 3 : Completed Unit
the unit completed without the 'turtle' armor put on
from the back he really looks like a turtle!
Section 4 : Comparison
i will just do a comparison with a kit most people would have already owned :P HG AGE-1 Razor!
which is the same height as pretty much all the HG AGE-1 units :P
Section 5 : Photos
Section 6 : Final Thoughts
Overall, the kit is quite worth it's price, in my opinion. It has a pretty fun build and the price is of a typical bootleg HG and for me, it's a pretty good replacement for the, i don't think it's considered original, but the 1/100 version. It's a pretty fun figure to build and fun to display.
But as with some figures, there are certain cons to this kit.
Firstly, the weapon does not peg into the arm, making it hard for him to pull various poses as the sword handle tends to rotate around in his hand, however it is not impossible and you just need a bit of patience to properly pose him
Secondly, NO EYE STICKERS! i don't think that's too much to ask :( now i have to go find a marker to paint it in myself
Thirdly, while the sword is not particularly heavy, the hands do not have a PC part to hold the hands in place properly while posing so the hands tend to fall out a lot.
That's about it for the kit, they're not very big issues, just a few things i found could've been executed better. Nevertheless, I enjoy this kit and look forward to more releases of this line by Loongon
