Saturday, August 22, 2009

MG FA-010S Full Armor ZZ Gundam

Don't get it confused with the FA-010A FAZZ. They're different. The same but different. I personally like the colour scheme of the 010A more than the 010S, but the S version is what the A version was designed to be, so it's the chicken and not the egg so to speak. Either way if I had the choice back then I'd have chosen the A version. Looks cooler to me. Either way this is the one I got!

I remember posting on some forums almost 10 years ago when I first got this (in a local hobby shop in my hometown) asking about if it could transform into G fortress mode. I received some wishy washy answers saying how it was 'difficult' to do. I realize now that it is possible but I never tried myself. Oh well. Just wanted to try and get a bit more use out of this kit because you really can't do much with it. Forget about posing this thing. This is about as good as you're going to get it. Take a look at other pics of this model online. They will all be in this pose. You might as well just glue it together and make it a statue, unless you want to try making it into the ZZ or G Fortress (which is possible with a small amount of scratch building for the shield/wings which are absent from this kit.)

Why did I buy it? Why would anyone buy this kit? Because it looking friggin' insane with that massive Hyper Mega Cannon. Same thing as the Heavyarms. What self respecting red blooded male doesn't have at least a mild appreciation for BFG's. I mean... let's be honest here.

That aside... there was one very personal reason why I needed to have this kit. I realized too late that what I was actually looking for was the A version. Not this S. Little did I know at the time that I got my start in Gundam from Sentinel series MS. Looking back... it was an awesome place to start. I still think to this day that the Sentinel series has some of the best mecha designs. Period.

I spent a lot of time making this model, particularly the chain that attaches the cannon to the backpack (which is massive btw)

The extra armour sits a bit loose in some areas and can fall off quite easily. Basically this isn't really a model that can or should be played with. As sturdy and as bulky as it looks it's really quite fragile.

I don't recommend this kit for conventional modelers or beginners. It would look great for a diorama or in the hands of an expert but for most of us... it might not be that satisfying.

Upgrade outline: Where do I start? seam lines, panel lines, hard core weapon/missile pod detailing. Oddly, I don't usually like the red/blue/white standard Gundam colour scheme but I think it fits this mech. That said, I would repaint it but with pastels and a bit of shading. Not unlike this Zeta Gundam.

Fix the antennae (it's broken) and mod the head a bit to make it look sharper and meaner. Glue everything in place and put it in a bad ass pose on a stand.

Rating: 5/10

2 comments:

  1. I have been enjoying this highly analytical series of posts about your older kits.

    This kit is my fave so far. The A version looks mean as well.

    I hope to see this kit get the revamp you've outlined above some day. It would look really impressive with just a bit of paint and TLC.

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  2. glad to hear you've been enjoying it tonzo. its been kind of fun for me to do!

    i have high hopes for this kit some day. you're right. a little bit of TLC can go a long way!

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