REVIEW - MG Astray Blue Frame

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REVIEW - MG Astray Blue Frame - Second Revise
Topic Started: Jan 31 2010, 10:58 AM (1,962 Views)
tc012009	Jan 31 2010, 10:58 AM Post #1
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	Well, after a couple of week of fooling around with this kit I'm finally finished. Quick review and lots of pictures included below (Note, my Astray as displayed below is not a straight out of box build and has quite a lot of detailing included). Design quality/ detail: 9 The Astray was always a fantastic looking mobile suit and the MG was never going to be a let down. The detailing on the head in particular is very impressive and there are numerous opportunities for custom painting the frame and armor. Build difficulty: 7 A pretty straight forward build. Due to the complexity of the knees design this part can be a bit tricky but in general I encountered no issues. One thing to note with frame pieces is that they have been mounted specifically on the sprues to keep the nubs on the underside of the component and reduce visible scoring (does Bandai has a possible MG Gold Frame in mind?). I based my difficulty rating on the following scale: SD kits are pretty easy so I gave them a difficulty of between 1-3 HD's are little more tricky so they would grade between 3-6 MG with their more complex inner frames and armor would be 5-9 PG would be the most tricky with a grade between 7-10 Articulation: 9 As expected from a 2009 MG the articulation is fantastic. The arm and leg articulation is excellent and the kit can be placed in a kneeling position. The Tactical Arms has a surprisingly high level of articulation which really is apparent when transforiming it into its various modes. The Knee articulation really stands out and blurs the line between MG and PG design. The kit can stand un-aided, however it does become back heavy when the Tactical Arms is attached. Frame Quality: 8 This is a beautiful frame design and given that Bandai have already re-used it in the for of the upcoming release of the MG Red Frame, I've a feeling that we're going to see it again. Value/ price: 8 The kit retails for 4800 yen in japan ($45) and is fantastic value given the sheer fun it is to build the kit and the beautiful looking kit you will have at the end of the build process . The inclusion of an action base for the Tactical Arms II is a great bonus. Weapons/ Gimmicks: 9 The Tactical Arms is without a doubt the finest accessory/ weapon I have seen included with a MG. Its so good that Bandai could release it as a stand alone kit. It can be displayed/ used in five forms (Gatling Arm, Gatling Form, Sword Form, Flight Form and Sword Arm) but is most impressive in its Sword and Flight Forms. No beam sabers are included with the kit however two small daggers are mountable on the Astrays Legs. Overall: 9 This is a fantastic MG and I recommend it to all Gunpla fans. With the MG AStray Red frame due for release shortly the only real decision will be which one to get (both ). All comments and questions welcomed. Edited by tc012009, Feb 1 2010, 05:29 AM.
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


Jaystermaple	Jan 31 2010, 01:14 PM Post #2
Member Posts: 89 Group: Members Member #315 Joined: Oct 16, 2009	great job on the detailing and nice review! Hope to see more of your work!
	My HomePage Youtube channel FaceBook FaceBook Group


sopheaku	Jan 31 2010, 01:38 PM Post #3
What TT Hongli does to you (look at avatar pic) Posts: 1,294 Group: Administrator Member #7 Joined: Mar 13, 2009 YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/sopheaku	you know what would be awesome, use microsoft paint or something and circle things that you want people to see the most whether it be a flaw or a great gimmick
	http://sopheaku.blogspot.com/ http://www.youtube.com/sopheaku http://s619.photobucket.com/albums/tt272/sopheak203/


tc012009	Jan 31 2010, 02:24 PM Post #4
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	sopheaku Jan 31 2010, 01:38 PM you know what would be awesome, use microsoft paint or something and circle things that you want people to see the most whether it be a flaw or a great gimmick Great suggestion. I've photoshop so I'll edit the photos and update the review over the next few days.
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


ZR0	Jan 31 2010, 06:29 PM Post #5
Posts: 5,984 Group: Global Moderators Member #63 Joined: Mar 23, 2009	Whoa, you went above and beyond with the detailing. It looks great.



tc012009	Jan 31 2010, 06:41 PM Post #6
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	ZR0 Jan 31 2010, 06:29 PM Whoa, you went above and beyond with the detailing. It looks great. Thank you Sir. Took a bit longer that planned but I really enjoyed building the kit. Looking forward to seeing more of your MG Guntank. Big decision to make this evening, do I start the PG 00 or the Armored Core: Alicia Unsung ?
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


goombatron	Jan 31 2010, 06:55 PM Post #7
Member Posts: 122 Group: Members Member #316 Joined: Oct 17, 2009	Very nice, especially love the detail you put on the tactical arms. Regarding "build difficulty", are you going to give it a high mark when the build is difficult or vice versa ? Do you actually look for a tough/challenging built when purchasing a model?



tc012009	Jan 31 2010, 07:25 PM Post #8
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	goombatron Jan 31 2010, 06:55 PM Very nice, especially love the detail you put on the tactical arms. Regarding "build difficulty", are you going to give it a high mark when the build is difficult or vice versa ? Do you actually look for a tough/challenging built when purchasing a model? Its kinda hard to pick a fair grading system for the build difficulty of Gunpla. The way I looked at scoring the kit was as follows: SD kits are pretty easy so I gave them a difficulty of between 1-3 HD's are little more tricky so they would grade between 3-6 MG with their more complex inner frames and armor would be 5-9 PG would be the most tricky with a grade between 7-10 This kit was much easier to build that the MG Unicorn but was more difficult than MG Qubeley so a 7 looked fair. My intention with the build difficulty was to give someone who has not had much exposure to Gunpla an impression of the how tricky the kit is to build.
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


00nicholzz	Feb 1 2010, 12:43 AM Post #9
Newtype Innovator Posts: 605 Group: Members Member #235 Joined: Jul 26, 2009 YouTube Channel http://youtube.com/00niicholzz18	Awesome job on your Blue Frame!!!
	Yotube link -http://youtube.com/00niicholzz18


Avalanche_Ex	Feb 1 2010, 12:54 AM Post #10
Ayaaaaaaa Posts: 2,684 Group: Members Member #180 Joined: Jun 18, 2009	Tc good job, start on your pg 00 :D.
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kidd_slasher	Feb 1 2010, 01:12 AM Post #11
Member Posts: 109 Group: Members Member #330 Joined: Nov 7, 2009	good job. that is some nice detailing on the arms



ditzy	Feb 1 2010, 01:17 AM Post #12
"Friendly fire, isn't." Posts: 1,846 Group: Members Member #126 Joined: Apr 17, 2009	8/10 for frame quality is a very big understatement.. I would have given it at least 12/10 I can hardly see most of the pics coz of my stupid net atm Some white details on the fingers would give enormous boost in the aesthetics Edited by ditzy, Feb 1 2010, 01:19 AM.
	post/check gunpla updates here crazy need a break from gunpla?


tsundere	Feb 1 2010, 01:34 AM Post #13
Dive Bomber Posts: 601 Group: Members Member #117 Joined: Apr 10, 2009	The gold color is great idea and I love that gattling looks. Btw I prefer Blue or white color on the shoulder since it's Blue frame after all.



WenHan	Feb 1 2010, 05:29 AM Post #14
Human Posts: 1,421 Group: Members Member #296 Joined: Sep 20, 2009	what paints did you use? and what ratio between paint and thinner
	Who can find me Now? Huh> My Blog Nothing there really I swear


tc012009	Feb 1 2010, 05:39 AM Post #15
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	ditzy Feb 1 2010, 01:17 AM 8/10 for frame quality is a very big understatement.. I would have given it at least 12/10 I can hardly see most of the pics coz of my stupid net atm Some white details on the fingers would give enormous boost in the aesthetics It is a very good frame and 8 is a very good score. When the gold frame come out it will be a 9 I like your suggestion regarding the fingers, I'll 100% do this and post a photo of the result. Thanks everyone for your comments.
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


tc012009	Feb 1 2010, 05:54 AM Post #16
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	ImaHuman Feb 1 2010, 05:29 AM what paints did you use? and what ratio between paint and thinner I have used Citadel paints for most of the kit (boltgun metal, chainmail, mithril silver, burnished gold, shining gold, chaos black, skull white, tin bitz, blood red and sunburst yellow) the gold is Mr. Hobby H9. I also used a plate silver, metalic red and gold gundam marker in a few spots. Citadels are acrylic so they can be thinned with water (I didn't actually need to thin mine).
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


ZR0	Feb 1 2010, 12:53 PM Post #17
Posts: 5,984 Group: Global Moderators Member #63 Joined: Mar 23, 2009	tc012009 Jan 31 2010, 06:41 PM ZR0 Jan 31 2010, 06:29 PM Whoa, you went above and beyond with the detailing. It looks great. Thank you Sir. Took a bit longer that planned but I really enjoyed building the kit. Looking forward to seeing more of your MG Guntank. Big decision to make this evening, do I start the PG 00 or the Armored Core: Alicia Unsung ? PG 00, when ur finished it you'll be enjoy a smaller kit alot more. As i did.



wewe	May 26 2010, 10:06 AM Post #18
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Nice review. The inner frame is indeed great. I hope Bandai decides to use it for lets say a Strike ver. 2.0. Can I append my review of this kit here as well?
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


tc012009	May 26 2010, 10:21 AM Post #19
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	wewe May 26 2010, 10:06 AM Nice review. The inner frame is indeed great. I hope Bandai decides to use it for lets say a Strike ver. 2.0. Can I append my review of this kit here as well? I'm more than happy if you want to append your review here. If you'd prefer to have you own stand alone review then feel free to start a new thread. Looking forward to hearing your opinion of the model. I really enjoyed building it and love the finished kit.
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


wewe	May 26 2010, 11:31 AM Post #20
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	I'd rather have it here for everyone's convenience. Thanks. Packaging Box art shows a digital painting enhanced computer generated imagery of the subject. Illustrated by Tenjin Hidetaka. Box bears the Gundam Seed Destiny copyright registration. Spoiler: click to toggle Product info with all of the features and gimmicks are conveniently portrayed on both lateral sides of the box. Item produced by Bandai Toys and Hobbies Division. Made in Japan and was released to the public at October 2009. Contents Spoiler: click to toggle Aside from the manual and promotion material, the regular release contains 21 runners, a bag of screws and bolts and 3 decal sheets. Spoiler: click to toggle No actual line art for this kit. Spoiler: click to toggle Most of the runners feature gates located at the back of the parts. Spoiler: click to toggle Overall excess parts. Most are for the display base and unused pieces from the Polycap runners. Assembly Notes Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Internal assembly covered with minimal external armor. High mold detailing found throughout the internal frame. Final Assembly Edited by wewe, May 26 2010, 09:44 PM.
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


wewe	May 26 2010, 11:36 AM Post #21
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Finished Product The MG Gundam Astray Blue Frame Revise Gundam Astray Blue Frame Revise Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Finished figure has good proportions. Near perfect color rendition leaves only the fingers to be painted in white so as to match the reference material. Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Exceptional detailing that is complimented with a consistent design concept that seems complicated yet workable. I particularly like the way the back was designed. Like there's armor plating that runs from the pelvis up to the back of the neck. Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Benchmark Pose Spoiler: click to toggle Balance Check Spoiler: click to toggle Advertised Flexibility
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


wewe	May 26 2010, 11:39 AM Post #22
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Weapon Review Tactical Arms II Flight Form Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Figure with Weapon in Flight Form Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Note that the figure can still stand on its own with the Tactical Arms II attached Display Showcase with Tactical Arms II in Flight Form Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle The Flight Form conceals the Sword Form well though the Gatling Gun is left exposed. As for the design as a jet pack, it would seem plausible to have it lift the mobile suit and propel it forward.
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


wewe	May 26 2010, 11:43 AM Post #23
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Tactical Arms II Gatling Form Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Tactical Arms II Gatling Arm Mode Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Tactical Arms II Sword Form Spoiler: click to toggle Sword Form Equipped Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Tactical Arms II Sword Arm Mode Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle Edited by wewe, May 26 2010, 11:44 AM.
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


wewe	May 26 2010, 11:47 AM Post #24
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Armor Schneider Apart from the blades concealed in the feet, the figure is supplied with 2 more that can be stored on scabbards placed on the hips. Spoiler: click to toggle This mode ain't official. It's somewhat a preview of the Bow Form the Red Frame will have. Spoiler: click to toggle Spoiler: click to toggle I just have to post this. It only shows to prove that I've been toying around with this figure a lot. Display Base and Pilot Figure The kit comes with a modified 1/144 Action Base.
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


wewe	May 26 2010, 11:49 AM Post #25
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Comparison Unlike current U.C. MG Gunplas, Seed MG Gunplas are more radicalized representations that greatly stray away from the original line art proportions. Spoiler: click to toggle Comparison with the MG Exia Kit Review Quality and foresight on the figure's use. Two important core values the Master Grade line-up continues to improve on with every successive release. It does not claim to have something new but this kit is a perfect example of improvements done on every aspect of past kits. reinforced joints, better articulation and surprisingly wise choice in materials used for construction makes this kit a worthy benchmark for the future releases. An outstanding model kit from toy manufacturer Bandai. A step up in every aspect of the Master Grade concept. A must have. 4 Reference to design 5 Mold detail and function 4 Articulation 5 Material quality and volume 5 Value for money 4.6/5 Final Thoughts An over all joy from assembly to display. Has enough important improvements the will surprise long time collectors of the Master Grade line up. Nitpick Obvious weight and balance issues. Waist Armor on ball joints may pop off when posing due to the kibble on the thighs. Does not have the Lohengrin launcher . Strays far too obvious from the original design. Edited by wewe, May 26 2010, 09:46 PM.
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


tc012009	May 26 2010, 02:27 PM Post #26
Crazy Poster Posts: 8,636 Group: Members Member #36 Joined: Mar 18, 2009 YouTube Channel tc012009	Great review wewe, I'm really pleased to see you liked the model. Its one of my favorite master grades and when the almost inevitable Gold Frame is released I will be first in line to get one.
	Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/tc012009


Tiger4Ruler	May 26 2010, 06:10 PM Post #27
Guru Posts: 1,046 Group: Members Member #243 Joined: Aug 6, 2009 YouTube Channel Tigerr4Ruler (yes a typo I know)	@wewe: I just noticed the total abscence of panel lines, don' t ya panel line any of your kits?
	G eneral U nilateral N euro-Link D ispersive A utonomic M aneuver


wewe	May 26 2010, 08:47 PM Post #28
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Thanks tc012009. Yeah. I'm still hopeful for a ver. 2 of the Isle Strike using this frame. Well Tiger4Ruler. For the time being, not anymore. I used to paint my kits. Now I just collect. We can call it a retirement plan. After all. I'm already 30. You could check out my photos. I think there's like remnants of my old works there such as the 1/144 Dreissen and 1/100 VF. I also rather make the review of the figure as it is without any alterations for people to see what they would get out of the box. Cheers. WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS Edited by wewe, May 26 2010, 09:36 PM.
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


Darklee101	Aug 29 2010, 11:48 PM Post #29
Member Posts: 11 Group: Members Member #806 Joined: Aug 29, 2010	This was an awesome review! Its very detailed and i see you give alot of thought into this. I'm currently stuck, i'm wondering if i should buy this or the Mg Red Astray. They have similar designs only minor but important differences....



wewe	Aug 30 2010, 05:41 AM Post #30
Experienced Posts: 813 Group: Members Member #545 Joined: May 22, 2010 YouTube Channel wewyllenium	Thanks for the complement. Just contributing my thoughts on the kit. I usually document my builds that's why making reviews come easy for me. I also have the MG red frame but I haven't touched on it. I like the 2 Japanese swords that came with the kit.
	WEWE TUBE WEWE PICS


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