MG 1/100 Strike Gundam + I.W.SP. - I.W.S.P.(Integrated Weapons Striker Pack) Review

Price: 4200 Yen
Bought for: RM130 (roughly 4200 * 0.03)

Details on Strike Gundam + I.W.S.P. here.

Unlike the three very well known Strike Striker Packs Aile, Launcher and Sword, Strike also has many other packs created in the many SEED side-stories that have sprouted over the years. Luckily or unluckily, the I.W.S.P. or Integrated Weapons Striker Pack made it to Master Grade. Unlucky for us poor Strike lovers wallets that is. D= Why must Strike appeal to me so much?

I'm not very familiar with this variation since I only watched SEED and SEED Destiny and have no chance of reading the side-stories currently, so I won't be able to say much on it in detail. =P

Early Note: Did not build the Grand Slam yet since I'm still pondering whether to paint the blade silver or not. =/

~Rant~
Final exams are over! Woohoo! Now, time for a one month semester break! =D
Also, be prepared for lotsa posts in this month! Keep on reading!
~Rant~

At any rate, read on for the full review!

Part 1: Box
The Grand Slam is also a feature for this kit as the only other Strike kit, as far as I know, that has this weapon is the Perfect Grade Strike. =P

One thing I can say about it is that it is a big sword that can fold, yep, that's it. Nonetheless, it is a huge, long, cool looking sword. XP

Part 2: Box Open!

Don't freak out if you see this as this is pretty normal for a MG.

Part 3: Runners
Part 3.1: Strike Gundam (New Color)







If you already bought the MG Launcher/Sword Strike like I did, these runners are exactly the same as they are used to build Strike's main body. The provided stand is also exactly the same. The only difference this Strike has is the darker color of the main body.

Part 3.2: I.W.S.P.(Integrated Weapons Striker Pack)
The parts that you can only get in this kit. ^^
The I.W.S.P, Anti-ship Swords, Combined Shield and the Grand Slam runners all can be seen above.

Part 3.3: Leftover Polycaps From MG Launcher/Sword Strike Can Be Used!

Before.

After.

Only applicable to the I.W.S.P. ^^

Part 4: Assembly
Note: The Strike from this set was not built since I was too lazy to build another Strike. ^^;
Part 4.1: Combined Shield

The blue color you can see on the shield is provided by the foil stickers.

The beam boomerang is rather loose and falls off very easily. =.=

Two handles as the weapon/shield is rather long, though not really needed to hold it properly. ^^

Part 4.2: I.W.S.P. + Anti-Ship Swords

I built it in a few stages as the pack is more complicated than I thought though still an easy assembly as it is very straight-forward. =)

Those swords should be longer! D=<

Part 5: Strike Gundam + I.W.S.P
Part 5.1: Up, Left, Down, Right!
I hope from the pictures you will be able to see and tell one major problem with the I.W.S.P.... Its too heavy for the Strike to use and balance on its feet properly! Oh no! D=
Leaving the Strike to hold up that pack for long periods of time makes me fear its safety as it forces the legs to spread wide open until it looks like it can cause the pelvis joint to break. DX

Part 5.2: Action!
Fear not! That's why they provided a base! If you use the provided base, I highly recommend you to superglue the rear skirt armor to waist so that it won't fall off, seriously.
I didn't do much when the the Strike was grounded as it seems like not a good idea and it likes to fall down on its back too... D=

Using the action base I got recently and Strike doing its boxart pose... maybe I did it wrong but you totally cannot see the Strike's face from this angle.

Midas Messer(beam boomerang) action! I like it more than the Sword Striker's one as the beam part is bigger. ^^

Err... *tat**tat**tat*? What sound does a gattling gun make? XD

Pilot: Damn, I'm outta rounds and this ****ing shield is ****a heavy.

*clunk*
Does this action seem familiar to anyone? XP

*SLASHX2**SLASHX2**PEW**PEW*

Part 6: Conclusion

As you can already see from the photos, the railguns(I think that's what the big ones are called) can move up and down to adjust its angle during attacks. I can also move a bit to the right and left.

The small ones are pretty much stagnant and seems to obstruct Strike's left and right field of vision which seems to be pretty dangerous when on a busy field. =P

The I.W.S.P pack also must be attached and removed with care as carelessness may result in the breaking of the Strike's V-Fin which is totally not a great thing to happen. Then again, the V-Fin easily falls of when it hits something so a broken V-Fin might not be the major possible outcome. XP

As I stated before, the Strike becomes back-heavy with this pack on. Using a base is very recommended if you want to leave the Strike Gundam + I.W.S.P on display unless you want to have a high risk of either a broken back or broken pelvis joint or maybe some other part breaking on you. D= You have been warned.

If you are worried that the Strike may not be able to hold the Combined Shield well, don't. The Strike has very strong arms. =D

Get it? Forget it? Buy the MG Exia Ignition Mode FTW? Well, it is up to you. But I think you should only get it if you do not care about the back heavy problem as the kit itself is quite beautiful and full of action(swords and gattling guns - crazy). ^^

If you already have the standard Strike, the Lucas Strike Gundam + I.W.S.P. might be a better choice but it costs a bit higher at 4500 Yen. Its different and maybe will look better. =P

Strike tells you to aim and pierce the Heavens! XD

Well, that's all I got for now.