MG 1/100 Shining Gundam Review - Part 1

Price: 2500 Yen*
*This is one of the cheapest prices you will ever get for a MG Gundam. FYI, the cheapest MG is the MG Ball Ver. Ka. at 2000 Yen.This MG was made in 2002. Thus, it may not be as good as what we are getting lately.

I actually built this a few days back but a new online game caught my attention due to a fellow blogger. I haven't photoshoot for the second part either so that one will most probably be done by next week. Slow, I know. Ah well, life is not all about Gunpla. XD

I also bought this quite a while back last year. So far back, it is almost a year I had this one with me. Well, its already built now, so there is no more problems there. Minus one backlog. To be completely honest, I planned to build the HG Seravee GNHW/B but this one was calling out to me to build it sooner than planned (planned to be after Seravee). I manage to grab it for a nice price of RM80 which is considerably reasonable and the cheapest MG I've bought so far. I wanted to grab MG Master Gundam as well but didn't in the end which was similarly priced as a way to pair them up. I missed my chance however so well, looks like I won't be getting MG Master Gundam, not anytime soon anyways.

Specifications;
Model No.: GF13-017NJ
Pilot: Domon Kasshu
Height: 16.2m
Weight: 6.8t~15.5t (that's kinda unrealistic....)
Armaments: Vulcan Gun - Head (2), Beam Sword - Left Side Waist (2), Machine Cannon - Chest (2), Shining Shot - Hands (2)
Ultimate Attacks: Shining Finger, Shining Finger Sword
More at MAHQ.

Story Brief;
Domon Kasshu is a representative of Neo Japan in the 13th Gundam Fight. His Gundam is Shining Gundam which signature attack is the Shining Finger. Shining Gundam can power up by being fueled by anger, a negative emotion, to go into Super Mode. This is a double edge sword for Domon. He later used a different method, by calming his mind, to power up the Shining Gundam even further than when he used his fury.

Part 1: Box

Even for a lower priced MG, this one really has a small box. It is about as big as your standard higher priced HG box size. However, don't underestimate the contents just because the box is smaller than usual.

Part 2: Box Open!

What I really like about old MGs is how Bandai also gives us this nice piece of cardboard showing off how it looks like after being built (plus painting of course). It is pretty nice, especially as a display or as a second cover for the box contents.

Quite a lot of stuff in such a small box. It was pretty stuffed.

Part 3: Runners

The hand parts and the feet soles are made of rubber, which is pretty neat. There is also a second set of V-Fin for it as well. This one is made of rubber as well, maybe not entirely, but it is much more flexible and safer to use than the standard plastic one.

Since the G Gundam MGs were advertised with an action frame, they mainly used plastic by plastic connections. These connections are further enhanced by the use of screws. You don't really need to use all if you don't want to. However, if you're a perfectionists or planning to play with it a lot, you should use them all. As for me, I will only use a few, as I feel they are really needed.

A 1/20 scale Domon Kasshu! I wish they would still give these out in MGs these days... sigh. Even though I don't cut them out or paint them, they are a real nice bonus! Who knows, some of us who buy model kits are great painters, so having a larger sized figures (than the general 1/100s these days) can be really nice.

Some manual shots. I have a feeling that some of the wordings were badly worded in English...

Part 4: Building Process
If you have read my PG WZC review, you might see some similarities in building as I notice that G Gundam and Gundam Wing share very similar design aesthetics.

Part 4.1: Arms

4 pairs of hands! Clenched fists, sword hands, chopping hands and of course - Shining Finger! I don't really like how they did the shoulder armor though, loosely connected with a half-assed polycap connection. They kinda flail around easily. The shoulder gimmick is also relatively simple so it can close up easily. -.-;
I don't know whether it is a bad thing that there are no movable fingers for the hands but it works out for these sort of MGs. ^^;

Part 4.2: Legs

I opt to use the screws for the ankles since I noticed they are quite loose without them.

Lots articulation for the inner frame there. There are also moving pistons (which I sadly forgot to take a photo of)! One thing that I like about the Shining here are the legs! It has some additional ankle articulation which God Gundam does not have!

Of course, some articulation is lost once it is all armored up but it isn't all that bad. The leg thrusters cap doesn't really stay up nicely though as the connection was unfortunately quite loose. Disappointing. I really like how the feet can be lengthened however, pretty nice. ^^

Part 4.3: Waist & Torso

The old ball socket joints for the legs. Well, can't complain much about that since it was made in 2002.

You need to screw the stomach area, a must.
So far, feel any similarities to the WZC? XP

Time to armor it up. Yes, the orb crystal is a sticker, a really nice one actually.

Why is there a hole at the back, oh wait...

Part 4.4: Head

Not your ordinary Gundam head. It has a lot of yellow fins! I quite like how the head design was done especially when it goes into Super Mode! =)
You need to swap the face plates though between modes which can be quite annoying. Well, I guess the face opening gimmick isn't do-able at that time.

Part 4.5: Core Lander

The yellow thrusters are supposed to be white... lazy Bandai.

Core Lander!

Just move some of the parts and you can connect it to the torso!

Part 4.6: Beam Sword

Nope, not beam sabers but beam SWORDS. One long and one slightly shorter. Asymmetrical but a nice touch. The hilts goes to the left side of the waist skirt.

Part 5: Preview

BRO FINGER!

One thing I can say about the G Gundam MGs is how playable they are. What can't really be shown through the building process pictures is that they incorporate a lock mechanism so you need to connect certain sections of the body properly and turning them correctly to lock them in place. Even if you play with them alot, you won't be seeing them popping out an arm or foot easily (unless they broke...). The lock mechanism is not like the PG 00 Raiser or the HGUC Kshatriya's binders, they are more of a hook to prevent certain body parts from popping off especially when you move them a lot.

I wonder why Bandai doesn't do that lock mechanism anymore, it lessens the hassle of dropping off parts IMO. It doesn't go for all the joints but it helps, especially for the body sections that moves the most.

Continue on to part 2 here.