P-Bandai: PG 1/60 Gundam Astray Blue Frame
Release Date: March 2014
Price: 18,900 Yen
What I love about this kit is the over all mech look of the Astray Blue Frame, the design looks better than the other PG model kits (in my opinion).
One more thing I like about this is the decal set that looks very sharp and easy to install. I didn't see any waterslide decals but anyway the dry transfer decals are working better for me.
The legs and crotch have heavy metal parts that is really helpful when the kit likes to stand in one or two feet. just like when I did that famous Astray kick!
The clear green parts here and there are looking very amazing that it adds up minor details to the kit and they look very nice with it.Oh and yes! it came with a 1/60 scale M68 Cattus Bazooka that is looking very sharp and detailed. The bazooka is very light weight and I love how it looks perfect with Blue Frame. It is articulated too! you can move the trigger back and fort and you can extend its mouth too.
It also came with exclusive Gai Murakumo 1/60 figure to be painted, and it should add more details and story to the kit if you want to make diorama out of it.The figure looks great even if it is small and I think that it is paint friendly cause it has enough details to be painted to separate the elements within the small figure.
The manipulators can easily be posed and it is articulated enough to do human hand gestures. It came 2 colored injection piece and I just had to pull it out from the runner, no need to assemble, and time saver. BUT! it did come with lots of hair line and nubs after pulling off the runner. (SEE TUTORIALS ON HOW TO REMOVE NUBS HERE).
Ok, so over all the kit looks great with some mnior problems in the cockpit, where it is hard to pull out unless the Astray Blue Frame is in right position. You will have to bend the ABF backward to open it, it is in the instructions.
The armor plate on its chest kept falling when trying to open the cockpit too.
I think I'll give it a 70% wow score for it lacks some major qualities of perfect grade like what I said before... it doesn't have much open hatch gimmick unlike the other PG kits.
PROS
- looks great even if it is just in standing position
- detail wise, panel line and color separation looks wonderful
- LED gimmick, wow it adds WOW effect to the kit
- gimmick on the shield, there's a lever that you can turn up and down to see the other side.
- manipulator looks wonderfully molded.
- the Bazooka "Cattus" is looking very sharp and detailed.
- articulation on the legs is fantastic.
- no weight issues
- comes with great set of decals
- comes with heavy metal for more durable leg joints.
- comes with heavy metal to a more balanced model kit.
- very easy to install LED
- it came with sticky sheets for the feet to keep the kit from slipping when articulated in other positions.
CONS
- manipulator would fail over time when you keep changing weapons.
- cockpit is kinda hard to articulate
- elbow and triceps armor pieces kept falling whenever I try to articulate its arms.
- shoulders keep loosing when arms are being moved, so you need to tighten it again for better results.
- V-fin kept falling, I had to glue it to make it stay on place.
- I am kind of disappointed that I don't see much silver pistons when all armor pieces are installed.
But yeah, overall 7/10!
