Review: MG Akatsuki Gundam (Dragon Momoko)

The Akatsuki Gundam created by the nation of Orb in the Gundam Seed Destiny series. 

This particular model kit is based on the Dragon momoko strike inner frame which is basically a sligtly modded strike RM  inner frame.

This kit comes with both the Oowashi and Shiranui backpacks 2 beam sabers, a number of beam effects, beam rifle, a number of different fixed hands, a pair of version 3 hands and a shield.

As I have said. The DM( Dragon Momoko) Akatsuki uses a modified Strike inner frame and this results in a very flexible and posable kit. Unfortunately this kit comes with the disadvantages of that innerfrane design. Issues with the frame are tight joints and very loose ankles.

Most of the inner frame parts are not undergated (nub marks are hidden under the part so they wont be seen) except those from the O and M  runners.

Did I say that the ankles are loose? Yes? Well... I'll tell you again. The ankles sre very loose. Annoyingly loose.

Let's discuss the main suit.

Obviously, this kit is colored gold. And its a good thing that the gold in this kit is not plated but rather injected because not all armor parts are undergated and you might want to touch it out repaint it .

Some parts in the wrists, shoulders, thighs and ankles are prone to nub marks.

A confession: I dont like this pack. It's too bulky, it really doesn't look cool (my opinion).

To be more objective the back connector is loose and the pack keeps falling off.

The Oowashi pack. In my opinion the better looking of the 2 Akatsuki backpacks. This is a transformable booster with missiles and 2 cannons.

Equipping it on the Akatsuki doesnt make it too unbalanced plus the addition of black, white and red accents help break up the monotony of gold.

Conclusion:

Posability: even though the frame is very posable. By adding all the armor, its overall range of movement is reduced. Also... loose ankles and be careful.of the flexible hands. They have been know to lose fingers

Plastics: same as the DM strike. Armor parts are mostly undergated. Frame parts are not. Plastic quality is good softer than Bandai but still crisp. The gold color isnt plated so you can paint over it.

Extras: 2 backpacks, water slide decals, a number of beam effects, stickers. It doesnt have a stand/action base included

Final thoughts: its not as gold as i expected it to be. And those ankles irritate the heck out of me. But aside from those issues I would say this is a very detailed and unique kit

Should you buy it? Yes.but wait for the hype and price to go down a little. Its not as good as the sword and launcher strike detail wise.

Rating: 85

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Update of new arrival: Akatsuki is here

Okay I finally got a Dragon Momoko Akatsuki. Expect the review tonight or at the latest tomorrow

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Review: MG Sazabi Ver Ka (Daban)

Well here we are. The good people at daban (evil in the eyes of bandai) have managed to create a copy of the Sazabi version Katoki.  Not a perfect copy mind you, but a pretty good one. Read on for my full review of the kit.

Out of the box I found out that this piece of the metallic inner frame part snapped off somewhere and it wasn't in the plastic bag. So im assuming it was a factory defect. I have asked around and no other person had this defect but other people have claimed that they have other runner issues. Well it is a bootleg kit and it is expected of them to have these kinds.of.problems especially since this is a first issue model.

Here is a close up of the Bandai Sazabi ver ka(right) and the Daban one(left) you might notice that the daban one is slightly taller than the original and that is because Daban has redesigned the knee of the sazabi. This redesign increased the height of the sazabi but has removed the ability of the black kneecap of the daban to fully tuck in the leg armor,like the original.

In my previous blogpost I have stated that the plastic of the Daban Sazabi is prone to pressure marks. A combination of huge panels, design of the kit, and softer (than bandai)plastic makes this occurrence more prevalent with the Daban compared to Bandai's.

Let me be blunt. Do not expect a perfect snap fitting kit here. The assembly of the upper body except for the backpack,shoulders and the head, went smoothly. The shoulders for example,I assembled them in the open position already since it's a pain in the ass to transform them.

The lower body also has its fitting issues. Namely in the back skirt and thigh area. Which have some excessively tight fitting pegs. And may cause gaps. I also have read comments from.fellow owners that in some kits the knee joint is very loose.

Conclusion:

Plastic: better than daban's The O, a little worse than the Nu. The metallic runners a1 and a2 are very brittle,

Posability: The waist joint is a little loose, a little bit fiddly to pose. Hands will keep popping out (design flaw of bandai). Overall, posability is at par with the original

Color: in my eyes it seems like the Daban Sazabi has a little bit lighter shade compared to the original.

Overall:  this a good kit all on its own. Compared to the original off course it is inferior. That isnt a harsh criticism of the kit. Since the Bandai Sazabi ber ka is such a really great kit of course the clone will be a little bit lesser in comparison. Make no mistake the Daban Sazabi is a great kit with a few issues.

Should you buy it? Yes.

Rating: I'm giving it an 87-90 /100

Enjoy building it. And watch out for my next review: the Dragon Momoko MG Akatsuki coming next week.

And you can also follow me on my instagram @donjuandefantastico so you can see.what kit im building.

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Initial review: Daban Sazabi ver. Ka

Okay. After a few hours building this kit up to this point (nevermind the nub marks. I'll redo them later) here are my initial thoughts on the daban Sazabi ver ka.

Since this is a bootleg kit. There will be issues, that is a fact. So im starting off with the negative issues I have experienced.

Out of the box a piece of the metallic silver inner frame was missing.  Though you barely notice it when you assemble the torso.

There are a few fitting issues. For example it's a pain in the ass to transform the shoulder armor of the sazabi thus im keeping it like that.
It still looks badass though.

Other issues of this kit is that some parts are prone to pressure marks Especially at the fore arm and shoulders. DO NOT  apply too much pressure.

The metallic silver runners a1 and a2 are brittle.

It feels... lighter (cheaper feeling)compared to banda but Plastic quality is actually good, overall.

Some fitting issues and over flash are easily fixed with sanding.

My intial thoughts? It a really good clone.of the original. At this point im giving it an 85-87 percent out of a hundred

Stay tuned to this blog as I finish this kit and give my full review and final grade for the Daban Sazabi ver ka.

New arrival!!! Sazabi ver ka (daban)

All righty!!! I have in my hands a fresh out of the box (literally) Sazabi ver ka from Daban. I'll be speed building it in a few days to compare it to the original. Stay tuned.

Oh by the way. The only extra item you get from daban is a LED module. Unlike the daban nu ver ka.where you get extra fin funnels and a stand