Review: MG Jesta Cannon (Daban)

Here we are. Another "P-Daban" kit to light a fire under Bandai's butt. The first direct P-Bandai bootleg was the Tallgeese III and now we have the Jesta Cannon.( btw. Do you want a review of the Tallgeese III? Put it in the comments.). Also Before anything else. BUY BANDAI when you can. It's worth the money and we owe them for coming up with the entire Gundam franchise and designing our beloved gunpla. :-)

The Jesta Cannon is part of the Tri-stars, a trio of Federation pilots serving under Bright Noa in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn,  that modeled themselves after the original  Black Tri-stars during the One Year War. 

The Tri-stars are basically a special ops unit using the RGM-96X Jesta which was designed to escort the Unicorn Gundam and to eliminate non-newtype enemies to produce situations that will result in the Unicorn to directly confront a newtype enemy. The Jesta is basically designed and built as an Old type killer to compliment the Unicorn's Newtype Destroy Mode.  

We have been talking about the Jesta so much that you might ask what's so special about the Jesta Cannon? Well it is essentially a heavy assault variant of the Jesta, meaning it has more firepower and more armor compared to the standard model.

Alright enough about Gundam Canon (lol. cannon pun) . After quite a hiatus here is our review of the MG Jesta Cannon by Daban.


The Box

Look at this box... For a grunt suit, its huge.  What else can I say.  It is a direct ripoff of the Jesta Cannon P-Bandai box with additional chinese writing at the bottom

The Kit

My God, does this kit look BADASS. I know that the normal Jesta is cool but the Jesta Cannon is such a badass kit.The broad shoulders, leg armor and the cannon add-on to the backpack really make it very, very macho.

Special Ops? Try Very Special Ops.

Sexy back. A seriously sexy back

Daban's Jesta Cannon comes with all the parts needed to build a full Jesta and an additional few runners of recolored armor so you could mix and match all you want.

Extras... A lot of Extras

The Jesta Cannon even has enough parts to assemble 2 beam rifles. The problem is the rifle needs to specific polycaps to fit the rifle accesories and it only has one set of them. It's no problem if you have super glue. lol.

Pew Pew Pew

The Negatives
Let me be blunt. The plastics of the Jesta are softer than other recent daban MG kits I have assembled in the past. Smaller parts and some joints tend to stress mark and break.

Be careful with this hip joint. I had to glue them because it broke after I tried posing the Jesta

Did Daban change their plastics recently? I honestly don't know. but I feel that it has become a little bit softer.

Another Gripe I have are the wrist and ankle polycaps. I know partly it's because of Bandai's design but honestly, Trying to pose my Jesta Cannon is a pain in the ass. Then ankle joints are loose and it tends to have a difficult time supporting the top heavy Jesta Cannon. While the wrist tends to pop out at whim, I seriously wanted to glue them in place.


Verdict

As a whole, this kit is pretty good but it is definitely not Daban's best work. The plastic quality feels softer than previous kits and that is a little bit disappointing because I used to think that Daban is the benchmark for plastic quality for Bootleg manufacturers, but this kit has made me doubt that assumption of mine.

The details of the kit are a good reciprocation of Bandai's mold. No complaints here.

The extra armor parts and weapon runner are a good bonus for us buyers.

While I cannot say that this kit is a must buy it is a solid copy.

75/100


Author's Suggestion

If you really want a Jesta Cannon. I strongly suggest getting a Bandai Jesta then getting this kit as a conversion kit. You would appreciate the joints of the Bandai. It would be a lot more poseable and you would not be concerned too much about the joints suddenly giving out.

I hope you guys enjoy my review of the Jesta Cannon. Oh btw. Please subscribe to my youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/thelatejuanmiguel we would be putting up video reviews very soon. Thank you and have a happy holiday.

Upcoming review: MG Rezel Type C and Sinanju Stein (Daban)

Alright coming in a few hours will be my review for the brand spanking new Rezel Type C from Daban. Following that review is my review for the Sinanju Stein ver ka. (And yes this is my third stein) lol.

What's the next review? The Dragon Momoko Strike Noir. That's what's next.

Up next. literally fresh from the box. Please subscribe to my blog so you can see any new updates first.

Review: Empire Stormtrooper (Nuclear Model)

Hey there guys. I'm doing something different this day and I'll be reviewing the Empire Stormtrooper model kit from Nuclear Model. It's a new model kit manufacturer that I haven't heard off before.So without further ado here is my review.

Packaging.

So... Apparently this is a copy of Bandai's stormtrooper kit. So just like BL gunpla the box of the stormtrooper looks a lot like Bandai's (minus the bad translations)

Manual.

Okay. Color me impressed. This is one good looking manual especially from a third party company. The colors are bright. The details are sharp. The quality of paper is good as well.

Good job.Nuclear model

The kit proper.

The Stormtrooper is a 1:12 scale model.  It has no true internal frame. So comparing it to gunpla it is a RE 100. Great details but no inner frame. The pegs fittings are firm. Although some require shaving specially in the torso.

Plastics.

The plastic used to make this kit is really remarkable (no bs) it feels almost Bandai like though a tiny bit softer.

Posability

Okay. At first I thought that this kit would be highly flexible but sadly this is not the case. The problem is the kit's simple joints system, armor design and the lack of an inner frame.

To be more specific. The shoulder armor keeps popping out and it hinders arm movement.The stormtrooper's elbow joint also tend to easily pop out.

As for the torso. No problem there.

The waist armor/tactical belt of the stormtrooper also tend to detach when posing the legs of the kit, since they tend to restrict their movement.

Trooper: You are the droid I am looking for!

Gundam: Me? K.

Thoughts:

Plastics: The plastic here is great. Better than the plastics used by Daban. Almost near Bandai.

Fitment: parts are snap fit. Although some pegs need shaving to go in without using too.much pressure.

Posability: lacks posability because of joint and armor design.

Details: details are good. Very good.

Pewpewpew

Proton cannon!!!!

Verdict

I might get me two or more of this kit. I need to make a squad. I wasn't too into star wars kits. Now I'm hooked.

You won't be disappointed.

Get one.

Score: 90/100

Review: PG Unicorn "Fighter" Gundam (Daban)

Bandai is so pissed right now

Okay. It's been out for some time but I wanted for the hype to die down before I made my review of this kit. First of all. Guys.... if you have the money get the original Bandai kit that's just the fair thing to do it's better than this Bootleg kit and you're actually getting your money's worth.

Okay One more thing. I didn't get the optional Daban LED system for the kit since I'm planning to paint the psychoframe. Without further ado....

Here is my review of the Perfect Grade Unicorn "Fighter" Gundam made by Daban.

First of all Let's talk size.

If it was real and in 1:1 scale. The Unicorn Gundam would measure approximately 21.7 meters tall in Destroy mode. so 1:60 that'll be about 36.17 cm or 1 foot 2 inches(thereabouts).

Let's see if it's true

Yup. Seems just right.

Well... It's taller than a standard ruler. so it is HUGE. What do we expect. It is one of the taller Gundam models from the Universal Century timeline.

So a big Gundam needs big guns too. so here they are compared to an MG RX-78-2 ver 3.0

RX-78-2: A shield? Looks like a surfboard to me.

RX-78-2: twin beam Gatling guns??? Where did they get this a battleship?

RX-78-2: If I used this I could've blown up A Baoa Qu by myself.

Huge.

Basically the kit comes with 4 beam saber but only 2 beam saber effects, a bazooka, a beam magnum, a set of dual beam Gatling guns and a shield. The full armor unicorn looks impressive now, right?

A lot of other blogs have done the part by part analysis and to be frank it's not my style. I'd like to just relay my thoughts and experiences when I was building this kit.

Thoughts and Issues:

1. The plastic is reminiscent of Daban's Sinanju Stein. It's sturdy and snappy to cut but there is something really off about it's weight. It feels structurally unsound. It isn't, but it feels that way.
2. A lot of the external armor is undergated. which is a good thing. you wouldn't a predominantly white suit to have visible nub marks.
3. it's surprisingly easy to assemble. No screws, springs or any fancy locking mechanisms to hold the frame together.
1. Take that into mind because the shoulder joints may not fully support the Dual gatling gun/shield combo with an outstretched arm. friction can't keep the arm from sagging down,
4. You will face some tight fitting pegs. I would suggest not to over shave the peg holes or polycaps too much since friction is the only thing holding this thing together and standing up. 
5. I like the clear parts in this kit. I din't have to modify anything to make them fit. i just shaved the nubs off using my hobby knife and followed the instructions carefully.
6. Read the manual carefully and use your common sense. a lot of the clear parts need to go on a specific way otherwise the transformations wouldn't work.
7. If you're planning to get one but want the led later. save yourself the work. get the led's at the same time to avoid disassembling the kit to the inner frame.
8. Details are surprisingly good.
9. transformation sequence at the most part is good and smooth. Although there are some parts you have to force a little. namely the shoulders, arms and lower leg armor.
10. I love the head transformation most of all.
11. Really good posability. (Good job Bandai)

Final Thoughts.

I enjoyed making this kit. I took my sweet time in savoring the build. The details are great and it does look sweet. The gimmicks are plentiful and transformation work pretty smooth for the most part. So if' you're looking for a brilliant piece of inexpensive (relatively) Perfect grade eye candy you can't go wrong with this Unicorn.

*Rating: 90/100

Final Final Thoughts.

BUT if you take into account that Daban's newer plastic formula (I felt it began after the Nu gundam ver ka) FEELS less sturdy and less substantial compared to older models. I mean my old bootleg 00 Raiser feels heavier compared with the Unicorn.   I know it's nitpicky but there is something fundamentally "cheap" feeling about the unicorn. Please note this is my opinion.

*My Rating: 80-85

Verdict. 

Yup, It's a great kit. aside from the plastic quality feel issues I said. this is a really good copy of Bandai's original (sorry bandai).  With Daban's  Banshee already in the works, the full armor kit nearby and Dragon Momoko's more expensive , more detailed Unicorn  I would say this is a pretty good year for PG's.

Death of my thunderbolt gundam and my new daban PG Unicorn

Guys... I have bad news. I cannot finish my review of the thunderbolt gundam. I misplaced the entire box and I have no idea where I put it.  But good news. I have a new kit to review.

Meet the PG Daban Unicorn Fighter (Gundam) I promise. I will finish this and the review in a week or two.

To see updates of this build and my initial reactions please follow me on instagram: @tabletopnewtype

Review: SD Crossbone (Guniki)

Hey guys I'm going to be reviewing something different now. Its from a new manufacturer called Guniki and its an SD Crossbone X1 (i think). First of all im not yet well versed when it comes to SD musha and crossbone lore so.all.I can give is an objective review of the kit itself. Here it goes.

This is the Guniki Crossbone's manual. Yeah, I know right. It has a hand drawn feel to it. It gives it a really it a unique presentation to the manual.

Unfortunately, because it looks hand drawn it (the illustrations) suffers from being too light. Sometimes I had to squint my eyes just to see which part goes where and also the directions are a little hard to follow and sometimes you need to use your common sense.

Plastic-wise this kit is miles better than the Mobius zero I recently reviewed. The plastic feels smooth and not grainy and when you cut it, it feels solid and crisp.

If I should compare it to a BL kit (because im sure as hecknits not up to bandai standard: I would say somewhere between the daban sazabi and nu ver ka )

This kit also comes with 2 runners that are painted metallic. They are not plated parts but those are some nice looking gold and silver parts.

Lastly, the guniki crossbone comes with a runner with a rubbery material for the robe and extra hands. The material has the same look and feel as the feathers that come with the MG wing zero custom. The color leaves something to be desired it's like a sickly looking dirty white.

None of my sd's elbow polycaps survived. All of them have massive tears and have been super glued

Be careful when inserting the gold cheek protector to the helmet as the female peg of the helmet tends to crack

ISSUES:

1) the polycaps are soft and prone to ripping. I havent even moved the elbows before but when I did. The elbow polycaps ripped.

2) be careful when putting the gold cheek parts in the helmet the pegs of the gold parts are a bit brittle and both cheek parts have been glued tobthe helmet.

3) Why in the world would you give an SD kit a sticker sheet that was not pre-cut. C'mon guniki!!! Its annoying as hell.

Conclusion:

1) The details are really good

2) the kit is very paintable (and you should paint it) because...

3) The stickers are shit.

4) polycaps are fragile

5) plastic quality is very good.

6) there are a lot of extra accessories.

Should you buy it? If you collect SD's yes and buy two (the x1 and x2). If you don't then I'd suggest you try it. Its refreshing. Just be careful of the poly caps

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