Confessional time :

I had a Pokemon fetish for about 2 years, between the ages of 19 and 21. This is far beyond the age when any self-respecting adult should even acknowledge the existence of Pokemon. It wasn't a little love either. It extended into PVC figures, the insipid video games, knowing all 151 of their names, stickers, dolls, collectible coins, card games, Cracker Jack prizes, marbles. It was madness... and I still sleep with my Oddish doll. He fits into my palm.

These things replaced my need for human love. Playing Pokemon Snap far surpassed my need for going out in the real world and taking real photos. This is both sad AND true. Now... now I can have my 'cute' desire fulfilled and not look entirely pathetic (unless you count my continued fandom of Cardcaptor Sakura and the Keroberos patch on my bookbag), and I have SD Gundam to thank. They're small and have a certain adorability, but they can also shoot deadly lazers and blow crap up. You know, to a slightly more hardcore degree than your typical Pokemon. Charizard ain't got nothin' on this, bitch.

The SD Gundam model kits come around in time for the new SD Gundam cartoon that's being aired on Cartoon Network. It's another cartoon in the endless and never-ceasing barrage of Gundam toons that we're being treated to. How is this one any different? Well, for one, they're tiny and have big heads. That's what the SD stands for. They SAY it's for Superior Defender, but I know better.

I know that it stands for SuperDeformed. In most cases, this would be a terrible insult. It's not something that you can go around saying new mothers about their ugly little children, no matter what proportion their heads have to their bodies. In the upside down world of anime, however, it's a good thing, much like tiny skirts, swords that are 15 times the size of the wielder, and good, stiff breezes to lift said skirts. Tiny bodies and big craniums are where it's at.

Additionally, it's a cel-shaded toon, hopping onto the successful bandwagon of the newest Zelda game and the new Spider-Man animated series.

I've built many a Gundam model, but I'm no great fan of the SuperDeformed look. Regardless, the models have never been a disappointment for detail and articulation. It was one of the first figures that I could get to stand on one leg. Often, the models require additional painting to match up with what is presented on the box. We'll see how this one measures up.

I will be assembling the XXXG-OOWO W-Gundam Zero Custom, skill level ONE.

The instructions are explicitly clear, involving more English than most of the previous Gundam models I've assembled. They've opened this up to a slightly younger and / or stupider age group, which is not to say that these are at all the same thing. The instructions are also in color, which makes locating and assembling pieces MUCH easier. There's a small stumbling block that comes with the 2 very slightly different types of connectors that are used, which are only distinguishable by the trees they are attached to and the numbers that they are superficially assigned. It tripped me up a bit, but being a snap together model, it was not difficult to disassemble and fix. A few times.

Here's the thing about my brain. It runs on a system of small pulleys and discarded toaster heating elements. These elements play somewhere between my misfiring and misdirected neurons and the bits of Jarlsberg Swiss that have taken up residence. I'm an artist, but my inability to follow instructions makes a lot of academic classes very boring and a lot of art classes very interesting. I put this model together in about 2 hours, but it would probably take the average reader 30 - 45 minutes. I also used nail clippers to detach the parts from the trees, and cut off all of the extra bits of plastic with a razor. After making these Marvel models, I'm meticulous to a fault.

This is the point where I advise you to be ultra mega careful when using a razor, unless you're ugly, in which case I advise you to carve towards your eyes. Razors are for pretty people. Ugly.

So, after these 2 hours, how does the model go together? Well, the first thing I'd advise is to use bits of glue for the parts that just don't stay on, and there are a few, such as the backplate or the giant blue elf ears. Aside from that, the pieces are fairly tight, and the stickers are not difficult to assemble. The teensy stickers that were once impossible to place on the tiny Gundam heads? The problem is gone, 'cause the head is now quite mungous.

In the case of the larger Gundam models, the brightly colored pieces that these are molded from present an aesthetic problem. These lankier bots require a higher degree of realism and extra painting to capture what they're intended to be. These SD guys are very cartoonish, so these blocky shapes and bright colors only add to that look. It's a rare toy that this works so strongly for. It fails only in the cases of the weapon and pilot accessories, which are all solid white and thus nondescript and dull. I don't feel like this guy needs any more detailing.

On the side of the negatives is the articulation. There are plenty of small joints, but the sheer blockiness prevents them from being used nearly as widely as the joints in the more traditional bots. Gone entirely are the legs (so the balance, on its two huge feet, is quite solid), and the arms don't have much room to move. The wings have a huge range of positioning and motion, if you can move them without popping the backplate off.

The final verdict is a warm three out of five for this figure. The comparisons to the larger Gundams can't be escaped, as they're so damned good and often 5 out of 5 figures. The construction was as fun and rewarding as any of the larger models, but the product is not as versatile in the end. I'd think this would be something to purchase as a fan of this particular show. Besides that, it's very recognizable as a Gundam, and it makes for a little zaniness in your display. Yes, I said ZANY. And it'll seem a bit more masculine than your complete Pokemon display.

Aw hell, I'll display them too.

 

Three Omastars showed up for this review. Well, 35 did, but I got full after the 32nd one. Omastars are delicious.

GET YOUR GUNDAM FILL FROM BIGBADTOYSTORE!