Thursday, July 15, 2010

MG Unicorn OVA version Review

I got one last July 13 since I thought it looked good. Well, the gundam on the box art and the final result REALLY looked good. Hell, what can go wrong with a gundam that can transform? Well, there are some, by the way...

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There's the box and the art is really enticing to look at. Sorry for unclear pic.
Also, I bought an Action Base 1 Unicorn Version just for it. :D

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Right side of the box...shows some thingies about the Unicorn Mode and NT-D (NewType Destroyer) Mode.

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Left side of the box...shows some gimmicks on how cool it looks if it is transformed.

And now, we open the box:
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The manual. Really different from a regular MG manual. Instead of having a simple art with just the concept art for the head and the name of the model below it, this one has a cover art the same with the one on the cover of the box. I guess that future MGs will follow that style.

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The back of the manual shows how the finished model would appear. Well, I guess this is a bit of an improvement on the manuals since the old manuals only show the back of the finished models on the back of the manual.

And now the runners:
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Well, last time I counted after buying this kit, I think I counted about 22 runners. That's already a lot of runners. I hope it is in level with Sinanju in awesomeness since Sinanju also had 22 runners. Also, the effect parts for the NT-D mode kinda looks pinkish but after building the model, the parts actually are red.

ASSEMBLING THE MODEL
Head:
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The head...the head...well, it really lives up to its name having the single horn. Simple yet sophisticated design, if I might say so myself. Bad thing? VERY FRAGILE transformable horn makes grandbehemoth not amused. >:(

Chest:
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Hmm...what could I say about this part? Oh. The chest part really looks cool and easy to assemble. Bad part? This part is the hardest part to transform and looks really bland in Unicorn mode. >:(

Waist:
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This part kinda took a bit of time to assemble. But nonetheless, it is quite an easy part to assemble (SPOILER: the hardest parts to assemble are always the legs.). This part is actually the coolest part to transform since it is easy and has a lot of shiny red effect parts.

Hands:
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Ah the hands. Just an ordinary MG hand: trigger finger and thumb have their own articulation and three fingers are attached that can be modded anyway (look below for modding). This is the most memorable part. Refer to pics below:

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I modded the three connected fingers so that each finger will have individual articulation. My bad thing:
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Now you know why the hands are memorable to me. :))

The arms:
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(Sorry, forgot to take a pic of the arms only. :P)
Well, the arms really look cool. Easy to assemble, yet has good articulation. But the only minor bad part about it is that the red effect parts aren't really that noticeable after transforming it.

Legs:
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Ah...These things took much time to assemble. Well, it still cannot really bend the knees for a good angle when in NT-D mode. And these things look really good when transformed because of two reasons: 1. really noticeable effect parts and: 2. because their length really increases if transformed, making the figure look taller.

Backpack:
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Backpack,backpack. Backpack, backpack. Here comes my enemies I need my sabers too. If they try to attack me, I'll pwn their asses too.
Sorry for lame-o imitation of Dora the Explorer's song. The backpack has some gimmicks in too. One particularly is that there are two hidden thrusters on its side that you need to pull out if you are transforming it. Another is that after bringing up the beam hilts, the red parts shine through all that blue parts.

So this are all the parts:
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And if all are connected:
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The finished figure may have really bland white color. But a bit of panel lining might lessen the blandness of it (particularly the head and chest). It also stands solidly and I haven't encountered any weight issues at all.

Sorry for no other pics for this but I might update this review later.
So in conclusion:
This kit is pretty. Even though you are not a Unicorn Gundam fan because of the gay-ish name (hey, Unicorn is manly!) this kit is one of the good modern MGs out there. The design is really good and can be a major eye candy if posed beside your other collections. As for the size, the finished model is rather tall and if transformed to NT-D, the height really increases. The model comes with 3 weapons: a Beam Magnum, 2 beam sabers (hate the blue beam effects) and a Bazooka. As for other accessories, it only has the shield that can be transformed too. It would have been better if the transformation isn't much of a pain in the ass. Yes, transforming it is simple but it is pretty hard when doing it for the first time. And yes, MG EX-S owners, you can laugh at me now since I have difficulty transforming this when EX-S is the hardest transformable gundam to transform.

So final thoughts: if you have an MG Sinanju, this is a good Unicorn to display it with. Even if the OVA ver does not come with a Cage unlike the Unicorn HD with Cage, this edition does not really look inferior to it since it is just the same thing, just without the cage. As for the decals, I advice you to buy a sheet of wet decals for this one since the decals that came with this is shit and only few.

Design: 5/5 Katoki really pwns ass in designing gundams.
Size: 5/5 Hell yeah for size.
Articulation: 3/5 The stomach part can't be bent and the legs still does not have a good articulation. But nevertheless, great and still playable figure.
Price: 3/5 For a hefty price that I payed for this one ($50) I could've got something better...
Playability: 4/5. I would have given this one a 5 but the transformation from Unicorn to NT-D is really a pain in the ass even up till now.

Worth it? Pretty much, IMO, no. For the hefty price I paid for this thing, I could have got something better like MG Musha or whatever. I'd rather have the Ver. Ka. but if you really want to get the best Unicorn, get the one with cage and same advice, get some wet decals.

For two final pics:
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Unicorn: I see the Sinanju posed beside the Freedom...

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I finally finished applying decals on this baby. Check out the pics below.
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Closer look:
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