Robot Damashii (Side MS) Arios Gundam Ascalon Review

Box photo courtesy of schizophonic9.com

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Finally getting the itch for some Gunpla, thanks to some turn of events (particularly the featured MS figure, a RG that no one expected to appear early, and apparently a new Gundam Series). Thus begins the cross-year resurgence plan for the Skunkworks. Beginning with two reviews back-to-back.

BTW, this particular Robot Damashii figure came in to the Skunkworks as a raffle prize from the GMAC Facebook group meet last August...

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Before the review of the first RD unit to ever grace the Skunkworks begins, I must say that I personally loved this suit more than the Arios GNHW/M (of which a HG version was released, as reviewed here). Unfortunately, the same suit was only released as this RD figure, and the closest to the HG version were actually custom builds

Anyways, on to the review...

Main Unit:

As far as design is concerned, 'tis somewhat similar to the Arios, with the obvious difference being the shoulders and that long nosecone assembly on its back.

Dimensional Views:

Front

Side

Rear

Again, the folding nosecone bit sticks out like a sore thumb on this kit.

Close-Ups

Doesn't stop it from having the same badass look of the original...

Accessories

Apparently for a figure, it has about similar armaments as the GNHW/M. Couple of closed fists, which, like the semi-closed ones, are made from the same soft plastic which resembles the one used on Polycaps.

And since it has similar armaments to the GNHW/M, I'll just skip the brandishing parts and head on to the next segment:

Flight Mode

The only difference between the HG Arios and this would be the more simplified transformation sequence, particularly regarding the rear skirt. Good thing is that its connecting part allows it to be rotated in place, compared to the part re-positioning on the former. Unfortunately, the rear skirt tends to pop out very easily.

Due to the design of the suit, a special adapter was supplied with the figure to allow it to be displayed in its flight mode. Unlike the HG's adapter, the one on the RD actually wraps and clips around the figure's abdominal area. And it's semi-clear.

FM Armament: GN Beam Cannon

Personally I have qualms about this particular weapon. First off, it can only be used while in MA mode; second, the opening that the former GN Shoulder Pincers make in this suit is not big enough; and lastly, to open up the pincers for this figure, I had to disconnect the shoulders from from the top part of the arms.

... And thanks to that oversized schnoz and the loose fitment of those shoulders, it's quite hard to tell if it's open or not.

FM Armament: GN Sword

Apparently the crowning feature of this particular suit. Once deployed, the figure's overall length is actually similar to the height of the average Master Grades (Just saying...)

And it's a lot more pointy than some of my collection's weapons (barring beam effects, of course.) Makes me wonder what would happen if Hallelujah piloted this instead.

Issues:

Now on to some of the major observations of this figure:

The hands are a tad too soft. While the PC-ish molded hands allow better versatility as to holding the figure's armaments, they tend to sag down over time and slowly lose their tight grip. Previously, I made this thing hold the GN Cannon one handed; later it would just give in to its weight.

Some of the parts would pop out of their sockets. Particularly the red shoulders. Although it can be handy hen it comes to some tight parts, it becomes problematic overtime. Case in point: the rear skirt.

Conclusion:

Honestly, the RD figure is not actually a good choice as a first, if one plans to go collect figures in the same line; there are other sets that are apparently more stable than this. However, if you're the type who's a properly devout Gundam 00 Fan who wouldn't mind diverting to the side stories that much, and yet is not actually a skilled model kit builder, then this may just fit the bill fine.

Leo: Hey, give back my Mobile Suit, you crazy Super Soldier!
Hallelujah: Try to catch up, motha****ah!