Reviews - MG 1/100 Buster Gundam

Wanna see my BIG GUNS!?


Original Released : September 2012
Released Price : 4,000 Yen (around $50 or 2,200Php)

Out of the Box Build

Box Art

Size Comparison next to a regular can of soda

Articulation

Head can move 45º up and down, and tilt from left to right. It can also turn its head 360º all the way.

In terms of arm articulation, it can bend and lift up to 90º and turn 360º, either remove the guns on its back or maneuver them properly so you wont scratch you kit.

Waist articulation for this guy is also great, it can tilt 45º like most MGs and turn just only halfway to 45º because of its side skirt. It has the same inner frame as MG Duel AS, it can bend forward halfway to 45º. This kit can literally bend forwards and backwards (actually not that much but still).

 

Legs can bend up to 180º and lift up to 90º. You can also bend its feet up to 90º for better flight poses.

Armaments and Accessories

This kit has kinds 3 Weapons in his arsenal...well actually 5 if you count the combined ones. The 350mm Gun Launcher, 94mm High-energy Rifle and 2 sets of 220mm 6-barrel Missile Pods on its shoulder. What i really love about Buster was its combined weapons. Whats not to like, its a big a$s guns for crying out loud.

94mm High-energy Rifle

350mm Gun Launcher

220mm 6-barrel Missile Pods

Combined Weapons

Anti-Armor Shotgun

Hyper Impulse Long-Range Sniper Rifle

What I really love about this MG kit was Bandai did include a support arm attachment on its sides skirt to hold the guns properly and stay in place. This helps alot in terms of poseablity and weight issues it might have. It holds tight and it definitely stays in place. Again Kudos to Bandai.

 And lastly the usual Fixed hands/manipulators for Master grade, a little pain but tolerable ( for me atleast ) and of course the 1:100 scale figure of Dearka Elsman(Buster Gundam's Pilot).

open hands, gripping hands with peg, pilot figure, trigger hands and action base attachment

Pose-Ability

In terms of poseability this kit can bring it ON...well, still needs a little patience for its manipulators that falls off, sometimes. But overall this kit is awesome in every way, that support attachment really helps you move and pose your guns properly and even keep them on its back when you don't use them. Had so much fun playing with this kit. I love new MG kits, Bandai just keeps improving everytime.

Seals/Markings and Stickers

you'll get a standard set of seals/markings (clear stickers and dry transfer decals) and foil stickers (eyes and camera lenses)...nothing fancy.

The Build

The build was almost the same as building an MG Duel because of its inner frame and some armor pieces. But once you start to attach most of its armor you get the feel that you're building the Buster Gundam and its starting to look awesome. The engineering for this kit was great specially the support attachment for the guns, Bandai really gave this kit what it really needs, for the first time while having so many kits with big a$s guns and armaments, I never had any weight issues with this one.

And now the Cons

hmmmm, not that much though. For starters the fix manipulators, its still a pain when they fall but it much much more tolerable for me than the older 3 finger split manipulators like the ones from MG Wing Zero Custom and MG Wing EW(this ones awful - watch out for its review). And lastly and but not much of an issue but still needs to point out, the repetitive build for some parts of the kit, I'm more of a builder than a collector so its an issue for me. Though I can totally understand this anyway, Bandai's using the same molds for the same MG line to reduce cost and maximize profit, that's why they released MG kit of the same series to be able to use the same molding(such as the inner frame). It's actually a good thing for us collectors so we can have a complete set per series ^_^

Final Thoughts

The kit was the most solid looking and feel for a kit for me...yet(Nov.2012), much much more than my MG Duel. I got my two first times from this kit, no weight issues and no worries that something might fall off (was referring to armor parts specially the side skirts). Totally Great, Totally Awesome for both the build and the end results. Hope they release MG Strike Gundam Ver.2.0 with the same engineering as the new ones.

Is is good value for money?...ABSOLUTELY YES!!!...BUY THIS KIT, I HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IT. If you like Big Guns like myself and cool looking kit, this is for you.

Does it capture the power of the anime?...yes it does in every way. Great engineering to match its anime counterpart and the playability and poseability you can do for it were to much. Imagination is your limit.

The kit was panel lined and top coated except for the very 1st photo at the top (OBB - Out of the Box Build) and no other paints are applied.