MG Strike Freedom - Starting

Just started to work on the assembly of MG Strike Freedom. It is going to be a hard one because there are a lot of smaller parts that needed to deal with. Despite this, after reading the manual for MG Hi-v Gundam, I changed my opinion on this gunpla because MG Hi-v Gundam is much more harder to built thanks to all the gimmicks. Even though both are hard to build, it still worth the effort to see it to be completed :D

Starting from Strike Freedom, I wanted to give it a change by not using the Tamiya spray paint anymore. The reason is because I have bought a lot of spray can until now, and the amount of money that I spent can be used to buy an entry level Tamiya Basic Spraywork unit. I have set my goal to get this Tamiya HG Spray-work Compressor Revo w/HG Airbrush Trigger that due to release in March. Still, I have other things to deal with before I could get my hand on this unit.

I thought that it will be better for me to start to snap out the parts from the runners and to prepare it for assembly. This way, it will save me a lot of times. What I have done up until now is that I gathered the parts into different plastic bag; the head parts in 1 plastic bag, the upper torso in 1 plastic bag, left arm in 1 plastic bag, right arm in 1 plastic bag, etc. I have done until the left leg. Right now I'm waiting for another time to do the sanding on the parts for the right leg, and then the lower torso.

Plus, I may try to follow some advice from Dengeki Hobby to process certain parts. I wanted to try to increase my skill to another level, so why not give it a try? With that currently underway, my list of Gunpla that still in the line would be:

1. MG Hi-Nu Gundam RX-93-2
   
2. MG Strike Noir
   
3. Armored Core
   
4. Gundam 00 1/60 Gundam Exia
   

I haven't bought any new Gunpla lately because I don't have any extra cash to spare :-(. But it's no harm to have a wish list :D. Here it is:

1. Soul of Chogokin - God Mars (First in the list, because this can stop production anytime with very limited unit, and it's the most expensive one - about RM 800 without pre-order)
   
2. MG Turn A Gundam
   
3. MG Destiny Gundam Extreme Burst Mode
   
4. MG Unicorn Gundam
   

MG X-1 Crossbone Gundam Finale

Finally, I have finished with this MG Crossbone X-1. My comment on the kit is that it is of good design, and it's pretty much Katoki Hajime's signature of slim & balance proportion.

Articulation is not as great as compare to the MG F-91 due to the reason of the waist armors that tend to restrict the legs movement, while trying to pose it squadding. The thighs tend to break easily, so it has to be handled with care. Then there's the core fighter that can attaches and detaches from the main torso. This is another part that needs to be handled with care as well because taking out the core fighter from the main torso with incorrect force can break the internal structure of the torso. The Beam Sanber is really hard to be grabbed because of the circular bar around the handle that forms something like a fencing sword handle. As for the cape, one will have to be very patience in order to make it looks like the picture in the manual; it is really hard to put it on.

Overall it is a great design despite the articulation and some posing difficulties. Still, I have 3 small minor things to fix, the daggers and a small part of the Beam Sanber because the colour don't match with the overall body.

Next on the list:

1. MG Strike Freedom (Have to postpone until I purchase the colour)
2. MG Hi-Nu Gundam
3. MG Strike Noir
4. Armored Core
5. HG Gundam Exia 1/60