This is my first time building a Perfect Grade, and it's abootleg kit of course.
Anyways, I am still happy that I am able to make a short review for this kit.
I'm expecting lots of parts separation, good articulation and gimmicks. All ofthese actually appeared and surpassed my expectation. Bandai's engineering isreally good (Again, this is Daban Model and I am only referring to Bandai's originaldesign).
So back to the topic, I think this is an old kit from Daban (not sure myself),so plastic quality is bad compared to the new Daban PG's released. This kitisn't mine and I would like to thank my client again for letting me build hisPG Strike.
If there are any typos, please do comment. Any errors on terminologies used,please do mention it as well.
I would like to apologize that the pictures/images are blurry because there's aproblem with my camera's lenses (I just borrowed it from a friend)
Same as Bandai and the only difference here is that the word "Gundam" is replaced with the word Fighter, which you will see often in all of Daban Model's kits.
There are 2 manuals but the other one isn't actually a manual but more of a brochure about the kit, anime series where it appeared perhaps, and other stuff from Gundam SEED.
Regarding the blade for the Grand Slam sword, I’m sure thenub marks will be visible unless you paint it.
There are 26 runners in total and I'm a bit glad they packed 2-3 runners in one plastic bag to avoid scratches.
Although, I still saw some parts with scratches and stress marks probably during shipping. There are no issues on the construction manual and they don't have the funky English translation that you see on TT Hongli's manuals.
I would like to point out that the plastic quality is bad. You could feel that "chalky" or sandy texture each time you cut the nubs. The stress marks appears quickly because of this and hiding them is really hard.
Not sure though if it was entirely due to my hobby knife.If I had a sharper x-acto blade, the result could have been good (or if I learned progressive sanding earlier).
Okay, the next images will be the runners.
Runners:The Armor Schneider isn't what I thought it would be. I assumed I will assemble it piece by piece like the other versions from the MG line. Instead, you just cut it out from the runner same as the manipulators.
You get some metal parts that will be used on the waist and on the legs.
Beam saber effects are also included although I didn't find any beam saber handles. >_>
Leg Section:Part 1:
I had to separate the leg into two because of the large parts. I don't want to risk misplacing any parts if I try to place all the pieces on my table in just one go.
As seen on the construction manual, you get to build from feet to head. While you usually do the opposite in most kits in the MG line.
Parts separation is good here.
No snap fitting issues here during building. Well you can see the size when placed near the X-Acto knife.
Part 2:
Aside from bigger parts, the part separation is really good.The inner frame has some neat cable-like design here and there. The Inner Frame’smechanism is really amazing. Well it’s only natural since it’s a Perfect Gradekit
I'm a lazy dude so I don't have time to paint them up. Andeven if do have the time to add some details, I still lack the necessary tools.So I will stick to my usual uniball signo pens for this one.
And I'm done here :)
Several tight parts during assembly but not that much ofa big deal.
Overall, there are no major snap fitting issues here andeverything (Inner Frame mechanism) works just fine.
I added some minor detailing here using uniball signometallic green as I said earlier.
Coffee Break :D
My X-Acto blade was already dull so I had to buy aregular small cutter as a substitute.
I was really disappointed at myself I didn’t pursue learning ProgressiveSanding at an earlier stage so I had a lot of issues with nub marks. The nubmarks are still there when I tried the progressive sanding method Zaku II. Butit was said it can’t be helped if the plastic quality is really bad. I amthinking the nubs would be near-gone if the plastic was Bandai. :/
Okay so back to the topic, the articulation for the legunit is more than satisfactory. I really enjoyed moving the legs because of theInner Frame’s design. :D
The legs can bend this much and I am amazed how each partis linked to the other as you move it, thanks to Bandai.
The gimmick featured here are those armor platings on theside of the legs on the legs. You can pull them out (as seen on image), wherethe inner frame’s design will be visible. If would be cool if the inner frameis painted.
You can also move those fins behind the legs.
Waist Unit:Good parts separation even though design is simple
The Strike Gundam’s overall look is really plain and youcan tell that to waist’s design. But even with that negative factor, Bandai placeda nice parts separation here.
This is also the section where you will need to use thatmetal part.
I forgot to add these parts on my exploded/parts separation view.
The front skirts don’t have any issues and articulationis good. There were no snap fitting issues on the front side.
The back skirts however has the issue which came fromBandai ( as mentioned by some of my friends and other builders).
The ball joint of the back skirt tends to pop off fromthe waist’s sockets. You may need to apply something to keep it in place, butdo not glue the whole thing. I used some nail polish on the sockets.
I added some minor detailing here using Uniball Signo metallicgreen.
This is just my opinion based from what I see in the kit’sdesign. But I think that the metal parts on the legs and the one used on thewaist are meant to hold the unit's size. The metal parts will act as weightsand make sure Strike can stand without much difficulty. If the legs were light,there won’t be enough force to pull it down and handle the body’s weight. So,the metal parts in this kit should be checked if missing when you get one.
The parts separation here on the body is really nice andoverwhelming. The detailing for the inner frame is cool that I had expected. Allcredits goes to Bandai for taking things like these into consideration.
So you get to build 3 parts of body’s inner frame. Hereis the middle and I encountered no issues or whatsoever. Pegs aren’t that tight but do not sure forcewhen you feel that it doesn’t fit well. Sand the male pegs or trim the insiderim of the female pegs.
So here is the other part of the body's inner frame. You get to build another for the left side. The detailing and mechanism is really nice. You can see the pistons here, although I'm not sure if they will be visible when the outer armor is put on. Still, it was nicely done by Bandai.
Aside from few tight pegs, everything here is okay. Andyeah, you can’t see the pistons attached on the body’s inner frame. There aresome gaps where you can see the silvery part of the piston though.
Is it me or the body is a bit bulkier compare to its MGversion?:v
I used some Uniball silver on the thruster part.
I forgot to add several parts in here and they were still on the runners.
Okay so you get to build separated sections of the arm as you see on the image above. This gives you more range in articulation. My only concern here is that these sections might get loose over time.
I was told that the manipulators/hands are fragile. Take extra caution whentrimming the nubs on these parts.
I didn't encounter any snap fitting issues here.Everything fits just fine.
I just hate the nub marks because of my low quality cutter.
Anyways, the arms have very good articulation, thanks andcredits again go to Bandai.
Shoulder Armor Unit:
The shoulder armor of the strike is really plain and simplebut the parts separation here makes up for it.
Extra gimmicks were also added here to compliment it being amode of the Perfect Grade line. In here, you can pull the shoulder armor pieceshalfway out. It would be nice if you can add some color on the inner frame whenyou do this gimmick.
The back end of the shoulder can be pulled half-way out. Butthere’s a very minor issue; these white parts has a tendency to be pulled offcompletely from the T-like connector/peg (I forgot the code but I think it’sC20/C21). Not much of an issue on my case.
While trimming the nubs on the V-Fin, the part slipped offfrom my hand. And the cutter slide straight on the side of my left indexfinger.
More reason that I should’ve learned the progressive sandingmethod at an earlier stage during this period.
You will manually place those lead/pins to power up theLED, but it’s not that difficult.
No issues here and everything is good. Just be sure youdon’t glue the back piece of the head’s armor you won’t be able to turn on/offthe LED.
Well it was nice of Daban to place in some button cell to light up the LED. You also get another led (yellow) which is a big help if you will get the PG Strike Freedom. As I recall, the LED's color on PG SF is green.
Here's what the Strike's head looks like when connected to the body.
I haven't cleaned the excess ink on the shoulder. Just ignore it. :v
I added some minor detailing here using Uniball Signo silver and metallic green.
Shield:
The shield was huge. lol
Parts separation here is so-so but there were no snap fitting issues which is okay.
The shield features a nice gimmick where you can close thatsmall hole on the middle. Same conceptused in soldiers or crowd-control policemen.
Grand Slam Sword/ Armor Schneider:
I was curious and I checked the manual before I startedbuilding the Grand Slam sword. And yeah, the Grand Slam sword can be folded :D
No issues here except for the visible nub marks when youcut it off from the runner.
The Armor Schneider doesn’t have any issues aside fromthe flashes. My concern here is that it was too plain. I think it was better ifthey have designed it with a white plastic blade and a dark gray handle.
I don’t know any reason what is the possible story behindthe PG kits. Bandai decided not to give any waterslide decals in them. But Ithink it was better if each model comes with a sheet of it. Thinking howdetailed the Perfect Grade gunpla models are, I think it was just suited thatWSD gives that nice factor when builders try to add more detail instead of theclear sticker.
Anyways, the stickers were not that bad, but not that good either. I will usethe sheet because Strike was too plain without it.
Wow, it was really huge. O_O
At least I get to imagine what the PG Strike Freedom would be like when Iplaced it on my table.
Strike is a bit heavy as well and I’m not sure if the model has the same weightlike MG Ex-S (630 grams I think).
Weight distribution from body to waist to legs is nice soyou can stand him up with ease.
This is my usual routine again. Articulation is really nice and you can see that the legs can be lifted up this far. Even with the shoulder armors attached, the arms can still have that nice range of movement with much problem.
Sorry if some of the pictures were blurry. The upper part of the lens is loose.
So here's my rating for Daban Model's PG Strike
Plastic Quality: 6.5/10
I would say it good, but not that really well. Theplastic quality was already bad and my nub-removing skills just made it worse.
Snap Fitting: 7/10
Several tight parts but there were no stress marks duringbuilding and I am relieved about it. I could have given it a higher rating ifthe issue on the back skirt was treated by Daban rather than copying Bandai'serror.
Articulation: 9/10
I will not give such a high rating if I didn't experiencethe actual range the model has. Most of the parts are divided into sections andeach section has a certain articulation to boast off, giving Strike good posingrange. (Although I will admit I am bad with posing ^^" )
The inner frame mechanism/structure designed by Bandaihelped a lot to extend the range of articulation for this model.
Gimmicks: 8/10
Strike Gundam is a simple MS, but because of the PGtreatment it can now show off some nice "open-hatch” feats you don't getto see much in the MG line. Paint these visible inner frames when you open upsome of these armor plates, and Strike is a good model to display.
Weapons: 7/10
I'm supposed to give a lower number. The strike Gundamdoesn't have much weaponry but the kit included a Beam Rifle, a Shield, and aGrand Slam Sword which you don't usually get in both HG and MG. That means you’rejust one Aile pack short to make the model look even cooler. ^_^
(I could be wrong with this Grand Slam Sword info so please correct me)
Extras: 5/10
You get another button cell battery for the LED and amini fig of Kira. This fig isn’t the same size you get in Destiny EBM. It’sjust a bit larger from the ones you get in MG kits. Lol
It would have been nice if there's anaction base/base stand included. But given the info that Strike Gundam is aversatile ground-based unit, I think it was just fair it doesn’t have one.
Also, I hate the clear stickers even if the quality wasn’t bad. I haven’t seenany decals meant for PG’s or maybe I just lack info about it. Still, I hopeBandai starts releasing PG kits with WSD’s.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
I would have given it a 9 if the back skirts weren't afailure and the plastic quality is the same with the newer models they havereleased. It can’t be helped though since this was an old mode. :/
But the articulation and other gimmicks really pulled itoff – it was remarkably amazing IMHO.
I would recommend this kit for those who would like topaint it. The nub marks will be covered that way. I will admit I haven’t triedupgrading my skills specially in cleaning the nubs, so I’m sure you will do betterthan me. >_>
But if you have deeper pockets, then go Bandai. The onlyissue is that loose back skirt right?
I may have missed some info on this review and will tryto edit this section from time to time whenever I remember something ordiscover something.
If you guys have questions or you found any typos, or anywrong information I have used, please do comment it.
I hope this small review have helped you if you want to get Daban’s PG Strike.:)