Bandai Hobby BAN230363 Char's Counterattack Sazabi RG 1/144 Model Kit, Red

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In the latest installment of a new Bit here, we’re reviewing Bandai’s gunpla, a model kit of a robot from the Gundam universe. It’s a little outside our usual coverage, and there might be some light spoilers for the anime. This week: Bandai’s Real Grade Sazabi In the show

Standing 18cm, the RG Sazabi towers over other 1/144 scale kits (12-13cm). The wide cowls along the feet, enlarged tail binder and massive shoulders and fuel tanks further add to the bulk of the design. The RG Sazabi truly dwarfs other models in the 1/144 scale. Lines which depict a place where one panel overlaps another have no depth at all, which in most cases make a line extremely difficult to define with the paint (this may be an area where the marker would work better, but I’m not interested in testing that hypothesis on this kit)I know I keep yammering about how heavy these metal parts are, but now that it’s 95% assembled, I really can’t stress enough what a dense piece this is. This is the Gundam Base Exclusive clear version, but it is structurally identical to the normal RG Sazabi. I happen to have brain worms about how cool clear kits are, but if you’re new to this and want one, it’s worth noting that the clear plastic Bandai uses tends to be much harder and more brittle than their usual materials, to the point where it will dull knives and has been known to shatter nippers. Put away the God Hands for this and use a beefier set of cutters. Still, it’s helpful for this review because it lets me show off the internal mechanical details without having to wrestle the armor off. And there is a lot of mechanical detail. I started this kit with zero experience with any kind of customization or finishing. I was a snap-builder through and through. But after seeing the scale with this I started to realize this kit deserved more than I was yet capable of. I didn’t go crazy by any means, but I am extremely happy with my choices for finishing.

Not only was this kit gifted to me by a friend along with several others, and the one my 8-year-old has been most excited for because “it’s so buff,” but it represents a few firsts for me in the short time I’ve been enjoying this hobby;

This absolute unit of a model kit is every Gundam builders dream, words cannot describe how much fun I had in assembling this kit. There are some challenges, like fitting all of the pins and pylons up exactly between two opposing shell parts. No different than the difficulties you’d expect with their plastic counterparts, but obviously since there’s no give in the metal whatsoever it just takes a bit of finesse to get it right. Aside from that, some of the plastic pieces are an extremely tight fit into the holes on the metal parts, but while that’s frustrating going together it will be for the best in the long run. It’s also very easy to cross thread the cheap screws included in the metal kit, so it’s worth taking the extra steps to spin them left a few turns before sinking them. After seeing how an improperly handled decal starts to flake, I decided to invest in some Mr. Super Clear Matt top coat spray. I was pleasantly surprised to find some at a local chain hobby store. I also grabbed some alligator clips while I was there. Now that I have settled on adding still another step to my finishing process I’m certain that I’ll never finish the build and this post will never see the light of day…