Gundam Aerial" Review! FULL MECHANICS 1/100 Gundam Aerial" Review! The quality is shocking compared to the HG version!

The anime "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witch of Mercury" aired last fall and created quite a stir. A 1/100 scale kit of the Gundam Aerial, the main mobile suit in the series, has now made its debut! Akiba Research Institute's Editor A immediately picked one up and reviewed it!

Season 2 of "Mobile Suit Gundam: Witches of Mercury," which began airing in April, has been going strong. The first season, however, focused on the school life of the main character, Sletta Mercury, so the content was relatively calm (although there was always an air of disquiet from the beginning...). (although there was always a sense of disquiet in the air from the beginning...).

The plastic model "FULL MECHANICS 1/100 Gundam Aerial" (hereafter, FM version), which condenses the charm of the Gundam Aerial, the main character of the first season, into a big 1/100 scale, was released on April 22!

The "HG 1/144 Gundam Aerial" released at the start of the broadcast was also quite an excellent kit, but what kind of finish will this kit really have?

We would like to review it while also comparing it to the "HG 1/144 Gundam Aerial" (hereafter, HG version)!

FULL MECHANICS 1/100 Gundam Aerial: View on Rakuten Ichiba View on Amazon.co.jp

Opening the package!

Let's take a look at the package and contents.

Here is the box art of the Gundam Aerial and the Gambit dancing around it. The Gambit's overwhelmingly impressive performance was also impressive in the play.

Basically, color-coding is handled only with molded colors, so the only stickers are marking stickers.

The HG version of the Gambit was much talked about for its in-mold molded shell unit that is printed directly on the plastic parts, but in this kit, the shell unit is represented by covering clear parts on top of metallic parts.

The camera part of the head is made into a metallic green part. I didn't realize that even these parts are reproduced in molded colors!

The effect parts of the beam saber and beam rifle are made of clear blue material. They seem to emit a little light when illuminated with a black light.

So, let's start assembling it!

Check it out with a bare assembly!

Here is the figure assembled straight! It is large!

One of the features of this kit is that most of the parts are under-gated, so even when assembled straight, the gate marks (marks left when the parts are separated from the runner) are hardly noticeable. In this case, I used a file to remove the gate marks and parting lines left on the toes and antennae, and I also adjusted the dents (dents that occur when molding plastic parts) that inevitably occur due to the overall size of the parts. In other words, it is enough to take care of them!

Her face is as you can see. Although the antennae are not so sharp to begin with, the silhouette is still quite edgy, giving it a fearless impression.

From the back. The fuselage is a simple tricolor, but the intricate lines intertwine to create a sense of density. The joints between the parts are hidden by the laminated armor or incorporated into the detailing, making them almost invisible.

Next, let's check the movability!

Let's start with the head.

There are no parts that interfere with the head, so you can freely turn the head up, down, left and right.

The arms can be raised directly above the head and can also be raised 90 degrees to the side.

Both arms can be angled forward and upward at the base of the shoulders.

The arms can normally only be bent about 90°. ......

The forearms also have a roll axis, so when they are rotated, the arms can be bent to such a large degree!

The waist can be rotated laterally and flexed forward and backward. In doing so, the parts of the abdomen also move in tandem, making it gimmicky and fun.

The legs can be opened and the hips can be rotated as shown here. There is almost no interference between the parts, so the action can be performed comfortably.

The knees can be folded this deeply, and the toes are movable as shown here! The ankles can be rotated sideways, and can also be bent forward.

Thanks to this, poses like this are possible!

The yellow parts of the hips and knees move in conjunction with the bending of the knees. It's a very fine trick!

The part connecting the legs can be swung back and forth. This allows you to recreate poses with her hips thrust forward and her body bent over as if she were in flight.

The soles of the feet are also color-coded and have no holes to remove flesh! There are no gaps at all.

The "Escatcheon," the unique armament of the Gundam Aerial, had to be color-coded with stickers and paint in the HG version, but in the 1/100 version, all parts are color-coded with molded colors.

Of course, the separation mechanism is also no problem!

Beam saber. The beam saber unit can be removed from the rack on the back and held in the hand.

Beam rifle. There are no pins or anything to secure it to the palm of your hand, so make sure to hold it firmly with your thumb.

By attaching the effect parts, you can recreate the beam firing state. This effect part is also long and large, so it looks very powerful!

Change to bit-on form!

By attaching the Gundam Aerial's Gambit to its main body, you can of course recreate its bit-on form, which gives the Gundam Aerial increased mobility.

The Gundam Aerial looks sleek in its bare form, but in its bit-on form, the overall volume has been increased. It is strange that only a few parts have been added.

The waist parts are larger, giving it the appearance of flying!

By docking the gun bit to the beam rifle, it can be powered up to a "long barrel beam rifle" with long range and high power.

By connecting an attachment to the beam rifle, it can be mounted on a backpack.

The hand parts are as shown here. By replacing the fingertips, you can add multiple hand expressions.

Comparison with HG1/144 Gundam Aerial!

Here, let's compare with the HG version.

The HG version on the right has been smeared and coated with a matte topcoat, but the form has not been modified. Naturally, the size is totally different.

Overall, the FM version on the left looks more macho. Also, the HG version has a slightly smaller face, while the FM version has a larger face and looks younger. I think this one is closer to the depiction in the anime.

HG1/144 Gundam Aerial: See at Amazon.co.jp

The left photo shows the shoulder of the FM version. The right photo is the shoulder part of the HG version. The shell unit of the HG version was treated with foil stickers, but the FM version is properly composed of metallic parts and clear parts, and has the same specifications as the shell unit of the other parts.

Undercarriage. The big difference is the coloring of the heels. In the HG version on the right, the heel parts are integrated, but in the FM version on the left, they are separate parts.

The arms are bent as shown here. The FM version on the left can be folded more deeply by changing the direction of the arms.

Standing pose. The HG version on the right is doing a good job, but the FM version on the left can take the same position as in the key visual thanks to the movable toes. The flexion of the abdomen is also excellent, allowing for a more natural pose.

The HG version is a great enough kit considering its size, but the FM version shows that it has been finished with even greater precision.

Marking stickers & smeared & glossy finish further increase the degree of completion!

To further increase the level of perfection, the included marking stickers were applied, further smeared, and finished with a glossy topcoat. Gundam Aerial is more like an industrial product than a muddy weapon, so I decided to use a shiny glossy finish instead of smudging.

By spraying the glossy topcoat, the shell unit looks even more luminous.

The effect of the smeared finish also made the face look much tighter.

I personally love marking stickers because they are easier to apply than decals. However, since the stickers are very adhesive, it is more difficult to adjust the sticking position than with decals. Use tweezers to apply them, being careful not to tilt them.

The amount of information has been increased with the inclusion of the smiling and marking stickers. It gives a sense of functional beauty. ...... Note that the Smileys are basically poured enamel paint, but for the molds along the joints, I used "for Gundam Marker Smileys" to avoid damaging the parts.

Bit on form. There is a connection hole for an action base in the crotch area, so the figure can be displayed like this.

If you use two sets of "Mercury Witch Weapon Display Base" (sold separately), you can reproduce the Gambit flying state.

A gimmick original to the FM version is the deployment of the Escutcheon. The tip of the escutcheon can be extended to the left or right, allowing you to create your original action poses!

Let's start with some action poses.

So, that's our review of the "FULL MECHANICS 1/100 Gundam Aerial"!

The work time is about 4 to 5 hours if you want to assemble it straight away. Even with detailed processing, it takes about 2 to 3 days to finish, so it would be perfect for building during the Golden Week holidays.

Compared to one time, Gunpla is becoming easier to obtain, so please give it a try!