Review: Gundam HGUC 1/144 RX-79(G) Ez-8, Part 3

I'm not that big a fan of markings and stickers, as I think that at 1/144 scale, it's kind of ridiculous to have such large artwork painted on. However, in this case, I wholeheartedly approve, as the utilitarian/military starkness of the markings appeal to my "realistic" mecha aesthetic (at least when it comes to vehicle artwork).

Now, about the straps for the parachute: Don't be afraid to wrap the stickers around them - the sticker and the strap's material do not form strong adhesive bonds - after some time, you can slide the straps in and out of the sticker buckles. Still, I feel bad that they had to resort to stickers, as the original HG Ez-8 had small plastic buckles that actually worked!

Again, another gripe of mine are the strap handles on the shoulders - in this new version, they are fixed in place, but in the old HG version, they are fully functional, swiveling handles.

The internal calf mounts for the beam sabers is something I highly approve of - after all, it's a mecha, so "non-anthropomorphic" storage space should be no issue.

The beam rifle looks much better to go with the Ez-8, and its design is very much similar to the RX-78 first-gen beam rifle, except that it does not have a swiveling scope, trading it in instead for a vertical-mount fixed sensor. Do take note, though, that the hand grip has a raised area to fit into a slot in the gun hand, so this rifle may not work with some hand types, unless you cut off the raised area.

This is a shot of all the accessories that the basic mecha comes with, aside from the parachute backpack.

I know, some of you may be wondering: why didn't I feature the parachute backpack more? To be honest, there isn't much value in the backpack aside from it being an addition for the accessory completist. What should be noted is that the Ez-8 is compatible with most, if not all 08thMS HGUC accessories and weapons systems, and that includes RG weapons kits. In fact, I would go so far as to say that this kit is perfect for bulking up with all the existing and incoming add-on kit packs.

Is it a good buy? My answer would be: Yes, if you plan to add more stuff to it. As it is, aside from the backpack, it's a bit thin on the accessories. Part of me thinks that a good part of the push for coming out of this kit is based on teh popularity of the mecha itself. However, I really do wish they could have added more weapons, or kept some of the original HG kits details, like the working strap buckles, shoulder strap handles, and the support pistons to display the chest with the front armor disengaged.

Me? I'd buy this kit, simply because it looks cool,and yes, it would be a worthy addition to any collection on looks alone, and would probably be a good competition entry, once you have the right accessories for it.

Update: Click on the following links for the other parts of this multi-part review.

Part 1 - Part 2

 

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