HGGS 1/144 Gundam Astray Gold Frame MBF-P01

So, this is one of the few times that I actually shelled out money for a limited-run or special run kit. The reasons for this are simple: I wanted to replicate my old Astray 1/100 set, so I could, well, sell off the larger set. I have to admit, it's more of a space-saving thing, so there's quite a bit of regret.

On the other hand, There are some features about the 1/144 Gold Astray that makes it better than the 1/100 version.

Links:
1/100 Gold Frame Astray
1/100 Amatsu Mina / 1/144 Amatsu Mina
Gundam Seed Entries


1) The body is pretty much the same as the originator of this kit series, the Blue Frame, so there's no need to go through all of it. Suffice to say, the only new things for this kit is the "stump" for the right arm (apparently, it lost an arm early on), and the bazooka that's supposed to go to the Duel Gundam. Otherwise, this is just a color variant of the Red Astray.

2) Thankfully, the Gold Frame can actually carry all the hardware around, though my main complaint would be that the white cylinders on the bazooka are covered with stickers that don't match the contours underneath. It may be a better idea not to use them.

3) In the 1/100 version of the kit, the shoulder armor plate is independent of the shoulder, as it rotates around the shoulder post. This allowed the shoulder armor to align correctly with the shoulder rest area of the bazooka.

In the 1/144, the shoulder armor is mounted on the shoulder itself. The bazooka's shoulder rest now is put in an awkward position on the shoulder. It's a little detail that has quite an effect on how you can mount the bazooka. For one thing, you should put the backpack on the "down position," like when it is with the flight pack on, just so the saber hilt won't get in the way of a good pose.

4) Now, I've managed to get attach my old HGGS 1/144 Blitz's right arm and shield to the right shoulder post, making this technically a prototype for the Amatsu Mina Astray. As expected, the arm is slightly shorter, so it's not an equal thing.

Here's also where I like the 1/144 better than the 1/100 version: Thanks to the new clip mount for the katana, I can now mount the katana on the right hip. This makes more sense, given the shield.

5) As you can see in this photo, you can actually portray the Astray Gold as about to draw the sword left-handed.

6) When the Gold Astray is getting ready to slash something else.