Bandai RG 1/144 Sazabi

Review of RG Sazabi

This kit is worthy of the hype surrounding it. It had big shoes to fill, being inevitably compared to the Master Grade Sazabi Ver. Ka, an outstanding kit by any measure. This kit is smaller, easier to pose with, and less expensive, though it doesn't obsolete the kit it's based on. There are reasons to get both. The designs are different enough, aside from the size and you'd be hard pressed for higher quality kits.To start with, the detail and parts separation on this kit is off the charts - everything you'd want in a different color is. We have two shades of the primary red, with yellow, grey and black details poking through from the frame. Construction is a work of art, blending real grade and master grade techniques. Hot off the heels of the RG Tallgeese and RG ... MoreThis kit is worthy of the hype surrounding it. It had big shoes to fill, being inevitably compared to the Master Grade Sazabi Ver. Ka, an outstanding kit by any measure. This kit is smaller, easier to pose with, and less expensive, though it doesn't obsolete the kit it's based on. There are reasons to get both. The designs are different enough, aside from the size and you'd be hard pressed for higher quality kits.To start with, the detail and parts separation on this kit is off the charts - everything you'd want in a different color is. We have two shades of the primary red, with yellow, grey and black details poking through from the frame. Construction is a work of art, blending real grade and master grade techniques. Hot off the heels of the RG Tallgeese and RG Unicorn Gundam, very much of this inner frame is built up, as opposed to coming mostly pre-assembled. The larger size of this mobile suit lends well to this scale, and as with any real grade kit, there are fragile parts, but if you take your time, clean up the gate marks, and follow the instructions, you'll be fine.The fun and intricacy of the construction yields many excellent gimmicks built into the frame, some of which contribute to very high articulation while others just produce nifty details, like working pistons in the elbows and moving panels... everywhere. The skirting section opens up completely, and the shoulder armor rotates upwards well above the usual range and opens up in the front and back. The arm and leg joints are mounted on moving parts to even further increase the range of motion, some of which is RG standard, but the stability is unprecedented. Importantly, the ankles are rock solid, with a wide range that makes it possible to hold a variety of poses. Locking mechanisms in the upper arms and wrists allow these parts to extend for even more movement while remaining stable. The wrist extension helps tremendously with the bulky Beam Shot Rifle, which has a huge stock that would normally get in the way.Real Grade hands continue to improve, with some great poseable wrist options and excellently proportioned closed fists. The weapon holding hands do their job perfectly. You're not dropping anything once it's equipped, and you don't have to fight with the hands to line things up. Aside from the Beam Shot rifle, you get a pair of Beam Sabers, with just the hilt portions stored in the wrists (a cheat to accommodate more excellent moving part gimmicks in the forearm), and brilliant green effect parts recolored from the RG Sinanju. The Beam Axe is here as well, with multiple configurations based on which beam effects you want to use, and options for mounting it on the shield, which is huge and glorious, but lighter than you'd expect.Lastly, we've got the funnels, and though there are no effect parts for these, it looks like they should be compatible with various stand parts. Each of the six funnels stores properly and securely in the backpack racks, which themselves have interesting opening gimmicks, and the funnels themselves pop open for flight mode.Like the MG, this Sazabi features many opening panels to reveal further details, recreating a high mobility mode not seen in the animation, but it's a nice inclusion nonetheless. The internal and external details on this kit are top notch so another way to display them is appreciated.Bottom line is if you are interested at all in this kit, the design, or a great higher level build, this should be an instant purchase. The only deterrent here should be build difficulty - you definitely would want some experience under your belt to develop good cutting and cleaning techniques, as well as the patience to deal with a few tightly fit parts in small spaces and making sure they are fully inserted (particularly inside the shoulder/torso area).