1/100 HCM-Pro Nightingale (3rd-party)

[supergetterv]

Apr 1, 2014 4:53:18 GMT -5 Mark said:

I'm surprised too that the matte actually costs more than the gloss- the gloss is more of a metallic coating if anything, and the shade of color between it and the matte are completely different (the gloss has a deeper, more vibrant red, whereas the matte is more salmon). If anything, the matte version's color looks almost exactly like the original model kit's plastic shade, so it might just be a clear matte topcoat rather than a new layer of paint:



If this were a release by any other toy company, the gloss version should cost more.  Not to mention, the paint scheme is more complex on the gloss version since certain parts (all the black and white) are kept matte too, while the red is candy-coated, yet everything is matte on the matte version.

The only way I can see this pricetag discrepancy making any sense is if the matte version was a more limited production or exclusive release akin to Tamashii Webshop items.  This would explain why the gloss version can be found on multiple sites while the matte version can only be found at Taobao.

Modellers usually prefer matte finish when it comes to model kits. The gloss coat, even when it is shiney metallic give the figure too much of a plastic feel. Most of the time, for Bandai Gundam kits, if you just do a straight out of box build and don't paint the kit, the plastic itself already has some sort of glossy look. Which gives the figure too much of a plastic feel. By just hitting the kit with a matte top coat, even without paint, for me, looks much better and even have the look that it was painted.

[Mark]

So I just got mine.  I'll try to do an unboxing tonight, maybe later.  But man, you thought Riobot boxes were big? 

[Mark]

Okay, got to taking it out of package, and it definitely shows that this was made by a third party company. First off, there are no instructions whatsoever, so have fun figuring out where all the side skirt armors go and such. There are also various scattered small parts that may fall out of the package unnoticed too like the small metal thrusters, so keep a clear work area when unboxing. The parts in the trays that you have to put together onto the main body have poor fitment since each connection peg has paint sprayed over it, there are paint scratches and blemishes scattered throughout the figure, and although a LOT of work was put in to fix the flaws of the model (i.e. eliminate the seam lines, which they actually used putty), there are still some armor parts that don't really fit together on the figure. Joints are also very inconsistent with their tightness, but nothing that really affects the figure's stability (and let's be honest here, Nightingale is a brick by nature). There's also the issue of the plastic bags all over the figure- I appreciate the paint protection, but the plastic is wedged between balljoint connections on the ankles and neck- the one on the neck is especially troublesome to remove.

With that being said though, the shade of matte salmon paint that is used is gorgeous, as are the tampo-printed decals. There's also a fair amount of resin pieces, like the gun, hands, and butt stand. The plastic is also very weird- it's the thickest I've ever encountered on any plastic kit/toy, and I almost confused it for resin. The light-up eyes are nice, but you'll have to get your own batteries (and figure out how to remove the cover without breaking the head off the neck joint). And once you get the figure together, the presence is undeniable.

You do have to put in a bit of elbow grease to get this figure together. Sanding down tight joints and tightening up loose joints and connections are essential to getting it together, or else you'll break something.

Overall, it was more or less what I expected. It is most definitely not a figure that can be compared to companies like Bandai, but it's no worse than anything CM's Corporation and Megahouse have turned out. And keep in mind, this is a pre-built model kit, not a toy. I'd say that it's worth the pricetag for the sheer size heft and amount of metal alone, and although some work is required to put it together, it's NOTHING compared to the hell that is the model kit.

I'll put up some pictures in about two weeks- I currently have to pack this guy away because we're in the process of moving.

[Mark]

I finally got the whole thing together.  My God, it was a pain in the ass.  Lots of joint tightening and loosening, and minor surface sanding to remove some really bad excess panel lines.  The gorgeous matte paint is much more resistant than that of GFF or GFFMC figures though, so nothing major was scratched off.

For a model kit, this figure has the thickest plastic I've ever encountered on any figure, model, or toy out there.  You don't really have to worry about breaking anything, but be wary of small parts that may get lost like the metal thrusters.

Size is ridiculous.  Not extremely tall, but makes up for it with its ridiculous bulk.  This figure is pretty much designed to be a centerpiece.  Even the massive Metal Composite Psycho Gundam beats this thing only in height.  MG Heavyarms has nothing on it. 




I'd like to take higher quality pictures later on, but I have yet to figure out how to fit it in my photo booth.

[zeomare]

it looks like they are useing the 1/60 G-system Gerbera Tetra Color Cast Resin Gun for its main gun interesting choice but it looks like it works perfectly. As for your booth what kind do you have? i was able to fit it in my Ikea Detolf but i had to leave the fuel tanks off the back.

[Mark]

May 3, 2014 15:32:34 GMT -5 zeomare said:

it looks like they are useing the 1/60 G-system Gerbera Tetra Color Cast Resin Gun for its main gun interesting choice but it looks like it works perfectly. As for your booth what kind do you have? i was able to fit it in my Ikea Detolf but i had to leave the fuel tanks off the back.

Haha, looks like you're right about the gun!  I knew I saw it from somewhere before, but I couldn't put my finger on it.  It is a pretty good choice though since the Nightingale's actual beam rifle according to most interpretations was similarly shaped to this one too (particularly the handle on top of the barrel) and it resembles it more than the plastic model version.  Though it does make me a bit surprised that R-Center would be stealing G-System's work when they could have easily designed something like this themselves and their Nightingale was their sculpt in the first place.

As for my display booth, it's only a foot long outward, and this thing is much bigger than that. 

Do you have the kit or the pre-assembled model like mine?  It's always good to have second opinions.

[zeomare]

i no i bought the normal kit and painted it quite nicely and customized it with metal upgrade parts and custom decals. the plastic was difficult to work with it was really thick and had lots of seam lines which were a b*tch to sand down. after i got out of gundam last year i sold it on ebay got a few hundred for it.

[ulessa]

Seeing that just makes me want a better Hi Nu release (Ver ka anyone?)

[zeomare]

there was a nice 1/100 MC model which i love that is still easy to find. it is based on the 1/100 Vicious Project version you should check it out