1/144 Force Impulse Gundam (FG)

Introduction

Wow, this Gundam was definitely time consuming for its grade. I know, I know. I shouldn’t be spending too long on simple First Grade kits, but I just can’t help it. I enjoy making sure that each panel line is done near perfectly, while also ensuring that all the pieces are tightly together. All of that being kept into mind, as I also would remove excess plastic from these kits — doing the best I could to ensure that things are near perfect in terms of presentation. But nonetheless, on with the kit. This kit will definitely be a favorite of mine, because I tend to lean towards Gundams with wing-like extensions (e.g. Aile Strike Gundam, Force Impulse Gundam, Freedom Gundam, etc.).

Construction

Besides spending about 8hrs. on this Gundam all together, the parts snapped into place with remarkable ease. There weren’t too many pieces of excess plastic to be shaved off, as well as that of too much touching up. I mean, it is after all a FG kit. Lol. So yes, construction was easy. I did take a break mid-way, because I was tired from panel-lining. But m’eh. It is what it is. There’s not much to talk about in this category.

Paint / Panel-Lining

Now THIS would be where a lot of the time was spent at. The panel-lining. Being that I lack a fine-enough point pen to do the panel-lines correctly the first time, I have to use the regular old ‘ultra-fine’ Gundam marker; proceed with going over it with a rubber eraser to get rid of the excess. I have a feeling I’m going to be doing this for a while, until I get one. Disappointing it may be, it so far seems to always come out looking nice and clean cut. And that is after all, the look that I’m going for. As for paint, not very much was done. A dab of green on the eyes and scope for the beam assault rifle, red upon the wings of the given Silhouette Pack, and black for a highlight on the beam assault rifle. So all and all, not too much paint was distributed.

Pictures

Final Rating of Kit (Overall): 8.9 / 10

Building this kit, was definitely a blast in the process. All and all, I believe it not only shines out from the rest of the SEED line’s 1/144 scale FG’s — BUT! I also feel, that it does its job the most beautifully. With panel lines all over, along with the nice set of extras? This kit is just too fun. However! There are a few drawbacks that I was exactly too happy about. For an example, the the shield could have definitely been done a bit differently. Or at least broken into different pieces. Another thing that I wasn’t too happy about, was how the beam sabers lacked mounts for possible blade extensions. But then again, I have to remember that this is a FG. Not a HG (high grade). So yeah. Anyway, I enjoyed it. And I sure hope you do as well.