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1/144 V-Dash Gundam
General and Technical Data:
Series: Gundam Victory
Title: 1/144 V-Dash Gundam
Release Date: May 2000
Suggested Price: ¥ 700
No. of Parts: 145 + Film Stickers
Plastic Colors: Blue, Yellow, White, Gray, Red, Yellow and Transparent Pink
Gimmicks: Core Fighter, Display Stand
Introduction:
The Victory Gundam 1/144 models are cheap. They are no-grade. They are old. Those are three strikes--and they're pretty big. Fortunately for us, these models are exceptionally well-made. They're detailed, colorful, and very-posable and come with a ton of accessories. In short--they're a perfect deal.
Head:
The head is a simple affair: two pieces for either side of the skull, a single V-Fin molded in yellow plastic (there are actually 2) that plugs into a hole in the forehead, a polycap at the base for the neck, and a nice--though frustratingly small--sticker with two tiny green eyes.
Torso:
The torso is very simple and molded in blue and white plastic. A large backpack with movable thruster and the two large (also movable) beam cannons attaches firmly to the rear of the torso. Once you add the stickers to these parts you get an image that is virtually identical to what you see in the Victory Gundam anime; add some panel-lines--if you can find a narrow enough pen or brush--and you'll soon find yourself with something that looks near-perfect.
Arms:
The arms are really cool. They've got some nice, narrow panel molding and they're really flexible. Each arm also has a small red "beam shield" that folds out from the main part of the forearm two which you can easily attach the amazingly-detailed beam shield--that has nearly as much detail as the 1/100 models from F91 and Victory. You only get a single set of hands for grasping the weapons (beam rifles, sabers, etc.) which is a bit unfortunate, but it's a forgivable omission.
Legs:
The legs are quite nice too; they're molded in red and white plastic and have a good deal of mobility, even if they only have a single joint at the knee, and can be set into virtually any pose that you can imagine. The feet cannot be angled too sharply to either side, which might make for some difficulty with standing-poses, but since the model comes with a spiffy little display stand it's hardly an issue.
Weapons and Accessories:
Where to start... you have a nice single-piece dark-gray beam rifle, a beautifully-molded clear pink beam shield, a large beam cannon (I'm not sure exactly what it's called) a couple of beam sabers (which, not-surprisingly, are single pieces of white plastic that require painting to look halfway-decent) and the V-Dash equipment. It looks marvellous and gives you lots of variety when it comes to setting up your model. You also get the parts to make a small core fighter (though the V-Dash equipment cannot be attached) which is a really cool thing to have. The core fighter is molded in white plastic (I painted mine black for the "coolness" factor) except for the spare yellow V-Fin that can be attached to the recessed gundam head in the center (or core) of the fighter. The best accessory is, by far, the clear plastic stand. It's molded in clear pink plastic and has two solid pieces. It's sturdy, it's big, and it allows you to do all kinds of things with your model.
Conclusion:
I wasn't expecting too much with this model, so I was very pleased with what I got. No, that's an understatement; I was floored. The quality of the V-Dash Gundam for the price is astounding. I have zero complaints about the model and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who likes Victory Gundam or anything Gundam-related at all. Buy it. Buy it now. You won't regret it.
Rating: 5/5
