Retail release Insanity, Part.1

Hello and welcome to our 51st edition of Let’s Talk Gunpla segment! After a few weeks of quietness from the retail side, finally, we get some announcements from the retail side! This time the retail side hitting us hard with not just a few good announcements, they are hitting us hard with A LOT of AWESOME kit announcements!

However, we won’t be covering all of the announcements this week, the amount of awesomeness is just too much this time ‘round so we will split the retail segment to two.

This week, however, we will touch first on the ones that have been getting a lot of attention than most of the other releases we been getting this week. So, you can say that this week is the most interesting part of the announcements that we’ll be talking about. Ha-ha!

So, without further ado, let’s us get to the first announcement, shall we?

HG 1/144 Gundam 00 Diver Ace (HGBD)

Release Date: 2018/06

Estimated price: JPY 1,700* (MYR RM61.12* / USD $15.60*)

*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation

The first one on this list might look strangely familiar to most of you here. Well to those with keen eyes, the reason why it looks strangely familiar is that due to the fact that the first variant of this kit just recently came out.

To most here might be wanting to ask, so, what makes this one any different? If we are honest? Really nothing much….. well, if there is anything different that you’ll get in this version, is that this variant of the Gundam 00 Diver comes together with the Diver Ace Unit already, really that’s about it. So, to those that are interested in getting both the Gundam 00 Diver with the Diver Ace System, well now you can wait for this version to come out in this coming June but to those that have owned the OO Diver and have already PO’ed the Diver Unit, well you can skip this one out.

Since all of us here does fall into the latter category would definitely get this. Since we do feel that this is a more complete variant in between the two.

However we do think there is a reason for someone that has gotten the 00 Diver to get this kit, but it’s not for the reasons that you think. We feel the only reason Bandai are making this variant feels worthwhile getting comes in a form of an extra clear part on top of the one that you already get before. Don’t believe us? Here is the picture proof.

Bandai, sometimes we wonder what goes through your mind when planning for kit releases, You do tend to make life quite interesting for all of us here. Thanks, for that.

HG 1/144 RX-160S Byarlant (HGUC)

Release Date: 2018/07

Estimated price: JPY 2,210* (MYR RM79.45* / USD $20.27*)

*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation

The next on the list is a kit that we have been looking forward to since the release of the Byarlant Custom back in November 2012. We thought at the time, that we might be getting the Byarlant a few months after the launch of the Byarlant Custom since we felt that there isn’t much from the Byarlant Custom that they would have to change to make the normal Byarlant possible. Again we were left waiting after the Twilight axis version of the Byarlant was released.

Only after 6 years, we are finally getting it. Though it is a long wait and after seeing how awesome the Byarlant look, we really do feel that the wait was worth it.

Really how one wouldn’t love the look of this, because really the Byarlant looks pretty awesome. It is obvious from the offset that this kit is based on the previously released Byarlant Custom, with Byarlant given its original headpiece and arm unit, Bandai managed to make this kit looks the closest to the one that we saw in the anime (not to mention they remove the extra propellant tanks from the Custom here too). We really honestly, prefer the original looks as compared to the ones seen in both the Unicorn series and the Twilight Axis (Though they still looked pretty badass). The reason for this is because the original ZZ variant does look a lot more menacing and sinister. Unlike the other variants, whereas they look to be more….good guy-ish.

No matter what our reasons are, now though all of us here finally have a pretty solid reason to get all the Byarlant variants now. It’ll be really nice to have all of them lined up on display.

We just hope we can still get the Twilight Axis Version still.

MG 1/100 RGM-89 Jegan (MG)

Release Date: 2018/06

Estimated price: JPY 3,400* (MYR RM122.01* / USD $31.08*)

*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation

Finally, after a long wait, we finally have the MG Jegan to complete the Char Counterattack MG kit series! With the announcement of this MG kit, it effectively knocked MG F91 off the top spot of our most anticipated MG kits of 2018!

Why did this manages to do that, well for starters you really can’t deny that this looks brilliant, inside and out. It is obvious that everything that we are seeing here is a new mount, the outer frame, the inner frame and the equipments are all new. Really almost nothing here is based on an existing MG kit, unlike the F91 which in most parts does look like it is based on the previous one with minor changes here and there.

However, we have to be honest here, back when we heard the of the announcement for the MG Jegan, we thought that this might share some traits of the Jesta. We were glad to know that finally, we get something new that might be worth spending money on for once.

Unfortunately, not all is good with the Jegan, there are some issues when we all take a long hard look at the manipulator system for the Jegan. Unlike the Jesta which used the excellent MG 3.0 manipulators system, the Jegan however opted to use the……GM Command/Sniper II style fixed manipulators system which, lets us be honest here, sucks ass, well starting to suck ass anyways.

Look, we really have no issues with the fixed manipulator system that most MG kits have nowadays but, we are bothered that they opted to use one that has all of us here starting to not be a big fan of the GM Command Fixed manipulators system. Honestly, there is better fixed manipulators system out there that they had for other MG kits, like the one they used on the SEED MG Remastered series We just don’t really get it on why that they still decided to use this one, I really just don’t get it. Regardless of what we feel about it, we still think that this is looking to be a quite a promising MG kit.

and so with this…..

RG 1/144 MSN-04 Sazabi (RG)

Release Date: 2018/08

Estimated price: JPY 3,825* (MYR RM137.98* / USD $34.86*)

*The price is subject to change, depending on the situation

one.

This we must be honest, we weren’t expecting to see in an RG form, at all. We honestly thought that we’ll get the Sazabi first as a PG before we get it in the RG form. Even with all the information we’ve seen and head that told us otherwise, we still vehemently believed that we still get this in PG, well that is up until we heard it officially from Bandai

But it is not to say we aren’t happy to see the Sazabi in RG form.

Regardless of what we all here feel, we really can’t deny that the RG Sazabi does look pretty awesome and from what we can see here, the RG Sazabi does come equipped with some pretty neat gimmicks. The more realistic look of the sazabi does help to win hearts here in the KTB Homebase, however, from what we can see here, we do find that the different shades of red on the sazabi does make some parts of the kit looks, hella a lot smaller then its MG or HG counterparts. Though, we do admit that this is our own opinion by an assumption made from looking at the promotional pictures only. We do hope that this is not the case and it’s just us being silly.

From what we can see here it does seem like the sazabi is getting the full ‘build from the ground up treatment’ from Bandai and that really makes us hope that this would be as good and as solid as the unicorn. Though we really can’t deny that we are as well worried that the Sazabi might end up like the previous RG Zaku R2.

No matter which path this kit takes, it does seem we are going to have a very interesting august release here in our hands, we really can’t wait to see this hits our shores soon and you can bet your asses we would (try to) be the first ones to get this mofo.

August we really can’t wait for you to come.

With that ends our 51st episode of our Let’s Talk Gunpla segment. Here is a few of the kit from the Retail side that is getting interest from all of us here, although there are some reservations that we have with some of the announcements, but honestly, we would still be getting them anyways (since we are Gunpla nuts). Anyways do let us know here of what from these kits that you are looking forward in getting or seeing more of and just know that we always look forward in reading and responding to your comments and thoughts of the kits and as well to this post!

We will be back with more Let’s Talk Gunpla Segment on the next coming Wednesday and we will be back as well this Sunday with a new Unboxing and First Impressions. This is week, Kimi would again be taking on something not gunpla, and one that has been getting some love from a lot of PLAMO builders! I you are interested to know more, do look forward to that unboxing!

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We hope by sharing our love and passion for gunplas here, it’ll inspire you to pick up the hobby or reignite your love for gunpla!

Anyways, we shall see all of you again next week, and we hope that you all have an awesome week and weekend ahead! Have an awesome Gunpla building time there as well and until next time!

Ciao!