Yep kids, another update already. As I said previously, I’m really behind with documenting my builds, and I just finally had some time to snap some pictures. So here’s the Astray Red Frame.

I really just bought this kit because I looked at it online one day, and an idea for a pose popped into my head that I couldn’t get rid of until I got the kit. Turns out, though, I really like this one, and I may get the PG someday. If and when I prove to myself that I can paint another PG and not just the Unicorn, that is. Anyway, here’s what’s in the box.

As you’d expect, it’s not much. The Astray has a lot of visible inner frame, which means few armor parts. I went with my now-standard method of panel lining everything on the sprues and then cutting/trimming all the parts before assembly here.

In a frankly shocking break with RG tradition, you don’t start the assembly with the feet, because the feet don’t come off the inner frame part for the legs. They do totally have you slap on the foot armor first, though.

There are definitely more parts on the legs than you’d think – the armor pieces layer over one another to create all sorts of interesting visuals. The inner frame is also molded in two different colors, as you can see, which looks pretty striking.

The waist section is a pretty simple affair, other than the opening gimmick that allows for extra poseability. Everything comes in two parts, though, with an inner red piece to add detail, which you probably know by now is something I really like.

The arms are really simple, with barely any armor parts. Also pictured here is the array of hand options. Unfortunately, only the poseable hands come molded in the correct colors, but other than that, the Astray is one of those kits where they got it right, and of course you could paint the fixed-pose hands. Although white over red is a nightmare, and as you can see, I couldn’t be bothered.

The torso also has a good bit more parts than you’d think. You put the arms on first, then the armor parts. I do so like this torso design, and the RG captures it perfectly.

And here are the steps before the Headless Hessian Stage. The shoulder armor is really simple, but it doesn’t appear as boxy as it looks here once the stickers are on and you pose the kit a bit. You also add this waist piece with the side skirts. Nothing fancy here, which is why I grouped these steps together.

Regular readers will also notice you-know-what.

The head is a Real Grade head and so it’s frickin’ beautiful, of course. The v-fin takes a good bit of force to snap on, though, so keep that in mind.

The eyes here are actually just a clear piece. There’s a sticker, but I accidentally destroyed it when I put the parts together, and frankly, it’s not necessary anyway.

The backpack is maybe the most unusual looking part of this MS. It’s super sleek and doesn’t seem to serve much purpose other than holding the beam saber handles.

And here’s the suit all put together sans stickers and weapons. Looks pretty good already, but check out these accessories.

Yeah, that’s a lotta swag. You get two beam sabers, the shield, the beam rifle, the Gerbera Straight katana and sheath, an extra part to mount the sheath on the hip instead of the leg, an action base connector, a pilot miniature and the eight hands I talked about earlier. Now usually I’d complain about the dummy beam saber handles on the backpack, but the more I think about it, the more I come to favor these separate ones with the peg because the folding pegs on other RGs are a nightmare and just don’t friggin’ work. Everything here looks great and works perfectly.

Which is why I took a lot of pictures. This kit is just so easy to work with that it’s hard to resist. Everything clips into what it’s supposed to clip into and stays there. The only issues I had were the toe armor falling off exactly once, and one of the legs popping out of its socket once or twice. Otherwise, I haven’t had an RG photoshoot that went this smoothly since the Mk-II.

I will say, though, that while poseability is certainly serviceable (and it helps that things don’t pop off left and right while you’re posing the kit), it’s not as good as you’d expect it to be given that there’s really no armor to get in the way of anything here. For as spindly as they are, the ankles move very little, the disproportionately long lower thighs make a lot of poses look weird, and a lot of the joints just don’t move the way you’d expect them to and need to be twisted and yanked around to get them into position.

That’s it for my criticisms, though – this kit certainly gets my stamp of approval. It’s fun to build, looks good, poses well, it’s about as sturdy as an RG’s going to get, and it comes with tons of cool accessories. I guess some people are just going to dislike the kit’s overall appearance, but if you like the way it looks, you absolutely need to have this.

Oh, and that pose I bought the kit for? It couldn’t quite pull it off. This is as close as I got.