Origin Mobile Suits really appeal to me. Perhaps it is because they are not crazily over the top but instead look very functional and fit-for-purpose in the period in the Gundam timeline in which they appear. Or maybe it’s the large number of Zaku kits we are seeing from Origin. Whatever it is I was quite excited when this was announced. It is my first Dom kit ever. How appropriate that it is the Dom Test Type?

Overall Look: 10/10







This thing looks old-school and I love it. The oddly shaped head,



the rounded shoulders leading down to the larger waist and then the bell-bottom legs…



It’s just so round. Round is comforting. Round is safe. Round is pleasant.

Colours: 10/10



Along with that smooth shape the Dom also comes in some very subdued colours. The colours they do use don’t clash with each other and while they are colours that wouldn’t spring to mind if I was designing a colour scheme for a MS like the Dom I don’t see a need to change anything. Prominently a darker, almost black, colour it’s accented by the lighter, almost white, colour found on the upper arms and upper legs.





And with just a dash of red in there as well.

There are some nice panel lines on the upper legs as well. And if you think there is too much of one colour in an area you do have all those stickers to break that up.

Weapons: 8/10



One blade and one bazooka. Not necessarily a huge array of weapons but they still work well and in fact fit with the Dom’s characteristics.

The blade of the sabre isn’t a clear plastic like the Beam Sabers found on other kits but is instead a solid red colour. This is because it’t not a Beam Saber at all but Heat Saber.



You can even mount it to the Dom’s back by sliding it through the opening in the backpack.





I like this pose.



That bazooka, tho…



It



is



so



heavy!



Articulation: 10/10 (see above. Just kidding.)



Articulation is fantastic on this guy.



And I had no problems balancing it in some ridiculous ways.



Generally with a kit with a huge lower body such as the Dom has less articulation would be forgiven if not expected however Bandai has designed this guy to have more articulation than many other, less bulky, kits.

Build Design: 10/10



I think this kit really stands out from a design standpoint given that it looks simple and somewhat clumsy even. You can do almost anything you want with it (as shown above) thanks to how they have designed the lower body. They have dual jointed the knee and spread those joints apart.





This means you can spread the legs quite wide while keeping the feet flat on the floor and maintaining a steady base.



Of course, he’ll stand just fine a more normal way as well.



And the range of movement in his elbow and shoulder is lust as good as what is found in the legs.







There is nothing to complain about when it comes to this guy’s design.

Fun Factor: 10/10



I never really go gaga for HG when there are other options like MG and RG but for some reason just sitting back and assembling the Dom was a really fun experience. Being an HG kit with the much simpler build there were no areas of real frustration though putting all those markings on was a bit of a challenge but that could be because I’m really strict with myself when it comes to marking placement.



The Dom is also one of those kits that is much more fun to play with than it is to build so the experience as a whole is a very good one.

Extras: 8/10



You do get extra parts for you to assemble the Space Type Dom if you wish but I went with the more eye-catching Ground Type. Aside from that the big bonus with this kit, as mentioned before, is the sizeable marking sheet. Once you’ve got all your markings on the Dom is a looker from all directions. I’ll just note here that the markings you saw on the Bazooka were something I came up with and not something designed by Bandai.



I simply cut some of the extra white lines off the used marking sticker sheet and laid them on there.







The Dom Test Type is a winner in HG. Everyone who decides to go for it is sure to enjoy it but, you know, I wouldn’t complain if you put out an MG of this big guy, Bandai.



