I’d like to think that I do a pretty good job with what I do, though I am far from perfect. Like everyone else there are times I make mistakes both small and large. I do feel pressure quite often when assembling Gundam kits because many times I have a strict, (sometimes) self-imposed, deadline while other times I’m building kits in front of a camera for all to see. So it was with the RG 00 Raiser build wherein I made an error that I didn’t catch at the time, nor some time after. However, I was unsatisfied with how the kit was performing so I went back in to try and figure out if it was a design flaw or a me flaw. It turned out to be the latter.

I mentioned in the review that the wings hung off the GN Drives quite loosely and this was a disappointment to me. A blight on an otherwise sparkling plastic model. I wanted to know if that was really the case and so I disassembled completely, not the wings of the Raiser, but the GN Drives. It was there I found my mistake, which in my opinion was quite easy to make so I want to bring it to everyone’s attention so others don’t have the problem I did.

The problem came when I put the frame part inside the white base of both GN Drives.



Look at the GN Drive on the left. See how the bottom extension of the frame part is flush with the rim of the white piece? That actually isn’t supposed to be how it assembles though it looks like it was meant to be. The frame part is supposed to go fully, counter-sunk, into the white piece as it is on the GN drive on the right. I didn’t catch it at the time and when I put the white tip of the GN drive part on a gap was created.



When I pushed hard on that white part to close the gap I was actually stressing that improperly placed frame piece but couldn’t see it at the time.

In order to avoid this my best advice is to put that lower extension into the white base part first to make sure it drops fully into place and then push the other two ends in as well.



When done this way the little tab that slides in when the wing is connected goes in much further and the connection is secure.



Very much so! Look at it hang there.



Most mistakes I make are minor and not cause for any great concern however, with this kit, that mistake influenced my evaluation of the kit’s Build Design which is reflected in the score I gave it. With that error realised and fixed it means I have to reassess that score which I have already done. To sum it up, without that flaw which was actually my own mistake, the RG 00 Raiser is not only the best RG I’ve ever assembled, but it receives the top score of any kit reviewed on this site so far.

Ladies and Gentlmen, we have a new champion!