Kit Review
Straight build + panel lining + decals
1. Introduction
This kit is a bit unusual — instead of starting with a size comparison shot next to a cigarette pack, it kicks off with a weapons layout shot.
I guess since this kit covers two different configurations, it's kind of hard to avoid..;;
The Strike Gundam base body.
Aside from slightly different decaling, it's 100% identical to the previous release.
Since the inner frame and articulation are naturally the same.. I'm just borrowing the photos from the MG Aile Strike review. ^^;
The base body is completely identical to the MG Aile Strike Gundam. Just a few different decals.
Sword Strike and Launcher Strike.
This kit only includes one Strike Gundam body.
The photo above temporarily borrows the one from the Aile Strike for comparison purposes, so don't get the wrong idea.
Viewed from the side, the Sword and Launcher look incredibly long..
Each weapon set name is marked with a large decal.
2. Sword Strike Gundam
Size comparison with a cigarette pack.
The main body is pretty standard-sized, but the Sword is so long that the photo ends up stretched out too..
Upper body close-up. Not much to see on the body itself..
The Sword pack shoulder armor and the Panzer Eisen mounted on the arm. Feels a bit on the slim side, doesn't it?
The backpack looks quite refined. The contours are really crisp.
The sword mounting section on the backpack.
The Sword pack is roughly composed like this.
That sword is seriously long~
The sword mount moves like this. It has a slight up-and-down adjustment function..
Handle detail
The blade tip is nice and sharp.
The sword with the beam parts attached.
Sword pack shoulder armor. True to MG standards, the molding is thorough all the way to the inside of the armor.
You can detach the Midas Messer on the shoulder and attach the beam parts.
The Panzer Eisen that mounts on the arm. The design has changed quite a bit.
The inner surface is packed with detail.. Now that's MG!
The claw section separated.
The Sword pack backpack. The detail is very MG-like.
The launcher magazine attached to one side is removable.. but wait, why is a launcher magazine on the Sword pack backpack??
The classic sword-wielder pose is of course the draw stance!
Looks very natural.
You can get a draw stance out of the Midas Messer too, though it takes some effort.
The included stand is the same one that came with the old MG Wing Zero.
On the stand!
Striking a pose..
Gripping the sword with both hands..
Two-handed action pose~
This time with the sword raised up..
Downward slash action pose
Since the base body is MG, it's nice and dynamic.
Panzer Eisen and Midas Messer action pose
A rubber-coated wire is included for the Panzer Eisen claw action.
Photoshop action!
3. Launcher Strike Gundam
Size comparison next to a cigarette pack. The Launcher is pretty long too.
Upper body close-up
Launcher pack shoulder armor. The color separation is excellent and it has great volume.
The lower wing attachment is a bit loose though.. it tends to wobble around.
The yellow parts on the wings are handled with seals — the only seal application on the weapon pack.
Everything else is perfectly color-separated, as you'd expect from MG.
The detail is great too.
The official name is the "120mm Anti-Vessel Multi-Barrel Gun & 350mm Gun Launcher Combo Unit."
What a mouthful of a name..;
The backpack and launcher mount. The backpack detail is even better than the Sword pack's.
The Launcher pack layout.
Very MG-like Launcher pack shoulder armor
Detailed close-ups.
The dense detail on the Gatling gun's rotating drum section.
Molding goes all the way into every nook and cranny.
The Launcher pack backpack has outstanding depth and dimension.
The launcher mount moves solidly across quite a range of angles.
The long and awesome Launcher~~
The official name is the 320mm Hyper-Impulse Gun "Agni."
"Agni"... not exactly a cool-sounding name; I'll just call it the Launcher -_-
Barrel section with great depth and dimension
Magazine section detail.
The secondary grip for the right hand pivots forward and backward.
The center section detail. Probably because so many parts come together here, the depth and dimension are impressive.
The magazine is also removable..
The cover on the rear section is also articulated.
Launcher articulation warm-up!
The Launcher has a great support grip.
You can hold it like this too.
Typically you'd hold it at this kind of angle.
Launcher action~
The kneeling launcher-firing pose — only possible because it's MG.
Stand on!
Looks a lot cooler up on the stand.
Hmm, but.. no matter how well you pose it, getting the right hand to grip the secondary handle isn't easy.
It seems like you need a bit of know-how to make it look natural.
So in practice, the forward-and-backward movement on the secondary grip doesn't seem all that useful.
You can barely get a grip on it even when it's pulled all the way back.. -_-
A little Photoshop magic!
4. Comparison with the 1/100 No Grade
Starting with the Sword first. Here's a comparison with the 1/100 No Grade Sword Strike Gundam.
For the base body comparison,
MG Aile Strike
comparisonI covered that in detail over there, so check that out..
First thing you'll notice is that the sword is significantly longer.
True to the MG concept — as thin and long as possible..
The sword tip is even sharper now.
The sword handle section is more substantial now.
The shoulder armor got way smaller;;
The 1/100 one looks really chunky in comparison..
It almost makes you wonder if they're even the same scale.
The MG version is smaller, slimmer, and more refined in every way. And the difference in internal molding goes without saying..
Even setting aside the Midas Messer, the difference is crystal clear.
The blue parts that were handled with stickers on the 1/100 no-grade are actually color separated on the MG.
(Well, that's only to be expected from an MG..!)
The Panzer Eisen is a total chubby vs. slim comparison ^^;
The MG version feels way more refined, both in detail and overall style.
The thickness looks like it's less than half -_-; It's really slim.
The claw part has a completely different feel too.
Backpack comparison. The basic layout is similar, but..
The detail is on a completely different level. The MG quality is clearly superior.
This time, a comparison with the 1/100 no-grade Launcher Strike
The difference and feel is pretty much the same as with the Sword. Slimmer, longer, more refined..
The launcher got a whole lot longer too;;
The barrel is also thicker and beefier.
Detail differences in the mid-section and magazine area.
The MG launcher has a ton of parts, so in person the difference in depth and dimension is quite significant.
The launcher pack shoulder armor, also slimmed down nicely.
Quite a big difference in detail.
The Gatling gun, every man's dream weapon.. looks completely different in shape.
Even comparing the details piece by piece, it just makes you think — yep, MG is MG!
Launcher backpack comparison. The design is completely different.
The launcher backpack is actually noticeably bigger compared to the 1/100.
The biggest difference shows up in the duct detail.
5. Tri-Striker
and Various Comparisons
Finally.. after all these years, I've managed to collect all three MG Aile/Sword/Launcher packs.
I put the Sword pack on my existing MG Aile Strike, then brought in the MG Aile Strike Rouge to get all three weapon packs together at once
and assembled all three weapon packs in one shot.
The three musketeers, finally all together..
Rear view
Now! There's no way I couldn't build the Tri-Striker.
It's a combo of all three weapon packs.. though it never actually appears like this in the show. Ahem.
All the weapon packs crammed together.
No real issues getting everything attached.
Up on the stand. It's flashy, that's for sure.
But as expected.. the launcher pack shoulder armor sticks out quite far to the back,
so you have to bend the right arm slightly forward.
Same deal with the 1/100, and the 1/60 weapon set too. It's a design issue.
One thing I can't just gloss over..
The shoulder articulation gimmick that was included when the MG Aile was released, which seemed like it was meant to be used with the Sword/Launcher packs,
goes completely unused;;
Was it just there for show? Or did they just forget about it during development.. -_-;
Add the IWSP pack and you've got a complete set of all four Strike weapon packs.
Four MG Strike Gundams, each equipped with one of the four weapon packs.
Straight build