Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body

Head

Simple, no-frills arms.

Back section

The backpack alone with the beam scythe removed.

Buster Shield.
The connection point to the forearm is nice and sturdy!

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Simple, clean legs. (1/3)

Simple, clean legs.

Cockpit hatch open

MG Gundam Deathscythe - When mounting the beam scythe to the backpack, you need to attach a separate adapter. Since the mount

When mounting the beam scythe to the backpack, you need to attach a separate adapter.
Since the mount doesn't rotate, it can only be fixed at that one angle.

Two beam parts are included.

The front section of the Buster Shield can open and close via a gear-linked mechanism.

The Buster Shield with the beam parts inserted.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Just like Wing Gundam, it uses four fixed swap-out hands instead of articulated fingers. There's actu

Just like Wing Gundam, it uses four fixed swap-out hands instead of articulated fingers.
There's actually one more open-hand type that I missed in the photos. :-)

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Two of the hands look similar, but if you look closely, one has a weapon peg on the inside and the ot

Two of the hands look similar, but
if you look closely, one has a weapon peg on the inside and the other doesn't.
When you actually use them, you do end up needing both types to properly hold the beam scythe.

Outer armor removed

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Inner frame shots. A clean full-body frame is nicely realized. (1/2)

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Inner frame shots. A clean full-body frame is nicely realized. (2/2)

Internal frame.
A clean full-body frame is nicely realized.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Torso frame (1/3)

Torso frame

Back and rear frame with the backpack frame removed.

Head frame

Arm frame

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Leg and foot frame. The leg frame is simple but has a nice sense of depth. (1/3)

Leg and foot frame.
The leg frame is simple but has a nice sense of depth.

Articulation in frame form is, as expected, great.

The shoulders swing forward 90 degrees.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - The hip joint uses the style that became popular after the MG Zaku II v2.0, with the mount point offs

The hip joint uses the style that became popular after the MG Zaku II v2.0,
with the mount point offset toward the front.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - A newly tried feature in this kit. The pin connecting from the hip joint down to the lower leg is als

A newly tried feature in this kit.
The pin connecting from the hip joint down to the lower leg is also offset toward the rear.
Thanks to this, when you spread the legs out to the sides, they splay open much more freely.
(In short, it does a proper wide stance.)

The double-jointed knees have several linked gimmicks.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Well... the knee's linked gimmick is a bit unusual. Rather than the kneecap following along naturally

Well... the knee's linked gimmick is a bit unusual.
Rather than the kneecap following along naturally when you bend the knee,
the kneecap can be positioned in a variety of spots.
So bending the knee doesn't move the kneecap by a set amount —
you can just shift it wherever you want by hand.
In a way, it kind of feels like the kneecap is just flopping around, which is a bit... hmm.

Looking at the wrist area, they've started using a new type of polycap as well.

A kneeling pose is no problem at all..

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Frame action poses. (1/3)

Frame action pose.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Pretty dynamic, right? (1/3)

Pretty dynamic, right?

The inside of the skirt armor uses separate parts to bring out the detail.

The inside of the white armor panels mostly has molded detail, but...

MG Gundam Deathscythe - The inside of the blue armor panels is completely bare. Seems like there's some kind of criteria at w

The inside of the blue armor panels is completely bare. Seems like there's some kind of criteria at work...??

MG Gundam Deathscythe - The articulation is basically identical to Wing Gundam — carbon copy. It's above average, but it's a

The articulation is basically identical to Wing Gundam — carbon copy.
It's above average, but it's a shame that the skirt armor limits hip joint movement.

With a slight shift of the shoulder armor, the shoulder can be pulled forward quite a bit.

On the other hand, there's absolutely no consideration for the shoulder raising upward.

The waist can also bend forward quite a bit.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - The waist can rotate a full 360 degrees. There are plenty of cases where the actual horizontal rotati

The waist can rotate a full 360 degrees.
There are plenty of cases where the actual horizontal rotation range ends up being limited for one reason or another, but this one is fine.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Thanks to the double-jointed knees, full bend is possible and there's some degree of slide gimmick to

Thanks to the double-jointed knees, full bend is possible
and there's some degree of slide gimmick too, but...

MG Gundam Deathscythe - As mentioned in the frame shots, the kneecap doesn't link up and just moves independently..;; I doubl

As mentioned in the frame shots, the kneecap doesn't link up and just moves independently..;;
I double and triple-checked thinking I'd assembled it wrong, but that's just how the structure works.
You can just set it wherever is comfortable for the pose, but since it doesn't hold firmly,
there's a good chance it'll end up feeling like it's rattling around. -_-

MG Gundam Deathscythe - There's a simple slide-type cylinder gimmick on the front of the thigh. Note that the thigh armor its

There's a simple slide-type cylinder gimmick on the front of the thigh.
Note that the thigh armor itself doesn't move — it's fixed in place.

The ankle section uses a ball joint for up-and-down movement, but...

the ankle guards are thick, so the range of motion isn't great.

The pointed bit at the front of the foot can move slightly forward and backward.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Both sides of the backpack are connected with ball joints and move more flexibly than you'd expect, b

Both sides of the backpack are connected with ball joints and move more flexibly than you'd expect, but
because of that, they don't hold their angle well and you'll find yourself readjusting them often..

The small wings on the backpack move in an adorable little way.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Basic standing pose holding the beam scythe. (1/3)

Basic standing pose holding the beam scythe.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Casually slung-over-the-shoulder pose. Still pretty cool though. (1/3)

Casually slung-over-the-shoulder pose.
Still pretty cool though.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - The two-handed grip pose is reproduced naturally too. Though the hands don't hold super securely, so

The two-handed grip pose is reproduced naturally too.
Though the hands don't hold super securely, so it takes a bit of time to get the pose right.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Poses using Action Base 1. (1/4)

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Poses using Action Base 1. (2/4)

Poses using Action Base 1.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Dynamic overhead slash pose. (1/4)

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Dynamic overhead slash pose. (2/4)

Dynamic overhead slash pose.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - The pose with beam parts attached to the Buster Shield looks pretty great too. (1/4)

MG Gundam Deathscythe - The pose with beam parts attached to the Buster Shield looks pretty great too. (2/4)

The pose with beam parts attached to the Buster Shield looks pretty great too.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Together with the recently released MG Wing Gundam. Unlike Wing Gundam, Deathscythe was developed on

Together with the recently released MG Wing Gundam.
Unlike Wing Gundam, Deathscythe was developed on a shared platform designed with variations in mind,
signaling the true beginning of the MG Wing series.

MG Gundam Deathscythe - Together with the MG Wing Early Ver.Ka. The MG Deathscythe is really a kit that should be paired with

Together with the MG Wing Early Ver.Ka.
The MG Deathscythe is really a kit that should be paired with this one and the Endless Waltz version.

Straight build

Hot on the heels of the MG Wing Gundam release, the MG Deathscythe has arrived to signal the true start of the MG Wing series. The reason I call this the true start is that the MG Deathscythe was developed on an entirely different shared platform from Wing Gundam. If you look closely, the frame runners don't have the unit name printed on them — instead they carry a common frame number starting with "X" something.

This Deathscythe is based on Katoki Hajime's Endless Waltz version rather than Okawara Kunio's TV version, and since it's not the Hell or Hell Custom, it comes with the basic backpack featuring those cute little wings instead of the bat wings. It seems pretty much inevitable that Hell/Hell Custom variations will follow down the line.

First off, the ambitiously designed shared frame for the MG Wing series gets a passing grade from me. The build feel is smooth, the articulation is good, joint strength is solid, and the detail on the frame itself is reasonably well done. It feels like extra care was put into it for reuse across other MG Wing kits like Heavyarms, Sandrock, and Shenlong — and maybe because of that, it somehow feels better than the MG Wing Gundam in ways I can't quite put my finger on. It's a big step up from the shared frame attempted in the old G Gundam series, and it feels like a modern frame body closer in spirit to the MG Zaku II v2.0.

On the exterior side of things, it faithfully does what an MG should do — though the slight disappointment is that it doesn't really go beyond that line either. It's solid on the basics, but there's no special wow factor to it.. Still, the color separation is done well enough, and it shows off simple but MG-worthy proportions and detail. It actually ends up looking cooler than I expected. ^^

There are a few minor gripes though... I still don't like the swappable finger system, same as on the Wing Gundam. In some ways, having the fingers as a single unit could mean better stability, but the problem is the connection between the fingers and the hand is still weak, so they keep falling off every time you try to pose it — super annoying T_T On top of that, the MG Gundam Deathscythe in particular has unusually weak rear skirt attachment, so it pops off constantly when you're trying to strike a pose, and the beam scythe that pegs onto the back isn't tight either, so it keeps falling out too.

Most of the other joints and connection gimmicks are fine, but it's not exactly fun when you hear something popping off here and there every time you try to pose it. And the knee linkage mechanism feels a bit off somehow — that's another demerit. It doesn't really snap into a precise position, and the whole thing just feels a bit loose and rattly. My guess is they designed it a bit ambiguously to leave room for other MG Wing kits down the line. Still, the beam scythe has such a commanding presence that once you do get a pose locked in, it looks pretty awesome. ^^

In conclusion, this is a kit designed with a new series in mind while staying true to the basics — and I'd say it's "every bit an MG" in the best sense. It looks great and has a real cool factor to it. In particular, the newly introduced horizontal hip rotation gimmick is really effective, and it's personally one of my favorite touches — I hope they keep using it going forward. How far the MG Wing series will go depends on sales, but with this level of clean quality, I think it's safe to look forward to the follow-ups.

One last thing... when you really look at the contents carefully, it feels like it's on par with older MGs that used to go for around ¥2800–3000. Seeing that kind of package now priced at ¥3800 does make you realize prices have gone up. That said, I do agree that Gunpla prices have risen pretty slowly compared to general inflation. Bandai's gotta eat too. ^^

MG XXXG-01D Gundam Deathscythe
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Almost completely eliminated through single-piece molding and clever part splits
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	MG-worthy molded colors and clean color separation
Proportions	★★★★★	Hajime Katoki's design faithfully translated into three dimensions.
Articulation	★★★★☆	Not flashy, but above average. The new hip joint is a nice touch.
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	Joints are solid, but some parts pop off during posing
Internal Frame	★★★★☆	A solid full-body frame with decent detail
Detail	★★★★★	Somewhat simple, but feels like enough for the MG Gundam Deathscythe.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	The default weapons are few to begin with, but faithfully and properly realized in MG fashion
Parts Count / Price	★★★★☆	253 parts total. 66.6 parts per ¥1000. Subtle inflation?
Uniqueness	★★★★★	A back-to-basics MG. Looking forward to seeing the shared frame put to use.
Dalong's Point : 96 pts.

MG Gundam Deathscythe | 2010. 9 | ¥4,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.