Kit Review

Straight build + panel lining + decals

The universal standard — size comparison with a cigarette pack

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - The cockpit ball (?) is still reproduced here too. (1/2)

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Head vulcan open (2/2)

The cockpit ball (?) is still reproduced here too.Head vulcan open

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Layered armor representation (1/2)

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Outer armor removed (2/2)

Layered armor representationOuter armor removed

Inner mechanical frame

Upper body and shoulder mechanical frame

Leg mechanical frame.

Articulation is actually pretty good considering the bulk and proportions.

Action pose

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Dual pistols~ (1/2)

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Beam saber action (2/2)

Dual pistols~Beam saber action

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Even with those thick legs, a kneeling pose is achievable. (1/2)

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Quattro shot. (2/2)

Even with those thick legs, a kneeling pose is achievable.Quattro shot.

Standard type Vs. Quattro's
custom unit

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - There are 5 differences between the previously released standard type and Quattro's cus

There are 5 differences between the previously released standard type and Quattro's custom unit.
(Quattro's custom unit also includes parts from the standard type. See below.)

1. The tip of the red head cover is slightly angled.

2. The rear skirt is longer and the verniers have been changed to a round shape.

3. The inner mechanical frame of the backpack has become more refined.

4. The knee parts have been redesigned to look bigger and cooler.

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - The shape of the leg verniers has changed dramatically. Gotta go three times faster, af

The shape of the leg verniers has changed dramatically. Gotta go three times faster, after all?

Quattro's custom unit
↔ Standard unit

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - The red Quattro custom unit kit also includes the standard type parts from the previous

The red Quattro custom unit kit also includes the standard type parts from the previous release.
The same parts as the previously released M70 Rick-Dias standard type are included right alongside the new ones.

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Standard unit parts laid out in front of the Quattro custom unit. Ready to start swappi

Standard unit parts laid out in front of the Quattro custom unit. Ready to start swapping (?) things around?

Swap out the head cover...

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - You'll need to completely disassemble the backpack to swap out the inner mechanical frame

You'll need to completely disassemble the backpack to swap out the inner mechanical frame. (What a pain;;)

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Remove the rear skirt, pull out the verniers, then swap just the skirt and vernier part

Remove the rear skirt, pull out the verniers, then swap just the skirt and vernier parts.

Pull back the leg armor, swap out the outer verniers, and replace the knee parts.

And there you go — it becomes the standard unit. (Looks pretty much the same, right? ;;)

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Red standard unit, front view. (1/2)

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - Standard unit, rear view (2/2)

Red standard unit, front view.Standard unit, rear view

Together with the HGUC red Rick-Dias. The MG is noticeably more slender, as expected.

Rick-Dias family, all together!

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias - All the MGs piloted by that certain someone, assembled. My, he sure rode a lot of diffe

All the MGs piloted by that certain someone, assembled. My, he sure rode a lot of different things...

Straight-built state

Following the standard Rick-Dias, the custom unit for that certain someone was released right on cue — as expected. However, Oh. No. Way..
Of all things, it had to launch on the same day as the MG Ball — what a disaster. The red Rick-Dias custom unit was something a lot of people were genuinely looking forward to... (plenty of folks skipped the standard type just to wait for this one) But it had the misfortune of releasing simultaneously with the MG Ball, which was riding an absolute wave of popularity, so it ended up getting overshadowed for quite a while after its debut. If it had launched on its own, it probably would've gotten a lot more attention and hype... You can almost hear that certain someone fuming about it. ^^;

Regardless, this is a kit that deserves plenty of attention for the simple fact that it's the personal unit of arguably the most popular character in all of Gundam. This is the very Rick-Dias that the man himself — Char Aznable, Quattro Vageena, Casval Rem Deikun, whatever name he happened to be using at the time — piloted during the Zeta era! It's got that signature red color scheme that screams "him," though the red molded color came out a bit darker than expected. You might even call it deep red. That said, the molded surface itself is smooth and matte-like without any swirl marks, so it's not an unpleasant color — it just reads as a bit on the darker side.

The basic structure is of course identical to the previously released M70 Rick-Dias standard type. That said, it's not completely the same — roughly 5 areas have been changed. (See photos.) A total of 5 parts have been updated for Quattro's custom unit: 1. front head cover, 2. backpack frame, 3. rear skirt, 4. knee parts, 5. leg verniers. In a way, the changes aren't all that dramatic, so at a quick glance the photos can make it look like the same kit;;

The important thing is that even though a fair number of new Quattro-specific parts have been added, the original standard type parts are still included as well. Since you can choose to build it as either the standard unit or Quattro's custom unit, the parts count feels even richer than the original Rick-Dias. And crucially, despite all these extra Quattro-specific parts being added, the price only went up by a mere 100 yen. ^^ When you consider that the standard practice used to be slapping in a single figure and tacking on 500 yen, this feels like a gift~ (Though that oddly specific price of 3,600 yen is still a bit of a head-scratcher...?)

That said, since only the outer armor differs, the articulation, joint characteristics, and weapons are all completely identical to the regular Rick-Dias — so if you'd like a closer look at the kit, M70 Rick-Dias
review please refer to that page. Articulation is still excellent for its size, allowing for a variety of natural action poses. The joints are also nice and stiff, holding whatever pose you put it in firmly and upright — that's something I really appreciate. Despite those chunky, thick legs, picking up the body doesn't cause the lower half to flop around like it does with the Dom or Gelgoog. The inner frame and detail work are still top-notch as well.

That said, it carries over a few of the same drawbacks... The bandolier-like parts on the shoulders are still a nightmare to deal with;; They just won't stay on — keeps falling off, same on both the standard and Quattro versions. Short of gluing them down, it's almost baffling (?) how poorly they hold. It's less like they're clipped on and more like they're just resting there. And the front and rear outer shoulder armor still falls off constantly too T_T. Every time you try to strike an action pose, the shoulder armor just keeps tumbling off... It's a real blemish on an otherwise great kit, though I suppose you could argue it's a minor issue. ^^;

Aside from those few drawbacks, this is still a near-perfect kit. Big props especially for the stiff joints that match the kit's bulk! It's got the added appeal of being that certain someone's personal unit, and the parts count is generous enough for the price that even at 4,000 yen it would've been hard to complain about the contents and quality. Especially if you're a fan of that certain someone — this is a must-buy, no question.

It's just as good a kit as the MG Ball, but no matter how I think about it, I'm not sure there was any real need to release two MGs in the same month...
(And on top of that, they didn't release a single MG the following month in January 2005... What gives~)

MG RMS-099 Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Almost no seam lines to deal with.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	The molded color feels slightly dark but is acceptable overall. Color separation is perfect.
Proportions	★★★★★	Slender yet with a satisfying sense of mass.
Articulation	★★★★	Articulation is relatively decent for its bulk.
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	The joints themselves are very sturdy, but the shoulder armor falls off easily.
Internal Frame	★★★★	Frame only on the upper body, shoulders, calves, and backpack.
Detail	★★★★★	At this level of quality, there's nothing more to ask for.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	All the necessary weapons are included. Standard type parts thrown in as a bonus too — nice~!
Parts Count / Price	★★★★	262 parts total. Parts per 1,000 yen: 72.8. Seems like a reasonable volume.
Uniqueness	★★★★★	This one's for that certain someone! Bonus: can also be built as the standard type.
Dalong's Point : 93 pts.

MG Quattro Vageena's Rick Dias | 2004. 12 | ¥4,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.