Gundam Build Fighters Model Kits

Gunpla Chronicles 5 - Umi Tryon 2015-10-20

Next up is the Umi Tryon, aka “the one that looks like a Stingray”. Initially I expected this to be the most disappointing, but instead it ended up being my favorite of the bunch.

The Umi’s body is made from the Tryon’s torso, and its “fins” are the unit’s arms. These are then combined with a unique headpiece, as well as a tailpiece from the Tryon 3’s sword hilt. The overall result is a much bigger figure than I anticipated. And while it might sound silly, the extra size is what really sells it for me. It feels … substantial, in a way that the other two animal forms aren’t.

Gunpla Chronicles 5 - Riku Tryon 2015-10-16

As early as my second night of building, I made a change of plans. I decided to build the three separate animal forms. Once I stared at the instruction book long enough, it actually became pretty obvious how each section of the build corresponded to a specific animal form.

I started off with what I thought was the easiest one - the Riku Tryon, which according to the Internet is a Liger (despite being painted yellow). The Riku’s body turns into the Tryon-3’s backpack, and it’s head turns into the chest plate. Pretty straightforward if you ask me.

Gunpla Chronicles 5 - First Night of Building 2015-10-14

As they say in Builder Fighters Try, let’s Try On and get the build rolling.

The instructions ask you to start by building the torso. I wonder how they decide these things: it seems like an arbitrary decision for all but the most specialized kits. Whatever the reason, torso it is.

Unlike more expensive grades, High Grades are not built around an internal frame. I wondered whether this would drastically change the nature of the build. So far I believe the answer is “yes and no”. For the most part, you end up connecting pieces in the same manner; there just happens not to be a frame in between them.

However, the lack frame does come into play in regards to the joints. The joints are created by small, nubby pieces which are sandwiched between larger pieces to create one of the two ends of a joint. Here’s how it looks in the manual.

Gunpla Chronicles 5 - Build Notes 2015-10-13

I have yet to begin the build, so let’s go over some pre-build notes and remarks.

I didn’t have to buy much in the way of tools. I got a new can of clearcoat, of course, as well as some new blades for my hobby knife. The only brand new piece of kit I obtained were these application sponges. I got them in case I needed to apply super glue or rubber cement, meaning I hope I don’t have to crack them open. However, after all the struggles I had trying to mend the torso of the Zeta Gundam, I’m glad to have them as backup.

Gunpla Chronicles 5 2015-10-11

It’s been a year and a half since I last built a Gundam Model Kit. I think that’s the longest span of time I’ve had between builds, and truth be told, I expected it to be even longer. There just aren’t any Real Grade kits I am jonesing to build, and I still don’t think I have the talent - and I definitely don’t have the shelf space - to try a Master or Perfect Grade. As for trying a High Grade kit, I’ve contemplated it, but there’s an overwhelming amount of them, and I am very easily affected by the paradox of choice.

This is a roundabout way of saying that Gunpla Chronicles 5 is brought to you by my wife. I recently had to housesit while she went on a family vacation, and she came back with a model kit for me.

To be honest, she could have brought me any kit, of any grade, and I would have loved it. Mrs. Wolfe knows I like Gundam, but I don’t obsess over it, so she doesn’t know all that much about it. The fact that she not only tried to find me a kit, but also tried to find one she thought I would like, means more to me than I could possibly describe with mere words.

That being said, the kit she found just happens to be an excellent choice, for a number of reasons. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the High Grade Gundam Tryon 3: