In 2001, Cartoon Network aired multiple UC-era Gundam TV shows and OVA’s all at the same time. None of them did well, and it looked to be the end of Gundam on North American television.
Except it wasn’t. In 2003 they began to air a new, kid friendly show based on SD Gundam. It felt like a slap in the face to me and everyone else who actually supported the UC shows, and it left me feeling childishly resentful of anything related to SD Gundam for many years.
For those who don’t know, SD Gundam is a whole product line of comics, shows, games and toys in which classic mobile suits are rendered in Super Deformed style. At least two Internet sources tell me that there was a period of time in which SD Gundam merchandise outsold the traditional stuff. Now that 2003 show makes sense; Bandai/Sunrise weren’t trying to insult us by airing that show on Toonami. They were probably hoping to get Gundam off of life support in the west by trying to replicate some of that same success over here. Now I feel bad for being such a brat. To make up for it, I’ll build this SD Build Burning Gundam I got as a Christmas stocking stuffer.
I haven’t seen much of Gundam Build Fighters Try, but I do know that the Build Burning is one of the primary models used by the protagonists. I think it looks like a simpler, more constrained interpretation of Domon Kashu’s mobile suits from G Gundam. Such a clean design should translate well into the SD style.
Before getting this gift I had a lot of questions on how SD kits were built, and I’m going to format the rest of this piece in FAQ style as I answer them one by one.
How many pieces are there?
The kit has four runners and a set of polycaps. It isn’t ass many pieces as you’d find a High Grade kit, but quite a bit more than you’ll find in the similarly sized (and similarly priced) Petit Bear’gguy.
For me personally, the piece count is more than I expected, but about as large as I secretly hoped it would be.
Is the build similar to that of the Bear’gguy?
There are similarities to the Bear’gguy, but the build process itself is not one of them. Everything about the bear is much simpler, both in appearance and in construction.
For the record, I went into this assuming the build would be similar to my Petit Panda’gguy, so I’m as shocked as anyone about this answer.
Okay, so how does it compare to building a “regular” kit?
Aside from the fact that there are fewer pieces, the process is identical. You end up building a head, torso, arms, shoulder armor, and legs. There are decals to add and panel lines to draw. All told, it ended up taking me at least three (and possibly more) hours total to build it, and I was this close to calling it a night and spreading the work out over two days. This is was a much more involved build than I was expecting.
If there aren’t that many parts, why did it take so long?
Panel lining. Because the SD design is simplified, you need to do panel lining to highlight what few details it does have. Bandai must be aware of this, because they added a ton of lining grooves to the SD Build Burning. Furthermore, because the pieces are so small, it can be very difficult to erase excess marker ink. Even a simple pencil eraser ends up being too large to fit into certain nooks and crannies. I probably spend over 50% of the build working on panel lining, and 50% of that time was devoted to cleaning up after myself.
I must say, however, that it was worth it. The kit looks leagues better with the addition of all those extra details.
Anything else unique or remarkable about this kit?
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This SD kit (and I’m assuming most other SD kits as well) is similar to the Panda’gguy in that it places a strong emphasis on customization and accessorizing. Both kits contain a decal sheet featurig multiple options for how to decorate your model. For the SD Build Burning, you can choose between giving it traditional, pupil-less eyes, or big, innocent anime eyes. You can also choose between using blue or orange decals on the kit’s knees and elbows, depending on whether you want your Build Burning to be in Assimilation Mode or not. I appreciate the choices, but I still don’t get the point of them when you have to remove one set of decals to use the other.
(For the record, I used the blue decals and the cutesy eyes).
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I noticed something curious about the runners for the SD Gundam. There is almost zero sprue between the runner and the pieces. Take a look:
It makes piece cleanup decidedly easy, and I can't help but assume that this was intentional, in order to make the kit easier to build.
- The kit also comes with some accessories, and the packaging makes it clear that there are even more of them that you can buy as add ons. Whereas the Panda’gguy had a stand and a bamboo shoot, the Build Burning has flames in various shapes, to emphasize its punching prowess.
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There's a tiny manga on the back of the instructions:
Overall Thoughts
The articulation SD Build Burning is surprisingly good. It really does feel like a smaller scale version of a normal model kit. The head in particular is very easy to move around, which is important considering how large and prominent it is.
In addition to the flame accessories, the kit comes with two different sets of hands; a pair of fists, and a pair in a karate chop configuration.
The kit’s accessories can be used in a number of different ways. Some of them can be attached to the back:
While some can be added to the arms for some fiery punching action:
Or you can combine them for extra-long-flaming-punching-action:
I also determined that SD kits can fit on an Action Base 3, for aerial-flaming … well you get the point:
Lastly, while the kit may lack the detail of other grades, there’s still plenty going on. All the basic shapes and features are there, just in miniature size.
Final Thoughts
This is an excellent little kit. It looks great, it’s fun to pose, and the accessories give you a lot of options. I can definitely see myself buying more of them in the future.
Check out a full gallery right here.