SD Gundam World Heroes is an extremely recent (as in still airing) TV series featuring - you guessed it - SD Gundams. I doubt I’d even know of its existence if not for the fact that it’s airing on the official Gundam Youtube channel, where they’ve also been advertising the SD model kits they’ve made for the characters.
Speaking of which - holy smokes, they look amazing! Check out this Benjamin Gundam (AKA ‘The Pirate Gundam’):
And this here is Sgt Verde Buster Gundam (AKA ‘The One that looks like Robocop’):
The colors, the detailing - I’ve never seen anything like this on a model kit. They look more like highly detailed action figures than actual models. If knew that if I ever found them in stock at any of my favorite shops, I’d end up getting a few.
And lo, earlier today I discovered they were being sold at my local hobby store, and for only $11!
Now comes the part where I reveal the twist - I regret my decision.
You saw above how Benjamin Gundam looks in the promo shot. Now see how the parts look straight out of the box:
And this here is the single, lonesome decal sheet:
Which means that almost all of that intricate, beautiful detail has to be painstakingly painted on.
(the same is true of the Sarge Verde Gundam)
In retrospect, I should have known better. There’s no way to capture all of that detail and color separation at such a small scale, even with decals. I guess I got so excited that my brain rejected reality and replaced it with whatever I wanted to be true.
I’m embarrassed. I’m frustrated. But there’s not much I can do about it now other than try my best to bring out their best. And next time, I’ll be more cautious when I see an SD Gundam for so cheap.