Model Kit Review: Gundam Astray Red Frame HG 1/144



I have actually had this kit completed for over a year now. This was my 10th-ish (Unsure exactly) HG 1/144 Model Kit and the first Seed Astray kit. I had to actually google a picture (below) of it with zero details so I could eventually show what it looked like before I went all crazy with my gundam markers.

Straight Build (No details/Paint) Picture Belongs to ww.hexdidnt.clara.net. Used to show the model kit pior to detailing.

Out of the Box:

Red Frame Astray was not a very difficult piece to build. Easier then some of the 00 series High Grades. It came with simple pieces with no surprises. The Katana itself came in all silver with the rest of the kit coming in white, red, and dark grey skews. Nothing overly difficult so it was perfect for me when I was still new at building. It is still a great kit for newbies who are doing HGs.  5/5

Coloring & Detail:

There was some light detailing around to body, coloring dark areas either dark grey or black. This is one of the few kits that I used a black detail pin on the white for panel lining. I originally tried gray but the black set this kit off with a little more style. There was some heavy detailing on the katana and it's scabbard. As you can tell from the earlier straight build picture, the katana is all silver and the scabbard is all white. Some fine red detail pens would of been useful, but in the end I painted the entire hilt of the sword red and painted over the lines of the scabbard. I then used a Elmer's Eraser to take off the red that I didn't need. It took a bit to get this done correctly. After I tossed on some gold and dark grey and the kit was good to go. Kit came with a few stickers but I only used the logo for his left shoulder and his eyes. 3/5. It's going to take some love if you want your weapon looking good.

Stability & Movement:

There isn't a whole lot of possible joints when compared to say Gundam Exia, but the kit is good for what it is worth. It stands on it's own very well and I have been able to get it into various poses such as Kenshin's battojetsu pose as well as some other cool poses. For a HG I was very impressed. 4.5/5

Overall:

If memory serves me correct the PG Astray Red Frame was a new item at Anime Expo 09, so being able to build a smaller (and more cost effective) version made me feel like I was still one of the cool kids. As soon as I completed this kit back in 2011 I added the Blue and Gold Frames to my Amazon wish list. Unfortunately a year later, they remain there.

4.2/5