Lego X-Wing Red Five Review

It has been a while since I have done a product review! After salivating over this Lego kit I posted earlier I gave into my most basic instinct as a collector and got it. For 330 dollars it is on the pricey side but the gimmicks you get and the size of the completed finished product do not make you feel ripped off!

Box Art

 

Fascinating!  Love the Yoda green version over the past few years many Lego Star Wars kits were decorated with the blue/white Darth Maul cover art the green is quite a refreshing change.

 

 

Design

 

 

The modelling is fairly accurate (Being Lego you cant have full accuracy) and stays overall true to the original source. As per the collectors edition R2D2 which came with a description plaque this kit comes with a plaque attached to a base! The base was a technic based design which accommodated for angle shift. But I did not find it to be stable. I got some spare cross beams and locked the interconnecting parts so that it remained poised in a fixed angle.

 

 

The plaque with the usual specification listings.

 

The largest selling point for me was the large size, difficulty level and of course the opening wing span (S Foil if you are a die hard Star Wars fan). The mechanism opens by turning the dial at the very middle. It is connected to an intricate combination of turning paddles which progressively separate the wingspan.  So I don't go crazy building the wings four times I enlisted the help of my cousin who ended up building three of them while I worked on the engines.

 

For more seasoned Lego builders they will know that Lego has a thing to recycle pre-existing packed parts from other lines to save costs. Beware of this when it comes to building the wings. The top left connector is shorter than the rest of the wings. To compensate for this the instruction tell you to clip the wing in leaving and leave an extra space. The space is not a mistake the connecting piece is longer than the other three wings. If you don't leave the space the wingspan will be uneven....I learnt this the hard way. I ended up disassembling the binder to rebuild, after putting on most of the coverings. This "design flaw" would later on be covered up by the engine.

 

 

Gimmicks

Photon torpedo bay

 

The kit includes a full scaled R2D2 Lego mini figure

 

Fully operational storage compartment.

 

Opening thrusters

 

Intricate cockpit details. The kit does not come with a Luke Skywalker figure. I bought the figure separately from Ebay. Since the design was not meant to accommodate a figure the area was too narrow to fit the figure comfortably. I modified/slimmed down a few parts to fit in the figure.

I was happy with the modifications it stayed overall true to the original design. The only real change I made was to the control stick so that it connected to Luke's foot securing the figure in place. It was the best I can do that's why the figure's positioning is a bit off centre. you may notice the cockpit canopy has a matte finish. It doesn't come like this I was originally thinking of spraying the kit in a matte top coat when I was done and used the cockpit as an experiment. Although the results turned out well this figure is too large for my cabinet. I have to leave it outside, a matte finish and dust don't really get along so I stayed with the original finish. So that I didn't lose Luke's lightsaber it is now in the cargo bay!

 

 

 

 

 

The Good

Large size and great detail
Challenging kit with more than 2500 pieces

Its an X-Wing, need I say more!

 

The Bad

Confusing design-top left wing

Unstable nose piece. Its a bit wobbly

No inclusions for a mini figure despite the hefty price tag

 

Final Verdict- 8 Otakun Helmets

 

 



Alphamax 1/8 Alfheim Asuna

 

I cant wait for another season of SAO!!! A fresh prototype has arrived of the Alfheim Asuna in her "Titania" costume. Makes me wonder of it also has a cast off function to re-enact that perverse final battle scene....

SH Figuarts Kabuto Impact!!!

A Kabuto release always attract my attention! It is after all my favourite modern Kamen Rider series! This year I have noticed the aggressive expansion of the SH Figuarts series although I haven't got one yet and look forward to owning the right figure one day! (I was close to getting the Kibaranger (MMPR White Ranger) but the moving shoulder armour turned me off)

Another item which caught my attention from Figuarts is the Impact effect, it makes me want to get a Dragonball figure!

Kids Logic 24k Gold Iron Man Mk42

Being a fan of the SD proportion for a long time it wasn't with out a doubt that I will soon stumble across Hong Kong based figure house Kids Logic. The first item I saw from them were the Egg Attack series Iron Man figures. I kept a mental note of them and sooner or later I came across their Optimus Prime prototype and also bought their Iron Man plugy set.

So the main character of this post is this 24K gold plate Mk42 I believe its the same mould as the plugy Iron Man Mk42. I am pretty sure this one is going to be way expensive considering the price of gold these days. It will be an awesome novelty item to have though! :D

Edit 16/7/13- I was bored during a work training session yesterday saw this on the Kids Logic Facebook page these guys sure know how to take my money. They also have a fair exclusive War Machine/ Iron Patriot set on the way. I already asked my friend to look out for it and sweep it up!

Origami Gundam

I have posted a few of these paper craft models now they just don't fail to catch my attention. Is it really paper??!!! This model's look resembles the RG/MG 3.0 style which I am quite fond I should really look into this see if I can come up with some crazy creations of my own!

Gentle Giant Mjolnir Bookend Statue

As my appreciation for pop culture grows I have been introduced to many new manufacturers the latest is Gentle Giant. I have taken a fancy to their 1/6 Slave Leia figure and also their 1/6 ROTS Chrome Vader however this entry's focus is the mighty hammer Mjolnir. Being a Thor fan this is an item that is hard to say no too! One of the hardest things about buying movie figures is the expected wardrobe change. If you buy one suit you don't know if the next movies is better. At least Mjolnir's design is fixed!

SH Figuarts Kyoryu Red

As more shots of this figure get released seems like this figure is stacking up quite well. It even has Armed On Parts and the Gabutyra claw! Its been a while since I watched an official Sentai series the last being Boukenger. This one is quite good love the characters!

Times Square... More Gundam Goodness!

As developments are announced not only is the 1:3 scale models are available they also have the White Base and a team of RG Zakus inside...

SH Figuarts Frieza Final Form

 

With all these interesting Dragonball announcements after the release of the Battle of the Gods this one seemed to be a very interesting post from GG Figure News... WTF is Frieza doing?? He seems to be enjoying it.

Rouge Phoenix

Destiny's HD remaster is under way. As some may be aware of Cagalli's float around and cry tactics throughout most of the first arc of Destiny, Bandai have come up with a new Striker pack to make the experience more tolerable. Okay that is an exaggeration but fans would agree with me that Cagalli was butchered in Destiny compared to her kickass self in the first season of Seed. :P

Presenting Rouge Ootori

Simpiz Toys 1:6 Louis Koo

Congrats to Louis Koo for getting the plastic immortality treatment! Louis Koo is one of the most talented Chinese actors out there and also one of my idols since childhood.

 His rendition of Yang Guo in the Return of the Condor Heroes in my opinion is the best I have seen outdoing Andy Lau's and also the more modern Huang Xiaoming's rendition. So you will ask me what makes Louis Koo's figure worthy of my mention on ODU? He is of course an avid collector! When we are fine with 1/6 figures he hires a whole factory floor to collect 1:1s! Senpai teach me the way!!!!

Times Square Gundam and Zaku!

Can't wait to see these! I will be in Hong Kong for my brother's wedding at this time. Presenting the 1:3 Gundam and Char Zaku to be displayed at Times Square from the 26th July to the 1st September!

The Massacre Of Gundam Series....

Wow after a rubbish series like AGE the next series seems to be another trashy show called Gundam Build Fighters. Sounds like a ridiculous concept where kids build gunpla kits and battle them like Pokemon! At least Mobile Suit Gundam Origins is coming out soon too.

However credit where its due Rouge looks hot with Wing Zero's angel wings

1/400 Evangelion Unit One

After being left out in the dark for a while the first coloured promotion shots of the 1/400 have hit the internet and it looks like a damn fine kit! The colours and features are sharp and man it is poseable!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Fantasy 7 3D Printing

There are quite a few gems on the world of 9Gag! From funny memes, to the wrong and the awesome...

 

Ever since being introduced to the concept of 3D printing I have been wanting to make a 3d Otakun and Otaknyan. Anyone know where to go in Sydney?

My Next Preorder! Sideshow Yoda Jedi Master

Well.. If you promote it then you will buy from them right? Just to make sure this is known, I don't get paid for spreading the word. I am just doing this out of goodwill and support for our Australian industry! This is my first purchase from Pop Cultcha albeit a pre-order as it has not been released yet. In recent years I reconnected with the Star Wars fan within and now this release presented itself in a very timely manner! Presenting the Sideshow Yoda Jedi Master release. Pop Cultcha say it should arrive in August.

After buying the Hot Toys Dark Knight DX12 I developed a thing for 1/6 figures and for 140 dollars this figure is quite a bargain! It comes with Yoda's chairs (Jedi council seat and floating chair), multiple arms and feet, walking cane, lightsaber (would had been nice if a hilt was also provided) and two head sculpts. Can't wait to get my hands on this one!