I've just noticed that top half of the images are slightly darker than the bottom ones, cause i didn't brighten them up, i forgot.
Anyways, took me roughly 3 days to complete this gunpla, in a stretch of a week. I started assembling the gunpla a previous Saturday where i completed most of the gundam, expect the fins funnel and his weapons. It stretched to the next Saturday because i had to go work and normally comes home late and tired. I didn't want to rush it so yeah. It took roughly around 3 days.
How i get to know Hi-V? I was browsing at the hobby shop in cineleisure one afternoon and saw it on their shelf. They assembled it and put it on display. Then later i learn that it's an upgraded version of V Gundam which featured in Char's Counterattack anime. Though i didn't watch the anime, but according to my gundam and anime guru, Joe. He said V(Nu) is the most powerful gundam in all anime series. And it's bittersweet rival, is the legendary Sazabi which not never defeated throughout the entire anime, only at the very end of the series. I was told Sazabi is also one of the most terrific and powerful enemy among all gundam series. Though, only those who watch all anime can confirm that, so i let them to judge. When Nu upgraded to Hi-Nu, so did Sazabi. It upgraded to a gigantic gundam, call Nightingale. Though it was never produced into a gunpla.
I got Hi-V Gundam for an unreasonable cheap/reduced price. Originally or should i put it, most places that i've visited are selling it for RM235-RM250, but i got it for RM135. Earlier a colleague mentioned to me that gundams will be having a price cut so i thought that should be it. However, i visited another hobby toy recently and they're still selling it at RM235, the minimum. So i'm guessing the boss tagged the wrong price for Hi-V. Or maybe it's the correct price. I have yet to return to the shop where i bought it. So i don't actually have the confirmation of the price at the moment.
The colors on the runners are great, so i scrap the idea of first coating everything. So sticking to the flat clear top coat once assembled. I'm all in all satisfied with Hi-Vu except there's decal on the shield is actually a wet-transfer decal, which is not as good looking as the dry-transfer ones. That is my most disappointed bit of Hi-V. Putting Hi-V together is pretty straight forward, there's no complications like the Ex-S and the mechanism like Strike Freedom's wings. Though Hi-V have quite a number of pieces though. There's a total of 41 pieces in one leg, from 'toe' up to thigh. Hi-V can pose better than my Strike Freedom without the stand. Strike Freedom's wings are definitely heavier and so, it can only pose on the stand, which is pretty limited. Hi-V can pose without the stand but it requires carefully balancing on its legs or else it will topple back, the simple wings actually carry some weight. It's also a disappointment that Bandai remove the die cast pieces from the original Nu gunpla which stabilize the gundam from toppling backwards. Hi-V looks great with or without the fins, as for Strike Freedom, it looks slightly plain without the wings, especially with its feminine legs. LOL. The shield is pretty interesting though, it's placed on the gundam in the sense that it's in a fixed position. You can't rotate the shield like Mk-II.
I have yet to give it the top coat as it was raining the next day and so it has to wait till the following weekend. Once i'm done with the top coat, i will take more images of the comparison of Strike Freedom and Hi-V.
I currently have a number of on-hold gunpla projects though. 1. I need to carefully clean the excessive thick inking of the Strike Freedom and apply decals. 2. I need to carefully half-disassemble the Ex-S so i could ink it easier. 3. I need to fix the wrong coat i applied on the FAZZ, do inking and apply decals. 4. I need to assemble the already primed and monotone grey coated Nu Gundam. Though the most difficult task would be inking and applying decals on the Ex-S.
DO take note, never ink your gundams after you assemble. It's a lot easier to ink it while assembling or before assembling so you could reach more difficult and smaller pieces and they're easier to be 'clean' off.
Will post more photos once i'm done with either one of my projects.
Meanwhile, enjoy some of the images i took while assembling the Hi-V.
