Eye Spy the Second

Eye Spy peers at... Master Grade Rick Dias Quattro Bajeena Custom.

Cheers for:

• Cool weapons
• Great feel (I'll explain)
• Unique design
• Competent hands
• Options 
• Awesome engineering
• Sweet color scheme

Jeers for:

• Wonky shoulder armor
• Limited leg pose-ability

A in-depth review can be found after the break.

Foreword: 

Unlike my previous review I had no real warm and fuzzies for the Rick Dias, it was merely a Gunpla I thought was interesting looking. It's presence as a completed kit ready for review is owed solely to my need to build something while I work through the airbrushing of my MG Geara Doga. So what are my thoughts on this suit piloted by an alias' of an alias, read on ye curious souls!

The Box and Innards: 

For this particular kit we get some average box art, neither cringe worthy or fetching just ordinary. The Rick Dias is placed in the center of the box; this placement allows the eye to wander in a circular pattern up to the second Rick Dias, over to the Argama, down to the scaffolding and back to the Rick Dias once more. Inside we get a manual which contains some very nice line art,  a sheet of stickers and dry transfer decals (more on those later) and 12 runners. Since this is an older kit - originally released December 2004 - you also get one of the lovely picture covers. Bandai please bring these back! Please!

Part Quality:

Given the unique shades I decided against painting, opting instead for a flat coat. As for the parts themselves there's some fine engineering/molding taking place here. The details molded into the parts are exquisite and there isn't any warping or discoloration.

 Accessories:

The Accessories for the Rick Dias, while numerous, may not be something everyone is jazzed about. MG 77 includes two (2) beam rifles, one (1) beam bazooka and one (1) beam saber, I'd have liked another saber or even a beam ax but there's only the one. In addition to these weapons the kit also includes additional parts meant to customize the look of the Mobile Suit. When building your Rick Dias you have a choice between two (2) crest pieces, two (2) rear skirts and two (2) calf/ankle thrusters (hidden beneath the lower leg armor).

A shorter back skirt and differently shaped thrusters are available.

There are two of the red crest pieces to choose from.

Integrity's:

When I began building this kit it was just another kit on the way to my goal of owing one version of every Master Grade ever crafted, however afterwards I find myself quite infatuated with the Rick Dias. A lot of care was put into this kit, there's a lot of details molded into the armor. The firearms all have double pegs to aid the Rick Dias in holding them, although the beam saber does not have these pegs their absence is not a problem. That's because this kit has huge hands, the biggest I've seen on a Master Grade. The hands afford the Rick Dias the ability to effortlessly hold each of it's weapons, rendering the pegs largely irrelevant.

Of the 20+ kits I've constructed no kit has felt as much like a war machine as the Rick Dias, simply put this thing is heavy but more importantly it's solid. Unlike another heavy kit, the MG Sazabi Ver. Ka, I have no fear that moving this kit will dislodge anything. In fact during the process of taking photos for this review it was knocked over and suffered no ill effects. None of the parts threaten to jump off, or separate when parts are moved. While you won't get a lot of pose-ability out of the legs because of the ankles you won't have to worry about your Rick Dias toppling over if you decided to pose it in something other than a straight legged stance. These feet coupled with the joint stiffness and kit weight provide an excellent foundation, so pose away fellows!

The lone complaint I have is that the right shoulder isn't as tight as the left. This may be unique to my kit, but the armor is loose at the point where the shoulder peg inserts into the arm. It's not a major issue just a minor annoyance. Nub marks are pretty good as well, I screwed up the lower left leg experimenting with nub management techniques but the majority of nubs are easily sanded and buffed away.

Weapons mount to the backpack

Presence:

While the Rick Dias is a unique Mobile Suit design, it is definitely best to surround it with Gundams. Although it isn't a Zeon suit, being based on the Rick Dom it bears enough similarity to other Zeon suits that it simply blends in with its cousins. Additionally, the softer blue isn't striking enough to contrast that sexy red so it tends to disppear when surrounded by other red suits. Place it alongside the mostly whites Gundam kits however and it is a beacon of contrast with both it's color and shape standing out from the crowd.

So let's talk a bit about decals, Bandai's 77th Master Grade features a large number of small decals (and stickers). While I didn't use them all, I used enough of the decals (and stickers) to enhance the kit and in the proces learned something new and interesting: I really like dry rub decals! Yes you read that correctly, the decals most of you loath I like the best. In fact I enjoy them so much I'm dreading having to use the much messier waterslide decals. A set of scissors, some clear tape, a flat object - the back of a hobby knife or a Nintendo DS stylist will do - and about 90 seconds will yield a clean and beautiful decal. There's no water, no mess, no cotton buds and no fidgeting with floating decals. I honestly can't for the life of me comprehend why so many modelers hate them so, but hey to each his own.

Final Word:

Worth it? Not Worth It? Immaterial?

Totally worth it! This kit surprised me, I did not expect to like it nearly as much I do. This was probably my favorite build after the Sazabi and MG GNX, and like those two kits I'd do a rebuild without a moments hesitation. It may not be for everyone but I'd recommend the build to any Gunpla modeler.

eL Out...

Insert, Runner and Manual images courtesy of Gundam Phillipines.