Ah Gundam AGE… I have to be honest; I have yet to see a single episode of the series. That’s not to say I don’t want to, far from it; I do intend to watch the entire series. I just don’t have much motivation to do so right now. Typically when I watch anime or tokusatsu, I wait until the series is finished so I can watch it one episode a day instead of having to wait. I only make exceptions for shows I’m really excited for, like Gokaiger or Shin Mazinger. A new Gundam series directed at a younger audience just doesn’t have that level of “instant appeal” to me.
It’s been at least seven years since I’ve built a Gundam kit from a series I haven’t seen. It’s a bit surreal building a mobile suit you have zero attachment to yet. I was actually planning on getting the AGE-1 Normal kit at Otakon, but when they gave me this one as a prize, I figured, hey, can’t argue with that price. Considering my bad habit of never getting kits from the later UC and non-Wing/SEED AUs, I figured it would be a good idea to get SOMETHING from AGE before I give the show a whirl.
A
s the AGE-1’s melee form, the Titus is one beefy kit. Sharing only the torso and part of the waist with the standard form of AGE-1, with some modifications you could easily make this thing into some kind of really cool heavily armored grunt. While I’m still not sold on the idea of giving the main Gundam different forms, I’d have to wait until I’ve actually seen the show to pass judgment.
The kit comes with some neat features, like being one of the only MGs to have its eyes molded in color… something I learned to be a blessing and a curse. In the process of building the kit I accidentally took a huge chunk of plastic out of the glowing part on the chest, and had to remove the part and put it in backwards. It ended up working, but I’m not too happy with the end result.
Regardless, I love the cockpit mechanism, even if it was very finicky to put together.
The articulation is really good and solid on this kit! Bulky kits usually end up being hindered by the bulk, but this one actually works around it. It can hold some pretty tricky poses pretty well, but I’m afraid if I do that too much, the joints will start to give away.
Construction of this kit is very… modular, which makes painting very easy.
As a kit with no weapons, this thing is a little light on accessories. All you really get are three pairs of hands: open, outstretched, and fists. The thumbs have multiple joints, which is really nice to see, but I wish some posable fingers were included.
Of course, the real accessories on the kit are the little… beam things. Yeah, these are really cool, but my god I’d hate to lose one of them. Thankfully, they all come on a little rack, which makes storage super easy.
Just be careful with the big circular ones. They are a PAIN to take out, especially if you paint.
Several pilot figures are also included. I accidentally put the wrong one in the cockpit. Oh well.
A small adapter is also included for posing on action bases.
One thing I noticed while building was how… easy this kit felt. It still felt like a Master Grade, but it felt much easier than the ones I’m used to. I guess Bandai opted to use a Master Grade line instead of making 1/100s for AGE, since well, with most of them, there’s no point in buying them after the MGs come out.
For my first AGE kit, I have to say I was quite satisfied. Not the best Master Grade I’ve built by any means, but it was a fun kit nonetheless. I’d definitely say to go for it. Remember to stop by FPNYC for any of your Gundam AGE needs!