Some kits sit around for ages before you actually get around to making them. I got this one about three years ago, when my sister went on a trip to Japan. I’d actually wanted it mainly for the free promo DVD that came bundled with it. She came back with a heavily discounted box — marked down because it was sans DVD. Let this be a lesson kids, be honest why you want something when you ask people to buy things for you.

Thankfully I like the Gundam itself too — who wouldn’t love a black version of Strike Gundam with added weaponry? The Strike Noir is the main mecha from the Gundam SEED: Stargazer OVA anime, a spin-off of Gundam SEED Destiny with little to do with the main show. That actually worked in its favour given the stinking pile of crap Destiny turned out to be. For a three episode series lasting a grand total of 45 minutes, it was pretty good and I loved the ‘upgrades’ of the original SEED Gundams.

This is the first 1/144 kit I’ve made in a while, and probably the last I’ll do, since I’ve vowed to invest only in the better quality MG and PG kits. To be fair, Bandai’s gotten pretty good with it’s HG 1/144 line these days. With HG, a 1/144 scale figure no longer looks as cheap and nasty as the no-grade versions. While a splash of painting helps, there is nowhere near as much as used to be required and a quick and dirty job using just the stickers would yield a decent looking model.

Gallery on Flickr

Of course, I painted and panel-lined mine (after all, I have to get use out of the bucket-load of Gundam markers I bought last time I went to Japan), but the whole build didn’t take too long. Total build time from box to finish was probably around 10 hours (though admittedly with a year’s gap between clipping the parts and actually building the thing!).

I’m impressed with the finished model, and especially the poseability. The new ball joints they’ve incorporated give the shoulders, legs and head much more flexibility than previous 1/144 scale kits. That’s good, because the abundance of weaponry on the Strike Noir — wing backpack, dual pistols, beam swords doubling up as foldaway cannons — allow for a lot of posing fun. It also comes with a matching display stand (though I’ve since pilfered it for my 1/144 Strike Freedom instead :p).

Overall, this was a fun, quick kit to build and good to do something quick for a change. Fine if you just want something satisfactory, but if it’s the Gundam and quality you’re bothered about, it’s worth pointing out that the Strike Noir is now available as a 1/100 MG version.

Next up: 1/60 PG Skygrasper + Aile Striker