#azee gurumin

Innocence by midblu (Iron-Blooded Orphans; Gen)

Ballet and Poptarts by bitchscythe (Gundam Wing; Gen)

Flight by TheOtherWesley (Gundam Wing; Explicit; @theotherwesley)

Frozen Sunlight by The_Librarian (Iron-Blooded Orphans; Teen and Up; @wordsandrobots)

With Open Arms by Bryony (REBB) (Gundam Wing; Explicit; @bryony-rebb)

Waiting Games by gemstonecircles (Gundam Wing; Explicit; @gemstonecircles)

I'm really enjoying these HGIBO kits, but they just aren't consistent. I don't know if there just wasn't as cohesive a vision back when these kits were being made? Or if I've just been spoiled by how consistently good modern lines like HGWFM are?

The stickers, for example, vary widely from one kit to the next. That Hyakuri had a whole pile of stickers... But this Hyakuren just has a few bits of yellow. Hell - I'd just paint those bits if yellow wasn't such a horrible color to work with.

I really like how these Iron-Blooded Orphans designs are based off of shared frames. And you really get to see that when you're building the kits. This thing looks almost nothing like the Hyakuri I built, but you can still see commonalities here and there because they're both based on the Teiwaz frame.

Unfortunately I had a little trouble with the legs. Again - I don't know if it's an issue with my print or if that's just how these kits were... But one of the legs was super, super loose. Absolutely wouldn't hold a pose at all. Straight-up floppy. It was easy-enough to correct it with a joint-strengthening pen... But I guess I expect better from Bandai.

The head has this broad, flared thing on the back that gives me weirdly snake-y vibes. Reminds me of the hood on a cobra or something. It looks cool, but it seriously limits the head's mobility.

There's not a ton of accessories with this kit... We get the rifle and the blade, as well as a sheathe for the blade. And, honestly, I appreciate that. I never really liked how the Zaku II was just carrying a naked heat hawk around.

We get kind of an odd gimmick in these fist weapons that are vaguely reminiscent of brass knuckles. And there's some fantastic articulation in the shoulders to accommodate some very dynamic punching poses. But they don't really look like much...

Unfortunately the legs aren't super-posable. I mean, they're fine... But a little limited. Part of that is due to just how huge and chonky those thighs are. But the bulky side-skirting doesn't help either.