#provedel

If you're unfamiliar with 30 Minute Missions - it's a line of mecha model kits from Bandai that aren't really tied to any existing lore/property/series. They're just self-contained mecha model kits with an emphasis on customizing and kitbashing.

It's a big box. Roughly the size of a modern MG or one of the big RG kits.

And it's got booklet-style instructions.

While it's basically the same as any other Bandai snap-fit kit... The instructions and runners are set up a little differently. The runners are designed to be broken apart into smaller chunks that are numbered corresponding to the steps in the instructions.

For example - here you can see all the bits needed for Step 6, which is the tail. You can break off just these parts of the runners and set everything else aside. It makes runner-management much easier.

I wanted to make sure the face was visible behind that clear green bit so I hit it with a silver Gundam marker. Looks pretty good. Definitely makes that part pop.

There's a lot of surface detail going on. Lots of little greeblies. Lots of panel-lining. Maybe too much?

I mean, I like surface detail... That's one of the reasons I prefer the Origin Zaku II over the original... But this feels maybe a little excessive. Especially with the addition of all those hardpoints everywhere.

It comes with a big sheet of marking stickers for two different designs. I really don't like these stickers so I didn't use any of them.

So - that's what you get... It's a little weird and almost monochromatic.

There's basically two colors of plastic - blue for the armor and grey for the frame/joints/whatever. There's a few bits of transparent green, but not enough to really matter. It feels kind of bland compared to most of the Gundam designs I'm typically building.

And there's not a lot of accessories. You've got a couple open hands, a couple holding hands, a couple hoses/wires, and the big arm gun.

This kit is big. The box says 1/144 but it's standing taller than some of the MGs on my shelf. It absolutely towers over the other 1/144 kits.

And the design is just weird. It's a strange mash-up of robot, dinosaur, and motorcycle.

This is the "normal" mode. I don't love it. It's just a really weird design.

I mean, it's actually got a head in its crotch.

The next option is "riding" mode. The head gets tucked away behind some armor, the torso extends, a windscreen of sorts folds down, and the crotch extends into kind of a saddle kind of thing. I don't have any other 30MM kits to put in there but you can probably imagine how it's supposed to work.

Then we've got "rex" mode. The head is still hidden under armor, but the torso spins around backwards. We move that weird saddle/head thing up top to become a head. It looks better, but I don't like those footpegs hanging down.

I didn't love the designs they gave me, and there's an emphasis on customization, so I did my own thing.

The tail was too floppy for posing so I took that off entirely and turned it into a big claw hand. I didn't like the arm gun so it's a shield now. Completely lost that weird crotch-head. Added those red wires to the right arm for some added flair.

And I think it looks pretty good.

I'm still not thrilled with the overall aesthetic of the 30MM line. It still feels a little bland and monochromatic. I don't love all those hardpoints everywhere.

But I'm not mad at it.