If you've been following my posts you're probably aware that the Strike Rouge is my favorite design in Gundam SEED, and quite possibly my favorite design out of any series. I picked this kit up about a year ago and I've been kind of waiting to build it. Working up my courage hoping I can do a really decent job on it. Unfortunately, as you can see, this build ended in tears.
So this is the MG Strike Rouge + Ootori. Basically a recolor of the MG Aile Strike with a different backpack. And I'm not really sure where that backpack comes from...? I don't recognize it from any of the anime. Maybe I wasn't paying attention? Maybe it was more of a background element? Maybe it's from some game or MSD thing?
This kit comes with a sheet of sticker-style decals and some dry transfers. I'm not going to be using any of these - I picked up some nice holographic waterslide decals.
Unfortunately this kit also comes with some color-correcting stickers. Not just the usual shiny foils for eyes and cameras - actual color-correcting stickers.
I don't like color-correcting stickers. I'll accept them on HG kits since they're trying to keep the costs and complexity down... But I always feel like an MG should be a nicer build. Especially when they manage fully accurate plastic in RG and EG kits.
I did a quick bit of test paint to see how that would work... But it's going on black plastic, and yellow is notoriously difficult to paint with... Realistically, I'd probably have to mask, prime, and paint several coats to get it looking decent. And I don't like painting much. So I guess I'm going to be using the stickers.
The arms honestly feel a little disappointing to me... I guess I was looking for something more like the RG Aile Strike I built a little while back. More sliding armor panel gimmicks.
And the same thing goes for the legs... There's a nice bit of separation in the knee, complete with a tiny little piston. But they feel just vaguely lackluster after that RG kit.
I once heard somebody describe RGs as "mini MGs" and I guess I'm looking for MGs to be big RGs - which just isn't often the case.
Aside from those complaints it's a very solid kit. Maybe too solid? There's a lot of ABS in the inner-frame and some of those parts were very, very tight fits. Downright difficult to assemble.
So the Strike Rouge itself is basically color accurate. There's the shiny stickers for eyes and cameras, but that's it. All the color-correcting stickers are for the Ootori striker.
Lots of little yellow stripes on black wings... Some red stripes on weapons... A bit of black on a white fin... It leaves me wondering if the Aile striker has a bunch of stickers too? Or if it is any more accurate?
That Ootori striker is just huge! It almost feels like building a whole second kit.
I got some nice holographic waterslide decals from Delpi Decal. Delpi is absolutely one of my favorite decal brands, and these are fantastic. There's a subtle hexagonal pattern when it catches the light right. Looks very cool.
Unfortunately this is where everything went wrong.
I don't know exactly what I did, but this topcoat went very bad. Lots of heavy frosting... Weird running and pooling... And an almost milky finish to a lot of it. Very, very ugly. Could barely see the decals through it.
I was able to clean up the worst of it with isopropyl alcohol... But it still doesn't look very good. It looks very dusty in the low areas.
I didn't wind up doing a lot of posing with this kit because I was so disappointed. It looks OK up on the shelf, from a couple feet away... But I can't look too close without getting upset.
The Ootori striker looks very dramatic up on the shelf. And, nicely, this kit comes with a stand too. But I don't love the Ootori in general... It looks awfully bulky and complicated.
I kind of want to grab an MG Aile Strike kit and see if I can swap the backpacks.
Actually, what I really want to do is build an RG Strike Rouge kit. I'd really like to see that fantastic RG Aile Strike I build a little while back in Rouge colors.
