30MM P-Bandai 1/144 eEXM-30 "Espossito ϴ"
Another 30 Minutes Missions build! I haven't really done a 30MM build other than my Acerbies, apart from the Volpanova Quad Bike last year. Just like the Volpanova, the Espossito is part of a transforming line of mechs, and it definitely has a lot of the same flaws as the Volpanova as well.
Unlike the Volpanova, the Espossito line is a set of more traditional transforming mechs, transforming into various flying machines. The Espossito ϴ in particular most closely resembles a traditional fighter jet, aside from its unqiue x-shaped set of fore-wings.
Being a P-Bandai variant kit, this kit includes a set of waterslide decals. There isn't a huge variety and they're all mostly in gret and white, but there are enough to give this an overall premium look, even if the build isn't that different to the typical Espossito build. I also added a healthy amount of sponge chipping, and painted in a few blue stripes and a set of eyes to the nose-cone, and I think the final look is really nice.
The weathering is otherwise fairly light, with only some soot staining around the various thrusters and around the beam rifles. I also added a little chrome behind the visor which really helps it look a lot more eye-catching. There's a nice level of detail behind the visor, with a little camera sensor detailed for the front portion.
There are a ton of optional extra parts to help detail this kit, including a whole extra set of "option parts" sprues. I didn't end up using any of these apart from the small plasma turrets, which sit nicely on the forearms as some extra weaponry, and a set of sponsons for the wings. The rest of the parts have been set aside for future builds.
Just like the Volpanova,the kit suffers from the old ball-joint polycaps, especially at the hip joint, with the legs often flopping around rather than holding a proper pose. This is most frustrating when transforming the suit, as unlike the Volpanova there are no 3mm hardpoints to lock everything into place. You can still get some decent posing from the whole thing, however.
The "plane mode" involves some unfolding of the various wing parts, which in the "robot mode" resemble a sort of armoured cloak. The torso pivots backwards and the chest piece folds into place becoming the plane's nose-cone, and the legs fold backwards to form the body of the plane. The overall sillhouette is super impressive, and despite being very fragile you can get some really nice photos of the transformed mode.
For the transformed mode, I rotated the turrets forward, with the weapons held facing the rear of the plane. However, the x-shaped fore-wings allow for enough articulation for the Espossito to hold the weapons facing forwards and be actually utilised in mid-air combat.
Generally, this was a pretty fun side-build, and the actual model looks really nice on the shelf, even if it is hell to pose and keep together. I probably wont go for any more of the older 30MM kits, but I'm definitely excited to try out the Spinatio or future Acerby kits as these generally feel a lot more stable when put together.
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