Considering I got this model for only 13 bucks, it would have had to have been an utter failure for me to be disappointed in it. So imagine my surprise when it ended up being by far the best High Grade I’ve built this year. In fact, the last time I felt this good about an HG build was probably the Xi Gundam from last summer.
If for some reason you needed more proof of the might of the Shingyo School, the Crossbone Maoh is it.
The original Crossbone X1 was already a fairly simple design, and this one manages to be even simpler. But it more than makes up for that with the stickers, which (at least in the lightbox) give off a wonderfully radiant glow. It really makes it look like it is lit up and energized:
I love how they moved the skull motif off of the head and onto the chest. Yes, it’s a lot more ostentatious, but it’s also far more intimidating - and really, are those bad things for a pirate to signal?
Finally, I love the color scheme, as it is highly reminiscent of the Gundam Ground Type, still one of my all time favorite mobile suits. My only criticism is that I’d make it maybe make the grey on the Crossbone Maoh a tiny bit less dark.
Actually, no, I have one more criticism. While I do think it was smart to make this look more like the Crossbone than the Gundam X (since the GX was already the inspiration for Mao’s previous Gunpla), I would have liked to see at least one more tiny bit of visual reference to the GX, if only to really drive home that it’s a fusion of the two.
But all in all, I think this is a great example of playing around with a design to make something fresh and new, without betraying the spirit of the original.
Now, onto some poses.
The articulation on this model is hardly groundbreaking, but it’s “good enough”, and when you combine that with a simple, sturdy design like this, you get something that is extremely poseable and playable.
It’s no coincidence that this was the only photoshoot so far this year that I felt motivated to complete. When you can pop a pose and not worry about anything falling off, or any fiddly pits getting out of position, its amazing how many photos you can take in a short amount of time. Who woulda thunk?
As you can see, I took a lot of shots with the beam rifle. I’ve become quite fond of it, not only its shape but its size. Makes me want to go back and take more photos with the Real Grade Crossbone (but not before stripping off its stickers and appyling waterslides, of course)
But with that being said, one more shot with the rifle, and then we’ll move on to the other accessories:
How about the foot knives?
So knifey. And footy!
Or how about the handheld knives?
Not very footy, but still knifey!
But in all seriousness, I didn’t think these things were going to look good, on account of being too small, but I became fond of them in the end. I think the wraparound grips give them a bit of a brass knuckle vibe.
Now onto the bone swords:
This didn’t dawn on me initially, but the grips on these things are designed to be adjustable:
This allows you to adjust them based on whether you want to use them as swords or guns.
Interestingly, I think the beam effect parts looks a bit too large to use as swords:
But they look fantastic as shots coming out of the gun:
Let’s try the quad beam sabers:
This gimmick works surprisingly well on account of the extra arms being so well articulated:
Imagine seeing this wall of beam sabers hurtling toward you:
And now for the final gimmick, the skull:
… okay, so there’s not much to show here on its own. But I decided to plus it up using a blue Jet Effect Part
That … actually looks really good. Damn!
So as you can see, this thing has a ton of weapons and gimmicks. If you like posing or otherwise playing with your models, the Crossbone Maoh is a dream.
With its Friends
To wrap things up, here’s a silly photo of the model with its inspiration(s):
Conclusion
This was the cheapest model I’ve built this year, and it also managed to be one of best. It just does to show you that size and cost don’t always matter.