Here’s the parts for OG Altron. As usual we get some reused runners from HG Sandrock, since that’s where the inner frame is from:
And here is Jiyan Altron:
Since it reuses parts from the High Grade Wing Gundam, we get an almost-complete version of its Buster Rifle, just in case you want to use that.
Shield(s)
The OG Altron’s shield is made of three parts, which means it’s color accurate save for the tiny little black circle in the center (for which we get a sticker).
Jiyan Altron’s shield is made of just two parts, which means we have to color correct the entire X-shape in the center. It comes with stickers for this, but I opted instead to use paint.
Also, notice the difference in size. I was not expecting that.
Head
These are pretty much entirely different. Obviously they have different V-Fins, but additionally all of the detail on the rear and the sides of each helm are different too.
Altron’s head looks more like, well, a dragon, while Jiyan’s looks more like the helm of an ancient warrior (which, to be fair, is more thematically appropriate for someone like Tigerwolf)
In terms of color correction, Jiyan Altron has a little red/yellow sticker for the center of its V-Fin, which I opted to paint instead.
Chest
While the general look is the same, the size and shape is not:
OG Altron’s chest is a little bit bigger and broader, while on Jiyan it’s more squished up.
Lower Torso
Same general shape, but Jiyan’s front skirts are more rounded:
Meanwhile, the side skirts are very similar (complete with the little fang-like shapes that you can paint white if you choose).
The rear skirts are very similar, but again, on Jiyan all the details are a little more squished.
Feet
Very similar, but not the same, as some of the shin armor on Altron plugs directly into the ankle guard, whereas on Jiyan the ankle guard is unblemished:
Legs
This is where the two models differ a little more significantly:
The fang-shaped armor on the Altron is entirely decorative, but on the Jiyan it’s a set of actual, moveable fangs that can open and close.
That being said, the rest of the detailing is pretty similar. Surprisingly so, in fact.
Arms
These are hardly similar at all. Altron has to tuck it’s big long arm up inside of its shoulder, whereas Jiyan has no such worry. Altron also needs a connection point for its dragon fang, whereas Jiyan does not.
And of course the actual shoulder for Jiyan is much smaller, because it’s meant as a mounting point for …
Tiger and Wolf
These things hide their seamlines very well, but in terms of color accuracy they’re a mixed back. You get stickers for all the eyes, and black stickers for all the tiger stripes, but nothing else for the wolf. You’ll have to paint in all its face markings, its ears, etc, as well as the teeth on both animals.
(I also painted the inside of each one, just for the hell of it)
(As well as the inside of the mouths. I thought it would be distracting and toylike if they were just yellow and grey in there)
Dragon Fangs
The “faces” of each are quite similar, though not the fangs themselves. On Jiyan they’re bigger, and they fit onto the head seamlessly, like a cap on top of a peg.
On Altron, the (smaller) fangs instead have a hole that slots onto the peg, which is why it has to have color correcting yellow stickers to make them look flush (spoiler: it does not, in fact, look flush)
Extend-o-Arms
I don’t feel like I have the words to describe how they differ, though you can see for yourself in the photo below:
I think Alton’s is “better” in the sense that it’s longer and has more articulation, but I think Jiyan’s is more clever in a way.
Wings
They only thing they really share in common is that they’re both wings.
Before we finish up, let’s look at the few lingering things that are exclusive to Altron.
Beam Trident
Um, it’s long. And the tridents are wide. Looks pretty nasty.
Backpack
The beam cannon is shaped like a dragon’s tail, which is very cute. It also has some decent articulation, allowing it to fire from different angles.
Finished
Building these together was both fun and illuminating. It highlighted a phenomenon that I’ve been wrestling with for a while now, one in which certain details and subtleties of a given mobile suit design aren’t always apparent to me until I’ve built it as a Gunpla.
Forgive my arm chair psychology-sing, but I wonder if it has something to do with Gestalt Psychology, where one views a mobile suit as a sum whole rather than its individual parts.
That is, of course, until you’re building the individual parts, at which point you’re forced to assess them on their own terms, and suddenly those subtle details stare you in the face.
Or maybe I’m just not paying all that much attention. Hard to say!