Let’s start this one off with some beam saber poses. I’ve been trying to get better at using them in action poses, so I’ll take any practice I can get:
One of the things I’m starting to really appreciate more is just how much a good beam saber pose comes down the to position of the feet and the torso. I’ve probably said something like that before, but it’s easy to forget.
I think this photo below was an attempt at a downward stabbing motion. Not great, but again, practice makes perfect.
Here I’ve got the shield flipped forward so it’s in front of the fist. I think it makes for slightly more natural defensive poses:
I really wanted to try and replicate this pose from Battle in Three Dimensions, but it wasn’t possible. The knees just won’t bend enough.
So I made do with what I could:
Comparison with High Grade
I think the High Grade EZ-8 compares more favorably than the High Grade Ground Type did:
Compared to the Ground Type, the EZ-8 doesn’t have misshapen shoulders, and it’s face doesn’t look squished and cramped.
Looking around back, we even see one area where the High Grade beats the Master Grade. Those little scoopy things at the bottom of the leg are longer on the HG, and if I recall correctly, that’s the way they’re supposed to look:
I suppose there are tiny bits of surface detail that the High Grade is lacking, but I don’t think that takes away from the look, especially when it captures the important details, like the ones on the face:
And keep in mind that even after all these years, my High Grade still moves and feels as sturdy as an action figure. You really can’t go wrong with either of these models, but I’m particularly impressed with how well the HG holds up.
08th Team Moving Out
Now we get to my favorite part of the photoshoot. I can finally assemble the team, including the weird little Hover Truck thing I found years ago, which is actually (roughly) to scale next to these Master Grades:
Folks, this here is my everything as a Gundam fan. This trio right here is why I’m here at all. And to see them together like this, in such wonderful detail and fidelity … it makes me emotional. I’m not afraid to admit it.
These ones came out way better than I expected. These two exhibit such a natural sense of comraderie.
One More Video
Here is the culmination of all this work over these last few months:
If you had told sixteen year old me that one day I’d have models of all three of these mobile suits standing side by side, I’m not sure how he’d react. But this one’s for you kid.
Postmortem
I’m going to do a postmortem about some of these recent builds, and how things worked out. Look for it soon.