Gunpla Build - SD Tornado Gundam (Photos)

Just based purely on feels and vibes, this may have very quickly become one of my favorite SD’s. But like most SD’s it’s not without its issues.

But first, a bit of housekeeping before we dive in. Firstly, I got some more of those clear effect parts, this time in ¹⁄₁₄₄ scale:

Now I can mix and match them as needed depending on what scale I’m working with.

I also got this to help prop up all these effect parts.

This is basically the same thing as the Witch from Mercury weapon display sets, but instead of having all the specialty connectors needed for GWitch kits, this instead contains nothing but standard 3mm pegs. At the very least this makes it easier to add a ball of sticky tack on top for holding up effect parts.

I also want to point out that I once again tried to use the dark background again for this shoot, partly to get more practice using it effectively, but also because Tornado Gundam is often depicted fighting in space, so it seemed like a good fit.

With that being said, these photos didn’t come out quite as nicely as some of the ones I took before. In many of the shots the background is far more visible than I’d like, though I suppose that’s why they call it practice. At the very least I learned a lot about how even small changes in the distance from the light, as well as the angle of the light sources, can affect the final shot. I ask for your patience as I work on getting it right.

Okay, with that out of the way, let’s look at the Tornado Gundam.

Overall Presentation

What more is there to say? It’s exactly as good as I’ve been alluding to all this time. Highly detailed and very colorful, Tornado Gundam looks like a little powerhouse.

No, I still don’t like the hollow thrusters around the back, but I also know it could be way worse.

Articulation …?

It feels weird writing this section. This is not my first Cross Silhouette model, nor is it my first time using the Cross Silhouette frame. I should have a pretty good idea of what the articulation will be like.

But the thing is that I basically didn’t pose the F Kunoichi Kai for fear of messing up her paint job. And I didn’t post Calibarn much because it didn’t feel very playable. So in actuality I don’t know what to expect from the CS Frame.

And it turns out that the verdict is … not great. Now I’ll admit that part of the problem is that Tornado Gundam’s particular armor is chunky and blocks the movement of some of the joints. I just don’t think that’s the only reason.

Let’s put it this way: while the limbs of the CS Frame may technically be longer than on a standard SD frame, that doesn’t mean they’re long. They still don’t provide that much more clearance for the joints to move back and forth, so you’re not going to get super dynamic poses.

Based on this limited data, my current conclusion is that the CS frame is great for changing the look of an SD, but it doesn’t do all that much for its poseability. You’re still largely stuck with the same basic attack poses, where it’s difficult or impossible to really inject a sense of motion or body language.

The fact that it’s not better than other SD’s in this regard is not a knock on the model, but I was hoping it would have excelled.

More Attack Poses

I took a bunch of shots with the beam sabers, in different configurations.

It’s funny: this has one of the nicest looking beam rifles I’ve seen on an SD model, and yet I found myself gravitating to the beam sabers instead.

I think it was born from my desire to give this thing some dynamism. If the limbs can’t move around much, there’s not much you can do with the rifle, because you can’t really point it in many directions. But you can change where a beam saber is pointing simply by rotating the hands, so it’s an easier play.

At the very least they can add a bit more dimensionality to the model, and provide the promise of a greater threat.

Now for the arms guns:

I admit that I could have gotten a few better shots of this with the effect part, maybe something a little closer up. Or maybe I need some more bombastic effect parts to represent gunfire. Because as it is, they don’t provide a whole lot of intensity to the scene.

Also, maybe it’d help if the photos were brighter.

And finally, the chest cannon:

This is a ¹⁄₁₀₀ scale effect part, yet I wish it was even bigger still!

Cross Silhouette Comparison

Now that I have three Cross Silhouette builds under my belt¹, let’s bring them all out and compare:

Regardless of how I may have felt about them in the past, right now I think Calibarn is the weakest of the bunch. The condensed, chibi proportions of an SD model make it look even less colorful than its big sister, which was already not super colorful to begin with. It’s also not very playable, and unless you pose it up on a stand with its broom gun, it doesn’t have particularly good shelf presence either.

The F-Kunoichi Kai is a tough one. I think she’s actually the best looking of the bunch, not only because of her theming and gimmick, but because of the incredible amount of detail she has going on. However, she needed so much color correction, far more than the other two. That means she’s really hard to play around with without messing up all that gold trim.

And that really stinks, because she comes with a ton of fun, clever accessories. The fact that I felt like I had to choose between “playing” or “presentation” means it’s hard to rank her as the best of the bunch.

So that leaves Tornado Gundam as the “winner” so to speak. Even if F-Kunoichi Kai slightly edges him out in terms of looks, Tornado is still no slouch. And even if its articulation isn’t great, it’s still the most playable of the three by far.

Compared to the GOAT

Now this is a challenge, comparing Tornado Gundam against The Champ:

Command Gundam is close to being my Platonic Ideal of an SD Gundam. The only ones that equal it are, of course, it’s brothers-in-arms, Knight and Musha:

But that being said, I think Tornado holds its own. It still embodies a lot of the silliness and fun that those original SD models were meant to convey.

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuut there’s a sense of whimsy emanating from Command Gundam that isn’t quite there in Tornado (and before you ask, no, it’s not the cutesy eyes. I tried that already)

No, I think it’s just a matter of presence. Tornado looks like a tiny robot purpose-built to fight, whereas Command Gundam looks like a tiny robot playing dressup. To me that’s more true to the original spirit of SD.

Conclusion

This writeup feels more negative than my actual feelings on this build. It was exactly the kind of palette cleanser I needed after the disaster that was Altron.

But I can’t help but feel like the professor telling his student that their paper is a B+, but with a bit more effort it could have won a scholarship essay contest.

As it stands, I can see this making my “best of” list at the end of the year, but I’m imagining a version that’s my favorite High Grade on the shelf. But it doesn’t quite get there in the end.