This is the Wing Gundam redesigned by Hajime Katoki, famous for his Fix Figuration line-up, mech design in Gundam Sentinel, Endless Waltz, and V Gundam among many others. He also used to (or still?) do the proportions for the MG line-up. I respect the guy and admired many of his designs, especially the GP03D and the Ex-S.
Since I already have the MG Wing Zero Custom, I bought this model solely as a learning tool for practicing extensive clear sticker and decal application. In other words, this model was fitting as a practice for the MG Unicorn xD. Having said that, I worked on this Ver. Ka with a different mindset; I focused less on the actual construction and concentrated a lot more on applying the clear stickers and decals.
Out of the box, there’s fourteen runners of parts in total. That’s a fair amount for this simplistic Gundam. Since this is an original model and not a recolor/variant of another suit, all the pieces are used. The white is the same as the white used on the RX-78-2 Ver. Ka. It’s VERY WHITE. As with anything Ver. Ka, you get this enormous sheet of clear marking stickers. It’s like his trademark or something -_-;
Construction is very simple. There’s really nothing complicated or difficult. I could almost say that current 1/100 models from 00 (hello Avalanche) requires more work than the Wing Ver. Ka. For the most part, you’re just snapping halves together. Although this kit is rather easy by itself, the real punishment comes from applying the stickers and decals… … AND THEY ARE RIDICULOUS. It is totally unnecessary and extremely excessive. C’mon… do you need TEN “Caution” labels on each shoulder?! Most of the stickers on this Ver. Ka is basically the word “caution” and “danger blast”. The placements of the stickers also doesn’t even make any sense. They’re just there for the sake of being there and making the Gundam look pretty. If it weren’t for the stickers, I would’ve completed this model two days earlier I bet.
I didn’t like the brownish gray plastic so I was thinking of painting it all dark metal but then realize its shown throughout the whole Gundam so I scrapped the idea. Wing’s orb got the same treatment as Exia’s and loved the result, especially when I compared it to my old MG Wing Zero Custom.
The biggest royal PITA are the armaments… basically only the shield and Buster Rifle. It’s here where applying the decal perfectly is almost impossibly and completely absurd. Why Katoki, Why!? Why would you put a decal placement on an uneven surface? It makes no sense and just begging for the decal to be ruined by inexperienced modelers (me ^^;). I didn’t screw up but thanks to a masking tape accident, part of the “XXXG-01″ and “LAGRANGE ONE” decal got destroyed so I had to scrape the former off and modify the latter into “RANGE ONE”. It doesn’t make sense… but none of the markings on this model makes sense to begin with, so it is perfectly okay >_>. As for the buster rifle… there’s oh so little surface area to actually rub the decal on… -_-;
The completed model is gorgeous… Quite colorful too… why is it so bright and colorful? o_0. Even though I might’ve messed up some of the decals, I think I did a decent job on the stickers since I can’t even see the outline of them unless I focus. What makes the effort all the more worthwhile is that the finished model has more details than its GFF counterpart! HA! The one thing I hate is the faceplate… it moves! It doesn’t stay still and I can easily knock it loose and Wing Gundam will have a crooked face!
Poseability… let’s see… it doesn’t have anything. There was so sophisticated joints in its inner frame assembly and everything was straightforward so you can expect basic articulation coming out of all that easy work. Just like the Wing Zero, the Ver. Ka’s legs can easily do more feminine-like stances (think both knees pointing inward) than… what the MG Strike Noir can do. The buster rifle is also unsurprisingly too heavy for Wing to hold. *sigh* But that’s okay… I “improvised” a little to get some buster rifle shots. Also note that this model only has one beam saber. Here’s a funny part… its machine cannons are obstructed by its head; the cover doesn’t open completely. I’m dumb and didn’t figure out that I need to actually push in and slide out the machine cannons.
The photos can tell you the rest:
The Transformation to bird mode was pretty simple and risk-free so I thought it would be nice to see how it looks like…
Between the Wing Ver. Ka and Wing Zero Custom, there’s very little difference between the two (both are virtualy the same model but with different wings). Both have their own fair share of annoyances; Wing can’t hold its buster rifle and Zero having its feathers falling off easily and made basically for one special pose. Both can’t pose well and can’t really look down. Just to name a few quirks. Luckily loose parts isn’t on the list (yet). Personally, I like the Ver. Ka better (after all the effort).
Notes:
- Painted the inside of the orb, head sensor, wrist thing metallic green
- Painted machine cannon shell dark metal
- Since I screwed up both shield decals, I modified Wing Zero Custom’s decals and use that instead. If you look closely on the shield, you can see that the gray decal says “Gundam Wing System”. I cut off the part that says “with mobile suit operation system Zero”. Although the new decal is more subtle, I like it better than the huge XXXGO1 decal ^^;
- If you’re afraid of this model being backheavy… the Wing Zero is heavier.
As for this model being a learning tool… I’m glad I used it as such. I’ve learned how I can make mistakes and develop somewhat of a steady hand cutting the stickers out.
Lastly…. DAMN YOU, KATOKI! WHY DO YOU LIKE TO SLAP SO MANY WARNING MARKS ON YOUR GUNDAMS!?
UPDATE: TOP COAT
As a test model, the Wing Ver. Ka received the honor of becoming my very first kit to have top coat applied to it. The result? Aesthetically pleasing. The plastic almost have that brittle clay look to it like recent GFFs but still feel very solid. The most apparent difference are on the shield and legs/feet thanks due to the larger/longer surface area. Note this is only a generous light coat and not multiple layers so there’s still some plastic gloss but that’s okay. I’m loving the near-flat shineless look on this kit though you might not be able to see much difference in the photos. I’m guessing it’s an effect one can only see and fully appreciate in person ^^;
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October 25, 2009 at 8:25 PM
i belive he is talking about taking the wings off a MG WZC and put onto this MG Wing Ka. i think.
October 25, 2009 at 8:37 PM
@AceDudueYeah
Actually, scratch build means building a part or a whole kit all by yourself by just using plastic plates and pieces, and filling/molding curves by some sort of filling compound or paste. I’ve did it before in building the sheild for Chaos Impulse Gundam (a variation). Tough work, you’ll need exact measurements, a good knife, patience, and paint the final product by yourself… ^^;
October 25, 2009 at 11:18 PM
About the whole switching wings deal… I don’t have either MG (yet), so I can’t personally say whether it’s possible for myself, but I do know of someone who not only can, but did:
http://f7.aaa.livedoor.jp/~mesarion/gallery/wzero/wzero.htm
There’s also a link in that page to another page that shows the model being worked on, and it looks like some modification was needed.
November 27, 2009 at 8:51 AM
Z or anyone:
I just got a HG 1/100 Wing Zero Custom just so I could take the twin buster rifles and give ‘em to my Wing Ka. Not going so well, any suggestions?
November 27, 2009 at 4:26 PM
i think he should have took a picture with it using both buster and twin buster rifles. more pwnage.
December 16, 2009 at 2:09 AM
whenever i screw up with the tape, as in i accidentally put the damn dry transfer upside down, i just tape the tape with the decal on the surface -_-
but yeah… i do prefer the look of dry transfers because they are essentially painted on. [decal shaped paint =p] vs water slides because i think the process is just sooooo tedious but, it does allow for more mistakes if it happens so. hhmm, depends on my mood i guess. if i had the choice i’d buy an extras set of dry transfers rather than water slides.
December 16, 2009 at 12:20 PM
ace, i don’t have my TBR from my 1/100 anymore so I can’t test it out. Since the hands are practically the same, I thought it would work, no?
allen, that sounds like way too much weight xD
antiphon, with the right chemicals, the waterslide will look just as good. I much rather be able to take my time and move the decal around ^^
December 16, 2009 at 12:25 PM
…. looking at the layout of this review, i feel like i should fix it up a little to match my current reviewing format… not to mention fixing those unclickable photos…
January 19, 2010 at 4:45 PM
Just one query on the bird mode: can’t its legs be twisted front to back, like the Okawara version?
January 19, 2010 at 8:29 PM
*looks at the model’s waist* I supposed it can…
February 12, 2010 at 7:13 PM
Man, how do u really do Decals like that. Can u show us a guide on how to place decals since Im about to get a Wing Gundam Ver. Ka when it restocks in March.
February 12, 2010 at 8:04 PM
*Points at My Tools page*
February 12, 2010 at 9:23 PM
lol word less reply… at least “spoken” words…
March 6, 2010 at 5:02 AM
oh nooo, Wing Ver.Ka is so hot, well, i’m in a great problem, what should I choose, between Wing Zero Custom or Wing Ver.Ka, can you give me an advice?
btw, what is the meaning in “Ver.Ka” word…
March 7, 2010 at 9:19 PM
Ver. Ka = Version Katoki, as in Hajime Katoki. The person who oversaw every development aspect of this (and other) model.
March 22, 2010 at 8:00 PM
Would it be better to get the Ver. Ka or the one coming out in April? o_o”
March 23, 2010 at 12:29 AM
The new Wing looks like it can do a lot more with its articulation than this one. For me, I grab whichever looks better to me… and that would be the Ver. Ka. If you like to play with your model, then the new Wing.
March 23, 2010 at 2:45 AM
I wouldn’t mind playing with the Ver. Ka model either if I had it (and recently could have, but since I spotted a rarer figure, I got it and the 1/144 Virsago, but I’m digressing). I occasionally played around with my GFF Wing and still do, despite the fragility of it. Unless you’re about as hyper as a certain relative of mine responsible for the destruction of my old MSiA collection (I miss my Leo; it’s head and weapons are remaining), I’m sure any of you would be pretty careful with GFFs and Gunpla.
The new MG Wing based on the Okawara design looks pretty good (with a few revisions for the better; though images of the new cockpit and figure inside made me cue up Episode 10 of GW and wonder about scaling). Z even briefly pondered getting it for a wild kitbashing to turn it into a better Wing ver. Ka model. It was just a ponder, though.
Since Z’s personally leaning on MG Wing ver. Ka for aesthetic reasons (and the aesthetics are superior to the refined design of MG Wing), I’m suggesting MG Wing for articulation, and the design–especially refined–doesn’t look bad at all (even if some images lead me to question scaling a bit). Maybe it’s my nostalgia, but I’m more accepting of the original Wing design, even though I favor Katoki’s more as well.
If you can afford it though, iRemember, why not get both? Cost issues or lack of enough interest in getting both or…? *shrug*
March 23, 2010 at 12:30 AM
oh i guess i still haven’t fixed the first half of the images in this review yet huh…
July 7, 2010 at 1:03 AM
i’m planning to buy this unit next week. looks like im goomg yo have a problem on putting the decals.
July 9, 2010 at 2:48 AM
did you make any paint job for this one? tell me because im planning to buy this kind of unit some time next week
July 9, 2010 at 3:58 AM
nope, Z did not used any paint on this one, just a thin coat of mr. hobby topcoat
July 9, 2010 at 7:55 PM
thanks for giving me the info. so im just going to buy a topcoat for this one. another question when applying top coat do i apply it after i build the unit or apply it separately on each parts of the unit.
July 9, 2010 at 8:18 PM
usually its applied after assembling the kit, and by parts, like, legs, arms, upper body, so that the topcoat is applied on each side of the parts
July 9, 2010 at 8:20 PM
http://gunpla-inochi.com/tools/
July 15, 2010 at 8:05 PM
i got my version katoki wing gundam last night. i just want to ask what the best way of applying the dry base decal? applying it after i build the whole unit? or apply it after i build each parts like the arm legs torso and wing
July 16, 2010 at 11:22 PM
apply it after you build each part
July 16, 2010 at 5:53 PM
Z can you please me an advice for first timer like me on applying decals on my wing version ka im afraid I’m going to messed up thanks
July 16, 2010 at 5:53 PM
Z can you please give me an advice for first timer like me on applying decals on my wing version ka im afraid I’m going to mess up thanks
September 28, 2010 at 7:15 PM
Hi Z, I decided to paint the chest orb of my Wing Ver. Ka with tamiya clear green….which I was then greeted with what seems to be multiple “cracks?” in the clear piece, any ideas what it is and how to fix it ><?
September 30, 2010 at 11:29 PM
How to paint the GREEN CHEST SYSTEM? im planning to paint mine.
October 15, 2010 at 10:53 AM
HAPPY DAY MY FRIEND
so i on the weekends i come home to see my rents (and get a good few meals) and on my bed when i walked upstairs was this gundam ^.^
anything i should look out for?
October 17, 2010 at 2:22 PM
so i just finished build.
then i picked up the stickers and decals….
I decided playing halo would be less stressful
stickers and decals tonight or tomorrow after classes
November 1, 2010 at 5:29 PM
so ya still haven’t finished the stickers and decals.
stupid school
November 1, 2010 at 7:50 PM
take your time. I know how you feel ^^;