Chinese-made imitation models of Gundams have become more attention drawing. I am not talking about direct copies such as TT Hongli or Model GD, but one brand under the name of Model Comprehend (MC), a relatively new one, has been making its own versions of existing Gunpla. I may talk more about it in the future, but here is the latest one spotted on the Internet - the 1/144 scale Hi-Nu "Gundoom".
And yep it's "Gundoom" not "Gundam". I haven't actively sought for the models, but there are reviews out there already in online community. Well, let's see how this model fares.
Kit comes with clear wing parts and decal as "first batch extra goodies".
Foil stickers are included as well
Hi-Nu "Gundooom" completed and detailed, front view.
Rear view
Equipped with Hyper Bazooka
Wing parts
Comparison with Bandai's MG 1/100 RX-78-2 Gundam OYW version. The two stand pretty much at the same height.
Box size comparison with Bandai's HGUC 1/144 Hi-Nu Gundam
Gunpla size comparison of HGUC 1/144 Hi-Nu Gundam (left) with Hi-Nu "Gundoom" (right)
At first glance, the Hi-Nu Gundoom looks a bit oversized for 1/144 scale, and heck, it even stands about the same size as an MG 1/100 Gunpla too.
For a Chinese-made imitation Gunpla kit, it appears that most, if not all, parts are possibly "original" and not directly copied from Bandai's parts (i.e. not molded over directly from original runners), but I will need people who are really familiar with the Bandai kits (i.e. those who have built them) to confirm this with me.
The kit also seems to have original parts such as an extra beam sabre mounted below the left arm that can combine with Hi-Nu's original ones. All fin funnels can be detached unlike the Bandai's HGUC 1/144 kit, and there appears to be more details with the Gundoom have sleeker proportions compared to the original.
In terms of price, I did hear it's slightly more expensive than the HGUC 1/144 kit, but I will need to check on this. I still need to find feedbacks regarding on the plastic quality or the assembly, which are well known problems for previous bootleg models. But overall, just looking at the model itself it may be a little hard to tell that this is not Bandai's original model or one of those expensive resin kits. No wonder the Gundoom got more and more well heard recently, with some shops already taking pre-orders for customers when preview pictures were released on the Internet.
I wonder what response Bandai gives regarding on the Gundooms. It is likely that they won't stay slient for too long though.
Picture sources from NWBBS (runner and parts picture available there as well) & ToysDaily forum
Wow looks more like a resin kit to me! How much did you get it for? The sculpt is way better than bandai's version....sleeker and sharper.
ReplyDeleteI'd get it for the awesome giant sword it has. And maybe the wings.
ReplyDeletealready pre-ordered mine ^^ cant resist the massive 25 cm beam sword as well as the massive details (copied from a resin conversion of Hi-Nu) for my modding references XD
ReplyDeleteyes, the price is a bit high, for Malaysians,some people sells it at average MG price, around 3500 yen or something. im a bit lucky to get it at normal HG price, about 2000 yen-ish ^^
Looks pretty good for an unofficial product. Guess it's kinda hard to call it a bootleg as it's not a direct copy. Looks more like they tried to "improve" on the original.
ReplyDeleteI think Bandai will start moving depending on how widespread the model becomes. If it remains rather niche, they may just leave them alone for a while. I mean, it's not like they've been chasing G-Systems and they've been running for years!
yeah as detailed as resin kit, I also looking forward for Bandai reaction considering old bootlegs is sucks Bandai don't need do anything let the customer decide right ? but if it's good bootlegs that will be a different story
ReplyDeleteYeah, I have to admit, this is pretty good looking for a knock-off. Haha, Gun"DOOM!"
ReplyDeleteI'd pick it up though, if it were cheap and available. The MG Hi-Nu is still like 80 bucks at the moment.
rather than Bandai.. i think G-system will be the one that threaten most.. from the picture.. the proportion is superb and more dynamic.. but most of the parts are not molded separately which won't be able to create much gimmick but not sure for the future.. from the WIP process.. what i can see is the plastic material might not as good as the Bandai but might as close as kotobukiya kit.. at least.. it is better than the TT hongli.. in terms of the shape.. it is definitely irresistible.. btw.. WHERE CAN I GET IT???.. i'm not mean to scream here but i really want one.. sorry..
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete@ chubbybots:
ReplyDeleteThe ones in the photos are not mine (original sources can be found via links at bottom of the post). The price is reported to be around 180HKD. The proportions to look a lot sleeker than the original, and not surprisingly more preferable too due to its outward appearance!
@ Tom:
Big beam sabre and wings sure are attractive, which are some of the more popular features or icing on cake for MS designs recently. :o
@ ZoiDieCT ArchAeA:
:o Nice to know that you are able to pre-order one in Malaysia! The details are based on an existing resin conversion kit?
Given the overall large size of this kit the dearer price tag is kind of expected. If the quality is good then it sure is very attractive to give it a try.
@ gundamjehutykai:
It's indeed a little tricky in what we shall call it... "Innovative bootleg"? Whatever it is it does look good for a non-direct copy Gunpla.
You have a point about how Bandai did not do much against G-Systems as its market is probably fairly niche (until recently with Bandai releasing Formania Nu Gundam and Sazabi busts), but McModel in this case will compete with Bandai for the 1/144 scale and the SD model (namely with the recent Nightingale). Well, they sure look popular for their look rather than being cheap alternative to Bandai's models, so we shall see whether Bandai will do anything about them in the near future :o
@ Aya:
While I do not know how or when Bandai will react to this, this will indeed be a different story. As you said this is not the older kind of bootleg where it is a direct copy of existing kits but cheaper and also poorer in quality. This one makes people want to buy because of its overall appearance and perhaps its quality too.
@ korewagundam:
It does look suprisingly good for non-direct copy kit. No wonder it's getting a lot of attention and people wanting it.
@ seven6398:
I think G-Systems got away because it's still relatively niche with its choice of scale and bust displays, until Bandai came up with its own Formania Nu Gundam and Sazabi bust displays. I can't tell so much about the plastic quality from the photos, but proportions do look good.
If you want to get one it might be better for you to ask ZoiDieCT ArchAeA directly who has commented above me, and he should have a better clue than I do since both of you live in Malaysia :o
@ Diaz Arcrossito:
I have not seen the actual model in person, but I was told that Sino Centre and CTMA Centre in Mong Kok had them before. I think there are some more areas that will have them, but buying them online from Taobao seems to be the easier way to get it afaik.
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ReplyDelete@ Diaz Arcrossito:
ReplyDeleteIf shops in Kwong Wa Street had stocked in Nu "Gundoom" and Nightingale before, then it's very likely that they will have Hi-Nu stocked as well. I hope you will find it eventually! :o
After hearing all the hype about the mcmodel Hi-Nu, I ordered one to satisfy my own curiosity. Cost me about 40SGD, which converts to roughly about 250HKD.
ReplyDeleteThis is my personal opinion after the initial snapfit. Plastic quality like what Z has mentioned in his post is close to Bandai, I don't feel much difference between the two when I'm cutting them with my cutter. If there any, I think is slightly softer when cutting through them Another thing I noticed about the plastic, is that the surfaces does vary between respective runner. In some part, you may notice that the surface is coarse, while on others you see some swirls or lines on them. The plastics are also glossy when compared to Bandai's which is matt.
I think many should already know how great the kit is, so I will focus on the 'minus' aspect;
The front and back skirts are pretty loose.
When fitting both parts together, be prepared to do some puttying to cover the seam lines. This is especially bad on the lower-leg sections.
The PC parts is somewhat difficult to fit in.
Funnels may not fold smoothly, so do exercise caution when folding, otherwise, it will pop out.
That's pretty much I can think of at the moment. Overall, I feel it is quite a good kit, a mix in-between HG and MG. It's has the details and size of a MG kit, but articulation and color parts separation of a HG kit.
@ Jacques:
ReplyDeleteSorry for the late reply. I thank you for your comment; your opinion on the Gundoom is much appreciated.
It does seem like that the models released by McModel so far really do make people feel interested to buy because they are not complete direct copies of the Bandai counterparts and they have a number of gimmicks that increases the play value. The cons you've mentioned does suggest inconsistency in quality, like other brands we have heard of but probably not as severe.
While I have no plans on getting the models McModel has released so far, they do make a lot of people feel curious and interested about them (myself included). Even the legality of these models are quite questionable, they do seem to have features that fans like to see, hence they stand out a lot from the other imitation model brands out there.
I just bought mine here in the Philippines yesterday! I got it for Php 1,300, which converts to a little more than 233 HKD. One thing I hate about this kit is that the feet is rather loose - or should I say, really loose. Pops out very easily. I dunno if this is just on my kit or not, but that's that. I glued the white part of the side skirts, it also pops out. Other than that I didn't have any problems with the kit. I love the wings!
ReplyDelete@ minomarimat:
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and leaving your thoughts here!
It looks like that the lower half of the Gundoom is quite loose for those I have seen their reviews or comments so far, but a bit of glue here and there seems to fix it alright. But otherwise the general feedback on this kit is quite positive. The wings sure are a big plus I gotta say!