Alex Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) I picked up the 1/12 Aoshima Judy Garland last night. I have never been so frustrated by a kit before. For the 21st century, any kit that needs a LOT of glue to be able to build it is a bit of an anachronism in my book. Especially since most other anime mecha kits have no need for glue. The quality of the one I picked up was terrible. Flushing galore, ill fitting parts etc. many pieces that are needed for the transformation to work are so illogically designed that there is literally no way I could get the front wheels to connect to the toy AT ALL. The arm pieces are fragile and broke......in the box! (what is it with Garland's and their arms?) There are pieces that need glue but CANNOT be glued because they sit so close to other MOVING pieces and there is no way to stop any glue getting on said pieces. The plastic quality and over all sculpting are not all that bad. The Shogo figure was nice. The overall feel of the toy (the parts that I could assemble anyway) is nice and solid. But this was such a terrible kit overall. I've been making kits for years and i've never bought a kit that was THIS frustrating, poorly made. Sorry for the rant. I'd love to have a done a more impartial review but it wasn't possible. Edited March 3, 2008 by Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSP Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 The Garland kit is 1/24 scale. As far as I know Aoshima never said that this is a toy or snap fit kit. I'm planning to get the autonomous Army version of the Garland since that one comes with the Eve Tokimatsuri figure. If it's really that horrible as you said then japanese model kit are getting worse and worse. First the Vic Viper and then Garland. Actually I expect a lot from Aoshima. I liked their model kit line so far. And most of them were done with minor/none problems. I've noticed the problem with the front tire on the pictures from GA Graphics Kit preview before. But since I don't intent to transform it into Battle Mode I don't really care about that. Thanks for the review. I guess I should take a closer look into the box before obtaining it or wait for the 1/35 Wave kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) Yeah, I meant 1/24. To be honest, I expected it to be a snap-kit but then I should have checked. The amount of flushing alone on the toy was hideous. I think i'm being a little unfair in as far as construction goes. But when you cannot figure out HOW a piece is ever supposed to fit together.......then it's really a problem. Seriously though, do most people even expect a modern kit to be anything but snap-together? I'm more into scratchbuilding so I don't have a HUGE amount of experience with bought kits. Edited March 3, 2008 by Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSP Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Well some people are happy if they can get a character model glue kit. Ans some would prefer these rather than snap fits. But on the other hand it depends on how much time you would like to invest into your hobby. Snap fit kits are convenient and many are easy to build. There's just no challange in building those. I agree that for the price range of 3800Yen you could expect a lot more than only a few part with fitting issues. The Wave kit is not transformable and 1/32 scale. And it's the Proto Garland. My mistake. Guess I should pick up an Aoshima kit then. ...or both. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 I think that's what irked me the most. The price. I'm never going to find a Judy that i'm happy with. All is lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PetarB Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 (edited) Especially since most other anime mecha kits have no need for glue. I guess you usually build Gundam snap-kits? Most mecha kits I have bought in the past 10 years require glue. I don't think I've ever bought a mecha kit that didn't need glue... Anything that actually 'transforms' is suspect as a model kit in my book, it should just have been made as a toy. Model kits just don't usually deal well with repeated handling. Edited March 3, 2008 by PetarB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 I guess you usually build Gundam snap-kits? Most mecha kits I have bought in the past 10 years require glue. I don't think I've ever bought a mecha kit that didn't need glue... Anything that actually 'transforms' is suspect as a model kit in my book, it should just have been made as a toy. Model kits just don't usually deal well with repeated handling. Not a fan of Gundam. I was referring to a few Macross kits, Layzner, Votoms etc. Actually, I found the Fire Valkyrie kit to be a sturdy little bugger for a variable kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 I've got this kit, well actually I've got the autonomous Army version of the Garland since that one comes with the Eve Tokimatsuri figure , and I'm in the middle of building it right now. I know exactly which parts you're talking about as I've had some of the same problems. I solved my problems with a little scratch building and a couple of small screws. While not impossible to salvage it was a little frustrating. I can't post details right now, but this coming week end I could post the instruction page with the problem areas and how I solved them if you wish. Plus I'll take some progress pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 I've got this kit, well actually I've got the autonomous Army version of the Garland since that one comes with the Eve Tokimatsuri figure , and I'm in the middle of building it right now. I know exactly which parts you're talking about as I've had some of the same problems. I solved my problems with a little scratch building and a couple of small screws. While not impossible to salvage it was a little frustrating. I can't post details right now, but this coming week end I could post the instruction page with the problem areas and how I solved them if you wish. Plus I'll take some progress pics. That would be great. I'm going to attempt a scratch-build rescue attempt. How is your's shaping up? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EXO Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 NOT MACROSS!!!! nice looking kit tho... *boots* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 NOT MACROSS!!!! nice looking kit tho... *boots* My bad. *rubs boot print on butt* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chas Posted March 5, 2008 Share Posted March 5, 2008 All in all it's not too bad. Difficult bugger to paint though. A fair bit of tricky masking. I'm not a big fan of transforming model kits however, so I'm pretty sure that I'll pick up another one and build them in static modes. I didn't have any real fit issues with mine, just a few seam lines. I'm away from my work bench during the week so I won't be able to post any thing 'till the week end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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