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I think by now everyone knows I’ve been enjoying the Master Grade Wing Gundam kits of the last year so no one should be surprised to see me doing a review of the newest kit, the MG Sandrock EW. How does it fare compared with the other MG Wings. Let’s all find out.
Overall Look: 9/10
I like it! Actually with the exception of the Deathscythe EW I think all the MG Wing kits look fantastic but the Sandrock is even a step up. With those distinctive shoulders and the weapons hanging from its back it looks unlike any other suit I’ve yet to encounter and the helmet like head design is cool.
Colors: 10/10
Red, blue, white, and yellow? No way. Okay, we’ve got the white and yellow, and a bit of red I guess. And the torso and feet armor parts are a really dark blue but this isn’t your normal Gundam color scheme. The use of subtle colors really suits this suit and, as I mentioned before, the white armor pieces give off a flat appearance different from that plasticy look we see with every kit. On its own, the Sandrock looks great without the need for painting.
Weapons: 9/10
Not only are the weapons unique and cool-looking but they are also very functional and work together. For example, here’s the rifle.
This rifle can fold up into a more compact form.
The main weapons for sandrock function in several ways, made possible by the ability to flip the handles around.
This allows the weapons to attach together.
And to attach to that sexy shield but let’s talk more about that later.
I also like how the weapons look on the backpack thanks to having a little bit of movement available to them.
Articulation: 4/10
Unfortunately, those sexy shoulders I mentioned before go a long way in hindering any motion in the arms. (warning: here come crappy pictures).
You can see (kinda) how the small piece on the bottom of the side of the shoulder is stopped by the main shoulder piece thereby stopping the actual arm from moving any further.
Attach the shield to the arm and movement is hindered even further. But it’s not just the arms that have this kind of problem.
I like the look of the ankle armor but it really gets in the way of the foot going anywhere. On the plus side those pieces slamming together create a somewhat sturdy base, but don’t expect much in the way of action poses.
Build Design: 8/10
Bandai has done some good things with the Sandrock in terms of what could be called gimmicks. Little things like the rifle attaching to the shield (and skirt) are nice.
But the coolest is probably those long weapons and the shield. They are easily held in place but a simple clasp type of action from the backpack.
But you get more satisfaction by taking them off and attaching them to the shield.
There’s a cool little gimmick there too.
You can have two plastic arms in one of two positions.
They are connected by by sprockets so it is easy to open or close the weapons when they are on the shield.
There’s also somewhat of a mystery concerning the shoulder. When assembling you pop the last piece in from above. It actually pops into groves on the inside of the shoulder side armor pieces. This means that the top armor piece can move.
But I can’t for the life of me determine what purpose this serves. The polycap holding things together has a hollow which would allow something to be inserted, but the only thing I can think of working there would be the weapons but there’s nothing in the manual to indicate that’s why it was designed this way. Hmmm.
Fun Factor: 7/10
Putting together such unique shapes keeps your attention and even though I was basically assembling the same frame for what seemed like the hundredth time the armor application portion of the build kept things moving. But the most fun is had with the beam weapons.
I normally dislike the hand designs used in the Wing kits, most notable on the Deathscythe where they would just fly off when trying to pose the suit holding the Scythe, but the hands actually work well on the Sandrock because of how the handles for the weapons were designed. I had no problem having Sandrock hold these things in a variety of poses.
Extras: 7/10
The choice of silver or beam effect part for the weapons is a great idea and the extra hands actually work, as I wrote previously so they are an asset to this kit. Of course, with the EW kits we have been getting come a lot of markings.
So if you’re like me when it comes to markings you are in for a treat.
The Sandrock EW doesn’t meet the epic heights Bandai achieved with the Epyon but as an MG Wing kit, or small box/lower priced GM kit it is definitely worth looking at (and playing with).
I’m still trying to decide if I want to paint him.
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