Bandai Mechanic Collection kits

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Strike105
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Bandai Mechanic Collection kits

Has anyone built one of these, and are they any different from the average Gunpla kit?

I'm asking because I just ordered myself a Bandai Mechanic Collection Getter-1 model kit off of Amazon. I tried to do a little bit of research before I made the purchase, but I can't seem to find much information on the line. I'd just like to know what to expect.

This is the kit I ordered:
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanic-Collecti ... B001NDJFF4
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Strike105
Posts: 276
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:20 am
Location: West Virginia

Re: Bandai Mechanic Collection kits

BMC Getter-1 arrived, and I just completed it. There are some pretty obvious pros and cons to this kit. Since I couldn't find much information on this kit beforehand, I figured I'd make myself useful and list these pros/cons that I've found for anyone who is interested in purchasing one:

Cons:
I knew before I made the purchase that there was rubber in the kit, but I didn't know just how much there was until I actually had it. I knew it had rubber hands and feet, but I didn't know the upper torso, shoulder, and waist armor were made of rubber until I had the plates in front of me. This is my first time actually working with the material, but I think I can safely say that cleaning up nubs on rubber is damn near impossible. I also found that cleaning up acrylic paint from rubber without thinner, while still possible, is just a little bit more difficult than cleaning it from styrene. Also, the red rubber upper torso armor doesn't feel too secure, and may need to be re-adjusted every now and then to keep the Getter-1 from looking awkward.

I also had a few problems with the screws, though I don't know if it was my fault or if it was an actual problem with the kit. The two screws in the torso went in easy enough and are pretty secure, but the four screws that go in the shoulders and hips simply did not want to go in completely. They kept getting stuck once they got about halfway in. I kept re-adjusting the screws and tried a couple different screwdrivers. I finally ended up screwing them in the rest of the way with a pair of pliers, and it was like that with all four screws. Once the screws were in though, they were pretty solid.

This isn't really a con, but it's strange, and I think it's worth mentioning. There are a couple unnecessary "joints" in the inner frame of the arms and legs. they move in the opposite directions from the main joints in the knees and elbows, and once they are covered up by the armor, they are completely unusable. It's not really important, but it's got me scratching my head trying to figure out why it was designed like this.

There is no rotation in the shoulders or hips. Instead, the rotation is in the elbows/knees. I have seen the elbow rotation before, and I have no real problems with that, but the knee rotation is something completely new to me, and I think the Getter-1 looks odd when the red lines on it's legs don't line up.

The manual also doesn't always say in what order to build some parts. I ended up screwing up a couple of times because of this. I don't think I mentioned this yet, but on this kit, the pegs on the styrene/ABS parts are kinda thick, and it's very hard to separate the parts from each other once they've snapped together.

Pros:
While I know I ranted a bit about the rubber, it does serve a purpose. For one, the classic design itself limits the mobility a little bit. The rubber helps fix this problem in some areas, particularly in the the hips. The rubber waist armor has enough give in it to allow some decent kicking poses. Another obvious pro to rubber is that it doesn't "slip" for lack of a better term. The Getter Wing cape plugs into a small gap in the upper torso, and though I don't think it really pegs or hooks into anything, I feel like I don't have to worry about it falling out. It feels pretty secure. The Getter Tomahawks fit in the hands fairly well. They aren't that secure, but I don't think I have to worry about them falling out of the hands or turning sideways too often.

There are very few panel lines on the main body. An experienced modeller can probably fill them all in within a few minutes, barring the rubber hands of course.

Considering this kit is based on the 70's TV anime design, and not the manga/OVA designs (Whos kits I would buy in a heartbeat if they existed), the proportions don't look too bad. I think the head might be a little too big, but otherwise it seems pretty spot on.

Aside from the screws, this is a very simple kit to put together. I actually think it took me less time to assemble this BMC Getter-1 than many of my 1/144 Gundam High Grades.

Conclusion:
Overall, it was just a very unique modelling experience. I have built over 60 Gundam kits in the past ten years. I've been building almost two monthly for the past two years, and, I'm not gonna lie, it was starting to feel a little monotonous. Once I got this Getter-1 though, it broke up that monotony a little bit. It was a refreshing change of pace for me. It is similar to Gunpla in several ways, but it was a unique enough experience to make it stand out.

I have fairly recently become a fan of the Getter Robo OVAs and I wanted the satisfaction of building a model kit from the series rather than just wasting money on a toy that I probably wasn't going to touch that often. The Bandai Mechanic Collection Getter-1 was the only Getter Robo model kit I could find. It does have quite a few problems, but I don't regret my purchase at all. I am quite satisfied with it despite its problems. If you like Getter Robo, like the classic TV design, and/or want the satisfaction of building a model kit from the series, go ahead and get it if you can. If you don't like the TV design, or are just perfectly content with the various action figures, then it's an easy pass.
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Apsalas
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Location: sneaking around London in a cardboard box

Re: Bandai Mechanic Collection kits

Pictures Please :)
“If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.”
― Philip K. Dick

"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."
- Philip K. Dick
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Strike105
Posts: 276
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:20 am
Location: West Virginia

Re: Bandai Mechanic Collection kits

Here you go, don't mind my messy painting.
http://s766.photobucket.com/albums/xx30 ... 1QQtppZZ24
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Apsalas
Posts: 34
Joined: Tue Sep 20, 2011 3:50 pm
Location: sneaking around London in a cardboard box

Re: Bandai Mechanic Collection kits

Pretty nice kit....your paintings better than mine....I just keep slapping it on.

See my kit page http://www.mechatalk.net/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=14801

The Getter looks nice what sort of scale is it compared to a 1/44th or 1/100 Gunpla?

Also liking the internal frame...almost earlyish MG or the 1/144 HGs from the early 90's.
“If you think this Universe is bad, you should see some of the others.”
― Philip K. Dick

"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."
- Philip K. Dick
User avatar
Strike105
Posts: 276
Joined: Thu Jul 03, 2008 4:20 am
Location: West Virginia

Re: Bandai Mechanic Collection kits

New pics added. I did a size comparison between the BMC Getter-1, HG 1/144 Zaku II, and MG Gundam G-3 ver. 2.0, though in terms of scale, I'm not totally sure. The box doesn't tell me what scale it is, and I never really thought of, nor do I currently have the means of measuring my kits. I'm sure there are a lot more people who are better at determining the scale of this thing than I am anyway. If anyone's willing to do some estimates though, I've read that Getter-1 is supposed to be between 38 and 55 meters tall depending on the source.
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