Cheap but good master grades

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Tenmetsu
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Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2014 2:44 am

Cheap but good master grades

I was looking into building my very first master grade I first looked at the gp01 gundam and the zeta a1 but I got turned off on them after hearing their flaws, anyone have any suggestion on a good or Atleast decent and cheap master grade kit (preferably gundam btw)I should look into, oh under 29 dollars please xD
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Gone Astray
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Joined: Mon Apr 03, 2006 7:39 pm

Re: Cheap but good master grades

Tall order on this one. The thing is, pretty much any Master Grade that's going for less than $40 anymore is either an add-on kit or one that's old, and the GP01 and Zeta Plus kits are definitely old. Doesn't mean that they're bad, but they're going to be fiddly and frustrating thanks to the older engineering on kits that have transformation involved.

If we're looking in about the $30 range, you do have options!

All four G Gundam kits--God, Master, Spiegel, and Shining--are under $30 and fairly solid. They don't have any real internal detailing because their whole shtick was being really flexible, but they feature rubber hands and feet soles. I have the God kit and that sucker holds up without any paint or glue.

I would also recommend any of the Gundam or GM Ground Types. They're not amazing kits, they're not new kits, but they come loaded with options, have some inner details (first MG kits to feature arm frames), and since they lack any transformation gimmicks they hold up real well. They tend to be a bit more expensive than what you're looking for, usually being around $33 or so, but I'd say they're worth it.

If you're looking for a good Zaku or Gelgoog, I would save for the version 2 of either. The old Zakus and Gelgoogs that you're going to find for around $30 or less are early Master Grades and they are not good. Same with the early RX-78 kits.
"For who would lose, though full of pain, this intellectual being--those thoughts that wander through eternity; to perish rather, swallowed up and lost in the wide womb of uncreated night, devoid of sense and motion?"
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Tenmetsu
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Re: Cheap but good master grades

Thanks man really informative, I've always been a fan of g gundam so I'll look into those :D
Kratos
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Re: Cheap but good master grades

I'm gonna second the Zaku 2.0. It was my favorite kit for years, and its excellent frame was widely exploited by Bandai, so there are a million variants out there for you to choose from. In fact, you can't really go wrong with any of the 2.0 kits. If you want to go the Gundam route, there's the RX-78 2.0, which happens to be both affordable and wonderful; although it uses a (deliberately) simple look, it's a very well-designed model that I greatly enjoyed building.

More recently, I had a blast building the Gundam X MG, which was cheap. It's sturdy, well-designed, and looks very cool when complete. Same goes for any of the more recent SEED Gundams; the Blitz fits your order very nicely, although one of its gimmicks (the wire for its arm claw) doesn't really work.
"The beast of opportunity finds its master and soars through a shaken cosmos"
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Calubin_175
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Joined: Sat Oct 27, 2007 8:06 pm

Re: Cheap but good master grades

Nemo at 2800 yen is the cheapest post 2005 generation design. GM Kai at 2500 yen is the cheapest afor the 2000 ear ones, but it has poor durability due to having the same cockpit block construction as GM.

Zaku II Ver.2.0 is the most flexible general purpose design.
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valkyriepilot
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Re: Cheap but good master grades

Go for the RX-78 OYW Animation Colors, even at regular price, it's just above US$30, and is, for me, the best incarnation of the RX-78 in MG line.

The Aile Strike ver RM. just goes a bit above the US$40 mark, but still, it's Strike Gundam, and this version is so much better than the first MG (and that one was awesome already!). You get an optional battery pack in case you want to recreate the Perfect Strike mode, and it also comes with the catapult stand just like the first version.

There are a lot more out there, but these two are the iconic ones that come to mind. Just go and browse online shops so you get an idea of what you want to buy. And do hit www.dalong.net to see comprehensive photo reviews of various Gundam kits. Good luck and happy kit hunting!
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