Disappointment with the 1/100 MG Jesta

I just cannot get used to the hands on this kit. They were molded separately from the normal trees- and it's that new molding technology Bandai has been using. However, as you will soon discover if you try to move the fingers too far they will go flying. Already I have had one finger go flying after I put too much pressure on it. I can't find it, and I don't have the patience to look any further than I did. I am going to see if I can order some aftermarket parts instead.

The dual peg system is just awful. There is one peg in the hand and one in the rifle that both fit into the same grove. Since the pegs are free to rotate up and down, they never line up and make it more of a pain in the ass to get the hands the way you want them.

Compounding these issues is the fact that he cannot hold his weapon very well. I am getting limp-wristing already, and immediately I suspect the construction of the hands.

Replacement parts for 1/100 MGs can be found here. Hobbylink Japan gets free advertising from me because they are saving my ass by offering an availability of kits and aftermarket parts. I have done business with them and I trust them 100%. Shipping has been early or on time.

EFSF Hands 1
Verniers (Boosters)

Initial Thoughts on the 1/100 MG Jesta

I decided to run out the other day to Hobby Lobby and I picked up the last pair of plastic nippers. While my current pair is fine, it is about time I replace them for something a bit sharper. I will donate the pair to a friend who wants to get into model building. It's a nice store- unfortunately the closest one back home is 30-40 miles away. I'd rather suck it up and go to Pier 1 Imports 3 miles away. ANYWAYS, back on topic.

I decided to work on my MG Jesta. There is zero way in hell that I would have the time to build a complete PG Strike Gundam. The Jesta came highly recommended- and I didn't feel like fiddling with a real grade. I figured I would post my initial thoughts of the kit, which will be translated later into a video for RobsGamingNetwork.

I really like the construction of this kit. Outside of Wing master grades I am not terribly familiar with bread and butter grunt suits; or other gundams for that matter. He feels bigger and fatter than a Gundam Wing kit. This isn't a bad thing- I really like the proportions and how large the kit came out. I am very impressed with the LED that can be put into this kit. It isn't included in the box. Since I don't want to import Bandai's LED unit, I will design a system myself that can be plugged in. I wish all gundam chests had a cavity for this thing so I could light up the eyes for all of my master grades. That would be amazing.

There is a panel on the back that slides out with the neck and head assembly. Put your LED unit in their and boom! You can light the head up. You have to disassemble the kit (albeit very little) to turn the thing off, but that's ok. They made the process very painless. The head and visor remind me of master chief from halo, I a new to Gundam Unicorn stuff but I have always loved grunt suits- especially Zakus.

The colors are great, but it's going to be difficult mixing that very dark bluish-green to get the desired effect. I am hoping Testors makes a WW-II camo paint that is close to that shade. I had to experiment with Epyon, so I don't mind dipping my toes in (not into the paint) to see what mix is right for this kit. I love the arm joints and the gear detail that they added. I can't decide what to paint those joint areas. The shoulder and arm mechanisms are awesome. They can pivot up at 30 degrees, adding more mobility and movement to a kit that can already pull some pretty awesome poses.

Leg construction is simple, but there are a lot of details that make someone like me happy. My only complaint so far with the kit is the fragile hands. They are taking PG hand technology and scaling it down a little bit. I have nothing wrong with it- but all of the fingers are on ball joints. This makes it more difficult to keep the fingers in place as they want to fall off all the time. Be very careful of this fact. However, there is a peg on the palm of the hand that comes out and helps to secure the weapons. I have no doubt that the Jesta will be able to hold his weapons securely. I had a little fun here for the holidays, but this particular project will be put on hold as I get painting facilities up for 1/100 MG Wing Zero Proto.