Home News
Reviews The List
NYTS Links
Dictionary Gallery
Meat and Potatoes; 5.0
Perks; 5.0
Homer Factor; 5.0
The FA-93 is approximately 6" tall and very hefty. The figure is painted in standard Gundam colors, but there is a lot of detailing in the form of stenciled 'signs' which cover the figure. Naturally, the articulation is first-rate.
It comes with the usual beam-saber,shield, et al. However, the HWS are a hyper-mega-launcher (Looks like an M-60 for a giant robot) a shield-cover with two missile-tubes, and last but far from least, additional armor that clips to the chest, hips, and thighs.
The
The FA-93HWS is a new interpretation of the RX-93. It comes with supplemental armor and enough extra weapons to make the SDF-1 take notice. So is it worth the $60 retail? ... you can stop blinking, yes, you're blowing about $60 with shipping on this thing if you decide to jump in the deep end of the pool of toy collecting. HOWEVER... if you're looking to get something that a collector will enjoy... no, a collector will SAVOR, keep reading.
Meat and potatoes are classic Bandai, and then some. The articulation, as usual, is first-rate; hips, knees, elbows, the works. Unfortunately, Bandai hasn't jumped on the Kaiyodo bandwagon and gone for weird joints so the figure has more realistic poses, e.g. holding a weapon in both hands. Just the same, considering how a Gundam figure is constructed, it's probably best to stick with the traditional stuff. The painting, though, is the key. Granted, it's a Gundam piece, so don't expect a lot of color variation, but the detailing is amazing. Ya know how a fighter plane is COVERED in stenciled warnings for handles, caution, that sort of thing? This figure has loads of it. Sure, you can't read the stencils, but just seeing them there gives the figure a sense of detail and realism that's over-the-top. Oh, and another nice extra; this thing is about 1" taller.
And considering how many extras this baby comes with, the added heft is a good thing. The RX-93 is loaded as it is; tons o' hand weapons and the fin-funnels which attach to the back-pack. But now, there's the HWS; hyper-mega-launcher, a shield-cover with two anti-ship missiles, and a lot o' extra armor. The armor slips on relatively easily and gives the figure a nice beefy look, but not too beefy, such as what happened with the RX-78NT1 and it's supplemental armor. Just as the figure is incredibly detailed, the weapons are also pieces of art; panel lines and 'warning' stencils cover all of the weapons.
There is one slight problem, To add to the detail of the figure, the fin-funnels actually separate into the smaller components. Although this is a nice addition to the figure, the plastic connectors that hold the funnels together are a bit small and seem pretty fragile. Granted, you aren't exactly going to beat this figure to a pulp. But just the same, pulling apart and re-connecting the fin-funnels can be a bit dicey as you sloooooowly slide the tiny plastic connector into a rather tight slot.
Homer Factor is way over-the-top, folks. Bandai hasn't simply re-released old figures with more paint; the figures have been kicked-up to notches unknown to man kind.(My apologies to Emeril for that one.) More paint, more accessories... even the packaging is impressive. The box the figure comes in isn't an over-sized blister-pack. The box is a display-case that shows each and every piece so you can look into the box and go 'wow... that's pretty cool.'
In the end, this is a very impressive piece of work. Ok, ok, it's NOT for everyone; throwing down $60 on a 6" action-figure is quite a commitment.... or some would say you should BE committed. But, if you're looking for something top-of-the-line that will sit proudly on your shelf, get it.