MG Daban Buster - Review

Good day Otakus! Let's kick of the week with a review of Daban's latest release - the MG Buster!

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Build

I've been looking forward to building this guy since I assembled the Daban Age-1, and boy does it not disappoint. Snapping this kit together almost felt like I was working on a "B" product.

I didn't encounter any fitting issues, there are no unwanted gaps and the only seam on this kit is along the length of the gun barrel. There are some mold lines to be dealt with, also on the gun barrels, but there are no deformities whatsoever.

Look and Feel

The plastic is a bit glossy, and the internal frame is still not quite as stiff as the original, but there is almost zero flash. Everything lines up perfectly. The details are sharp - both on the frame and the armor - even on the underside of some parts.

The joints on this thing are tight thanks to all the parts fitting snugly together. This means taking it apart for painting will be a bit of a challenge, but the solid joints are good for holding the guns in place while doing some dynamic poses.

Articulation

This is the first Seed MG I've ever built and I'm really impressed by the design. The double jointed elbows and knees, combined with short skirts give it max articulation. The balance is also really good, and thanks to the support arms that help hold up the guns, you can do some really nice poses.

Issues

I have a couple of small nitpicks about the design of the kit, so what I say here also applies to an original MG Buster. There is this moving mechanism under the kneecap that likes to pop out of place. In my opinion it is unnecessary and over-complicates the leg structure without adding anything in terms of articulation or aesthetics. Another thing is that despite all the advancements in MG design, this kit has it's front skirts joined together - so you can't, for example, flip up one side and keep the other one down when doing a kneeling pose. It doesn't affect articulation in any way, but I find it annoying because it is a step backwards in terms of design.

Update 07/25/2014

It was brought to my attention that I had the skirt on backwards (facepalm), and that the front skirts are actually independent. This eliminates nitpick #2, therefore boosting my overall rating for this kit.

Verdict

A well deserved 9/10 9.2/10. This is the most solid 3rd party kit I've built to date. The only issues found were inherited from the original Buster design, and for a fraction of a cost this kit is an absolute steal. I'm so pleased with it, the Daban Duel and Blitz just jumped to the top of my wanted list. There's really no reason you shouldn't get this if you are looking for a cheaper alternative for the MG Buster!

This review was brought to you by Gundam Central.

Till next time, keep building plamo!