Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 [Completed: Out-of-the-box build with selected panel lining & sticker/decals]

 This Evangelion (Eva) Unit-00 plastic model kit was used as an experimental straight out-of-the-box (OOB) build with minimal work in order to gauge whether this particular line of Bandai products i.e its Real Grade series can look good without being painted. In this particular build, minimal work came in the form of panel-lining in select areas, and application of some (not all) of the stickers/foils/decals. So is an OOB build viable for my future Real Grade kit projects? Let's find out ...

Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 [Out-of-the-box build with selected panel lining & sticker/decals]

 Based on a completed sample size of one (i.e. the Eva Unit-00) and a detailed sprue/parts inspection of a few other yet-to-be-worked-on Bandai Real Grade kits, the conclusion I came to is that while it's possible for an Real Grade OBB build to look good with minimal work, it has to be assessed on a case by case basis i.e. the kit in question and the quality of finishing found in its molded parts. 

Eva Unit-00 with a Pallet Rifle in the right hand, and a Progressive Knife in the left

 In general, the molded color of Eva Unit-00's plastic parts have an excellent finish, especially the matte whites and blacks, and to a certain extent the semi-gloss grays as well as its clear reds/greens. However the reds, greens, and some of the yellows of the Eva Unit-00 looked a little plasticky thus would've benefited from a few coats of paint. As I see it, going forward the amount of painting I need to do for Bandai Real Grade kits would range from just the metallic parts to metallic parts plus some armor pieces to almost everything, and somewhere in between these extremes. It'll be very unlikely that I'll leave a kit completely unpainted like I did for the Eva Unit-00.    

Closeup of the Eva Unit-00 with its Pallet Rifle and Progressive Knife

Unit marking on the left shoulder, denoting this as Unit-00, is actually a sticker

Unlike its brethren, the Eva Unit-00 is mono-eyed, represented by a clear circular red piece

 So to answer the question ... No, a pure OOB build is not viable for my future Real Grade kit projects. But that's not to say the kit doesn't look good as an OOB build ... it does! It can make an amateur hobbyist look good. That's a testament to Bandai's advanced model kit engineering as well as the high quality of its molded plastic parts. But I think the Real Grade kits can look even better than just an OOB build. The serious scale modeler in me would be remiss not to do so. Anyway, it's time to focus on the Real Grade Eva Unit-00, seen here in a myriad of poses with and without its weapons.

Articulation of the Real Grade Eva Unit-00 is excellent thus it can do realistic squat poses ...

... e.g. note how the tip of the feet can bend independently from the rest of the foot ...

... which is what happens naturally when you try to balance yourself in a squat pose.

 While the excellent articulation of this kit allows a high level of mobility thus translating into a myriad of poses one is able to do with this kit, it should be noted that some of the truly dynamic poses will only be possible with the help of the stabilizing effect of a display stand or Bandai Action Base. That I managed these some of these dynamic poses without a stand or base just means that I 'cheated' by relying on the dark background's 'masking' effect. For example, the running-at-full-tilt pose is actually the Eva lying on its side, and in other poses I just rested the Eva against the wall.

An iconic pose of an Evangelion running at full tilt with its power plug detaching from its back...

... as it runs towards an angel/enemy, but as I didn't have the appropriate display stand/action base ...

... the Eva is actually lying on its side i.e. I created an optical illusion of the Eva running.

 All is not lost though, and you don't have to 'cheat' to get the said poses. You can use third party display stands or Bandai's in-house ones (i.e. Action Bases) to securely hold the Eva while you pose it to your heart's content. It's just that I lacked one at hand during the photo shoot, which means I had to improvise to get the poses I wanted. And even if you don't have the appropriate stands/bases, or you don't want to 'cheat', there is one other way to pose the Eva ...  

In certain poses where the Eva Unit might not be able to stand on its own ...

... you can use the umbilical power plug/cable to help stabilize the kit ... 

... because the cable is made out of a strong metal wire encased in PVC.

 In some ways, the solid yet flexible wire that is the umbilical cable that connects to the power plug attached to the Eva's back can serve as an alternative form of display stand/action base. The wire inside the outer PVC layer is thick, and it's strong enough to support the Eva's weight thus prevent it from falling over. The only negative to this type of posing is you'll be stuck with the power plug/umbilical cable in the photos. You could hide them from view but it would be too much work.  

Without the appropriate display stand/action base, a pose in which the Eva's feet isn't fully planted on the floor ...

...  the Eva had to be stabilized by having it lean against the wall in order to stand upright. 

 Without the support of the umbilical cable or a stand/base, the Eva Unit-00 is still stable enough to stand on its own two feet and pull of some simple poses. Granted they won't be as dynamic as those with a form of support, but you can still get some good poses such as the Eva couching with its weapons (see above: photo number six through eight from the top).  

And then there are some simple and less dynamic poses in which ...

... the Eva Unit-00 is able to stand upright on its own two feet without any problems.

And one thing that tends to be overlooked is how the various hand options can ...

... add that little but more dynamism into simple, straightforward poses.

 Most important of all, I enjoyed this Real Grade Evangelion build very much. It was fun and the end result was satisfying seeing that it was only an OOB build. But that being said, I still feel somewhat like a fraud as I didn't do much apart from putting this kit together and adding minimal touches in terms of panel lining as well as sticker/decal application. These Real Grade kits can look so much better. And they should. So in the future, there will be more painting involved in my Real Grade kit projects. On that note, I wish you happy painting in the week ahead. Cheers.

Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 [Final Assembly plus Weapons & Accessories]

 Final assembly of the Bandai Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 was done in less than 20 minutes as all the hard work - namely the major sub-assemblies such as the head, torso, and limbs - had already been completed earlier. Apart from final assembly of the Evangelion itself, I also put together Unit-00's weapons and accessories i.e. power plug and cable. But these weren't as difficult to put together as the major sub-assemblies. All in all this Real Grade kit is an easy enough project for an experienced scale modeler to tackle over a dedicated free hobby-weekend (or throughout a busy week), at least it should be if it was a straight out-of-the-box build with no painting involved.

Bandai Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00, fully assembled sans weapons and accessories

 However, the time frame mentioned in the preceding paragraph is only a guesstimate at best. For you see, I tend to work slowly on projects due to my OCD tendencies as well as my reduced energy levels as I grow older. Complicating matters further is the time factor involved in chronicling the progress of a scale model/miniature project. In projects I undertake, the effort to record/edit the kit's work-in-progress photos/videos can be just as time consuming as (if not more than) the build/painting process itself. It all adds up in what I'd term as the FourEyedMonster Hobby-Time Continuum.

Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 head and torso sub-assemblies

Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 arms, legs, and shoulder sub-assemblies

 Putting together Evangelion Unit-00 in the final phase of assembly was a straightforward process seeing that the sub-assemblies comprising the head, torso, and limbs were already completed earlier. One would think this was a pointless to seemingly drag on the assembly process. I wouldn't blame you for thinking so. But I've always felt it necessary to take a breath once the main sub-assemblies were completed, and appreciate the separate parts - in this case the head, torso, and limbs - in isolation, before specific details are lost to the eye when it all comes together. 

Main sub-assemblies of the Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 prior to the final assembly process

Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00, fully assembled with all the non-weapon related hand options

 As mentioned earlier, apart from the final assembly itself I had also proceeded to assemble, and detail the weapons and accessories. One key thing I forgot to do was to panel line them both. But as you can se from the photos below, they still look relatively good regardless.

Evangelion Unit-00 pallet rifle, and progressive knives, as well as hand options to hold said weapons

Power plug and umbilical cable, both serve as a direct power supply for the Evangelion

A fully assembled Evangelion Unit-00 together with its weapons and accessories

 If you have yet to watch it, and are interested in a video of an unboxing of the Bandai Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 model kit, and a detailed look at the sprues included in the kit, then please check out Part 1 of 3 of the Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 YouTube series (see below).

 Meanwhile, the following video chronicles the assembly of the Evangelion itself sans its weapons and accessories. In Part 2 of 3 of the Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 YouTube series (see below), I look at individual sub-assemblies in detail and point out the work I had done on them. Then I proceed to put these sub-assemblies (head/torso/limbs) together in the final phase of assembly.

 Last but not least, in Part 3 of 3 of the Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 YouTube video series (see below) we take a look at the pallet rifle, the progressive knives, the power plug and umbilical cable, as well as show a 360 degree view of the Evangelion with its weapons.

 By next week I should've finished editing the final photographs I took of the Evangelion Unit-00 in a myriad of poses with and without its weapons/accessories.That should also be the last blog update of the Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 project, opening a slot for a new project to fill. Until we meet again next week it's time for me to sign off and bid you no evil. Stay safe, be well, be happy.

Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 [Work-in-Progress: Arms & Legs Assembly]

 Being a straight out-of-the-box (OOB) build, assembly of the Bandai Real Grade Evangelion (Eva) Unit-00 model kit is progressing fairly quickly. For this stage of the build, more major sub-assemblies of the Eva Unit-00 itself i.e. the arms and legs were put together. The Eva's head and torso sub-assemblies had been completed in the previous stage (please see preceding blog post). Technically the Eva Unit-00 project is not a pure OOB build because some work was done on the kit e.g. a little panel lining as well as selected application of stickers (shown below, in the first photo only).

Real Grade Evangelion (Eva) Unit-00 work-in-progress: Arm & Leg assemblies

 Assembly at this stage began with the legs, which comprised the thigh, knee, shin/calf, ankle, and foot sections.The only work done on the legs (shown in above photo only; photos below show the OOB builds) was application of (i) a stripe of white marking sticker on the uppermost part of the thigh; (ii) two stripes of black marking stickers on the white armor section on each side of the knee; and finally (iii) some panel-lining on the feet. The outer armor was not painted.

Bandai Real Grade Eva Unit-00 work-in-progress: Leg Assemblies

 Similar to the Eva's torso in the previous post, work on the legs began with the assembly of a detailed inner frame, which sported an organic-cum-mechanical look (see below). This was followed by the attachment of outer armor pieces in four colors - gray for the thigh, yellow and black for the knees, and white for the calf and shin. When put together these armor pieces form the musculature of a human leg, which befits the true nature of an Evangelion. Frequently mistaken as being giant mechas, Evangelions are actually living organic creatures with grafted-on cybernetic components.    

Inner frame of the Eva's legs have an organic-cum-mechanical look to it ... 

... which is matched by outer armor plating that is 

... as befitting a living organic creature with cybernetic components

 Just like the legs, both feet/ankles also have an inner frame (see below). The feet armor had a tri-colored scheme consisting of yellow, white, and reddish-brown pieces, while the ankles had a bi-colored scheme of yellow with black circular depressions. Also like the legs, the ankles and feet have good color separation for a straight build, although admittedly it's not as good as the color separation that exist on the torso and head. On balance that feels about right because too much color separation can create a look that's too 'busy', which like the other extreme i.e. too bland, isn't good.    

Both the ankle and foot also have their own inner frame upon which the outer armor attaches

Real Grade Eva Unit-00 ankle and feet assemblies (front view)

Real Grade Eva Unit-00 ankle and feet assemblies (back view)

 As for the arms which comprised the shoulder pylons, upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, and various hand options, the level of parts color separation was excellent and on par with the head and torso. However this time around, the impressive color separation comes with a price because instead of the usual simple joint connection at the elbow between the upper arm and the forearm, there was a gray piece on the upper arm close to the elbow that fitted extremely loosely. This part seem to fall out constantly while I was moving the arms. This loose part can be seen in action in a video upload titled RG Evangelion Unit-00: Weapons & Accessories [Part 3 of 3].

Bandai Real Grade Evangelion Unit-00 work-in-progress: Arm Assemblies

 Unlike the legs, the arms lacked a true inner frame. I believe this contributed somewhat to the loosely connected part I mentioned in the preceding paragraph. A small price to pay for excellent color separation as the said part can still be glued on if need be. Meanwhile, a cursory glance shows that gluing the loose part onto the upper arm should not restrict freedom of movement at the elbow joints. That being said, I will put off any gluing until I can be absolutely sure I saw things correctly.  

Upper arm, elbow, forearm, and wrist section of the EVA Unit-00's arm assemblies

Impressive color separation of yellows, whites, grays, and blacks on the sub-assemblies

Non-weapon related left and right hand options for the EVA Unit-00

Upper arm, elbow, forearm, wrist, and various hand options of the EVA Unit-00; fully-assembled

 Finally the shoulder pylons - shown below prior to having the relevant stickers stuck onto the pentagonal-shaped section (the part with the green v-stripes; see below) - were assembled. At the risk of repeating myself ad nauseam, colour separation continues to be excellent for the shoulder pylons. There is a gimmick (not shown here) whereby the triangular white section on the shoulder pylons can be swung out to reveal a storage space for the Eva's combat knives.  

Real Grade Eva Unit-00 shoulder pylons (view of the outer section/side)

Real Grade Eva Unit-00 shoulder pylons (view of the inner section/side)

 With all major sub-assemblies such as the head, torso, and limbs completed, the Eva Unit-00 (sans its weapons and accessories) can now proceed to final assembly. First though, I plan to complete assembly of the Eva's weapons and accessories. So the next post should be one of a fully-assembled Eva Unit-00, and its weapons and power supply plug/cable. Following that, the post after the next one will be of the Eva Unit-00 in various poses by itself as well as with its weapons and accessories.

 Also please do check out the final video of a three-part series on the Real Grade Eva Unit-00, either via a direct link I provided in the fifth paragraph above or indirectly via my hobby-related YouTube channel by clicking on the FourEyedMonster Miniatures banner immediately below this paragraph. Do note however that the videos are ahead in the project timeline when compared to the blog updates. With that I'll end this blog post. As always dear readers, stay safe and be well.