Bandai High Grade After Colony (HGAC) 1/144 scale OZ-06MS LEO [Unboxing & Pre-Assembly Review]

 Grunts are the backbone of any army and it's no different in the make-believe Gundam universe. As I understand it, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing was the anime that introduced the world of Gundam to Western viewers. And the Bandai High Grade After Colony (HGAC) OZ-06MS Leo model kit unboxed here is a 1/144 scale representation of a grunt mobile suit in the Gundam Wing series.

Bandai High Grade After Colony (HGAC) 1/144 scale OZ-06MS LEO plastic model kit

 This Bandai kit is actually my first High Grade (HG) project from the Gundam universe. Of the various plastic model kit grades that Bandai produces, the HG line is one of their simpler ones to work with. So far I have also worked on their 1/100 scale Master Grade (MG) as well as 1/144 scale Real Grade (RG), which to me are a lot more complex than the HG line. Because this particular HG kit is not really that old - it was released back in May 2018 - color separation is good albeit the fact that it's a grunt suit helps. Color schemes for grunts tend to be on the more basic side of things.

OZ-06MS Leo is Bandai's 211st regular High Grade release

Side box art showcasing both a painted and unpainted version of the Leo

Other side box art displays a backstory snippet for the OZ-06MS Leo

Unboxing of the Bandai HGAC 1/144 scale OZ-06MS LEO begins, and ...

... at a glance what you get is an instruction pamphlet and two bags of runners/sprues.

 As I mentioned earlier, putting together a HG scale model kit is supposed to be much easier than the MG or RG kits. Based on my initial impressions of the instructions (see below) for the OZ-06MS Leo, I believe its assembly process should be a fairly straightforward and complication-free one. Of course when you're planning to paint the mobile suit, then the instructions look a little bit different from a painter's point of view. In that case, I'll be looking for ways to ensure both the assembly and painting process are in sync and synergistic. For example whenever possible, I would look for ways in which I could put together a sub-assembly before painting rather than paint the individual parts then put them together. I will only do the latter if the former is not an option for me.

Back and front pages of the instruction pamphlet with the former containing a paint color guide

First two pages of the instruction pamphlet are also in color ...

... however the rest of it are in plain black and white ...

... with clear instructions both in English as well as the Japanese language.

 In terms of runners or sprues, there are only three mid-sized ones and two small ones. So it shouldn't take long to work through all the parts and put them all together. And ordinarily this would indeed be a super quick build. But the existence of rather severe plastic warping means this Leo will be a fully-painted build. And since I plan to paint the Leo, things will become a little bit more complicated as I try to figure out how best to proceed with the assembly in order to maximize the painting process. By my next update on this HG Leo project, you should be able to gauge how I did on that score.

Runner/Sprue A: Green parts for the shield and the armor on the feet, legs. body, arms, hand, head

Runner/Sprue B: Brown parts for the feet, back of knees, hands, shoulders, and connector/joint pieces

Runner/Sprue C: Mulit-colored parts for the head, eyes, feet, rocket verniers, weapons, etc.

Runner/Sprue SB6: Clear reddish pink parts for the saber blades

Runner/Sprue PC7: Polycaps for use on the joints and connecting pieces

 With the unboxing done and dusted, the OZ-06MS Leo will now proceed to its sub-assembly and painting stage. Painting becomes more difficult when working with tiny 1/144 scale parts hence why I always try to sub-assemble parts before painting if that's in anyway a possibility. Updates to the HG Leo project should be online by next week if all goes well. Meanwhile, it's time to end this short post. And as I'm wont to do, I leave you with wishes to be useful, be well, and be happy!