HG Byarlant Custom Review

About: 


I received the HG Byarlant Custom from redditor Lorf30 during the r/gunpla gift exchange. I was so excited to build this model that I skipped over the newly arrived Nu ver.ka and a few other kits I had laying around. 

Unfortunately I'm not going to be able to paint this kit anytime soon because of my back to back commission schedule. But I already have a color scheme in mind; I intend to use a 'dazzle' or 'splinter' type camo pattern inspired by some of the mecha of Front Mission 4.  

 



Background:

The RX-160S Byarlant Custom is a prototype high mobility mobile suit and a variant of the Rx-160 Byarlant. According to Gundam wiki The Byarlant Custom possesses enhanced speed, agility and self-sustained atmospheric flight over the original. It's capabilities were achieved through the incorporation of powerful thrusters in it's shoulders, waist and back with two high capacity fuel tanks to supply additional propellant. The Byarlant Custom also features redesigned legs based on the NRX-055 Baund Doc. 

Appearance:

The Byarlant is truly a unique beast; the frame's silhouette is completely different from anything else in the Gundam universe; and I for one love the way it looks. 

The Byarlant is also massive, even the Sinanju looks small standing next to it. In general the Byarlant is a head taller than most UC grunts, and roughly twice as wide. Just imagine how large this kit would be if they made a MG.

The kit's design screams high mobility and it features a massive number of thruster bells and surfaces throughout the body.   

 

Dark red thruster surfaces peak out of cowlings and under surfaces. 

There is a high degree of detail throughout the kit. 

Green power pipes weave throughout the torso, arms and legs.  

Articulation:

The Byarlant possesses a surprising number of points of articulation. 

The arms are able to split, the beam emitter can swivel on a ball joint and both sides of the claw are also capable of opening and closing.

The shoulder connects to the body and shoulder thrusters with a ball joint, and it uses a peg connection to connect to the arm. The thruster vent/armor that sits in the 'arm pit' is also capable of swiveling up and down. 

The torso connects to the waist with a ball joint that allows some limited articulation. The head also has two points of articulation, which allows it a range of articulation limited by the design of the head.

The back thrusters are also very mobile, and only inhibited by the back and shoulder armor. 

The legs have a good range of movement, however they're somewhat limited by the bulky armor sections at the ankles and hips. The armor at these sections needs to be moved before adjusting the pose to avoid stressing the parts.

Build:

The Byarlant is unsurprisingly a large HG kit. It features 11 different plates molded in 7 colors (excluding polycaps and beam sabers). 

Certain areas of the kit like the shoulders even have a detailed inner frame section.

Fixing seam lines on this kit shouldn't be too difficult and they should not require excessive masking to paint. Many of the parts for the thruster sections can be added to the part after it's been fused to remove seamlines.


Overall

I'm very happy with the HG Byarlant Custom. It has been a while since I built a HG kit, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by the part count and complexity of the design.

Pros

• You get a lot of 'bang' for your buck with this kit.
• The color separation and attention to detail surpasses many older MG kits.
• The Byarlant Custom will stand out on your shelf due to both it's size and design.
• The seam lines are pretty easy to fix and shouldn't require excessive masking.

Cons

• It's slightly back heavy, the large feet counter act this issue to a degree, but it still exists. This can be further offset by strengthening the knee and waist joints.
• If you don't paint you may be disappointed by all the stickers. 

Things to watch out for 

• Nothing really, the Byarlant offers a pretty straightforward build and an excellent platform for modification and improvements.