Real Grade 00 Qan[t] kit review

After spending a few hours building the RG Qan[t] I decided to sit down and write out my thoughts about this build experience.

I spent about four consecutive hours building this kit over the July 4th holiday. A really good indicator of the overall quality of this kit, is that the time flew past as I put this one together.

Rather refreshingly the RG Qan[t] and RG 00 Gundam models are very different and hardly share any common parts. By comparison the MG versions of these kits share at least 50% of the same parts. The  MGs feel very repetitive and samey as a result. Like many other kits in the Real Grade line, the RG Qan[t] features a armor molded in several different colors; I don't always keep this color separation intact. However, it adds a nice layer of detail.

The RG Qan[t] uses the Advanced MS joint 7, the same frame used in the RG Exia and RG 00. Unlike those other kits, the Qan[t] does not use the Advanced joint in the arms. Instead, a frame more similar to a Master Grade model is constructed from individual parts. This isn't necessarily a 'better design', but, I prefer this style of frame, as it is much easier to paint. 

An interesting element of the RG Qan[t]'s build process is that the instructions direct the builder to complete nearly the entire inner frame first. By the end of step 05-3 the builder will have a complete albeit skeletal Qan[t] standing on their desk. I appreciate that Bandai laid the instructions out this way. Building in this order let's the building appreciate the detail and engineering of the frame before encasing it in armor.

On the subject of inner frame the RG Qan[t] has excellent articulation. The elbows, knees and wrists are all double jointed. The legs can pull off nearly full splits, and the arms can reach up and over the shoulder pauldrons to scratch the top of his head. When the arms are 'scrunched' forwards or backwards the two blue armor sections in the chest pinch in and out to improve the range of motion just a teeny tiny bit more.

Lastly the Qant[t] comes with all of the weapons you would expect. The long thin GN sword V, and 6 GN sword bits (two of each flavor). The weapons can be combined together to form a colossal sword or mammoth beam rifle. A simple clear stand is also included to help prop the gigantic weapon up right.

At a sub $25 price point, this is probably the best version of the Qan[t] right now.