Review: Gundam Astray No-Name

The Gundam Astray No-Name was an antagonist suit and came out of nowhere and got a lot of people excited. Although this mobile suit has only been featured in a single episode so far, I think it's fair to say that, we will see it again.

Onto the review!

This kit was provided to me by www.jojohobbynstuff.com, I really appreciate being given a chance to build and review this kit. If you would like to purchase this, or any other kits, you can use coupon code "GOODGUNPLA" at JoJoHobbyNStuff to receive 10% off of your order!

I built this entire kit on the 8/11 Livestream which is viewable here.

First things first, let's talk about the basis for this kit. Like a lot of mobile suits from the Build Fighters and Divers series, the Gundam Astray No-Name is based up an existing mobile suit in the franchise. In this case, the No-Name is based on the Gundam Astray, most likely the Red Frame variant. Although, it also features design cues from the Blue Frame L2 and Gold Fram Amatsu. I'd wager that we're going to see a lot of builders incorporating the other Astrays into some cool kitbashes. 

Of the ten included part runners, three including the polycaps are from the HG Astray Red Frame. As a result, there are over two dozen spare parts left for other kitbashing projects. This kit comes molded primarily in white, red and maroon. I know a lot of people were disappointed that the black parts were changed to maroon, but I honestly don't mind. The dark red colors make the kit look like it's covered in dried blood, and fits with the intimidating presence. 

This kit includes a smallish sheet of foil decals. It's a bit disappointing to see that all of the gold/gloss yellow parts are stickers, but this should be expected for an HG kit.

The head of this kit has a very unique V fin arrangement. It features a fairly standard Astray style fin, a large set of white 'ear' fins and the set of red fins that come to a point in front of the face. This final set of fins can be removed and flipped back for the X-Connect mode. The front of the head features an attractive Astray style face with a Blue Frame inspired chin strap. The back and top of the head feature a large clear blue section with a good bit of detail layered below. The head connects to the torso with two ball joints, at the base of the skull and the bottom of the neck.

Moving down to the torso... While building this section of the kit on the stream I mentioned a few times that the chest was designed to be very solid. There are ball joints in the abdomen and waist. But, the joints are designed to only allow for rotation or the barest bit of ab crunching. This as probably all done to prevent the kit from leaning to the right from the weight of the No-Name extension.

 

The chest reuses several parts from the HG Astray, a result of this is that the shoulders are fitted into a poly cap on top of the torso, instead of the side like normal.

The back features this forgettable backpack insert. It reminds me of one of the radar attachments from the old Armored core games. This part is completely removed when the No-Name extension is inserted for the X-Connect mode. 

In this partially completed state, we can see that the right arm is not intended to feature a standard manipulator. You'll need to kitbash a solution here if you want an asymmetrical design. Once the lower end of the arm is attached, the right arm is noticeably longer than the left. The beam effect part is really nice and features a jagged beam on all four sides. The design of the beam blade is very similar to the effect parts included with the MG Epyon and MG Turn X Gundams.

The left arm is slightly more basic in design. It features a larger armored pauldron and pointed forearm shield. The range of motion at the elbow of both arms is fairly limited at only a 90-degree bend due to the single joint.

The legs follow the asymmetrical theme of the kit. The armor covering the left leg is huge and would be right at home on an MG. The underlying armor doesn't match, so you'll need to kitbash if you'd like to have a symmetrical setup. Poseability is about what you would expect for an HG kit. I really like the design of the feet, the design is very different from any other Astray feet.

Once this kit is completed out of the box, the stand out feature is the gigantic No-Name extension covering most of the right side of the kit. We'll check out the transformation gimmicks for this part later. The No-Name is reminiscent of a cloak, half cape, or even the Deathscythe Hell's wings. Unfortunately, the white elements of this part of the kit come molded in maroon so some painting will be required to get it looking right.

Here are some poses of the kit without the No-Name extension. Once the extension is equipped, posability is generally limited unless the kit is on an action base.

  

And here it is with the No-Name added on. In order to transform the No-Name into its various other modes, you will need to part swap.

Here the No-Name is unfurled into "B-Smartgun" mode. You can get an idea of how large the thing really is.

X-connect is my favorite mode. It looks like the Astray has grown a set of wings.

Overall I think the kit has a lot of style and a unique look. I personally don't care for the aesthetic, but I totally get the appeal for those that do.

I think that at the very least the Gundam Astray No-Name would be an excellent candidate for kitbashing projects. I have already seen several neat project ideas from other builders on Twitter!

If you would like to purchase this, or any other kits, you can use coupon code "GOODGUNPLA" at JoJoHobbyNStuff to receive 10% off of your order!