rico soul: Oof wow the updated photos of the Lancelot looks pretty badass. It feels like they tweaked it a bit from the grey model but the proportions don't look quite as messed up any more and the waist pistons looks less obtrusive.

The head is giving me real overwatch Reinhart vibes and I love the weapon design. I just love it when a suit has a sword that slots into a shield like the classic Gouf Custom, the Estailev, or this Lancelot.

I'm definitely liking this a lot more now that we have shots of the final finished product. Can't wait to hear what some of the more prominent Chinese reviewers think of it as they get early eval copies in the near future.

rico soul: Ok this MotorNuclear model kit is really really interesting. Really feels like they're putting pressure on the model kit market again similar to what they did last year with the amazing AoBing kit.

So this is a grunt / student training suit, and similar to the main suits like the AoBing, CaoRen, and BaiQi, this is still getting some metal joints for the frame. It's also compatible with the equipment and backpacks from the other kits.

However, this is priced at half the retail price of the other kits at a crazy low 99RMB. That means we can probably expect it to be $15-$20 cheaper than those kits so maybe it'll be in the $30 range for US customers. That is insane for a MG sized kit with this much detail. Height is listed at 19cm for reference, and remember, it still comes with metal joints. They're saying 11 metal parts total.

Aesthetically, I love how this is more unique than just spiky MotorNuclear or another Gundam clone. This has so much Chinese culture and character in the design. It's distinctly Chinese with the shield, the sword and that sash. It also comes with three different face masks including a joke wide eyed one from the comics. There are also blank masks included that you can customize yourself.

Definitely an interesting kit and one to keep an eye on. Should be releasing later Q4 2023.

rico soul: So like before, we got a massive image dump from IN ERA+ for the Thunderbolt along with some details and pricing information. I'll post some of the pictures here but there's a lot more that was released.

From the pictures, we can really see what they mean by inner frame detail for the RMD series. There are a ton of molded details on the inner frame itself, reminiscent of the legendary Bandai 2.0 MG kits like the MG MK-II 2.0. For detailed inner frame fans like myself, this is really awesome to see and it should be a lot of fun to build, paint, and detail.

They talk about the design philosophy behind the Thunderbolt and as being a focus on creating a mechanically realistic and detailed frame for the entire mech, including the backpack. The linkages and armor pieces are then refined around the frame to create a more realistic mechanical model.

Contents:
- white action base with image insert (same design as Ruling and Genesis)
- waterslide decals
- foil stickers
- bonus: colorless clear parts

Retail is listed at 198RMB with a targeted release for October 2023.

For reference, this price is cheaper than the Genesis standard version and the same retail price as the MotorNuclear CaoRen and BaiQi.

rico soul: lmao someone actually already made an infinite justice recolor of the grey model and it actually looks pretty close. This is very clearly influenced by the infinite justice and eclipse gundams and the gold frame is of course strike freedom.

Anyways, this should be another nice kit from IN ERA+

Official information so far:
- This is part of the PMD (perfection metal design) product line which should be the same line as the Ruling
- Like the Ruling, the inner frame will be a pre-assembled metal frame, which we've actually seen shown off by IN ERA previously
- A lot of the outer armor will also be pre-painted this time though obviously IN ERA+ hasn't revealed the colors yet or which specific parts. We have seen that there are gold runners for this kit potentially.

This should be another great kit from IN ERA+ and I'm looking forward to seeing more information get released in the coming days

rico soul: So all of the information on this model so far is based on initial trial copies and things may still change in the final product. Currently the price has not been announced.

Like their previous 1/72 Zaku release, this is primarily scaled up based on the HGGTO model kit but they've made some additional tweaks.

- The majority is based on the HGGTO RX-78-2
- The shoulder, backpack, and beam saber handles also reference the MG Ver Ka
- The head, shield, and leg designs reference MG 3.0 / 1:48 Mega Size design
- More specifically, the head is based on the 1/35 Exceed Head, including the same opening gimmick
- The Core Fighter is fully realized as well and some basic hatch opening gimmicks are added to the front and rear skirts and the calves.

- LEDs are on the head, chest vents, four backpack thrusters, beam sabers, rifle sight, and the bazooka sight
- LEDs are a mix of push switches and magnetic switches currently

It is about 51cm tall head height (pictured is a comparison with the daban 1/60 Nu, the daban PGU, and the solomon GP02)
weight is roughly 2.8kg or about 5lbs
Joints are a ratcheting design for added stability

In total there are 35 runners

More news should come after Chinese new years.

rico soul: Gundamit really should have also included the completed product promo images that Hammer Cat put out for this. I'll attach some here since they help with seeing the product and some size scale.

For those not familiar with the Shamblo, this is from Gundam Unicorn. This is not just a large mobile suit like the Kshatriya but actually mobile armor like the Neo Zeong. While not quite as big as the Neo Zeong, it's still fairly large which is why the price is so high. You can see a HG rx-78 and zaku for size comparisons in the promo pics.

I'd imagine anyone willing to shell out this much money for this kit likely knows what they are getting into but for those that don't realize this is a full ground up resin kit so a lot of work is needed to build it, sand it, and paint it. And also realize this is a long and wide mobile armor so it will take up a lot of shelf space.

But man, it's going to be one hell of a showpiece for whoever get it built up.

rico soul: I wanted to post some more photos of the kit from various Chinese reviewers, and also give a bit of a comparison of this kit vs the AoBing. (TLDR: buy the AoBing if you have to pick one)

These MotorNuclear kits seem to be getting the most international upcharge from how much people are interested in them. Their internal Chinese marketing put this entire line as one of the highest value model kits with the retail price set at a low $199RMB. By comparison, the Infinite Dimensions Genesis was a more premium price from set at $238RMB and $298RMB for the regular and collectors editions respectively. While the current pricing here on Gundamit is still fair when compared to Bandai gunpla kits, I wouldn't say it's as much of a must buy for everyone as the previous $65USD price tag on the AoBing. Still, if you are interested in this line then this CaoRen is certainly still worth pre-ordering. I placed mine already.

However, if you are unsure and just want to try one MotorNuclear kit, go with the AoBing instead if it's available. The kits uses very similar approaches, with the runners being partially pre-painted for color separation details, and some highlights being in clear plastic for effect. And of course both comes with that alloy internal frame. The AoBing being the first in the line also comes with a colored manga/manhwa in Chinese to help establish the lore for these suits. the CaoRen does not come with this.

The main body of the kits are very similar in shape and structure. In the first comparison pic, that's the CaoRen next to the special coating version of AoBing. Both standing at about 20cm tall. Aesthetics are individual preference, but I tend to think the blue on the AoBing looks a bit more interesting than the mostly white CaoRen

The main differences in the kits really comes down to the backpack and accessories. The AoBing comes with a standalone dragon that can be combined with main body in several different ways or displayed separately. The CaoRen really comes to life with it's backpack, effect wings, and phoenix transformation. Still, in this, the AoBing simply offers a bit more ways to play with. For weapons, the AoBing has two polearms, the CaoRen comes with a sword and shield, and the tails of the phoenix can also be held as whips.

Now for the main unique draw of this kit, the Phoenix Transformation, I think it's a great looking transformation but it's a bit of a parts formation. The main body structure is pretty much the same as the AoBing afterall so there's not really any built-in transformation, but it's also not going to be loose like transforming gunpla tends to be. The legs fold up towards the head. The backpack breaks into wing and tail sections, and the wing parts attach on the legs while the tail attaches behind the head. The hands are replaced with phoenix and the arms becomes the phoenix legs. The separate phoenix head attaches at the crotch and the mobile suit head is just left hanging as the butt. It looks good overall but once you see the upside down robot head, it can be a bit silly. But this is the same way the metal build worked originally.

Both kits were based on the older 1/72 scale metal builds, but both have seen some updates aesthetically and are high quality model kits. It will be interesting seeing how the BaiQi turns out in model kit form which was very similar in design to CaoRen except it was yellow and transformed into a western dragon.

rico soul: So...it almost feels like MJH kind of just dropped this out of nowhere. There's been rumors that they were working on a bootleg HIRM God Gundam for over a year now but there wasn't any news until a couple of weeks ago it feels like and now people have received their copies and built them in China already.

A couple of things to note:
- the promo pics on the Gundamit listing here are misleading since they are of the original Bandai HIRM. You can tell because it's glossy shiny plastic. The MJH bootleg like their previous ones has a more matte finish
- As always, MJH didn't include any stickers or decals by default and since it's such a relatively unexpected drop, there's not even really any 3rd party water slides available yet. Gundamit here even says no decals, but the God Gundam especially kind of need foil stickers for the iconic King of Hearts chest crest. So I'm personally waiting for the decal included kit which do exist. Hopefully Gundamit will be stocking them.

- From all the reviews, the molding quality on this is really quite good, even for MJH. All the molding is sharp and crisp and much better than anything one would typically expect from the average bootleg quality like Daban
- The HIRM God Gundam design is one of the best Bandai HIRM designs to begin with so this bootleg is equally nice. Well balanced, great aesthetics, and great articulation
- Fit and finish on the kit is mostly good as long as the nubs are cleaned up well. The front skirts are noted to be loose by everyone, the hip joint have been reported to be loose by some people, and some small parts like the vent piece on the shoulder armor may need a bit of glue to keep secure.
- The price on this kit is and should be good since God Gundam is a relatively simple design without massive weapons or backpacks

rico soul: Ok, these pictures are very misleading and aren't even from Machsour Toys.....
This is NOT the Bandai MG Kampfer, at least not completely. I don't know why gundamit decided to put random pictures of the MG Kampfer on this listing.

Anyways, it's hard to tell how much of an original design this actually is. All we have so far is an initial announcement with CG pictures but we do have some information about the contents: Price it good and being pre-assembled, the shipping cost should be low too. Hopefully gundamit doesn't over charge for this.

Product name: 1/100 fighter
Specifications: 17.7cm pre-assembled model
Material: ABS, alloy, PC, POM (alloy frame model kit)

Contents:
Main body x 1
Shotgun x 3
Bazooka x 2
Leg-mounted missiles x 2
Chain mines x 28 (including spare chain mines)
Chain mine backpack x 1
Brass missile head x 2
Missile special effects x 2
Bazooka special effects x 2
Shotgun special effects x 3
Nozzle special effects x 19
Price: 228 RMB
Shipping time: Expected Q2 2025

rico soul: It's kind of interesting reading some of the more critical comments here. I think the appearance criticisms from within China mostly revolve around how this doesn't seem to have any reference to WuChengHou. So it's very interesting to compare with the comments here internationally where we don't really care about the source material as much.

Well, I guess the lore does matter a bit to the design though. From my understanding, this mech is supposed to come from a very technologically advanced nation, which is why it has a more futuristic appearance when compared to the two previous Progenitor mechs. Also, this is also called the full armor version, sort of like the full armor gundam unicorn or thunderbolt. So it's really a base mech with a ton of equipment loaded onto it. That's why the shoulder boomerang launchers look like they're a separate piece attached on there because they are add-on equipment. It's also why the cannons or swords can be attached at those hard points instead.

As for the color choice, it's still a fully painted figure with high quality like all MoShow products so it shouldn't look plasticy as one user put it. But I think they choose to go with a bit more vibrant reds and whites in part for better color separation and because it fits the overall aesthetics of the Progenitor line a bit better. Standing next to the Takenda Shinden and Date Masamune, this is certainly still the darkest color scheme.

Anyways, this figure is quite amazing from an engineering perspective. There is a ton of articulation as always but in addition to that, the LED work on this is simply fantastic with animated flashing and color changing sequences.

This design may not be my cup of tea either but I knew that from the concept drawings. The price is still fantastic for what you get though and there is so much value here.

I'll be heavily looking forward to what they can pull out with the Lancelot mech next