Metal Robot Spirits Wing Gundam

I've always thought of myself as a bit of an outsider when it comes to Gundam. I came to know the series more through articles about Tomino's opus than actually watching it. I loved the mecha design - Helen McCarthy's Super Play articles often came with a healthy dose of Gundam eye-candy that made the franchise seem profound and grounded in a way that other mecha shows were not. Being a non-satellite TV household, I had no real way to watch Gundam in the UK short of fansubs on VHS.

Back in 2000, when Gundam Wing was on UK television via satellite channel Cartoon Network I didn't really care for what I saw. I found the character designs and costume choices profoundly unappealing, with Heero Yuy's tank-top and cycle shorts particularly egregious. I'd seen some fansubs and I loved the intro, but the series itself seemed very sluggish.

The mecha also defied the usual Gundam convention of military hardware, with heavily "themed" suits that felt halfway between G-Gundam's OTT designs (the Shenlong's dragon weapon, Sandrock's snake motif and the Heavyarms... well, "all the guns" vibe) and traditional mobile suits of Tomino's era. I tried several times to get into the show, but it wasn't until more than 20 years later that I Gundam Wing a rewatch and could appreciate the more mature elements hidden behind the clumsy script and slow pacing. I never really gelled with the shows mecha, but even I could reluctantly admit that the Wing Gundam had things going for it.

The Wing Gundam comes into the office hot on the heels of several Metal Robot Spirits Titans Gundam units, which have a very industrial feel, all hard angles and thrusters that look like air conditioning units, so the sleek lines of the Wing Gundam are a nice change of pace. Spiritually you can see the connecting tissue between this design and the Freedom Gundam which shares the shoulder pads and splayed wings, along with the elongated hip-skirts and shapely legs. 

I really like the splayed wing look on this unit, it really enhances the presence on the shelf

There are some unique elements to Wing Gundam's design that really appeal to me - the vents around the cockpit have a lovely retro feel to them, reminding me of the F-4 Phantom air intakes. The round boosters sticking out of the calves are a nice grounded element to an otherwise "super robot" design ethos. The shield opening up to reveal the beam saber is also very cool. Even the little wings protruding from the head make the unit feel unique. Then there's that split-wing design, which in practice is a joy to fiddle with - you have to slide the tips outwards to unlock the lower wing, then just splay everything out to create a spikey silhouette - the Gundam Strike Noir has a similar 3-point jagged wingspan and it works just as well there. 

A nice use of teh space in the shield - the red is a lot more muted in hand.

The Metal Robot Spirits line continues to be, for me, the pinnacle of collectable Gundam figures. There's a reassuring feeling of heft to the unit, with the die-cast skeleton providing the weight and stability I've come to associate with the line. Paint is sharp and plentiful, the matte finish making every element of the figure pleasingly tactile in-hand.

Visually the proportions feel heroic - perhaps a little less thick than the original TV designs, but I'm okay with that. The muted dark blue and gold accents on the otherwise standard off-white base colouring provide just enough variation to make the unit feel balanced. I actually passed on the Metal Build God Gundam due to its overly bright colouration that made it look too toy-like, I much prefer the reds and blues to adopt this palette.

The back is nice and clean, with the thrusters giving it a nice retro-feel.

The pointy blue side-skirts and shoulder-pads give the core of the figure an "X" motif that serves the silhouette well. The sharp edges and wings make it look born for flight, and the tampo details across the figure add an element of scale. There's a pleasing level of detail across the figure too, with vents moulded into the recesses of the chest and wings that make it look fantastic in photos, making the value in the price more evident.

Yes, Metal Robot Spirits Wing Gundam is handsome indeed.

There's also a pleasing number of accessories - 8 pairs of hands (the usual trigger-finger, fists, open palms and gripping), 3 beam saber effects (straight, flared, curved) and a stand with two adaptors for Gundam and Bird forms.

Using the stand and the curved beam weapon provides a terrific feeling of movement

There is one small fly in the ointment, with the wrist connections being too loose to reliably hold the buster rifle. It might stay put for a while, but mostly it goes limp at the wrist. I might have to try adding a little nail polish to the connecting nub to firm up the hold, but I don't like having to mod figures for basic issues out of the box. Bad Bandai.

Yes, you're getting a stock shot for this as I don't care to transform it more than once...

The unit also transforms as it does in the show. I can't say I have much love for this odd-looking bird unit, with its claws and shield-beak. It looks like what it is, the Gundam lying down with a shield over its head. Transformation is fine but I don't like the idea of doing it too often as it seems like it would be prone to paint chipping. Unless you have curious taste then I'd suggest leaving it standing.

Perhaps tellingly, I never reviewed the Wing Zero Gundam from this line. I picked it up only because it was less than £50. Pairing it with this in-universe successor unit adds a lot more value, as the parallels and changes are all worth noting. Wing Zero was the prototype that's activated later in the series when the Wing Gundam is heavily damaged, so while it has many similar themes, such as the shoulder miniguns (which fold away on the Zero), flared shoulder pauldrons, chunky shield and elongated rifle armament, the wings on the Wing Gundam feel much more refined and the vents on the chest grant it a lot more character. I've come to enjoy both, but if you're holding out for a similar price on this unit, you'll struggle as it's a Tamashii Web exclusive, and they tend to hold their value. Once again I have to thank Yoyakunow for their service in getting this to me direct from Japan.

Both iterations have their charms, but I prefer the colour palette of the original Wing Gundam.

Displaying the Wing, Wing Zero and Fix Figuration Endless Waltz Gundam together is, for me, the perfect Wing display trio. It feels great to have the shelf finished!

The wait for this figure has been agonizing, but having it in hand, I'm very pleased with my purchase. It is for me an example of appreciating aspects of Gundam even if you don't particularly rate the base show, and in this case Wing Gundam states its case for visual appeal effortlessly. I only have one Wing Gundam in my collection - I'm very glad it's this one.