X3 Post-Handling Impressions
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The trio of Crossbone Gundams (not counting the X1 Full Cloth) is finally complete. Each of the three units has its own unique characteristics and a fantastic story in the manga—all that's missing is an anime adaptation.
The main body is identical to the other Crossbone Gundam releases, so I won't spend much time on it. This review will focus specifically on the design elements unique to the X3.
Head
The head antenna and paint application are different from the other Crossbone units.
Arms
This is where the most obvious differences lie. While the X1 and X2 featured connection points for their Beam Shields, the X3 does away with them in favor of its signature I-Field Generators. The forearm armor flips up to reveal the internal mechanism, and it comes with an open-palm "I-Field Hand."
However, there are several issues with the arm design. Given that the I-Field is the X3's most iconic feature, it deserved far more attention to detail.
First, while the flip-up armor is a nice touch, it makes very little visual difference whether it's open or closed, especially from a photography standpoint.
As for the hand itself, why this particular sculpt for the open I-Field palm? What is it even doing? A standard open-palm hand would have looked more intimidating. The way the fingers are posed is so... polite and reserved. It completely lacks the aggressive presence it should have. Is this really the time to be perfectly faithful to the source material? My god, how many other mobile suits has METAL BUILD given aggressive redesigns to? The design of this hand is, frankly, a failure.
Furthermore, the wrist articulation is a letdown. To properly replicate a pose similar to the God Gundam's "Shining Finger," the palm needs to be able to tilt up sharply, which would require a wrist joint with a much greater range of motion. However, the connection point only allows for a slight upward tilt, and the wrist joint itself has no special engineering. As a result, pulling off that kind of dynamic palm-thrust attack is nearly impossible. A real shame.
And of course, for a signature I-Field hand, the ideal package would include effect parts. Ha, as if Bandai would be that generous. In the end, with a timidly sculpted hand and unremarkable armor gimmick, the X3's most distinctive feature is just glossed over.
On top of that, my copy of the X3 has an abnormally loose bicep swivel. The arm just flops down on its own without holding anything, and the shoulder armor falls off constantly. In stark contrast, the elbow joint is incredibly tight and solid. This means that whenever I try to apply force to bend the tight elbow, it just dislodges the already loose shoulder assembly. I wish Bandai would pay more attention to quality control. If you're going to make joints tight, make them all tight like the Freedom Concept 2.0 so I can use appropriate force. This mix of tight and loose parts on the same limb is just frustrating to handle.
Because of these shoulder issues, posing the figure with the massive Muramasa Blaster is an extremely difficult task.
New Scissor Anchor Accessories
The new accessories look great. Both the scissor and hook functions are well-executed visually. However, they detach from the forearm far too easily, which gets annoying during posing.
MA Elegorella
Including this Mobile Armor is an interesting experiment, but "interesting" doesn't mean "good."
Let's break this thing down. It has one arm with an articulated shoulder joint, but the elbow is completely static. My god, would it have been that hard to make it articulated?
Secondly, the wrist is also fixed. With such limited arm articulation, the playability is drastically reduced, which is a real pity. On the plus side, its waist does have a decent range of motion. Not bad!
Its head canopy can be opened, revealing a cockpit sphere inside. The sphere just rests loosely in the cavity.
The right side of the MA's body features a large slash mark with decent paintwork. Inside the gash are several holes designed for plugging in the Muramasa Blaster's beam effect parts.
This feature does add some value, allowing you to create dynamic battle dioramas, which is a unique touch. However, the MA's severely limited articulation remains the biggest obstacle to enjoying it.
Below is a recreation of a scene from the manga (with some personal interpretation):
Honestly, I would have much preferred Bandai invest the manufacturing cost of the MA back into the main figure and its weapons. If instead of this MA, we had gotten a better-engineered wrist, or more effect parts (perhaps ones compatible with the X1, X2, and X1FC), that would have been a far better value. As it stands, getting the MA is slightly better than nothing. But it's obvious what happened here: this is the cheapest way to release the X3, which is mostly a repaint of the X1 and X2. On its own, the X3 would feel a bit barebones and not justify the price. So, they threw in a Mobile Armor—a few chunks of plastic—to serve as a new gimmick. I'm not against these kinds of pack-ins, but please, get the main figure right first! That's what's most important.
Finally, here are some action shots:
