Ki's Toy Report: https://www.facebook.com/ki0079.robot.workshops
The METAL BUILD Providence Gundam, a release from almost a year ago, but I've only recently had the time to handle it in detail, and it's quite a surprise! Perhaps many fans have already reviewed it long ago, with plenty of positive feedback, but seeing and hearing about it is no substitute for holding the actual product in your own hands. I finally understand why its price continues to climb.
In my personal opinion, within the METAL BUILD series, the Providence Gundam can be ranked among the top few in terms of excellence.
1. Excellent External Design
Comparing it with other mobile suits from the same SEED series, you can see the unique ingenuity of the Providence Gundam. Its physique is relatively robust, and the exposed pipes on the torso subtly exude an air of dominance. The moment you pick it up, you feel it's a boss unit, and it truly deserves to be one.
Its markings are applied just right—not too many, not too few. Too many would be visually distracting, while too few would make it feel perfunctory.
2. Excellent Backpack Design
That DRAGOON System is indeed made a bit large. Like the METAL BUILD Justice Gundam, the backpack has been given a slightly exaggerated treatment. However, it is precisely this exaggeration that makes the Providence Gundam's features stand out even more. The connection points for the DRAGOONs are quite secure and won't fall off during play. Yet, removing them is also very simple and convenient, making for an ideal handling experience.
Additionally, the backpack can be deployed. Some fans have joked that it resembles a Transformers logo. The deployment mechanism is simple, and once opened, it reveals an abundance of mechanical detail.
3. Excellent DRAGOON Design
In total, there are 11 DRAGOONs. Among them, there are 5 on the backpack, a total of 4 on the left and right skirt armor, and 2 on the rear skirt armor. The DRAGOONs on the skirt armor are equally convenient to handle and do not fall off easily.
The manufacturer has also included 11 support rods, allowing collectors to simulate the DRAGOONs in their launched state. Furthermore, these rods are angle-adjustable, so you can pose the DRAGOONs as if they are all firing forward in unison. However, there is a minor flaw: all the support rods have the same angle adjustment range. Therefore, the rods for the skirt armor DRAGOONs cannot be posed to fire straight forward in unison. But this is just a tiny shortcoming, hardly worth mentioning.
If I were to point out two more issues: First, there are no support stands provided for displaying the DRAGOONs in a free-floating attack formation, which somewhat limits the play options. Second, clear support rods are common now. If they were made in a light blue color with some thruster effects added, it would elevate the display to another level, simulating the moment the DRAGOONs are launched. Perhaps the manufacturer is saving this for a future release? It's hard to say. They're definitely holding something back....
Additionally, if they could include beam effects for each cannon, that would be truly incredible. Honestly, if they were to do that, they should just make it a premium expansion pack! I bet many collectors would willingly buy it.
4. Excellent Weapon Design
Let's start with the rifle. This gun is made quite large, which I love—it exudes "dominance." Its grip is angle-adjustable, and the auxiliary handle can be extended forward and backward. Furthermore, its muzzle can be extended, and the entire gun barrel can be deployed, revealing the mechanical details within. The stock can also be deployed, similarly revealing mechanical details.
Seeing these details crafted so exquisitely, what more is there to say? ...It's just too awesome.
I borrowed the beam effect parts from the Robot Spirits A.N.I.M.E. series to play with it, and the result is really great!
Next, the left-hand composite armed shield system. This "glove" is one of the Providence Gundam's signature armaments. First, you deploy the shield, then swap out the left hand for a gripping hand, have it hold the handle inside, and slide it on. That's it.
A beam saber effect part can be attached to the tip of the shield. Due to the size limitations of my photo studio, I couldn't fully capture its length.
The shield itself can be deployed, again revealing an abundance of detail. If a firing effect part could be added, the toy would reach another level of playability.
5. Excellent Handling and Feel
This mobile suit... is very heavy, packed with die-cast metal elements. However, placing it on the display stand for posing is extremely, extremely secure.
First, two types of stand adapters are included. One connects to the crotch, and the other connects to the back. I feel that connecting it to the back is more secure. The back adapter has two connection points, linking it firmly to the backpack, making it very safe. The "turtle shell" (referring to the backpack) plugs into the back and doesn't fall off easily; yet, if you want to remove it, it's also very simple. This is quite an interesting situation. For a collector like me who poses their figures extensively, encountering such a reassuring connection really makes me grateful from the bottom of my heart.
6. Afterword
During this review process, the one real drawback was the inability to simulate the DRAGOONs flying all around. Therefore, I specifically used a "human stand" to simulate a DRAGOON in flight. How great it would be if we could officially display them like this.
Overall Verdict:
Faced with such an excellent toy, pointing out its flaws feels a bit like nitpicking, so it's unnecessary. Of course, there's always room for improvement, but these are just minor wishes.
The manufacturer often re-releases older designs with new paint schemes. However, if you're a discerning and experienced collector, you'll notice the differences as soon as you handle them. A repainted older design, despite its beautiful new colors, is still an old design—the old problems persist. But a newly designed figure truly leaves you feeling refreshed and smiling after handling it. This is what makes you feel that times are progressing, and toy design technology is advancing as well!
Thank you for reading!
Ki's Toy Report: https://www.facebook.com/ki0079.robot.workshops