HGIBO Man Rodi Mini Review

Now, if you know me, you'll know i'm not a huge fan of the Gundam Gusion, never liked it and probably never will, although I see quite a lot of love for it everywhere. Which is funny because while I dislike the Gusion, I love the Man Rodi, and as if fate was playing a cruel joke on my opinions, everyone else hated it. The Man Rodi looks a lot better than the Gusion in my opinion despite it's weird proportions and uneven proportions, and the monoeye just makes it better. It's at the point where this is actually my favorite Season 1 IBO MS.

The kit itself is also a very good one, it's very cheap, at only 1000 yen, and while you don't get a full inner frame, you get a partial one like the Gusion. Articulation is decent, it's limited due to the bulky design and weird foot choice, certain points like the shoulders, waist and thighs are pretty good. While this kit can stand on it's own, the feet design make it obvious that it's a space MS, and should be equipped on an action base. It comes with the two accessories the Man Rodi is supposed to come with, it's Hammer Chopper and Submachine gun. Both can be held in the hands securely and clipped onto the butt too. Where this kit excels though is panel detail, do yourself a favor and get yourself a black Gundam Marker for this guy, he looks heavily incomplete without one and looks fantastic with one used.

Verdict:

The HGIBO Man Rodi is a very nice kit in all honesty. Since this kit doesn't have a lot of color apps, instead opting to rely on panel lines for detail, this kit comes with very little stickers, and that's the monoeye, you can choose to make it straight or put it in a place, and that's it. The kit despite it's bulk shares the same amount of articulation of an average HGIBO kit, with the overall articulation being very good despite it's bulk, and only missing out on 180˚ bends for the elbows and knees. I admit, OOB this kit looks quite bland, but a single GM01 can change everything, and make this kit look a lot better. If you're interested in the HGIBO Man Rodi, I do recommend it, it's a fine build and has little to complain about, just get a marker and line.

Pros:

- Quite a cheap kit.

- Tones of panel detail that makes the kit look awesome once lined.

- Solid build with no loose parts or fuss.

Cons:

- Looks a bit bland without any lining OOB.

- Could do well with an action base.