SD Ex-Standard Gundam Deathscythe Hell EW Mini Review

This was a kit i've been waiting for, having built the MG Deathscythe EW as a kind gift from a friend, the Deathscythe EW holds a lot of sentimental value, and I was always interested in the MG, but decided not to prioritise it as i've already built the regular Deathscythe and I would have nowhere to put it due to those large Wings. But when the Ex-Standard was announced, I was quite interested in the kit, and I bought and built it on the day of release.

Like other Ex-Standard kits, this guy requires a lot on stickers for color separation, yet I don't find them as offensive compared to other Ex-Standard kits, could be due to the simplistic colors of the Deathscythe hell, but I find the stickers don't look that bad on this kit. Another issue are the more obvious Articulation-wise, this kit more than satisfies for an SD. Like other Ex-Standard kits, you still can't compare it to an average HG, but when compared to BB Senshi, there is an improvement compared to them. It's got good articulation overall and for an SD, there isn't much to complain about. However, the spiky areas on the Deathscythe Hell EW, which are the legs and the knees, are flattened here. In fact, the knees don't even have real spikes, while it's a bit disappointing, it's understandable as this line is aimed at young children more than anything, and spikes would not be ideal.

For accessories, the kit only comes with it's Beam Scythe, and that's...it. Granted, the Deathscythe Hell EW didn't have any other weapons in the anime, but we don't even get the parts to use it in the Twin Scissors mode which, is a bit disappointing. You could argue that the Buster Shields are weapons, but those do not detach from the hand and are part of it, so while they are there, I wouldn't call them accessories. I kinda expected this, the Deathscythes are not known for their accessories, but I still can't help but feel disappointed. Ah well, what we lost in weapons, we gained in it's giant Active Cloak wings, which really give this guy presence when put next to other SD's. Like other Ex-Standard kits, the weapons in this kit are compatible with HG's, even more so, you can mess around with the parts of the kit to make unique weapons, that are also compatible with HG. There are two combinations in total, and both are just upgrades to his Beam Scythe, the one pictured below being my personal preferred combination.

Verdict:

I will say this right now, this is my favorite of the three Ex-Standard kits I own. It does have it's weaknesses, like the staple problems with the Ex-Standard line, being highly sticker reliant with horrible color separation with hollow parts that are more obvious than they could've been. But so far, I think it looks the best out of the three i've built. Sure, it's got stickers, but they don't look as bad as they did on both the Barbatos and Try Burning. It's got nice articulation, and out of the three I have, it's got the most shelf presence due to it's wings. Also, one of it's combined weapon looks really good, although I do prefer to have the wings and v-fin equipped. If you're interested in the kit, or are a fan of the Deathscythe i'd recommend it, just don't expect anything extraordinary from this kit.

Pros:

- Good Articulation for an SD.

- One of the combined weapons looks awesome.

- More shelf presence than most SD's.

Cons:

- Holes in parts are more obvious than needed.

Neutral:

- Stickers don't look as horrible as they do on other Ex-Standard kits, but are still numerous.