Tuesday, March 29, 2011

1/35 MG J-9 Griffon Aqua type review


Worst Master Grade i had by far.

Just like i said in the header this kit is really terrible even for a MG in early 2000 because there are too many defects. No wonder Bandai doesn't really want to reissue the item. It is such a regret that a cool looking labor got such treatment.




Griffon is a experimental Labor developed by a Shaft Enterprise which is a Giant company that builds everything from daily needs until machinery. The labor is developed secretly in order to defeat Ingram from Shinohara industry to prove that Shaft's technology is much superior and replacing the biggest Labor Manufacturer in the world. This version of Griffon is made to adapt aquatic environment which render most Labors inoperable after the flight version was considered to be a failure. The first appearance of this mecha is in the 2nd OVA of Patlabor




Surprisingly the pilot of this labor is a young kid from India. His name is Bud and he was scouted by the leader of the Griffon project. Despite his age, Bud has an exceptional aptitude with labor piloting which he proved himself by piloting the Griffon. He has some rivalry with Noa Izumi the protagonist of this series since he saw her skill is on par with him.




I have several reasons why i call this kit as the worst Master Grade. First the plastic quality is really poor even compared to Kotobukiya's kit since it is really hard to cut through the gates due to its thickness. Secondly articulation is really terrible until the point that this kit does not deserve the title of MG. Last one the backpack is heavy making its balance really poor and i had to apply cement to fix the backpack due to its looseness. This kit comes with clear coating applied beforehand which is why the kit looks glossy.




Griffon would be a perfect mecha for infiltration due to its specification. The main strength from this Labor is its agility and best human-like movement which other labor haven't reached its level. The only weapon Griffon has is its hands. The hands sharp enough to sever Labor's armor and proven effective in close combat. This Labor alone capable of disabling several AV-0 Peacemakers which is the latest model from Shinohara industry in the OVA. Though there are no casualties since the primary objective of the pilot is to prove Shinohara industry is inferior rather than killing anyone.


And Griffon even manage to disable Ingram 3 which Kanuka piloted despite Kanuka is an excellent police officer. But shortly afterward Griffon was defeated by Ingram 1 proving the piloting skill of Noa. The aftermath of the Griffon incident, Bud subsequently deported back to his home country and Shaft lose significant amount of stocks which doesn't look that serious but it is critical enough to pull back its ambitious attempts.



You also get mini figure of Wong(forgot his japanese name), the leader of the Griffon project who looks harmless but actually really dangerous man. Griffon might be able to fulfill the ambitions of Shaft enterprise if there is no interference by special division 2. I doubt this labor would be able to fight against military type labor in open battle since i doesn't have any fire arms. Probably the Flight type Griffon also having similar issue with this Aqua type.

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