As I’ve noted before in my previous post on getting back into the Gunpla groove after quite a while of no kits, I picked up the MG Shenlong Gundam mostly ’cause…well, there was nothing else to really buy. I wanted a kit, and since the Unicorn I had my eyes on was overpriced, I went for the next best and cheaper kit.
I never had any particular attraction to the Shenlong, but it was a good place to continue my MG Wing EW collection.
After building and applying decals, I gotta say this is a really nice-looking suit. The design is both retro and new. Shenlong has a fairly obvious Chinese warrior motif, though less apparent in Katoki’s redesign than the TV series version.
The kit itself is very solid and has a nice stance. I love the head design; very bold and clear.
I went ahead and painted some small details throughout this kit, most notably the little yellow panels seen on the shoulders, forearms, ankles, and Dragon Fang.
The backpack area was also adorned with some silver highlights and hand-painted thrusters.
I don’t bother with the interchangeable beam trident rack on the back; I just use the actual holster piece at all times. The small circular blue pieces themselves are actually really loose though; when straight built, they barely go into the backpack, and are very prone to falling out. Had to tighten them plenty with Super Glue.
Articulation is pretty impressive, standard for all the MG Wing kits. The only real gripe with it is that the feet can’t bend as much as I’d like to stay flat for wide stances, but its relatively minor. Balance is still great since the Shenlong itself isn’t a very bulky design with crazy armor pieces or a giant backpack with wings.
Shenlong’s only melee weapon, a beam trident. Because beam sabers are so 2008.
The beam trident is basically just one long pole with the beam effect at the top…not quite as dynamic as an ASS (Anti-Ship-Sword) but hey, what can you do. The beam effect itself is molded in a very nice neon green, which almost glows under light.
There are two peg holes on the trident shaft for the holding hands to plug into, and without them the trident will pretty much slip out of the hands unless you’re having Shenlong hold it with both.
While a simple weapon, it gets the job done. Shenlong can look pretty badass with just the trident alone.
I love the shield for some reason. It’s so simple; just a circular shield, but the yellow parts on the gray and blue just look really nice for some reason…can’t explain. Just a good design on Katoki’s part.
Because the Shenlong’s not Chinese enough, it needs a dragon-themed weapon mounted on its right arm to assert its Asian self-esteem.
The Dragon Fang is a pretty cool weapon, though it doesn’t extend very far, unlike the original and Altron.
It’s pegged into the forearm just like the shield, and activating it simply means flipping it forwards and unfolding the fangs. No fancy arm coiling or anything here…
I’m pleased with the fact that while this does mean the Shenlong has a giant white dragon head on its right arm almost all the time, it really doesn’t get in the way.
Expected it to hinder the shoulder area, but the arm itself is free-moving enough to maneuver smoothly out of the way.
Also pretty neat is how the Dragon Fang looked while flipped forward but having the actual teeth closed. It looks more like a bludgeoning weapon now.
There is a small gray piece inside the dragon head area that allows it to extend somewhere around an entire centimeter, but of course, it’s hardly noticeable…at all. I didn’t even know it could do that when I first built the kit.
Those two little gray barrels on the side are meant to be flamethrowers. Kinda off-putting since they look a lot like vulcans.
Despite not being a very exciting kit for me at first, the Shenlong proved itself to be a very interesting kit. I grew to like the design, and it gets extra points from me for keeping it simple; honestly this kit keeps it bare; no need for the giant, extra wings or fifty beam rifles and sabers. (I’m looking at you, Infinite Justice) A fancy flamethrower on the arm with a trident and a shield is more than enough to kick ass.
