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Reviewed by Adam Rehorn
Scale: 1/100
Maker: Bandai
Cost: $35-$50
Type: Injection-moulded polystyrene
Aftermarket:
Who, me?
Sometimes mecha are very realistic. The machines from Votoms, Gasaraki and even Macross can be considered to be
quite down-to-earth and grittily believable war machines. In cases like these, fancy gimmicks are kept to a minimum,
and form is a slave to function. Then there's the world of Gundam Wing, where the heroes each get a custom mobile suit
(MS) of their own, and each is a little bit, well, fanciful.
Above: Did you want realism? If so, you're in the wrong place. If you wanted to see what Death looks like to an
MS, however, here's a good view - the completed 1/100 Deathscythe Hell from Gundam Wing.
One of the most far-out designs in the Wing universe is the vampyric Deathscythe. Even the name conveys a certain
vibe. Death - pretty obvious connotation. Scythe - fits the death motif nicely. With a pilot who calls himself
the "God of Death", it's not really a surprise that the whole package is somewhat gothic. Of course, like in all good
mecha anime, the heroes of Gundam Wing need a mid-season upgrade - but the question is, how do you make Death even scarier?
Well, the answer is surprisingly simple - give him a double scythe and tack "Hell" onto his name. Thus, the Deathscythe
Hell was born! This kit is a typical Bandai 1/100 High Grade model of the 1995-1998 era. That means that there
are a good number of nicely fitting parts, lots of poseability, some translucent green beam weapons, and a surprising amount
of poseability. Being from Wing, it also means that it is a design taken almost the very limit of form over function.
If you've read my article on mech kits, then you know that I hold the 1/100 HG Wing and X kits in high regard. This kit doesn't disappoint, let me tell you.
The parts come moulded in very light grey, black, dark grey, clear green, gold and medium grey. There is no flash anywhere
to be found on the kit, and all the panel lines are nicely engraved and quite crisp. This is not the first pressing
of this kit, either - the Deathscythe Hell (Dhell, to his friends) kit is actually almost a decade old, but the detail and
fit are still excellent.
Above: This is the back of the completed Dhell. You can't see most of the detail due to the closed down cape.
However, you can see the length of the twin beam scythe that is the mech's main weapon. The thruster on the left is
actually part of the shield.
Like all of its 1/100 HG ilk, the Dhell has an excellent order of assembly. There's very little build around, except
for the torso and the shoulder armour. These instances can be easily overcome, as well, with some careful cutting.
Almost all of the subassemblies can be completed first, and then assembled afterwards. Only the twin scythe is an exception
- there's no way around it's build around, but it doesn't really matter since the whole thing is light ghost grey anyways!
As
for accuracy, overall I'd say this kit is pretty much spot on. It looks a lot like the anime in most respects, although
it is more detailed and less 'stretchy' than it's animated counterpart. It has some neat engineering to it, including
the two massive arches that attach to the shoulders in order to hold on the moveable cape armour. Also, the white 'scissors'
on the shield can move using the same kind of gearing as found in most swing wing airplane kits. The kit is pretty stable,
too, although without the scythe it does tend to be a bit back heavy.
There was little need for putty on this kit;
all the major components fit together quite well. Some minor filling was needed on the parts that hold the massive cape
armour on the shoulders, but some CA was all that was required here. Colour separation is also quite good, although
the chin piece wasn't moulded in red, and the red on the shield had to be painted right onto the gold surface. For those
who aren't willing to do this much, decals are provided for those difficult to paint areas, including the white stripes on
the cape.
The kit was painted using a mix of paints. The scythe and the front skirts were painted Light Ghost
Grey using second-gen Testors Model Master acrylics. The red is the same company's Guards Red. The white is my own Gundam
White, a Tamiya XF-2/Badger Amtrak Blue/Tamiya X-16 Purple concoction, and the gold is Humbrol oil. The blackish colour
that makes up most of the Dhell is Virsago Black, a mix of Flat Black, Jet Exhaust and Gunship Grey Testors MM acrylics.
The entire kit was hand painted, and covered in multiple coats of Future. As you can see, the Future works very nicely
on the cape's rounded surfaces.
The most difficult part of the kit is the head, where the white scalloping presents
a challenge best met by careful hand painting. To mask and airbrush that would drive me mad, although any masking
does tend to do that to me. The outlining was done with a standard small tip Black Gundammarker. There was plenty
to do, although the Dhell isn't as busy as the Wing or the Shenlong. Still the outlining that's on the kit really helps
to bring it to life.
Above: This closeup of the upper body shows the complex scalloping on the head. White that close to a blackish
colour is never fun. The red on the shield was done by hand, without masking.
Overall, this kit was a fun one to build. I was able to get it done in 4 months, while at the same time battling my He-219 and a few other kits. It isn't all that complicated, and would make an excellent kit for both beginners (for whom the
large part size is probably an asset) and experienced modelers alike. It fits together well, is a joy to assemble and
looks really cool when you're done. It was a nice change for me - being more used to the god-awful fit and finish of
FROG kits of late. Unfortunately, these kits aren't around much in the stores any more. Still, if you can get
your hands on one, it's a fun build that pretty much anyone who has a fanciful side will enjoy. I wasn't a fan of the
design originally, but the more I worked with it, the more I grew to love it. Besides, look at all those clear beam
parts - who doesn't love a Reaper with a neon scythe?
Above: This final look at the Dhell shows the shoulder detail on the left and the closed cape on the right. Decals
were provided for both the red patches and the white streak on the cape, but these were easy enough to paint. The eyes
don't show up well in this view, but the clear green sight in the head comb sure does!
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