August 2006
This is my second Gundam. The F91 is super cool because it is so heavily armed. It has vulcan cannons in its chest and head, comes with a beam rifle and a huge beam launcher bazooka cannon, and to top it off, it has two "Vesba" cannons This kit also features Ban Dai's injection molding, however this model required quite a bit more painting than the V2 Buster Gundam did. In fact, this is the first model I tried using an airbrush on, top paint the beam rifle and beam launcher. I used a Gundam Marker to get the detailing. I was surprused to see that the red "F91" on the shoulders were injected. However, the model comes with these as decals too, in case you are the type of modeller who paints the entire surface of the model.
This is an older kit. Recently a Master Grade F91 model was released, but I got this HG model cheaply off eBay. If you build this kit, the first thing you need to do is just throw away the stupid sticker sheet. I am far more satisfied with the results of using a fine point paint brush and Gundam markers. I tried applying the white stickers to the hands, but the stickers kept peeling up so I threw them away and painted the same area white. The dark blue stickers that wrap around the Vesba cannons would have looked particularly crappy. I just mixed blue paint with a bit of black, tried to get close to the dark blue of the chest area, and spray painted it on with my airbrush. This model does come with a lot of decals however, and these add a distinct touch to the model. Some reviews I've read say that they went overboard on the decals, but I put most of them on except the black "F91" decals on the back of the shoulders.
I really like the design of the F91. It's design reminds me a bit of a classic car from the 60's. I especially like the Vesba cannons that swing forward and how the Gundam's articulated hands can grip the handles. Again, the trigger finger is articulated separately. Unfortunately, I can't get the model to hold the bazooka properly, as if it was going to fire.