Alright, so here's my review of the HGUC 1/144 Delta Plus
The model has a very good mould overall, some very fine details in the head such as the vulcans and the inner frame portions on the legs. This kit comes with very few stickers, most of them are the white portions below the vents on the legs as well as the back skirt. We're given a choice of three different stickers for the eyes (which has a clear piece over them), which are dark maroon, blue and sliver. There's also two stickers on the shoulder armour, but you can't really see them and there's one final sticker on the shield.
There's one joint in the elbows that allow a slightly greater than 90 degree bend (like 92 degrees), as well as a pivot point below the shoulder allowing for a full 360 degree rotation. Shoulder is connected via a peg and can rotate a full 360 degrees, come up to around 90 degrees (design and shoulder armour limitation) and can move forwards and backwards a little bit. The shoulder armour slides onto the connector bit and can move up and down a little bit.
Because the front skirt is practically nonexistent, the legs can bend all the way up and create a perfect kneeling pose. the legs themselves are connected via a ball/socket joint at the hip and feature two points of bend at the knee. The top joint allows for 30 degree bend backwards, but a 90 degree bend forwards (this is for the transformation) and a full 90 degree bend at the lower joint. The feet are connected via a peg at the lef, so there's a little back and forth motion and a ball/socket joint at the ankle which allows for a full range of motion. The toes are seperated from the back and can bend down really far. The side skirts are a bit long, but don’t pose much of a problem for poseability since they’re on pegs connected to the back skirt and have a wide range of articulation. The head is on a ball/socket system at the base of the head and can rotate from side to side. The head can do a full rotation, but the collar as well as the pointy bits on the cheek hinders movement. At the base of the neck there is a pivot joint which allows a back and forth movement.
The beam rifle is extremely long and can not be held in hand unless the arm is bent slightly or if the model is up on a stand. The model comes with an extra hand to hold the rifle, but only for the right hand. The mounting points used in Wave Rider mode can also be used while in MS mode so you can store the rifle on the wings as well as on the shield demonstrated later. Next few images are just action shots with the rifle and shield.
This model also comes with a beam sabre, though oddly enough, there's just one ebam sabre handle, but you're given two beam parts. There is a specific hand just for the beam sabre like the rifle, but again it is only for the right hand. It is not possible to store the beam sabre on the suit itself nor on the shield, so you'll have to keep track of it. Some action shots of the beam sabre and shield.
In Wave Rider mode, the Delta Plus still looks great and is very secure. Bandai achieves this stability through parts swapping to form the Wave Rider. As mentioned before, you can mount the beam rifle in this mode in three different places, on either of the wings and on the blue part of the shield.
The head sculpt is simply amazing, I'll let the images speak for themselves.
Two torsos, one for MS mode, one for Wave Rider mode.
As previously mentioned, there is one sticker part on the shield, and that is the white/grey bit on the top part of the shield.
The ankle guard is connected the foot and can move up and down.
There's another set of shoulder armour parts for Wave Rider mode, but I forgot to take pictures of them.
We're also given two different partsfor the back of the feet. The left one is for Wave Rider mode and the right one is for MS mode. The Wave Rider versin lacks any articulation except for the ankle guard.
Rating:
Head: 9.5/10
Arms: 8/10
Legs: 8.5/10
Torso: 9/10
Weapons: 7/10
Gimmicks: 8.5/10
Overall this is an outstanding model at 2200yen, thought not the best 1/144 out there, this is one of the best. It is a little on the pricey side, but that's accounted by the amount of extra plastic needed for the Wave Rider mode, but they could've splurged a little bit to give us extra left hands instead of only for the right hand.
Series: HGUC
Source: Gundam Unicorn
Scale: 1/144
Price: 2200yen
Release date: Sept 2010
