PLAN 303E Deep Striker

I think it’s safe to say… if you ask a Gundam fan what is the best looking GFF out there, the Deep Striker will most likely come to mind. It is this Gundam that introduced me to the Fix Figuration line-up and Katoki’s work. Although this thing was merely a “design”, one can’t help but wonder how much slaughter it can cause on the battlefield. Har har.

Box

The box is one giant cube with window panels on the front, sides and top which makes it seem like one massiave package… which it is ^^. It is equivalent to about three regular GFF stacked together.

There are seven plastic layers of parts that are meticulously layed out inside the box. It might sound like a lot but this is covering four different conversions of the same Gundam. After looking through it, Bandai could easily have made the package smaller and used a lot less plastic and those wires… but that wouldn’t make this GFF feel so grand now would it?

S Gundam

This is the most basic form of this GFF. The S Gundam looks superior in its own right compared to other Gundams. No weapons (except a beam saber) are included for the S nor the Ex-S… which is mainly its Beam Smart Gun.

One might not notice but this S Gundam’s head design is actually different and better looking than the other two GFF Ex-S Gundams. The biggest difference are around the eyes and top of the head.

Of course, articulation is good as none. The best this Gundam do is look badass while standing without any weapons. No complaints though as the joints are sturdy and not loose. Katoki’s markings are also subtle and not as heavy as some of his other GFF, making this Gundam look a little more cleaner.

Ex-S Gundam

Add a few bits of armor and strap some heavier backpacks onto the S Gundam and you’ll get the upgraded Ex-S Gundam. The back is so heavy that it can’t stand on its own. With the added armor and giant fuel tanks, the Ex-S does look more intimidating and muscular than its previous form; the S Gundam almost look skinny next to it.

The three different Ex-S Gundams.

S Gundam Plus Booster Unit

Remove the legs from the Ex-S, strap even more boosters and fuel tanks and you’ll get the S Gundam [Bst]. I’m guessing Katoki has a thing for making his Gundams (look) wickedly fast.

Aside from the left arm and head, this conversion is pretty much fixed thanks to the way everything is connected. The Gundam looks a bit funny proportion wise due to its missing legs but it looks good nonetheless. Its Beam Smart Gun is impressive (looks better than the original Ex-S one) but is connected to the leg boosters hence it cannot move up or pose with it.

PLAN 303E

Now for the main feature of this GFF…

So basically you start off with just a portion of the original S Gundam and strap as much thrusters, boosters, and fuel tanks as you can before plugging in the giant cannon.  I was pleasantly relieved to find out how simple it was to put together. Nothing complicated or confusing (though it would help better if the manual was in color) so nothing worth explaining. I was also surprised that all the parts cooperated with each other rather well and there weren’t much fiddling around to get things fit in right… that’s rare for GFF.

Deep Striker

Ohhhh this is the epitome of the Gundam Fix Figuration. Design, attention to detail, and awe-inspiring craftsmanship. The final form of this GFF is an absolutely stunning masterpiece. As you can probably see, this unit is as fixed as a statue but the point of GFF is to make an impressive display piece… not going pew pew with its giant cannon.

The Deep Striker’s design makes a great deal of sense after putting it together (as in… understand how everything goes together, not that it looks “logical”). This unit doesn’t look so complicated now as before which I thought was a Gundam with massive clumps of rockets. The Deep Striker can be best described as a limbless S Gundam on a space wheelchair with rockets and a battleship cannon. As such, it really isn’t that much bigger compared to a regular Gundam; it just has a lot of stuff sticking out. It is nowhere near Dendrobium size I would think.

Soooo… just for comparison’s sake…

Although the GP03D is a little bigger and has a bigger overcompensating beam cannon compared to the Deep Striker, I still love the Deep Striker’s design a lot more since it has deceptively more “going on” with it. Overall, the Deep Striker is still the more impressive looking artwork.

Those who knows of Fix Figurations probably knows that the Deep Striker is one of the most expensive in the line-up and is also very rare to come by. You might find some chilling on ebay for $150+ but every other two blue moons, you might find one at the right price (~$100). Between having no MG of this Gundam and a $300 1/100 resin kit, this GFF is definitely a no-brainer for me.

One last Photo…

All hail the Sentinels!