MG Strike Noir Gundam

Black and Stylish. Long pointy v-fin. Dual welding a pair of beam pistols. Long sleek wings. Grappling hooks. This Gundam could very well be Batman’s mobile suit. The Strike Noir will blend in nicely with the Batmobile, Batboat, and Batplane.

The build is very similar to the MG Strike/Rouge but different enough where you don’t feel nostalgic about having to build a similar model again. The two models only share the same parts in where it counts and that is having the same action base connector below the crotch and having the same slot for its striker packs; this is very good and practical because then you can have fun swapping striker packs if you have multiple Strike Gundams or want to use their base. Other than those two, the rest of the model seems pretty new and is actually better refined than the MG Strike’s structure because problems that I mentioned on the Strike Rouge (loose parts, no polycaps, flimsy joints, etc.) are not on the Strike Noir. Also unlike the MG Strike, the Strike Noir comes with multiple pairs of hands for holding its pistols and beam swords to ensure that they don’t fall off. Screws are included for each shoulder (and I don’t remember for anywhere else) to tighten things up so it doesn’t come loose for awhile (but I’m not fond of screw assemblies since they are sometimes a pain and you could screw up the parts… no pun intended). Another great thing is that this Gundam has very few foil sticker; just stickers for the eyes!

The completed model is gorgeous. It looks great just standing but the sharpness of its body gives it a “kinetic” feel to it like it MUST be in a dynamic pose. It’ll be a waste of its posing potentials if you just leave it standing. This model is a lot of fun to pose. It has great balance even in wide poses and its legs and feet will be able to keep it in position. This Gundam came with more guns than it can carry and store (5 beam rifles total) so most of the shots are shooting poses. It just looks so damn good no matter how you pull it off. The grappling cables work wonder if you want to imitate Batman since the way it clips onto the model, it can actually support its weight. I dare to say this model even pose better than the MG God Gundam.

The Strike Noir doesn’t come with its own action base… and after playing around with it, I don’t think it needs one. Why? I find its ground poses to be more striking than its aerial poses. Its Hi-MAT mode looks great and all but for some reason, I find it a bit more plain seeing it in the air but a lot more dynamic on the ground (the legs can really flex!).

Quirks? Problems of sort? I can’t say I have any for this kit. It exceeded my expectation. If I have to be picky, I’ll say it’s just a little (and I mean, A LITTLE) back-heavy from its wings and it takes some time to actually get the wings “symmetrical” (you know this is being VERY PICKY). You can push its joints to the limits, it’ll hold out.

SEED fan or not, this is one heck of a model. You can play with it for days without getting bored and without worries for its joints. No regrets buying this model… except for not building it sooner (sat on my shelf for over a year before it was built…)

My words cannot describe how great the MG Strike Noir poses