Still the Coolest Perfect Grade Gundam? Let's Find Out!

It's undeniable, the Gundam Astray Red Frame is a badass mobile suit, but how does the 15 year old Perfect Grade hold up in 2024
I got this kit from HLJ here: bit.ly/4ce0bjE
NEW MECHA GAIKOTSU MERCH! mechamerchstore.com
Patreon and join the discord: / mechagaikotsu
Join this channel and join the discord:
/ @mechagaikotsu
Buy Gunpla from HLJ: bit.ly/3cEDGbk
Buy Gunpla tools from HLJ: bit.ly/3zr4G8c
Buy P-Bandai and rare gunpla: bit.ly/buyee-me...
Awesome tools from Gunprimer (10%off with code Mecha10 ) www.gunprimer....
All music from epidemic sound: www.epidemicso...
Subscribe here: www.youtube.co...
Instagram / mechagaikotsu
Twitter / mechagaikotsu
Facebook / mechagaikotsu
(I was not paid to make this video but any purchases through the above link will earn me an affiliate fee that goes towards supporting me and the channel)
#gundam #gunpla

[@JunkyardGod]

My first Perfect Grade. Got it while in the Army. My platoon sergeant was all "You build Gundam kits? Me too"

[@vahitcantekin2618]

That's how friendships are formed

[@purpleenthusiast5814]

which kinds did he like lol

[@JunkyardGod]

@purpleenthusiast5814 he didn't say haha Wasn't a real friendly guy

[@JunkyardGod]

@vahitcantekin2618 he wasn't really friendly, lol

[@SolaceHuntsman]

When did you even find time for that?

[@ninjarmy]

have it, built it, wanted to paint it so left some parts that would be hard to separate off, lost those parts. I feel shame

[@megaflux7144]

primed my dynames black, moved houses, totally forgot what i was going to do. it sits in my basement on a table with every piece on an alligator skewer all sticking in the air like vlad the impaler was working on it. i know your shame.

[@cabbage_cat]

Rookie mistake, should've ate the parts, drank the paint, and shit out the finished kit

[@TheDarkly81]

Just finished the RG Exia last week, and was putting spare parts into a little baggy when one of it's hands went flying, I still can't find it even though I found one of its holographic plastic bits a day after it dropped on my dark blue carpet floor...

[@thedudeabiding1582]

Keep searching. Do not attempt honorable sudoku.

[@hankoldenburg]

I absolutely love the attention to detail to the point where the blade of the katana is full tang. Man do I love me swords!

[@DragoLogo]

Peak gunpla

[@lorenztiu4540]

Oh GOD the platic handle STRIKES AGAIN

[@Thorax_The_Impaler]

The sword on this kit really is incredible. The blade has a visible hamon, it has a full tang, a smith's signature on the tang, the hilt has a minuscule gold pin holding the tang inside the hilt, and the tsuba has a separate piece for the habaki. Other than some rough nub marks on the gold, which I was able to cover with some molotow liquid chrome and tamiya clear yellow paint, the sword and scabbard are phenomenal(and massive).

[@JAREDTIMOTHYT.VILLONGCO]

Loving the astray as a whole because of the samurai aesthetic and the colors they chose!

[@baconmangaming7002]

Same

[@comicworldboss2696]

My very first Perfect Grade. It was an amazing experience.

[@brioche496]

Same brother. Thing is an absolute unit.

[@TheSprul85]

Is there any issue when done assembly it?

[@comicworldboss2696]

@@TheSprul85 only issue (microscopic one) I had was the v-fin. Other than that no issues.

[@SparkRattle]

Printed in blue ink because it's literally a blueprint. :3

[@arsenalx7]

Take my like and get out of here

[@dinofedex3812]

I wold like to see the diferences between the rg, hg and the HiRM in terms of looks and sculpt

[@DanteSolablood]

Love the PG Astray, have the fella staring at me right now from my shelf. The Gerbera Straight (sword) is a thing of beauty & it poses up a storm.

[@gunsandgamingus]

your char knife is has a breakable blade so you can snap off the dull parts and extend it to expose the new shaper blade

[@MechaGaikotsu]

Im in my last couple of sements. I need to find what size of olfa blade I need. And then I need to find the blade in black!

[@KeroKaminaX]

3:10 so this is sorta a problem of the artist's designs not properly meshing with the modeller's style. the character designer and artist for Xenoblade X is the same guy who did the artwork for Xenogears back in the day: Kunihiko Tanaka, but the game was made partially with the help of Tri-Ace who have made the Star Ocean games. which if you've seen the 3D entries you can connect the dots. Kunihiko tanaka came back again to give us the designs for Shulk, Fiora, and Elma in the Xenoblade 2 DLC where his art is much better suited for the rendering engines we more associate Xenoblade with. it's most prominent when you compare Elma in X and Elma in 2 (don't look up anything, there is some spoilers)

[@millar876]

Just finished the perfect grade perfect strike and definitely recognising some of those runners & parts.

[@DragoonMS]

Other cases of the plastic handle: • Zeta Gundam - Whoooooo... not sure if this has been done since then, but this box was so huge, it's literally a carrying case for the TWO boxes within! Speaking of which, I'm gonna need to get another one; mine is a flippity floppity mess that's not helped by the polycap joints in the thighs being cracked (so they don't stay connected to the hips very well). • Gundam GP01(GP01/Fb) - I think that like the Zeta, this behemoth box was a carrying case for a pair of boxes within...though I'm not entirely sure.

[@xnflg3074]

deep striker has one too

[@halocrysis1]

can you put that this is an unboxing in the title?

[@FOXZILLA5734]

Astray red frame is hands down one of my favorite gundam designs of all time, that sharp sleek look and that large physical katana are so memorable.

[@swftre]

since you brought up the 5 popular gundam models at the start of the video, it would be cool to see your best models of each one in the build review video😄

[@Alexczy]

This was the first gunpla I built. Went to Japan and fell in love with it. So bought it for an incredible cheap price, like 13000 yen and well, had to take the runners out of the box and into my clothes, and cut the box so I only brought the front part haha

[@jfbeast]

"This is how I become Nils Nielsen."

[@Lost_Spartan034]

This was my first perfect grade and it made me fall in love with them. V it was quite the journey to build it 😊

[@RandomFBIguy]

My dad has this one, it's been like 3 months after he bought it and he still hasn't gotten past the first page while I'm stuck here spending months on real grades 😭

[@PrimeReclaimer]

This was my first PG and from time to time I get the urge to get another just to build it again or to do a custom paint scheme. Still upset that Bandai doesn't seem interested in making a couple new molds and releasing a Blue Frame Revise 2.

[@evilentlty3325]

Been waiting for you to review this for ages

[@Vesperitis]

You know you're a hardcore Gundam fan when you play the best Gundam theme nobody knows about in your intro. Also, I despise the fact that the PG Red Frame still doesn't have the flight pack.

[@MrChaladar]

Great timing to buy it! Because the PG Astray Red Frame Kai is getting a reprint and it's retail outside of Japan!

[@PeeterPaanika]

About your comment on the runner markings, Kotobukiya's HMM König Wolf from last year comes with a total of 40 runners and it eventually runs out of letters in the alphabet. It actually goes from A to Z, then on to kanji (I think? Can't tell) for the rest.

[@atomicdynamite1631]

I just broke into the gunpla hobby a couple months ago. Got the PG Astray Red Frame about a month or so ago. It was pre-built so i didn't get to experience the main assembly, but man I LOVE posing this think. It's so friggin COOL

[@keithkeith293]

The PG 00 Seven Sword has those rubber stickers for the feet too. I would like to see if the Astray can use the Striker packs from the Perfect Strike Gundam. Backpack fashion show time.

[@paulnicholascabalhin4844]

That's solid kit. I actually built the Blue Frame version of this so missing the huge katana. And it was my first PG kit built, was a lot of fun!

[@ByOdinsBeard15]

I just built this recently and it's a super solid set. Great gimmicks, the weapons are really nice, and it's really solidly built.

[@Smilomaniac]

The Astray is awesome. It’s also pretty much the same experience whether you build it in PG, MG or RG. What’s more disappointing is that it doesn’t really have any opening gimmicks like the early PG’s or the PGU. Build the PG Mk-II. It’s old and complicated, but it’s definitely not a similar build to any of the other iterations.

[@insanitygaming6273]

this was my first gundam built and what got me hooked on building them while i was building it it started of lovely i was very intrigued by the details and everything about it but as i progressed futher i was very dissapointed by the amount of parts that just would not stay together or the fact that it is awkwardly heavy so it doesnt stand on its one but does if it doesnt look right all in all a great kit wish it would get kinda revived with better fitting parts or something

[@willisjackson7029]

I have the Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai version of this kit in my backlog. And yes those metal parts are from the Strike Gundam because I’ve built it myself before. The only thing that I wish that Bandai had done with the Kai version is include some extra parts to build the backpack that the normal Astray Red Frame has because it has some of that backpack parts as well.

[@tubejorrit]

In the process in building this one! arms, head and backpack to go.

[@Bigbear0288yt]

Comparability withe the perfect grade Strike? Don’t they share some features?

[@Brawler_1337]

The frame of the Red Frame is based on the Strike frame, but it lacks opening panels.

[@kivulifenrir]

60% of the frame is the PG Strike. That's why it's a bulky kit, as some of those larger parts fit the design of the Red Frame while covering the bits that're the Strike.

[@dukesnipes64]

I currently have this sitting in the corner of my room yet to be built. QUESTION: While building, is there any piece or section I should pay special attention to. When building the real grade version of this kit, the leg mechanism snapped due to being flimsy. I don't want to repeat that mistake with the PG

[@winggundamzero1040]

Does the PG astray have a striker packs system? and if it has the slot, is it compatible with the Aile striker from the PG Perfect Strike Gundam?

[@willisjackson7029]

Yes it does have the same opening on its back for the connector of a striker pack. I own the PG Strike Gundam and the PG Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai and the builds of the frames are almost identical. Since I haven’t built my PG Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai yet I don’t know if it’s completely compatible because of the different outer armor on the kit.

[@dragonslayerx1009]

FYI the two gray pieces that hold the parts of the sheath holder break easily. Broke mine a few times so be careful.

[@dragonslayerx1009]

It's on runner Y btw

[@imediocre46]

Im currently building this kit... its been a great experience so far

[@GojiraFan-in9oo]

Still waiting for the PG Red Frame Kai

[@atlusc]

It already exists

[@MikeHernandez707]

The Red Frame Kai was actually the one and only PG i have due to my stepson getting it for me for Christmas one year. The weapons are HUGE!

[@JJTheDev]

it's reprinting soon, and it's retail outside of Japan, so your local hobby stores may be able to source it (a bunch are here in Canada)

[@GojiraFan-in9oo]

@@atlusc I'm waiting for him to review it, like he said he would

[@willisjackson7029]

I have the PG Gundam Astray Red Frame Kai in my backlog. I actually bought it in my local Hobby Town about 5 years ago. I’ve built the MG version of this, so I think that the PG will be great. It has clear green parts that the MG version doesn’t have on the Buster Sword.

[@truthchanMSV]

Chose between this and the Exia for my first perfect grade. Ended up going for Exia, but I still absolutely adore Red Frame.

[@AR_XVIII]

Got exia with led as my first pg and red frame as my 2nd months later. Both are worth it😁. But i would say the build exp for red frame is more fun despite its age.

[@vintageludwig]

I absolutely loved building this. Still my favorite PG but theres a lot I havent built yet.

[@therealmattlee]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the chrome parts of the sword. I’m not sure how cutting and cleaning them will be and whether I should paint them or not. I’m really looking forward to building mine now

[@ironelemental9367]

What do you think of the hollow shoulderplates, hollow parts on the back, and the strange fit of the leg armor?

[@jtwhat3004]

Build it recently. The plastic on the hands can break your clippers, they are kind of hard

[@photondebuger45]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHH BOI that was my first Gundam that Ive built

[@xManzi]

Man, that PG was the first video (stopmotion assembly) that I saw about gunpla. It even had "Zips" as background music, glorious... And that is how my adiction started... AND I REGRET NOTHING, only one thing, to this day I didn't bought and built one... Will have to correct that mistake.

[@Hanitcal69]

I bought the rg red frame as my second gunpla when I didn’t know anything about the hobby. Needless to say I got extremely frustrated with all the broken joints after just trying to gently pose it. I’ve been tempted by this one for years now

[@kaoru288]

I dont know which kit was it or im having some sort of Mandela effect here but i swear the blade is presented in its own cool looking box.

[@catsarecute7447]

size comparison with other perfect grades and/or perfect grade unleashed kits would be cool to see!

[@20Meister]

This is the first PG I'm planning to buy in the future. Just need to clear some backlogs first.

[@ryukaze20]

I have two of these... one's built and the other one still unbuilt. Is now planning to find that PG Tactical Arms for it

[@GallantZero]

When I built this, the metal sections for the knees had extra metal inside the holes where you slot the plastic parts into it and I actually had to file that down to make the plastic fit through all the way. Was this the case with yours or were they completely smooth in the holes?

[@kevindewire2024]

I ran into the same problem with the perfect strike. the insides of the metal knee joints requires some filing. Of course it looks like the exact same piece on the red frame.

[@2325Toddz]

for those who have built this kit years ago, did some parts/joints became loose after time or is it still sturdy?

[@willisjackson7029]

The closest thing that I’ve built to this kit is the PG Strike Gundam and I’ve had it for more than a decade and it’s still pretty stable but I always tighten joints on all of my Gunpla kits no matter what scale they are.

[@the1ofus]

size comparisons with the other big weapons (mg wing zero custom rifles, double ended sword impulse) as well as general size comparisons with popular kits in each grades

[@nill9120]

Can't wait to see the flight backpack on this kit

[@Isimp4noobs]

Is the PG astray heavy and I want to know how big is it?

[@brioche496]

It is very hefty for a gunpla. There are some metal internal parts on the waist that add a good bit of weight to it aside from all that plastic lol.

[@Smilomaniac]

30cm tall or just over 11 inches. The weight, as far as I remember, is like half a kilo or a pound.

[@zeddoverkill]

So if we have this and want to panel up the dark red frame parts, better to use the regular Gundam pens, as opposed to the pour style ones, correct?

[@You_know-me-c3o]

Size comparison with the pg collection and shelf presence test

[@AndreaDoesYoga]

🔥The Astray Red Frame never gets old, always cool!🤖

[@reyvenpl3525]

Red Frame came out in every Grade, but hes still in one episode in Seed...

[@hoshxhosh]

lmao this is my WIP. Just finished the legs and hips. It looks really cool.

[@vustvaleo8068]

funny thing is the Astray is a milk-able mold due to having five base units in canon and upgrades and variants the units went through, the Unicorn only has three base units.

[@Darkrai9087]

I have to wonder if Gaikotsu's going to be checking out the Sky Defender, when that BEAST of a model kit comes out. From what I have heard, the plastic quality is comparable to an MGEX.

[@kookaafa]

Question, if you were able to get the LED unit going for your final build, what did you use? I was able to (relatively closely) match dimensions, but the charge petered out in less than a day lol

[@Zedrid]

How noticeable are the nubs left on the chrome parts?

[@sinayhernandez621]

For your knife all you have to do is break the front section and you have a new point every time

[@mythichurdle8572]

First perfect grade kit for me although I did have a little problem with the pommel coming off the sword, just wanted to know if that was a skill issue on my part or if that was something other people were having trouble with

[@freakshow5355]

Looks like a great build, though my question is if the legs take as long as the mg to build.

[@arbl1992]

so i have a variant of the red frame astray in master grade form. one of the thing i was able to do with it that made it my absolute favorite kit, was put it in a stable single handed handstand. I'm wondering if the perfect grade has the same level of almost perfect balance... could you show that off in your review please? thank you, and i'm looking forward to the next video!

[@brioche496]

My only question with this kit is how the build specifically stacks up in comparison to the gunpla that were released around the time this one came out? I thought it was pretty seamless aside from a few loose armor pieces and the screws (god help me they were TOUGH to get in on those metal parts). I haven’t built any older kits than this so I wasn’t sure how good it was for the time. I still enjoyed it though. Extremely iconic design. I got it through buyee with the first release extra sword/sword holding rack so thanks mecha for the adds, buyee is awesome. Edit: Also curious if it is at all compatible with the pg strike from back in the 2010’s?

[@kivulifenrir]

For your edited bit: It does have the port on the back for the striker packs, but the way the armor is, you won't be able to fit them into it. But if you know how the MG flight pack works, this has that same functionality with the backpack dropping down to the rear skirt armor. Just a shame it's a function of the kit that'll never get used for the intended purpose.

[@damientedkwan8149]

I wanna preorder Pg unicorn from p bandai but cant ship to Canada, is there any way to ship to Canada?

[@youngyoung7400]

Would like to know how the nub marks and seam lines look when snapped together out of the box

[@eliasfajardo6148]

And even then, Bandai makes some huge blunders, like not printing the Kshatriya in RG, MG or PG. It's so a beautiful MS model. And the other 5 you mentioned get a model basically every year in any grade/variant

[@TheDarkly81]

Funny that I just recently got this kit from Mandarake to add to another PG I own, the RX-178-2 Mk2 in AEUG colors. However, I have 3 RGs and 2 MGs in queue to build before I get to it.

[@JasonGardner-m2o]

How much undergating is there, how deep can you get the lunging poses? Can I ask for a specific pose? I really wanna see the sword tucked into the chest, sort of in a fencing pose where you're about to step into a long thrusting stab. Deepest knee bends you can hit, other arm sort of supporting the main sword hand but not a full 2-hand style, you know? Like, open hand pose around the main hand as a mid-action shot? Odd request but lemme see it if possible?

[@JasonGardner-m2o]

You hold the sword regular, cross shoulder as far as can be, full elbow bend, then just turn the wrist with the sword so it points forward.

[@byte.mp311]

It can get some deep lunges

[@simony30]

I have thought this kit to be amazing. It's a good pg with a fun build and amazing posture to pose it with its sword. I have only one compliment, and it is that it should have come with a stand. I had two separate occasions where I thought I had posed it well and I've come home, and found it on the floor. 😂

[@BattleManiac7]

One of those PGs that make me hold off on buying the MG, cause the design is so cool that I just want that as my collection's representation. The other being the Strike (though I'm kind cheating there since I have the Strike Rouge Oootori), and the Exia.

[@animemlb972]

I’ve built this kit and all I can say is that the sword fit the full length of my palm. Oh and be careful of the sword pin, it’s a small lil fella

[@johnfields4796]

I Have two questions about runner A1: 1please confirm what those parts are, 2 do you know if they're a gated segment of a different kit's A runner (probably the strike?)

[@MarcusGastelum]

How many expansion packs are there and do you plan on getting them? Also is the unicorn perfectibility bigger or about the same size?

[@HybrydATP64]

Do a comparison between the PG Strike Gundam as well as the MG and RG Astrays to compare the designs

[@TheSprul85]

When i built my first Gundam RG Astray Red Frame i can feel it alive 😂 (myb because of the detail)... And one day i saw a PG Astray have been display at the store... I was too surprised how great it looked... I wish i will get it one day...

[@danielanzmann9650]

Initially I wanted to get this kit for my first PG but I settled for the MK II, then I just finished the PG Exia yesterday, the Astray would make a really cool 3rd PG. If I only had the space😅

[@Tony_Tyson]

I just built mine and the hip joints seem very loose from the get go. Is this your experience too and how do I fix this?

[@rjie]

I have an old pg astray..i cant equip the shield anymore..the hips lean toward wherw the shield is equipped..and also legs and foot very loose now

[@joe19870129]

Since it's based on PG strike can the shoulder be swapped for attachment to fit the perfect strike backpack?

[@sanictheedgehog]

Worse thing about this kit is that they got lazy with the eyes and give you a big black sticker with eye cut outs to put over the clear part instead of having proper color separation like basically every single other perfect grade.

[@ranamores4919]

Really? Doesnt the Strike have a pre painted eye?

[@newtypeasian]

Just a simple question, what's the battery you need for the LED?

[@zeoncrux]

I have one on my backlog. Do post tips once you've built it.

[@hyokomatsu]

I'm curious if the hirm powered red frame arm can be used with this kit

[@anime.lordthe1st95]

Wishing to see strike freedom pg…

[@exiagn0012]

It already exist

[@anime.lordthe1st95]

@@exiagn0012 I know, I already have it. I’m just waiting for @mechagaikotsu to review it.

[@lewisbrome5628]

I feel like the Giant sword from the MG red frame Kai would be an appropriate sized sword for the PG would love to see how it looks next to it

[@DX16]

How do the polycaps hold up ? How does this kit compare to the PG (perfect) Strike ?

[@gonzaloferreyra3176]

Now that you have that collectoion item, could you quickly mention its position in your top Perfect Grade Gunplas?

[@jpisyourhomie8187]

Question: Does this kit have any opening panels that most perfect grade kits have?

[@byte.mp311]

No, none of the panels open. But what it lacks in inner detail it makes up for in pure pose ability. Its ridiculously solid

[@DokukuDreams]

Calling it now, when putting it into the 'usual' pose, its going to wild!!

[@livingglowstick1337]

Those chrome parts on the o runner are from the strike which is wild

[@TheProfesorter]

Detail and size Comparison of all the red frame astrays you got would be nice, hehe

[@Its_MTG]

Hey I’ve had this question for a while, I’m not sure if you have the master grade red frame but if you do how does the poseability compare between the 2? I only have the perfect grade and not the master grade so I’d like to know if there’s any difference! :D

[@Eucep]

I kinda want this one, but I already built the PG Strike + Skygrasper aniversery edition with the clear armor.