Soul of Chogokin GX-64 Space Battleship Yamato 2199
Interesting inner box layout. But the good news is that this layout prevents the outer box from “imploding”.
Hey! English instructions! Nice. .
Take note of this “lock”, you will need a screwdriver or something pointy to push it down to get the lid off. You will also require 4 AAA batteries, two for the remote and two for the Yamato.
The IR receiver (if memory serves, I think this is the window for the ship’s Mess hall / galley)
Main Bridge
Wave Motion Engine (only has one color setting now? )
Main Radar
Rocket Anchor
Catapult
Hangar Bay
Opening the Hangar Bay doors is done by picking at these 2 notches. I forgot to check if the planes can be removed though.
Third Bridge
Shock Cannons can be rotated uniformly via this knob on the side.
Stack Missiles (Careful! They’re really pointy!!!!)
Add-on Wings
Be mindful not to open the Hangar Bay doors when the Wings are attached.
Wave Motion Gun
Funfact For the most part of the 2199 show, we only see the left (port) side of the Yamato. Even all of the damages the ship sustains in battle almost seems like it only hits the port side. Maybe CGI on the right is more expensive? lol. .
Display base
Take note, one of the posts for the stands is wider than the other.
Optional stand attachments, for when you want to pose the Yamato like it’s taking evasive maneuvers.
Bandai also included flight stands for the ships. Pretty cool.
Important thing to note
-When returning the ship to the tray, note that the cannons are supposed to face this way, it will prevent warping of the barrels.
Comparison with the Gx-57 Space Battleship Yamato
Stands
The Good
-Diecast parts include
–Sections of the hull
–Top halves of all the Shock Cannons
-Heavier and longer than the previous one, this ship weighs about 590 Grams (the previous SOC Yamato was roughly 500 Grams)
-Flight stands for the ships was a nice touch.
-It’s not a repaint of an existing mold. The whole thing is practically designed from scratch.
The Bad
-Wave Motion Engine no longer changes color (the previous SOC Yamato changed color between orange and violet)
-Missing ships – Only 6? The Gx-57 had 8, this set doesn’t come with Ambulance or the Type 100 Search craft.
-Still no lighting in the hangar bay (this was one of the cool things about the SOP Yamato)
-Err… no Desslock Drill missile?!
-Wow.. those Stack missiles, they are sharp and pointy! I cannot express this enough. Mind your thumbs when popping them up.
-I forgot the recheck the electronics for the Gx-57, but here, the music volume drops significantly whenever you play sound effects. So much so, it’s a bit disappointing.
The Ugly
For me, I think my biggest gripe would be removing the battery cover for the Yamato. Geez… it’s not easy, especially if you consider that there are a lot of fragile points on the top side of the ship. So be warned! Might be a good idea to take a deep breath before you flip it over.
I think I like the Gx-57’s way of putting in the batteries better, it was just simply pulling on the Third Bridge and the cover came off. Here, you have to remove the screw cover (try to figure which is the real one first) and then unscrew the cover.. so you can imagine it takes a while, all that time the Yamato is on it’s side, fragile cannons and all….
Overall, it’s not too shabby, it looks leaner and meaner than the Gx-57. I like the color scheme better here and I really love the 2199 series, granted I never watched the original, but I would watch this over any of the more recent Gundam Anime anyday (I especially loved the use of military tactics in one of the big battle episodes).
But at the end of the day, if you have the Gx-57, I can’t really recommend this if you’re not a fan. It’s pricey and has less features than its predecessors.
Gold
