Assassin's Creed -- Aveline de Grandpre

Assassin's Creed Liberation was a game that I was very excited to pick up when they released the HD version on Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the game came out at a time where I (and probably everyone else) was suffering from over-saturation. I never finished the game, but Aveline was an intriguing protagonist who brought some new dimensions to the series. Mostly, I truly enjoyed the idea behind her persona feature, though I thought it could have been better executed.

The figure, though, is probably one of my favorites in the lineup. Her outfit is pretty unique: more form-fitting than most other assassins and devoid of long, flowing robes. She is the first assassin to wear a hat instead of a hood. I also really love the weird mantle/collar thing she wears. The hat is removable.

Her accessories are awesome. In addition to the trademark hidden blade, Aveline's packing a machete, a blowgun, a pistol, and a bullwhip. Each has a holster/sheathe for her to carry it on her (with the exception being the whip, which you could just wrap around her waist or shoulder).

Most Wanted #1: NZ-666 Kshatriya

This is it, we finally get around to my #1 most wanted Master Grade kit. The Kshatriya has become one of my favorite mobile suit designs over the course of a very short time. It takes all of the cool things about the Queen Mansa (probably the coolest mobile armor that's been shown in the UC era), doubles down on them, and then shrinks them down slightly to a more manageable mobile-suit size.

I use the term "shrink down" hesitantly above, as the HGUC 1/144 Kshatriya is as large or larger than many of my MG kits. That HGUC is an excellent kit, and a 1/100 scale kit wouldn't have to change much in order to re-produce it. We need more detail in the armor and especially in the shoulder binders, and an improved inner frame (if we get an inner frame). It would also be nice to get some more markings for the Kshatriya than we got with the HGUC line, which was nearly nothing. I would also like to see an LED compatible torso to light up the mono eye.

Elyn 1/100 Resin Model Kit

But what we do have is fantastic: four shoulder binders which house twenty-four total bit-funnels and four hidden extendable arms. The HGUC kit renders these hidden gems wonderfully with individual funnels that can be separated out as well as fully articulated arms. All of this was done with a system that allows you to lock the large, heavy binders into place in almost any pose you choose. Aside from the binders, the only other weaponry you would get in a kit are two beam sabers.

G-System

But this kit would allow for some neat expansions. The Kshatriya apparently has the ability to mount gatling guns, though I don't recall seeing it even hinted at in the OVA. I would love to see an expansion kit which added the gatling guns and effect parts for the funnels.

Robot Spirits Dmashii

 But even if we get none of that, the opportunity to see the Kshatriya produced with a higher level of detail would be awesome. That is one reason why I am kind of put off by the rumors earlier in 2016 that the Kshatriya would be released in the RE/100 line. While the RE/100s I've seen so far do look pretty nice, they're not quite at the same level as an MG. The Nightingale, while I haven't seen it in person, never looked that impressive to me when it came to detail. I don't expect anything along the line of a G-System or Elyn model kit, but something on par with the Sazabi or Nu Gundam ver. Ka's would be nice.

Most Wanted #2: MSZ-010 ZZ Gundam 2.0

For my #2 most wanted MG kit, I choose an update of the ZZ Gundam.  This gundam hasn't seen a master grade release in it's anime form since 1999, and from everything I've heard of the old kit, it doesn't hold up well over time. It has issues with weight, articulation, and proportion. It apparently holds pretty faithfully to the transformation gimmick, but I'd rather see a strong, bulky kit which can hold some dynamic poses.

This gundam series has never received an English dub and is considered the weakest of the original UC storylines. This leads me to believe that we may not ever see an update to this kit, which is a shame. We have 2.0 kits of every other UC gundam, but not this one.

I'll probably pick up the old kit sometime this holiday season just because I believe we'll never see an upgraded version. Bandai, don't let this classic gundam fall by the wayside. Give it a facelift.

Most Wanted #3: Gundam GP02A "Physalis" ver. Ka

As we enter my top-3 most wanted MG kits, we start to see some familiar faces. I already own the MG GP02A, it was one of my earliest kits. It is also one of the earliest kits released in the Master Grade line, released in June 1998. It's one of my all-time favorite gundams, and I really do love the original kit. But as detailed in my post spotlighting the original kit, there is definite room for improvement.

As seen in Dynasty Warriors Gundam 3

We've now seen several kits which solve one of the GP02A's primary problems: it's heavy wing binders. The MG 00 Raiser and the HG Kshatriya both have locking connections for the wing binders. It seems that this would be one of the most beneficial updates we could see for a ver. Ka. Those binders are truly one of the aspects that make this design so iconic (it's appeared in many games and even in Build Fighters), but on the old kit they start to wilt almost immediately and quickly fold down under their own weight.

G-System 1/60 Scale

The old kit is pretty simple, and could use some improved and sharper detailing. We've seen other ver. Ka's (Sazabi), the RG line, and even a few other MG's (RX-78-2 ver. 3.0) make great use of multiple shades to create better color separation and more intricate panels. We see multi-color thrusters on many kits these days, as well as opening panels. Think about how the leg armor on the Sazabi ver. Ka opens, separates, and hides thrusters, and think about how that design could translate to the GP02A. The giant shield, perhaps the most memorable aspect of the gundam, is also in desperate need of better detail. Again, the Sazabi's shield is a great example, but even smaller shields like the Freedom Gundam 2.0's or the Sword Impulse do a great job of adding complexity and detail to relatively mundane designs.

MG 1/100

The kit would also benefit from some of the newer inner-frame and other articulation improvements. The GP02A would benefit from hip improvements seen in many other gundams, including the ability to pivot one hip forward or back in relation to the other, or as seen in the Destiny and Freedom 2.0, the ability to pivot out or down would improve the leg maneuverability. As would improved knee joints and sliding or moving armor. We've also seen wide-range improvements in the shoulder joints of nearly all kits these days. Even the recent HGUC kits have far better shoulder joints than the MG GP02A. Other than that, it would be nice to have the kit capable of holding it's shield in some way. We've also seen improvements in extra articulated arms such as in the MG Jesta and Buster Gundam, which could be applied to improve the bazooka's posability.

At this point, I'd love to see this kit transformed into a ver. Ka, or even a 2.0. I imagine it would probably be pushing the $100 range, but I would gladly spend that kind of money on a kit that makes the types of improvements I've talked about.

Most Wanted #4: PMX-001 Palace Athene

This is one of those oddball mobile suits that always tend to pop up between episode 35-45 of a series, when the showrunners start running out of new mobile suits to throw at the protagonists. They often end up throwing some truly bizarre designs out on the screen (looking at you Zock, Baund Doc, and Zakrello). But in this case, I really like the design. I mean, I really like the design. This is one of several one-off mobile suits designed in Zeta Gundam by chief antagonist Paptimus Scirocco, and all I'm saying is that this should have been his suit instead of The O.

This mobile suit has a lot of things working for it. It's got great color (the green reminds me of a Zaku and is much better than the yellow sported by The O). It's got a lot of weapons, and it just looks menacing. I mean, look at that beady, pointed mono-eye. The clawed legs. The sheer bristliness of all the missiles and rifles. It's giant: it's got almost 10 meters in total height over the Gundam Mk. II.

http://www.dalong.net/review/hg/h60/h60_p.htm

 This suit is also armed to the teeth. It's got it's double long-rifle, which looks great and is pretty visually unique in the gundam universe. With the rifles are a grenade launcher. Eight large missiles on the backpack combine with eight more small missiles in the shield. The pink spots on the shoulders are beam-scatter guns, and the forearms hide mega-beam guns and beam sabers.

As seen in Dynasty Warriors Gundam

This mobile suit continues to appear in numerous video games, which leads me to hope there is some popular demand for a larger model kit. I feel like it shares some common ground visually with the Turn-X, which was recently released as a MG. Come on, Bandai, make my dream come true.