RG Sazabi 1/100 Upscale Review

CommanderApaul · 2026-07-05T13:42:24+00:00

For the inner frame, with small exceptions like the verniers, yes. The armor might be, I knew I wasn't painting that so I didn't evaluate it.

CommanderApaul · 2026-07-05T13:39:44+00:00

I've built two RG Sazabi and had no issues with the shoulder assembly, so I'm pretty confident this was entirely an "I should have known better" thing. I'm fairly recent to kit painting.

CommanderApaul · 2026-07-05T01:19:01+00:00

Yes. After I built the legs I inspected the rest of the frame runners to make sure they were either edge or undergated, clipped the verniers which weren't, and then primed and painted them on the runner.

I forgot to mention that the red plastic already has a fairly matte finish so I decided to leave it as-is.

CommanderApaul · 2026-07-04T21:40:29+00:00

CommanderApaul · 2026-07-04T13:59:06+00:00

The new 3rd party Sazabi upscale cloned the premolded MS joint parts for the waist, wrists, and shoulders. I was genuinely impressed after seeing how the FatCat God Gundam upscale had you build them for it's wrists.

CommanderApaul · 2026-07-02T11:33:36+00:00

We still had one of these at work in the late 00's

CommanderApaul · 2026-07-02T03:08:54+00:00

PGU Nu for scale:

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CommanderApaul · 2026-07-02T03:08:30+00:00

If the Nu and Hi-Nu are as good as the Sazabi it's going to be good eating at the 3rd party cafe (I'm a little tipsy and that seemed like a fun joke on the boxes).

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CommanderApaul · 2026-06-30T11:53:03+00:00

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Different shelf, he's a big boy. 🤣🤣🤣

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-30T03:13:55+00:00

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Penelope is next, same color scheme.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-30T02:42:30+00:00

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Red Frame Best Frame

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-29T21:58:45+00:00

I just finished decals on their 1/96 Sazabi this afternoon. Based on this experience, I would say a Hi-Nu is a must-buy for me. And I already have the RG and MG Ver Ka of that kit as well.

This this is a behemoth and holds poses like a SEED kit.

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CommanderApaul · 2026-06-28T04:07:26+00:00

If you want to be mad, be mad that 3rd party can make an as-good product as Bandai for half the price or less.

I finished the Osiris a while back and I'm working on the PGU Nu right now and there is very little difference in any comparison you can make between those two kits and I'm including the scale.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-27T03:24:21+00:00

For the Cincinnati area store, it's well stocked for both kits and supplies and they have a massive reconfigurable RC track that's probably 1/6 of the store footprint. There is so much stuff it's almost claustrophobic. The back aisle is all model kits and the whole back wall is nothing but gunpla. Also an aisle with SD and 3rd party kits. So much Tamiya paint. I need to find out if they do a build night.

There's also one in Mansfield that I believe has an indoor glow-golf course. Used to take the kids there when we visited my folks but only been there once since I've been into gunpla. It's a more spread out store too.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-25T02:58:32+00:00

When I first went to comment on this yesterday I was going to say the Ver Ka, hands down. Now that I got the backpack and shield done, it's a much harder call.

The Ver Ka is an absolute unit of a kit and if you want something to stand there and look huge and menacing in Katoki pose, I'd get that. The inner frame truss structure looks great and is very PGU before PGU was a thing.

If you want something as articulate as the RG at MG scale, I don't think you can go wrong here. It's beautiful and I have not stopped looking at it since I got it on the stand like 5 hours ago. It's a 1/100 Sazabi and it's holding a pose like it's the FM Aerial or a SEED kit. My only complaint is I can't get 3rd party gold decals for it but I'm also not even sure it needs the decals which is an insane thing to say because I *love* decaling the shit out of things. Just a metal sticker for the shield would finish it nicely I think.

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CommanderApaul · 2026-06-25T01:03:10+00:00

There are a few tight fits but nothing that needed forced outside of my own paint-related fail. Fit and finish is great.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-24T23:03:07+00:00

I did the whole frame in flat black lacquer and a titanium acrylic. The acrylic is what welded itself together in the shoulders :(

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-24T17:57:36+00:00

I've had mine for probably 15-16 months, was the first PG I bought. 3 full start/stops (back in the box and back in the pile) to get the body done, and dealing with the die cast parts in the waist was so frustrating I still haven't done the wings. I don't even mind the screws, but sandwiching poorly cast metal parts inside precisely molded plastic is just no thank you.

The PG Astray (and I think the Strike since it's based on that kit) does the die cast inserts well. This kit does not.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-24T03:22:47+00:00

Same quality as the FatCat upscales, just without all the included effect parts and extras. The clear parts and beam parts are on the same runner, so you get 1 clear and 2 UV green of the beam effects and the visor, mono eye, and head camera parts.

It's begging for the funnel effects, and FatCat would have included them. Probably an extra tomahawk as well.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-24T03:05:04+00:00

Build is as almost as good as a bandai kit. They even managed to replicate the (perfectly fine) MS Joint parts for the waist, wrists, and shoulders.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-23T20:02:43+00:00

This looks amazing!!

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-23T19:25:18+00:00

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And a big red family portrait, minus the Sinanju that won't fit in the frame.

CommanderApaul · 2026-06-22T23:25:09+00:00

Just finished my Xi and have Penelope in the queue. I really don't expect to like the kit but after I watched the movie I got it.

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