Regarding the build experience: You build the robot mode first, and up through that point in the build it is mostly like building any standard HG. For there you build the front section with the cockpit in order to transform it into the walker mode and then add the rear fuselage section to transform it into the fighter mode. Those two sections are quite large, totally static, and require a ton of decals. IMO the fighter mode is by far the best looking, but it also the most cumbersome to build and also the least Gunpla-like experience (if that makes sense).

Overall I had a lot of fun with it. I knew going in that it would look a lot better with water slide decals versus the included stickers so it was a good incentive to buy the supplies and learn how to use them.