[Kit Insight] Nillson Works 1/60 Astray Red Frame (Straight Build)

A PG-scale Red Frame with MG proportions!

Short of being a full-scale Perfect Grade model kit with an insane amount of parts, the Nillson Works' version of the most popular Astray variant is essentially a Master Grade model kit in a 1/60 scale shell. It actually builds like a MG, and has all the hallmarks of that model kit Grade including moving mechanisms in the arms and legs. 

While fitting on this model kit is pretty good given that it's a third party offering, some work is still needed for a small number of tricky parts. Prepare to cut, file, shave and glue in order to complete this model kit, but as compared to other third party stuff, this one is pretty tame. Nillson Works provides you with two options of the C-Runner, essentially the "Red Frame" parts of the mobile suit. You can build the Red Frame in a dark red or light red colour scheme, or even mix them together to have a RG-style colour palette, as I did. The set also comes with two clear parts: one green and one orange. Out of the box, this thing looks great!

The only part that will cause you trauma is the construction of the fingers: triple-jointed affairs that requires you to force tiny parts into other tiny parts. Nillson Works provides you with a plastic red finger joint part as well as one molded in polycap material, both equally abhorrent in their fitting. I spent more than an hour just building the eight fingers, causing significant trauma to my own. While the completed product looks nice and all, they can't hold anything for long. Seriously, the weapons don't even tab in!

The katanas look fierce here, with their hamon lines very visible. While the kit doesn't come with an option part or adapter to mount both katanas on one side, it is an easy fix. Simply cut a rod about 8mm long from the waste runner for the scabbards and you can use that to thread both scabbard holders and mount the whole thing onto one side skirt armour. This is more badass than the regular way of storing its katanas!

For a third party offering, the Nillson Works 1/60 Astray Red Frame slices through the competition!

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