[Kit Insight] Bandai Figure-Rise Standard Omegamon (Amplified) - Painted Build

A childhood classic Amplified!
Digital Monsters or Digimon was a staple for 80s kids: I fondly remember waking up religiously every Sunday morning before 9.00AM to catch the original series on terrestrial television, eyes glued to the telly as the adventures of Taichi and gang unfolded. Boy, what an epic ride it was. 

Three decades later, all of us 80s kids have grown up and moved on with our lives, but deep down, the facets of our childhood never left. Bandai knows this very well, having released - and re-released - different versions of the same Digital Monsters device(s) to pull at our nostalgic heartstrings. The latest Figure-Rise Standard (FRS) Amplified line is just the latest weapon in Bandai's cavernous arsenal in wrestling our hard-earned money from us and good lord it is working a little too well.

Released at the same time as the absolutely awesome FRS Wargreymon (Amplified), the FRS Omegamon (Amplified) is a little different in that it is not a completely new kit engineered from the ground up as with the Mega Digivolved form of Agumon. Back in 2010, Bandai released an Omegamon model kit under the Digital Monsters Reboot line, which featured exactly one product. Despite the relatively lackluster reception given to the line, the Omegamon model kit still managed to be a hit, with copies reselling for more than double its cost price. However, the kit had its flaws, primarily in its colour separation, joint mobility and frame stability.

Image from 1999.co

The FRS Omegamon (Amplified) aims to solve all of the original's problems. Essentially the same Digital Monsters Reboot kit but amplified, the FRS Omegamon builds in the exact same way as the 2010 kit, albeit with significant differences. But if you put the manuals side by side, they look very similar. In fact, the main coloured runner (A) of the FRS version still contains some of the leftover parts from the Digital Monsters Reboot version of the Omegamon!

The main difference on the FRS is the finishing applied to the white armour sections: they are now done up in a very beautiful, hi-gloss sheen that keenly catches the light. Another key difference is the inclusion of sharper points all over the kit: the three spikes on the Garuru-shoulder, the fins and knife on its head as well as the horns (with parts to fill the follow sections) on the Wargrey-arm. These are all new parts exclusive to the FRS Omegamon contained in the H-runner. The last big difference is the treatment of the chest area. One of the main faults on the Digital Monsters Reboot Omegamon is the heavy use of stickers to achieve the distinctive ribcage colour separation on the chest. In the FRS Omegamon, this is achieved by white-on-blue parts, which of course work very nicely but can be a tad tight and thus prone to breakage. 

While the Omegamon (Amplified) has been considerably strengthened over its previous iteration, the Transcendent Sword is still a solid piece with no part/colour separation whatsoever. Two huge stickers are provided to cover the sword but it will likely mess up during application due to their size.

Seeking to preserve Omegamon's unique colours while adding my own personal touch, I applied the following colours while keeping certain sections of the white pieces untouched:

1. Tamiya Gun Metal
2. Tamiya Semi-Gloss Bright Gun Metal
3. Tamiya Metallic Red
4. Tamiya Italian Red
5. Tamiya Silver Leaf
6. Red Fox Bright Silver
7. Bosny Gold
8. Bosny Sparkle Gold
9. CT7 Gold
10. Random Brand Bright Gold
11. Red Wheel Silver Grey
12. Nippon Pylox Light Blue
13. Nippon Pylox Deep Blue
14. Red Fox Flat Black
15. Mr. DIY Sparkling Black
16. Mr. DIY Grey

Mr. Hobby Semi-Gloss and Gloss were used to finish the paintjob.

The completed product is very solid, to the point that it can be quite tight in certain areas such as the shoulders and arms. The pointy bits can also be quite perilous to fingers and/ or eyes; this kit should most definitely be kept away from children! The resulting visage however is a leg up from its previous iteration, conveying ferocity in a heroic form.

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