Review Rudolf’s Gouf Ignited

Kit: Rudolf’s Gouf Ignited

Maker: Bandai

Scale 1/144

Type: High Grade

Cost: approx. $15.00

Reviewed by Adam Rehorn.

If there’s one thing Bandai knows how to do, it’s sell more model kits by simply recolouring them. Whereas it seems strange to a lot of Western Modellers to market another version of a model based entirely on its paint scheme, this makes sense in the Asian market. Bandai makes its models so that the builder can, theoretically, assemble them without painting and get a fairly good approximation of the mech in question. Thus, whereas we in the West would simply buy two of the same kit and paint them differently, in Asia it makes sense to market two or more kits that are identical, just differently coloured.

To that end, the 1/144 Gouf Ignited has been issued in at least three different paint schemes. This is the third incarnation, the gold coloured machine of Rudolf Wittgenstein from the Seed sidestory “Gundam Seed Frame Astrays”. There’s no difference between this kit and the previous two except for the decals and the stand. I don’t think all versions of the Gouf Ignited come with it.

The Kit

The Gouf is a nice, simple Bandai HG 1/144 kit. It is unremarkable in this day and age, which says a lot about what mech modellers have come to take for granted. Even 5 years ago, a kit this simple yet nice would have been something to write home about. It’s very refined, and despite being the third iteration of the kit, there’s no mould deterioration visible anywhere.

It has excellent part separation and fairly good colour separation. There’s almost no buildaround the parts largely fit very well. The level of detail is nice, if not a bit sparse, but then again too much would overwhelm this kit anyway. One nice feature is the flight pack, which can be built in either open or closed mode, and technically, if done right, can be converted between modes when completed.

The kit comes moulded in a swirly goldish-yellow, brown, white, grey and blackish colour, with clear pink beam saber blades. There are a few dry transfers for some of the white scalloping, and a sheet of foil decals, which, as usual, are pretty much useless.

Building and Finishing

There are not a lot of parts compared to some recent Kotobukiya offerings in the same scale, but this can be a godsend; the Gouf finishes off quite quickly and easily, and is a nice kit to build if you’re in a rut. Construction is straightforward, and there are no really nasty surprises anywhere. Only the shoulders are a pain in the backside, as there’s some buildaround in there.

To really get the gold colour right, I’d need to paint the entire thing chrome, and then use yellow tinted future on it to get the depth I wanted. However, this is both hard to do and not necessarily amenable to touching up, so I chose a different route. To get as close to the chromy-gold colour as possible, I tried Vallejo paints. They make a nice yellow gold colour that should be perfect.

The problem is that it doesn’t cover worth a pinch of you-know-what. I ended up mixing the Vallejo with a Testors Model Master Acrylic-based yellow I had lying around. This made the yellow goldish, and added metallic flake to it. The brown is Roof Brown and is a Testors train colour. It is lightened just a tad with some MM Flat White.

I did the inner surfaces in MM Gunship Grey, as usual. I used an oil black wash on all the engines, actuators and other grimy parts, including the hands, in order to get a used look on them.

The final finish was done using Delta Ceramcoat Indoor/Outdoor Satin Varnish. This, when thinned with Alcohol and airbrushed, puts down a very smooth, satin finish, exactly half way between gloss and dead-flat. I was very impressed. This was the first time that I’d used this stuff (I’d used the flat on a few aircraft kits) and I’ll definitely recommend it to anyone. It was trouble free, with only one minor point to remember; KEEP IT THIN! It took awhile to build up a nice finish, but it was time well spent.

The stand was airbrushed in Tamiya Flat Black and then satin coated like the mech. The stand is a simple affair, but it does make the Gouf Ignited look like it’s flying, and it elevates it above the other kits in the display surrounding it.

Conclusions:

This is a very nice kit, albeit one that is not all that challenging. It is an excellent kit for someone not all that familiar with mech building, and provides a fun time for those looking for something different to build.