Kit Review: HG Seed – Verde Buster Gundam
The mecha nippers before Gusion Rebake was a thing
Debuting in Gundam SEED C.E. 73: STARGAZER, the Verde Buster Gundam is the upgraded version of the original Buster Gundam from the tv series. Along the Strike Noir and the Blu Duel, the Verde Buster makes up the new (or I guess different?) Phantom Pain special force. This kit is basically the Buster but with more stuff and some extra armor. And luckily, this kit is a sorta improvement from the other older SEED kits.
+ Design: Basically the Buster with two shinny new scissor rifles on its hips and a very cool mask. Obviously the Verde Buster is the heavy artillery type, and is quite top heavy as well. The original Buster’s big guns are now attached to the shoulder armor now, and in its place are two M9009B Composite Bayonet Beam Rifles, which helps balancing the top heavy looks with some lower bulk. The new mask is pretty cool as well, really gives you the knightly vibe, but I’m sure no knight use 4 guns and missile lol.
+ Build Quality: Well, the HG Seed line is pretty old, and a simple reissue won’t get rid of the biggest issues it has. The plastic quality and snap-fit are still quite good, except for the wrist polycaps, it’s gonna need a bit of trimming to close the seams on the forearms. On that note, the seam lines are, as you expected, quite apparent, but it’s pretty easy to fix. The hip-to-thigh is also the new universal mechanism and not ball-jointed like other Seed kits like the Duels and Murasame. Still, the torso is pretty much just one solid block which is pretty much the same with other HG Seed kit, which might or might not turn off a few people with today’s crazy ab-crunch HGs. But it is an old kit, so it’s pretty understandable.
+ Build Quality: Well, the HG Seed line is pretty old, and a simple reissue won’t get rid of the biggest issues it has. The plastic quality and snap-fit are still quite good, except for the wrist polycaps, it’s gonna need a bit of trimming to close the seams on the forearms. On that note, the seam lines are, as you expected, quite apparent, but it’s pretty easy to fix. The hip-to-thigh is also the new universal mechanism and not ball-jointed like other Seed kits like the Duels and Murasame. Still, the torso is pretty much just one solid block which is pretty much the same with other HG Seed kit, which might or might not turn off a few people with today’s crazy ab-crunch HGs. But it is an old kit, so it’s pretty understandable.
+ Articulation: The Verde Buster is even more clunky than the original Buster. With the riffles/cutters on both waist, it’s bit hard to manoeuvre the arms. The bulky shoulders also get in the way but for an artillery-focused mech, it can still pull off the Bang Bang Bang style. The arms on the rifle is super loose however, I guess that’s for making it easier to pose but I’d really like it if it’s just a bit tighter. Thankfully, you can easily tighten it by slotting some paper napkins in there to create some friction. Contrary to the upper portion, the lower body move with ease. the universal joint and swivelling thighs help the Verde Buster to brace the heavy top it has. Nothing much about the legs since they are very good.
+ Gimmicks: The main gimmicks of the kit is the twin rifles. Aside from the wonky connection arms which is sorta fun in a way, the rifle can attach to each other and flip out the bayonet to create a reverse-nipper (since the blades are on the outside). You can mess around with the rifles quite a bit. The shoulder’s missile pod can also flip out to reveal some missiles inside (but you gotta paint them). Also if you remove the green piece on one of the mega cannon’s barrel, you can connect the two together just like the original Buster. Overall a fun kit.
+ Gimmicks: The main gimmicks of the kit is the twin rifles. Aside from the wonky connection arms which is sorta fun in a way, the rifle can attach to each other and flip out the bayonet to create a reverse-nipper (since the blades are on the outside). You can mess around with the rifles quite a bit. The shoulder’s missile pod can also flip out to reveal some missiles inside (but you gotta paint them). Also if you remove the green piece on one of the mega cannon’s barrel, you can connect the two together just like the original Buster. Overall a fun kit.
+ Accessories: Aside from the dakkas, there’s…not much else really. There are no beam sabers, no knives, no nothing but a simple HG stand. The kit comes with only 1 pair of hands (regrettably), but still there’s 4 guns and A LOT of spare parts from the original kit. So you can probably cook up something with the spare parts you have leftover.
+ Conclusion: The Verde Buster is no doubt a step up from the original Buster as well as other SEED kits. Very stacked and bulky suit with some serious firepower all over the hood, you can create a dozens shooting poses with this guy. And the rifle blade gimmick is very fun too, giving him some melee capabilities. The redesigned stays close to the original MS but that mask is just perfect. A very fun and cheap HG to get but with a lot of potential. Definitely recommend if you want something different than the original Athrun team.
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