I felt 100% of your critique when building mine last year. After painting it, it stands as the centerpiece of my collection and I admire it constantly. But I feel the MG's proportions are superior by far, and more fun to build.
Thank you so much for the review! Its hard to find many critical and in depth reviews of old-ish pgs so its really refreshing to hear about the design flaws. Its sad that the kit has so many issues but at least the finished kit looks great! I think ill still keep an eye out for a good deal but in the meantime the mg seems like the best red frame representation for the price
There is the newer Red Frame Kai PG, but the tactical arms looks… very off to say the least. The MG is definitely the one that’ll look the best, the hands are trash tho
Thank you for this review. I bought this kit with the intention to make it the gold frame amatsu Hana but it seems like some extra sanding and modifications will need to be done. I love that you pointed out the flaws.
Bro your build videos are all so lovely. Your voice is meant to make amsr build videos. I come back to your pg rx78 all the time because it's also my favorite build ever.
thank you based Orange for uploading more gunpla videos! with the stupid overseas selling restrictions in place I've been in a state of withdrawal, gotta get my fix somehow
Awesome video man. I tell myself that when it comes to PG's, they're statues. My primary concern being the ability to hold up it's own weight. Everything after that is a perk bc they all look sick as hell. Thanks for the upload. Saw this kit in a shop this weekend and treated myself.
For the LED on the head, i’d recommend replacing the stock bulb with a new one since being idle for so long probably degraded it so a new one would work much better, because the Astray i have has a recent LED bulb and is pretty bright
As it happens, I actually DO have a huge soft spot for the Astray! Which is, coincidentally, why I enjoy having built this kit and having it on my shelf. And, yes, I do also keep it in a standing pose 😅
It's somewhat bizarre to see some PG kits back then being surprisingly simple to build, given the whole reputation of PG kits, though that's not to say that this is a bad pg kit eitherway. But anyways, great video. I'm looking forward to seeing you tackle the rest of the backlog.
2 years ago at a Hobby Lobby I bought the HG Barbatos Lupus, and the rate of which I bought more exponentially went up from there. I say this because my second kit was an RG Wing Gundam EW, and for my feeble beginner hands it was such a pain and threw me off the hobby for a while. Then I got the HG Mk II and thats what brought me back for good, and have been steadily improving with each kit. My backlog isn't huge but enough to last me the next year, lol.
@@boizalini9456 hey! The RG Wing Zero EW is actually one of my favorite RGs. It's exceptionally small, since Wing MSs skew small already, but I love its delicate proportions. I'm sorry your experience wasn't the smoothest, but I'm glad you're here to stay!
@@citrusjuicebox Yeah it's my fault for picking it up so soon after just starting the hobby. I did pick it up again recently, and with how far I am, I now plan on trying it out again.
Hah, that video also left a similar impact on me. I still remember 2Old4Toys being flabbergasted at the notion of "pre-ordering a model kit" lol. Personally, I won this kit from the 2015 mid-year gundam info campaign cards, so I probably received mine around the same time as you. It's in its box 10 feet away from me, unbuilt. While I love the Astray Red Frame, and I do prefer the PG's proportions over the MG and other newer takes, I'm kind of just really happy with the 2013 HG version with the flight unit. That's probably the definitive Astray kit for me, at least in terms of sculpt. My main complaint with it is the grey sword, but I recently gave it the sword from the Mighty Strike Freedom and am more or less satisfied with its presentation. I'll get around to this kit... eventually.
Have the PG Red Frame Kai and man I feel you on how limited some aspects of this kit are. Particularly I hate how weak the toe bend is and how the crotch mechanism for leg movement in the waist just doesnt work. I ended up jerryrigging an action base to support it during a lunge because holy hell this thing cant do much more than stand.
Seed Astray Series is have many desgin Mobile Suit look awsome for example: Astray Blue Frame Third, Astray Red Frame Mars Jacket, Astray Out Frame D (Camera Giant Robot)… so sad so many desgin Bandai don’t have work release Model Kit
PG work log, Day One - opening the package, cutting the runners out of the plastic bags, trying to keep everything arranged, dealing with the noise complaint from all my swearing and cursing as I find I don’t have enough room, getting back to organizing the parts. Day Two - clipping out all the parts from the runners, again dealing with noise complaints from all my swearing and cursing, I finger it all out. Day Three - I consider painting it, I drink several bottles of whiskey.. of coffee.. Day Four - It’s been a week, I think, uhh, gonna flip a coin. 🤣😉👍🎉🍺
Bandai was lazy when they made the astray. Sure the astray frame is based on the strike’s in lord, but it doesn’t excuse just reusing the whole frame while not adjusting for the changes in the armor
@@citrusjuicebox The gate layouts wouldn't be so bad if ABS plastic wasn't a monster to sand. I found where they attached visable in some places no matter how much I sanded and primed the area. Thankfully once the armor was on, none of it could be seen. IMO there's nothing perfect grade about this kit except in name only. If one with some modeling skills sticks with it, it does build into a nice looking kit.
While there's definitely a truth that the 5 extra years would've helped, the carryover from the Strike really stings. Honestly it sucks that Bandai decided to cheap out and reuse runners on a PG of all things, at least we won't see something like this ever again in PG because of how they're handled now
Very true. We're also almost certain to never see a PG of a mobile suit before its MG or RG debut. I guess this was an experimental time for Bandai. Even if the PG wasn't the best, its release certainly put eyes on gunpla.
Citrus finally remember his TH-cam password
Dude, you have no idea
There are two sides to a citrus video:
1- Yeah man new upload
2- Now i wanna build too
mecha gaikotsu has the black goth fingernails, citrus got the cute glitter bunny fingernails, loving the diversity ❤
I felt 100% of your critique when building mine last year. After painting it, it stands as the centerpiece of my collection and I admire it constantly. But I feel the MG's proportions are superior by far, and more fun to build.
Thank you so much for the review! Its hard to find many critical and in depth reviews of old-ish pgs so its really refreshing to hear about the design flaws. Its sad that the kit has so many issues but at least the finished kit looks great!
I think ill still keep an eye out for a good deal but in the meantime the mg seems like the best red frame representation for the price
Especially for all the stuff you get with it, can't beat that!
There is the newer Red Frame Kai PG, but the tactical arms looks… very off to say the least. The MG is definitely the one that’ll look the best, the hands are trash tho
@@milktenders6219 yeah, the 3-1 split hands don't work well for anything larger than a normal beam rifle
love the bunny nails
i ALSO love the bnuyyy nails!!!!!
Yeah those are awesome
Its always a great day when you upload!
Thank you for this review. I bought this kit with the intention to make it the gold frame amatsu Hana but it seems like some extra sanding and modifications will need to be done. I love that you pointed out the flaws.
Bro your build videos are all so lovely. Your voice is meant to make amsr build videos. I come back to your pg rx78 all the time because it's also my favorite build ever.
thank you based Orange for uploading more gunpla videos! with the stupid overseas selling restrictions in place I've been in a state of withdrawal, gotta get my fix somehow
Glad I could help!
Its good to see you are still keeping up with the channel
Awesome video man. I tell myself that when it comes to PG's, they're statues. My primary concern being the ability to hold up it's own weight. Everything after that is a perk bc they all look sick as hell. Thanks for the upload. Saw this kit in a shop this weekend and treated myself.
Enjoy your build! Treating them as statues is a good way to look at them.
For the LED on the head, i’d recommend replacing the stock bulb with a new one since being idle for so long probably degraded it so a new one would work much better, because the Astray i have has a recent LED bulb and is pretty bright
Great honest review!
As it happens, I actually DO have a huge soft spot for the Astray! Which is, coincidentally, why I enjoy having built this kit and having it on my shelf. And, yes, I do also keep it in a standing pose 😅
This is my only pg kit and sure its flawed, but i just loved building this thing. Since im broke ill probably just keep buying rg kits though lol
RG is the way
It's somewhat bizarre to see some PG kits back then being surprisingly simple to build, given the whole reputation of PG kits, though that's not to say that this is a bad pg kit eitherway. But anyways, great video. I'm looking forward to seeing you tackle the rest of the backlog.
Damn, I'll be looking forward to my PG Astray Red Frame Kai with that knowledge now lol
Save 10% w/ CITRUS10 at GSN - gundamshoppersnetwork.com/?
What's your gunpla origin story?
2 years ago at a Hobby Lobby I bought the HG Barbatos Lupus, and the rate of which I bought more exponentially went up from there. I say this because my second kit was an RG Wing Gundam EW, and for my feeble beginner hands it was such a pain and threw me off the hobby for a while. Then I got the HG Mk II and thats what brought me back for good, and have been steadily improving with each kit. My backlog isn't huge but enough to last me the next year, lol.
@@boizalini9456 hey! The RG Wing Zero EW is actually one of my favorite RGs. It's exceptionally small, since Wing MSs skew small already, but I love its delicate proportions. I'm sorry your experience wasn't the smoothest, but I'm glad you're here to stay!
@@citrusjuicebox Yeah it's my fault for picking it up so soon after just starting the hobby. I did pick it up again recently, and with how far I am, I now plan on trying it out again.
Hah, that video also left a similar impact on me. I still remember 2Old4Toys being flabbergasted at the notion of "pre-ordering a model kit" lol.
Personally, I won this kit from the 2015 mid-year gundam info campaign cards, so I probably received mine around the same time as you. It's in its box 10 feet away from me, unbuilt. While I love the Astray Red Frame, and I do prefer the PG's proportions over the MG and other newer takes, I'm kind of just really happy with the 2013 HG version with the flight unit. That's probably the definitive Astray kit for me, at least in terms of sculpt. My main complaint with it is the grey sword, but I recently gave it the sword from the Mighty Strike Freedom and am more or less satisfied with its presentation.
I'll get around to this kit... eventually.
MG Victory need a 2.0 or an upgrade like Victory Buster on a Second V set, great vid!!!
I'd be all over that in a second
Man, you make me want to build one of this
He has a pre ordered one but are reprints slightly better or the same because sometimes reprints get a little better
Waiting this since the IG upload ❤️
Have the PG Red Frame Kai and man I feel you on how limited some aspects of this kit are. Particularly I hate how weak the toe bend is and how the crotch mechanism for leg movement in the waist just doesnt work.
I ended up jerryrigging an action base to support it during a lunge because holy hell this thing cant do much more than stand.
Seed Astray Series is have many desgin Mobile Suit look awsome for example: Astray Blue Frame Third, Astray Red Frame Mars Jacket, Astray Out Frame D (Camera Giant Robot)… so sad so many desgin Bandai don’t have work release Model Kit
I’m excited to get my first pg in September 😊
Hope you enjoy it!
@@citrusjuicebox I asked a friend of mine living in japan to order a pg phenex for me direct from pbandai. I just have to get it shipped to my place 😂
@@lawz7787 that's gonna be a fun project, enjoy!
M'lord any chance you might stumble the PG Unleashed?
I do have it indeed
@@citrusjuicebox oh Blessed be we'll be waiting
🌟👑
PG work log, Day One - opening the package, cutting the runners out of the plastic bags, trying to keep everything arranged, dealing with the noise complaint from all my swearing and cursing as I find I don’t have enough room, getting back to organizing the parts.
Day Two - clipping out all the parts from the runners, again dealing with noise complaints from all my swearing and cursing, I finger it all out.
Day Three - I consider painting it, I drink several bottles of whiskey.. of coffee..
Day Four - It’s been a week, I think, uhh, gonna flip a coin.
🤣😉👍🎉🍺
Sounds about right!
great review!
thanks to you, now i do not want to buy the PG Astray. the explanation from 35:39 to 39:34 really helpful.
Bandai was lazy when they made the astray.
Sure the astray frame is based on the strike’s in lord, but it doesn’t excuse just reusing the whole frame while not adjusting for the changes in the armor
How hard was the build?
Not very hard at all, but maybe a bit tedious in some places
This kit is $200+ for a box full of ABS plastic...IMO for a PG kit, they could have done better. For starters, undergated attachment at the sprues.
The subsequent metallic versions with the same gate layouts are just salt in the wound
@@citrusjuicebox The gate layouts wouldn't be so bad if ABS plastic wasn't a monster to sand. I found where they attached visable in some places no matter how much I sanded and primed the area. Thankfully once the armor was on, none of it could be seen. IMO there's nothing perfect grade about this kit except in name only. If one with some modeling skills sticks with it, it does build into a nice looking kit.
@@christopherscott934 true on all counts
First mecha gaikotsu, now citrus? I think its a sign
I've been wearing nails for years
@@citrusjuicebox I meant the model kit, but that's also true
Oh shoot, I didn't notice that video went up two weeks ago. Man, I've been sitting on this for way too long.
I’m tearing up watching this
When will bro be back 🙏
RG Zeta is still on my desk rn 💦
@@citrusjuicebox please come back soon🙏🙏💀💀🔥🔥🔥
While there's definitely a truth that the 5 extra years would've helped, the carryover from the Strike really stings. Honestly it sucks that Bandai decided to cheap out and reuse runners on a PG of all things, at least we won't see something like this ever again in PG because of how they're handled now
Very true. We're also almost certain to never see a PG of a mobile suit before its MG or RG debut. I guess this was an experimental time for Bandai. Even if the PG wasn't the best, its release certainly put eyes on gunpla.
for pg, it's a bit underwhelming. look awesome though. but for me, I'm more to functionality of the kit. this is a pass for me
Any kit can be great, you just have to work more with it to make it great.
The PG is too chonky for my liking. I prefer the sleeker proportions for an Astray.