I think I posted about this kit many years ago, but what the heck.
I picked this kit up back in the day when Gunpla was plentiful, and the scalpers did not rule the landscape. Those carefree days are gone now, and Bandai seems to have abandoned the U.C. Hard Graph series of 1/35 Gundam universe military kits.
The M61A5 first appeared in the original Gundam TV show back in 1979, operated by the Earth Federation’s ground forces. The kit is a modern reimagining of the simpler TV version, with gobs of detail scattered all over the place. The kit’s box art is fabulous.
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The model is freaking big.
The guns sag, so I added a counterbalance to avoid the need for Cannon Viagra in the future. I believe the guns can move independently in the TV show, but I joined them together so they move in unison.
Aftermarket tracks are nice, but not absolutely necessary. And they are from China, so bummers.
Dang that tank is cool. Did you ever get it finished and painted?
Looking at the track options, the aftermarket ones still look a lot better than those rubber ones.
It’s been on my wish list for a while, but the second hand market prices are insane.
Yeah, nothing new in ages.
HLJ still takes back orders on the original releases so it seems they are still producing them, if in limited quantities. I’ve had an order waiting for nearly two years. Not giving up hope as they fulfilled some stuff I’d had on backorder for 1.5 years. But the tariff situation has killed shipping options from them. Driving that cost up even further. Then there’s announced increase in pricing from Bandai. Wonder how all that is going to affect the price of Gundam kits in the US in the near future.
I wonder if HLJ EVER restocks Gunpla kits. I have never gotten a backordered Gunpla kit from them since 2020. Even the pre-ordered kits NEVER came in, instead immediately showing up as backordered. And I usually pre-order within days of the announcement. Their 1/100 YF-21 is also in backorder hell. I have given up on HLJ for Gunpla, instead going to US sources.
Maybe it’s a sign. Time to work on the 1000-year stash instead of buying more new stuff.
Last one I saw at a local shop (about a year ago) was $180 Canadian. Don’t see them often. That’s about what I paid about 10 years ago when I got mine.
@Real_G , I’m looking forward to how yours turns out. Mine is a long way off as I’m scratch building the full crew area interior.
I saw this Federation model tank at a contest about 15 years ago. Ever since then, I’ve wanted one but have never quite managed to get one for one reason or another. A modeling friend I know has one. I’ve offered to buy it off him, but he won’t sell it to me.
