MSiA Skygrasper (Dengeki Hobby version)

Height (Skygrasper only): 7cm (wingspan), by 7.5 cm (nose to afterburner)

Articulation: Rotating beam cannon turret (Skygrasper); Double jointed thruster pods, left and right; Hinged beam sabre racks (Aile Striker).

Accessories: Skygrasper stand; Aile Striker; Beam sabres x2 with removeable blades; Wing mounts for Strike shield and beam rifle (not included).

Colors: Molded grey, black, red, clear pink; Painted black, red, yellow, dark grey.

Release Data: This item was included free with the February 2005 issue of Dengeki Hobby in Japan.

Gallery: 4 images.

Author: ExVee

This is a little different than the kind of reviews we normally do. As this is a vehicle, and not a figure, I can't really subdivide it the same way, I'll just have to do the best I can.

The packaging is worth note, as it's made to imitate the appearance of the SEED Destiny MSiA packaging, but without a clear window. Instead, on the front and sides, it has photos of the contents laid out as though packaged in a tray with a clear window, and the pictures on the sides are aligned to give the illusion of seeing the contents from that side. Granted, it's not perfect, but it amuses me greatly.

But contrary to the package images, the Skygrasper and Aile Striker come as disassembled as they reasonably can be. In a way this is good, since parts that ordinarily would run risk of warping are more protected, but it's also sorta not so good, because some parts, such as the Aile Striker's boosters, are pretty difficult to attach. Once everything is put together, though, there's no problems.

The Skygrasper is a straight recolor of the one originally released with Aile Strike last year. The base off-white color becomes grey, blue becomes back, and orange becomes yellow. Plus the black nose and grey cockpit both become more of a dull gunmetalish color, plus all the areas that were gloss paint on the original are now done in matte colors, giving it a much more subdued appearance. The grey plastic on the Aile Striker is also a slightly different shade than the first version, but they're otherwise identical.

It's understandable that this comes with a set of beam sabres, since the grips at least are a standard part of the Aile Striker and it makes sense to have the blades. What I don't really get is the mounting pieces for Strike's shield and rifle. These pieces can't be used for anything else, and even if they're gang molded to something else, there's little reason to include them here. This Skygrasper isn't even associated with Strike or Archangel, so there's no reasonable way for them to be put to use. To me, it just makes them seem like little extra pieces of plastic that I'll never use, but still have to be careful not to lose since doing so would drive me nuts.

The Aile Striker is of course physically identical to the first release, and can be used by Strike, Strike Rouge, or the first Skygrasper. If you bought Strike Rouge, this is an especially good thing to get, since you'll be able to equip Strike and Strike Rouge with the Aile pack at the same time, as done in the show, without having to buy an extra Aile Strike.

Though as time goes by, this will become more and more difficult to find, I'd say it's worth picking up for $10 or less. The Skygrasper is a cool design, and extra Striker Packs are always nice, especially if you wound up with more than one of the Strike mold (or never bought Aile Strike in the first place).

Overall, I rate the Dengeki SEED Destiny MSV Skygrasper as Good. There's nothing wrong with it, but all by itself its worth is limited.

-ExVeeBrawn, 02/13/2005