HG 1/144 Black Knight Squad Rud-ro A

This is the High Grade 1/144 Black Knight Squad Rud-ro.A (Griffin Arbalest Custom).  This mobile suit comes to us from Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom, and is piloted by Arbalest Griffin. The Rud-ro.A, also known as the "Roa", is an advanced high-performance mobile suit developed by the Kingdom of Foundation using ZAFT technology, built in small numbers as the mainstay unit of the Black Knight Squad. It utilizes many advanced technologies, such as the new Femto technology armor to defend against beam weaponry. GINN-R or DINN-R unmanned drone mobile suits, which are controlled from the Rud-ro.A to act as wingmen.

Right out of the gate, I’m going to say that I wasn’t as impressed with this kit as I was with the Shi-ve.A. I’m a big fan of the knight theme of the Black Knight Squad mobile suits, and while this one does look really cool, I’m not as big a fan of it as the Shi-ve.A. The built is fun and straightforward, and there are very few spots that need paint. The stickers on this one do a good job taking care of most of the color correction, and most of them are pretty easy to apply.

As far as problems go, my biggest problem with this kit is the shoulder joints. They don’t allow the arms to lift outward enough to achieve the kind of dynamic poses that you’d expect from a modern High Grade kit. Also, the shoulders are very obstructive, and make posing with the shield pretty tricky. Overall, it’s a cool looking kit, but not as great when it comes to articulation as other kits in this line. Honestly, I really only recommend picking this one up if you’re looking to add to your Gundam SEED Freedom collection or if you’re trying to put together a complete set of Black Knight Squad mobile suits.