Real talk, guys. So, these rifles are freaking massive. Like, these are the biggest rifles I've ever seen with the "1/100" label on them.
And since rifle size is directly proportional to awesomeness, these are two of the most awesome rifles in the world.
Check out this beautiful purple box. It's super purple.
The instructions seem to be made of 3D models of the parts contained in the kit, which is actually pretty nice since you can see exactly how everything is supposed to fit together. As an aside, I hypothesize that this is a consequence of the state of the PLAMO industry; a small Chinese company like G-Temple (who, interestingly, also makes knock-off godhands) probably don't have many iterative prototypes between their CAD models and the first cuts into their injection molds. So it's easy to use those CAD models as instruction graphics!
You can also see the rough cuts made in the injection runners, which is something that you wouldn't normally see on Bandai kits which have smooth runners. With smoother runners you get more consistent plastic injection, but at a higher cost due to finishing.
Click on the images below for larger-resolution versions.
Despite the cost-cutting measures in place, the parts came out great! The details are crisp and the majority of the important sections are undergated. You know I'm a huge fan of undergating.
If you still don't agree with me about undergating, let me try to convert you. Here's an example of the ease of clean-up of an undergated part. The runner doesn't attach directly to a finished surface; instead it is routed onto a less important area underneath the part. When I remove the nub, I don't need to sand the finished surface at all.
This kit also came with some metal parts, a barrel and some sensor reticles, and a few sticky "gems" for the sensors. The sticky gems do not fit inside the metal sensor parts...but that's ok. I think it's an either/or situation. There aren't any instructions for the use of these extra parts, so I'll show you where these go in the individual reviews below.
And one more thing; a sorry-looking decal sheet. I see federation and zeon decals on here, but it looks like the printer was having some problems and everything turned a little bit red. As a result, these are worthless. Make sure you have your own decals for detail-up!
Let's get into reviews of the two rifles themselves.
HAR MK01
This is the larger of the two rifles. The body of this thing is absolutely massive. Here are some in-progress shots of the build which will also give you an idea of the parts quality. See those little circular marks? Those are mold ejection marks. Most of them are hidden pretty well, but some of them will require some sanding or cover-up (the third image shows a few that will be visible on the final product).
And here's the completed rifle! As I said, this thing is absolutely huge. That's a half-inch grid in the picture.
The metal barrel goes on this rifle. The smaller targeting reticle fits on, as well.
The only complaint I have is that the barrel(s) have a pretty loose fit. They will require some glue to keep them from wiggling around.
And when you attach all of the option parts, you also get a second targeting reticle at the base of the barrel, like so:
HAR MK02
The smaller of the two rifle bodies has a lot of barrel options that can turn this thing into a high-caliber sniper rifle, a beam rifle, or even a machine gun! And the barrel folds back on the body of the rifle for storage, which is a nice gimmick. It also has a removable magazine. The other metal targeting reticle fits on this rifle's targeting block.
The Verdict
I highly recommend these rifles! They will require a bit of work and clean-up to get them together, but they took me about 45 minutes each to assemble...and I'm more meticulous than anyone should ever be.
Now I just need to find a model to put them on...