My Love For Life Review

As a followup to my TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia Model Kit assembly video posted last week, here is the actual review of the assembled TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia Model Kit. Compared to my previous Bandai NG 1/100 Gundam Exia Review, this TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia is smaller at 1/144 scale. Here is the comparison of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia with the clear soda can. The TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia is slightly taller than the clear soda can by 1cm at the highest tip of the V fin.


 Here is a frontal view of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. I need to point out that the parts of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia come molded in lesser colors compared to its bigger counterpart so more painting is required to make it look more anime accurate. I have panel lined and painted parts of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia based on the reference pictures in the assembly manual.
Rear view of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. More panel lining and paint job can be seen here, particularly on the GN drive which was completely white initially. There is a major manufacturing defect on the rear side of the right leg where if you look closely you can see a peg sticking out like a sore thumb.
Diagonal left frontal view of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. Initially I painted the shield instead of using the sticker but it turned out uneven and rough looking. So in the end I used the sticker to cover up my messy paint job. But I think my layer of paint is doing a good job as an adhesive to hold the sticker in place on the shield.
Diagonal right rear view of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. From this angle you can see the main weapon of the Exia which is the GN Sword. The shield cover for the GN Sword came in white initially and I had to paint both the circular sides with silver/gray.
Diagonal front top down view of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
Top down rear view of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
Frontal closeup on the head of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. I used the stickers for the forehead and the eyes but painted the inner face with silver and the side face plates in yellow.
Side closeup view of the head of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. I colored the clear parts of the GN condensers green with a highlighter and used the stickers here as well.
Close up on the chest of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. Similar to the GN condensers on the head, I have painted the clear piece of the chest GN condensor green with a highlighter and painted the white outer ring with some silver/gray based on the color guide in the assembly manual. Some sloppy and rough panel lining can be seen here also, courtesy of my unstable hands.
The shoulder V fins of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia can be pushed up to 45 degrees...
... or sheathed onto the shoulder.
Side view of the articulation ranges of the arms and legs of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. Notice how the GN strip on the arm of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia is red but on the original Bandai version of the model kit is light blue/purple.
Closeup on the rear torso of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. The red part in the middle of the holders of the beam sword hilts is painted as it was white initially. The holders of the beam sword hilts can swivel up...
... and down to reposition the beam sword hilts for ease of access but unlike the NG 1/100 Gundam Exia's they cant bend sideways.
Without rotating the shoulder armor, the arm of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia can be raised up to nearly 100 degrees before being hindered by the shoulder armor.
Closeup on the GN Sword in rifle mode. In the rifle mode, the big GN Sword is swiveled to the back for storage.
Closeup on the GN Sword in sword mode.
In sword mode, the GN Sword is rather lengthy but with a bit of balancing, the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia still can produce some dynamic poses.
Closeup on the left arm of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. I used the sticker for the GN condenser and the arm stripe here and panel lined the details. One thing I need to point out is that the open palm hand is very loose and tends to fall out with a gentle pull. But that can be fixed by applying a layer of nail varnish onto the ball joint.
Closeup on the red GN strip of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia which is made of soft rubbery material.
Rear closeup on the head of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. I messed up the painting of the center top of the head. I have also painted the vent on the top side of the GN drive white based on the color guide.
Closeup of the GN drive of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. Painted the 3 holders gray and panel lined the details here.
Closeup on the upper part of the leg of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
Closeup on the middle part of the leg of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
Closeup on the lower part of the leg of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia in kneeling pose.
Left side frontal closeup on TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia with left arm extended.
Left side view closeup of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia reaching for the sky.
Closeup on the legs of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia in kneeling pose. I think the legs of the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia are well designed to allow for great articulation.
Side view closeup on the legs of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia in kneeling pose.
Left side view of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia in kneeling pose.
Rear diagonal left side view of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia in kneeling pose.
Rear view closeup on the legs of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia. Notice the molding defect on the right leg.
Closeup on the molding defect of the right leg of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
Front overview of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
Closeup on upper body of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.
Closeup on the left chest vent of TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia.

Pros:
- Cheap price for a model kit that is 80% like the original
- A harder assembly process than the original helps to fine tune Gunpla assembling skills (if this can be considered a pro ^_^)

Cons:
- Manufacturing mold defects on some parts
- Parts do not fit properly and/or snugly
- Loose connector joints (e.g. open hand ball joint very loose when connected to hand)
- Dis proportioned stickers (can be fixed by trimming them)

Final thoughts:
No regrets getting the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia as it is a very good learning experience. With some tweaking and modding the TT Hongli HG Gundam Exia can be turned to a custom model kit.

My Love For Life Review