Greetings, Botcollector surfers and Transformers enthusiasts!  It's been a while.  Q's Corner has undergone an upgrade! Get ready for a whole new level of Gundam Kitbash, to be featured here. In the coming months, expect to see the most unlikely characters featured portrayed in ways that only the truest TransFan will appreciate. Nothing signifies this upgrade better than the newest project to be completed, SUPERION! While Fort Max did win last month, I've got something really special planned for him, and that project is and will taking longer than usual. So I invite you to grab your favorite energon drink, tune in, and read on!

This Superion is based on an idea that I had while looking at the recently released MG God Gundam kit: "Shouldn't Superion have a sword as opposed to Menasor?"  Superion was always one of my favorite Transformers, and it PAINED me to see him so underrepresented. The worst part was, when he was represented, it was done INCREDIBLY poorly. I wanted to see Superion as a Super Warrior, a formidable nemesis to Menasor. Instead, Omega Supreme kicked Superion's butt in his DEBUT episode! So, I set out to correct this. The Master Grade "God Gundam" was the kit of choice. What stood out to me were the variable wings and the overall color scheme. As usual, this is a magnificent kit already, but there is NO Gundam that is safe from my Dremel tool. This kit stands out among Master Grade Gundam kits because of the ease of construction and its poseability. I was too thorough in assembling the internal skeleton; I tightened the screws too tight. The good news is that the completed product is sturdier than I ever had hoped.

The most challenging part of this project was not the painting, or the construction, or even the sorting of the many screws that hold the internal skeleton together. The most difficult part was figuring which Aerialbot was going to go where. I decided that since no two versions of Superion seem to match, I would create my own. It is a well known fact that you can swap arms and legs on the toy, and in the Japanese episode "Scramble City", this ability is featured. The American cartoon version also shows Superion combining several different ways, and always looking the same. The Marvel comic depicts Superion as a likeness to the cartoon, with minor variations. And lastly, the Dreamwave version is an amalgamation of all the different versions. And what's worse, is even they, despite hoe spectacular the art is, depict Superion in several different ways. I took this as my chance to create my own. 

The Aerialbots each maintain elements from their original toy design, while looking like futuristic versions of themselves. Air Raid's wings are swept-forward now, as are Fireflight's. Slingshot no longer has a tail, and carries Superion's electrostatic discharger rifle on the dorsal (top) side of his frame. Skydive remained the same, and Silverbolt has bulked up, trading the delta-wings of the SST for a pair of jet boosters and variable-position starfighter wings.

I must be honest; the construction of this guy was totally on-the-fly. After the skeleton was done, I completed one limb at a time, starting with the left leg, or Air Raid. Fireflight was next. The new wings I chose for Fireflight were left over from a Gundam Airmaster Burst kit. The way that Fireflight and Air Raid transform into the limbs is also quite different than the way they used to. Slingshot was chosen to be an arm because of his round shape. The orange canopy and Harrier wings keep him easily recognizable. The rifle was made to be able to be stored and deployed. It remains Superion's only projectile weapon. I liked Skydive's "mini-jet" the best, so I maintained it. There are only two parts of Silverbolt left, the chest armor, and the Tail fin from the Concorde Jet mode.

The head was made from the G Gundam helmet, and the face from a Beast Wars Buzzsaw. After about half an hour of cutting with the Dremel tool, the face finally fit into the helmet. The antennae were made from the Gundam's "V" crest.

The total time for construction on this one took about three and a half weeks. I've got other plans for Superion. I want to get some original Aerialbot decals, and make the jet parts look more like the toys. I also plan to go over the entire model with a second coat of paint.

I hope you liked this one, and if you didn't, vote for next month's feature, and e-mail us your opinions! Until the next time, keep building!