High Grade Future Century God Gundam Review

I was very excited when the announcement came of the extension of the HGUC line of 1/144-scale Gundam models. The first entry, the Gundam X, received much praise from me and I looked immediately to the next non-UC kit, G Gundam’s titular God Gundam. Even though G Gundam has gained a lot of attention following the initial 1994 TV series,  I was kind of surprised by its announcement, as the 2001 Master Grade God Gundam is considered one of the best MGs ever made. Being though that G Gundam is my favorite series, I jumped at the chance to pick it up and review it.

The first thought into many minds is whether or not this kit can compare to the Master Grade. The answer to it is that it absolutely does. While it may not have the Fighting Action inner frame that the MG has, the HG has the same degree of poses and movement that the MG had. There are only but a few differences between the two. As you can notice in the photo above, the binders are not filled in, as the MG did come with a part to help fill the gaps. However, this can be easily fixed with some putty work. The only other difference is that the shoulder cannons do not pop up, but instead the part is removed to show them off. It’s a relatively minor inconvenience, but not one that would dissuade a purchase.

Getting into the details of the kit itself, the God Gundam doesn’t skimp. Real men communicate with their fists, so you won’t find rifles anywhere near this kit. It comes stock with 4 sets of hands and two beam sabers. Included are a set of stickers to help out with the details, but I chose to go with my trusty Gundam Markers to finish it off. While the stickers don’t detract from the kit, I just prefer to put the detail on myself. In constructing this kit, it was simple but it still held everything together. Some beginning modelers may be scared off by the prospect of building the MG of God Gundam, so this kit is perfect for those individuals. Clipping and trimming each of the parts from the runners took about two hours. Assembling and making final touches took another 2 hours, waiting for parts to dry and retouching. Assembly is routine and shouldn’t pose a single problem for beginning modelers. In the straight build, it’s still an impressive model and won’t look like clumps of plastic stuck together. Little touch-ups, like panel-lining, a clear flat coat spray paint, and trimming the V-fins will make the model stand out that much more though. These are little things that any modeler at any ability level can do.

The absolute best part of this kit, though, is its posing ability. The Master Grade is beloved for the multitude of poses that it can do, and the HGFC is able to do them all the same. I was extremely surprised at the full range of motion that this kit has. Being able to recreate the high kick, fighting stances, or just taking a stab at another Gundam really sold me on how great this kit was. Easily my favorite way to show off all of the kit’s features is through God Gundam’s Hyper Mode. The back binders raise up, but sadly there is no effect part for the rainbow ring that forms around them. It would have been perfect if the part was included like for the HGs of O Gundam or Destiny Gundam, but looks like it couldn’t make the cut. The ring shows up in the box art, oddly rnough, but sadly isn’t included. Speaking of the box, we get a nice shot of the God Finger attack. In the front, we get the animated art while in the background is a shot of the actual model. The box, like that of the HGAW Gundam X, does follow the style of the HGUC series.

Getting back to Hyper Mode, the center chest pops up to reveal the center jewel. As this is a 1/144 HG, the part was entirely blue and had a sticker for the jewel. Making it accurate, I colored the piece with a yellow Gundam Marker and filled the center with metallic red, which did the job nicely. Also being touched up was the shoulder machine cannons, which were also molded in blue. I’m honestly surprised to say this, but I love this version of the God Gundam best. It was just as good as my Master Grade and MILES beyond the other 1/144-scale release of the Fix Figuration. It just exudes personality and I’m surprised that it came in the form of the 1/144 High Grade. As much as I love my Master Grade, I’m loving the HGFC just as much. If you have yet to pick up a version of the God Gundam, I have no hesitation in recommending this kit, even for those just beginning. If you do have the Master Grade, I still recommending getting the HGFC. It may seem redundant in your collection, but the God Gundam is a fun build and can always be painted gold for some Hyper Mode action.

I’ll end the review with this image. For some that have had the fortune (or misfortune) of seeing the live-action adapation of Gundam, G-Savior, many of you will agree that the above scene would have made a much better movie. Building the HGFC God Gundam is about as rewarding as it would be removing the G-Savior movie from existence. You can currently purchase the model for 1800 yen from Hobby Link Japan.

– Andres Cerrato