HG 1/144 Red Gundam

This is the High Grade 1/144 Red Gundam. 🙂 This mobile suit comes to us from Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, and is piloted by Char Aznable, and later by Shūji Itō. The Red Gundam is the RX-78-02 White Gundam that was modified by the Principality of Zeon after it was captured by Char Aznable and customized to suit Char's specifications. It is identical to the White Gundam, except that it was repainted in Char's colors and equipped with the Alpha-type Psycommu system to interface with six wireless Psycommu-control remote weapons called Bits.

I’m going to be honest, I have mixed feelings about this kit. As far as its appearance goes, it looks really good, and is a good representation of how it appears in the anime. The articulation is also as stellar as other kits that the GQuuuuuuX line had brought us, meaning that this kit strikes action poses spectacularly. What surprised me about this kit was the inclusion of a preassembled RG style chain for the Gundam Hammer weapon. I really wasn’t expecting that! The color separation on this kit is where my feelings begin to get mixed. Compared to other kits in this line, this one needs a lot of paintwork. I was actually caught off guard by just how much extra paint this kit needs for a modern High Grade kit.

While the build itself is quite solid, I do have a couple of issues with this kit. First, while the Real Grade style chain for the Gundam Hammer offers a lot of ways to pose the weapon, it can also be a bit tricky to arrange the chain in a way that looks like a natural swinging motion. My other issue with this kit is that there’s a lot on this kit that Bandai could have color separated or provided stickers for that they just didn’t. I normally love touching up these kits, but some of the paint work this one needs just felt ridiculous.

All in all, despite my mixed feelings, I do still like how this kit turned out. It looks really good, and if you touch it up with the necessary paint, I guarantee you’ll find yourself admiring this one. I would really only recommend this one if you’re willing to put the extra effort into doing the paint work. It will look okay without paint, but adding paint makes a big difference in how this kit looks.