Kit review: HG 1/144 Gundam Heavyarms
Gundam Wing is a fan-favorite classic of the US fandom due to it being the first Gundam that was broadcast in the West. And amongst the six main Gundams, the Gundam Heavyarms is by far the most “American” one if you know what I mean 😉 And after several years of having only the Gundam Wing and Wing Zero as revive HG, Bandai finally bring the entire lineup to HGAC.
The Gundam Heavyarms – as the name says – is an artillery-focused MS with extremely high firepower. However, since it mostly uses conventional ammunition, it is possible for it to run out of ammo quickly. But of course, being Gundams, there are always CQC option thanks to the incredibly durable Gundarium armor.
The Gundam Heavyarms – as the name says – is an artillery-focused MS with extremely high firepower. However, since it mostly uses conventional ammunition, it is possible for it to run out of ammo quickly. But of course, being Gundams, there are always CQC option thanks to the incredibly durable Gundarium armor.
– Info:Â
HGAC 1/144 Gundam HeavyarmsÂ
Series: Mobile Report Gundam WingÂ
Price: 1,650 yen
Release date: Oct, 2020
Get your own HG Heavyarms here.
HGAC 1/144 Gundam HeavyarmsÂ
Series: Mobile Report Gundam WingÂ
Price: 1,650 yen
Release date: Oct, 2020
Get your own HG Heavyarms here.
– Design: The Heavyarms gundam at first glance is a pretty basic design. It has arms, legs, chest and a head with a v-fin. So, that checks out. It’s a Gundam! The Heavyarms’s unique selling point is its weapon and the color-scheme. A red/orange/white gundam isn’t that common at the time since it’s mostly white, blue and red. And the way it is equipped with a gatling and a combat knife folded on its sleeve was pretty badass. The head has a very cool double twin-antenna helmet which enhances the militaristic aesthetic even more.
– Build quality: The very first HGAC kits were the Wing and Wing Zero which predated this kit a few years, so Bandai has had time to up their engineering game. With the “new” line starting with Sandrock, the HGAC line has been improved significantly in terms of quality and engineering. However, the biggest concern of model kit builders post-IBO is if the kit can last a long time, either in storage or on display. And the Heavyarms is great in almost all aspect, except for the new hip-waist connector. It could come undone pretty fast if you leave it alone and suddenly decide to pose it for fun one day. I recommend thickening up the pegs to create better friction so it could be more stable.
– Articulation: Well, it’s the original Heavyarms, so there’s not much that it needs to do aside from looking absolutely badass when unleashing its arsenal. And it can do that quite well. The shoulder armor is a bit restricting however with the bulky design and less room to swing the arms up. The hips and knees are all very good, but the feet pivot can be better. But it’s also because the Gundam’s feet is quite short. But with the new engineering innovation for the waist and hips, the legs have a very wide range of movement that can afford most standing and shooting pose. It can do a few acrobatic poses with the knife as well, but not as much as other more nimble and sleek HG.
– Gimmicks: Here comes the main dish! The Heavyarms gimmicks are extremely accurate to the anime, aside from the elbow beam saber hax. The missile bays and chest-gatling doors can be flipped open to reveal some heavy firepower inside. And the details of those hidden weapon storage is pretty neat. The gatling gun can be mounted on the backpack to free up the hand (since equipping it requires the removal of the hand to fit it into the wrist). The gatling gun also has a handle (but I doubt it will see much use anyway). The attached army knife can obviously be flip out to recreate the famous speen scene.
– Accessories: This is a cheap kit, so the accessories it has is really basic, and most of its weapons are internal anyway:
x 1 Gatling Machine Gun: The iconic weapon of the Heavyarms. Comes with a shield too.
x 1 pair of weapon holding hands
x1 open hand
x 1 Gatling Machine Gun: The iconic weapon of the Heavyarms. Comes with a shield too.
x 1 pair of weapon holding hands
x1 open hand
–> Overall: This is a very basic and very anime-accurate kit. Bandai replicate most of the gimmicks of the Heavyarms pretty good, so even though there aren’t a lot of accessories, the kit still has a lot of playability. And as you can see, you can use various extra weapons with it (mostly guns). It’s quite a shame that the custom version of the suit is a P-Bandai where the only significant changes is an extra barrel on the gatling gun. But it is easily customizable. For fans of this freedom & democracy suit or just a fan of Gundam Wing in general and want to collect all the wing boys, this kit is great for you!
Gallery:
