Kit Review

Straight build +
panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body front and back

1/100 00 Gundam - Head section. The red part in the center of the antennae is a combination of seals + clear parts, and it lo

Head section. The red part in the center of the antennae is a combination of seals + clear parts, and it looks pretty stunning..

1/100 00 Gundam - Arms. In the 1/100, a GN Shield has been added to the shoulder armor. (1/3)

Arms.
In the 1/100, a GN Shield has been added to the shoulder armor.

Legs.
The detail is simpler compared to the 1/100 Exia.

The base body with all the extra bits removed.

Weapons. Looks like it's pretty much all blades.. ^^;

The GN Sword II serves dual roles as both a gun and a blade.

1/100 00 Gundam - The way the GN Sword II attaches to the side of the body is different from the Exia. Unlike the Exia where

The way the GN Sword II attaches to the side of the body is different from the Exia.
Unlike the Exia where the connection was a bit flimsy, the OO's attachment method is much more solid.
This is one area where you can clearly feel it's been "improved."

1/100 00 Gundam - Oddly though.. the beam saber doesn't fit snugly into the beam saber hilt. It looks like there was a slight

Oddly though.. the beam saber doesn't fit snugly into the beam saber hilt.
It looks like there was a slight miscalculation when reusing the existing beam parts.

1/100 00 Gundam - The GN Shield added to the shoulder armor. It's structured to split into two halves that attach to the shou

The GN Shield added to the shoulder armor.
It's structured to split into two halves that attach to the shoulders, and each half can also function as a blade on its own.

The white blade section can be extended via a sliding mechanism.

1/100 00 Gundam - To combine into the GN Shield, you first need to detach the blue armor piece and reattach it lower down to

To combine into the GN Shield, you first need to detach the blue armor piece and reattach it lower down to shorten the length.

Pull out the hidden locking pins on both sides, then..

Combine! And the GN Shield is complete.

1/100 00 Gundam - There are only 2 sets of hands — a weapon-holding hand and a fist — but the detail on the fist has improved

There are only 2 sets of hands — a weapon-holding hand and a fist —
but the detail on the fist has improved. Look closely and you can even see the curled fingers inside.
Quite different from the old 1/100 hands that just had a hollow hole for plugging in weapons..

Articulation. The legs fold completely!
These newer 1/100 kits are seriously impressive..

The shoulder range of motion is a bit narrower than you'd expect.
Probably because of the shoulder armor..;;

1/100 00 Gundam - This kit has a pretty unique upper/lower body connection structure — because of it, instead of the waist ro

This kit has a pretty unique upper/lower body connection structure —
because of it, instead of the waist rotating, it's the upper chest that rotates.
From the hip joint up to the waist is one solid piece, so there's no articulation there.

OO's signature rotating front skirt.

The wrists articulate individually up and down.

1/100 00 Gundam - One downside.. you can't do yoga poses like with the HG T_T That's pretty much the maximum leg split right

One downside.. you can't do yoga poses like with the HG T_T
That's pretty much the maximum leg split right there,
and the ankles don't bend 180 degrees like the HG either — barely hitting 45 degrees.
The hip joints also have much more limited range of motion compared to the HG..

1/100 00 Gundam - The shoulder armor GN Drives on both shoulders can move at quite a variety of angles.

On both shoulders, ~~the shoulder armor~~ GN Drives can move at quite a variety of angles.

They can also rotate forward and backward.

The beam saber is drawn out like this.

1/100 00 Gundam - The first-ever light-up gimmick in a 1/100! Costs were kept down by using Chinese-made components. (Was the

The first-ever light-up gimmick in a 1/100!
Costs were kept down by using Chinese-made components.
(Was the GN Drive actually developed by Wang Liu Mei?!?)
You'll need two CR1220 batteries. Sold separately, of course.

Turn the switch and it makes contact with the button cell batteries, lighting it up.

1/100 00 Gundam - It's actually quite a bit more vivid and bright than you'd expect! (1/2)

1/100 00 Gundam - It's actually quite a bit more vivid and bright than you'd expect! (2/2)

It's surprisingly quite vibrant and bright!

After inserting it into the GN Drive slot, the switch is located on the inside of the shoulder shield.

1/100 00 Gundam - Photos taken while gradually dimming the lights. (1/4)

1/100 00 Gundam - Photos taken while gradually dimming the lights. (2/4)

Photos taken while gradually dimming the lights.

Whoa.. so realistic!!!

1/100 00 Gundam - A scene where the GN Drive particles are scattered like a shield. With the lights on it's not that noticeab

A scene where the GN Drive particles are scattered like a shield.
With the lights on it's not that noticeable, but..

Dim the lights and it just goes absolutely crazy glowing on its own.. (^^;)

No weird thoughts allowed.
(That comment is even weirder!)

1/100 00 Gundam - Alright, back to it.. beam saber action poses on the ground. Not quite on the HG's level, but it still show

Alright, back to it.. beam saber action poses on the ground.
Not quite on the HG's level, but it still shows impressively flexible ankle articulation.
The HG 00 Gundam is the weird one — this is what normal should look like. -_-;

1/100 00 Gundam - Action pose using the GN Shield like a blade. (1/5)

1/100 00 Gundam - Action pose using the GN Shield like a blade. (2/5)

1/100 00 Gundam - Action pose using the GN Shield like a blade. (3/5)

Action pose using the GN Shield like a blade.

1/100 00 Gundam - GN Sword II action (1/6)

1/100 00 Gundam - GN Sword II action (2/6)

1/100 00 Gundam - GN Sword II action (3/6)

1/100 00 Gundam - GN Sword II action (4/6)

GN Sword II action

1/100 00 Gundam - Dual blade charge mode (1/4)

1/100 00 Gundam - Dual blade charge mode (2/4)

Dual blade charge mode

GN Sword II: Rifle mode action

1/100 00 Gundam - Looks different depending on the lighting, right? (1/4)

1/100 00 Gundam - Looks different depending on the lighting, right? (2/4)

Looks different depending on the lighting, right?

It actually looks like a real GN Drive..;;

Pose from the manual cover

1/100 00 Gundam - Enjoy the different vibes depending on the lighting ^^ (1/6)

1/100 00 Gundam - Enjoy the different vibes depending on the lighting ^^ (2/6)

1/100 00 Gundam - Enjoy the different vibes depending on the lighting ^^ (3/6)

1/100 00 Gundam - Enjoy the different vibes depending on the lighting ^^ (4/6)

Enjoy the different vibes depending on the lighting ^^

Together with the 1/100 Exia.
The Exia was definitely great quality, but the OO has improved even further.

1/100 00 Gundam - According to the lore, one of the OO's GN Drives was taken from the Exia. But when you actually compare the

According to the lore, one of the OO's GN Drives was taken from the Exia.
But when you actually compare them side by side, the OO's GN Drive is way bigger. Wonder why? lol

1/100 00 Gundam - Together with the HG 00 Gundam. It's a shame that the HG OO's insane leg articulation is gone, but on the o

Together with the HG 00 Gundam.
It's a shame that the HG 00 Gundam's insane leg articulation is gone,
but on the other hand the 1/100 has the light-up GN Drives..

1/100 00 Gundam - Straight build shots. There aren't many panel lining spots, so it doesn't make much of a difference whether

Straight build shots.
There aren't many panel lining spots, so it doesn't make much of a difference whether you do panel lining or not.

The first release in the 1/100 lineup making its comeback alongside Season 2 of the Gundam 00 anime is, naturally, 00 Gundam. Since the HG 00 Gundam came out with surprisingly outstanding quality, there was a lot of anticipation for what the 1/100 would bring to the table.

First off, the flashy leg and ankle articulation that was the highlight of the HG OO is gone.. It's definitely more flexible than your average 1/100 or MG, but compared to the yoga-instructor-level range of motion on the HG, it feels like it only moves half as much, which is a bit disappointing. The articulation shown on the HG was probably just a brief moment of showmanship. That said, it still has far better ankle articulation than most standard 1/100s and MGs out there, so it's hard to call it a major flaw. Just a little disappointing, that's all.

The key feature of the 1/100 00 is, as most people know, the LED light-up gimmick. I was a bit skeptical about a No Grade kit under 3000 yen having a light-up gimmick, but once I opened it up, it didn't look all that expensive to pull off. (^^;) It uses CR1220 button cell batteries, and naturally you'll need two of them.

With the batteries in and the light-up mode on... it's not super noticeable under bright lighting, but in a dark room it looks absolutely stunning.

Whoa... this is an unexpected treat!?

That's genuinely how it feels.
It's not quite on the level of the pricey 00 Raiser Lightning Edition, but having the GN Drives actually light up is a really great idea. It brings out the feel of the show 200%, and above all, the effect is outstanding for the price. There's just something thrilling about it...

Getting back to analyzing the kit itself — all the kits after the 1/100 Exia have improved in quality, but there were always some nagging concerns about the joints not being quite sturdy enough. Not exactly loose, but a little worrying. With the second season of 00, the HG polycaps were completely revised and the joints became incredibly solid, so I was curious how the 1/100 would turn out.

The result is that it's noticeably stiffer than the 1/100 Exia, and every single joint feels tight with no looseness anywhere. There's nothing to complain about with the joints on this kit. It's a definite "upgrade." This might just be one of the kits with the tightest joints in the entire 1/100 scale lineup.

There are some subtle changes in the detail work — the panel lines and molding are simpler compared to the Season 1 1/100 kits. It feels like panel lining takes about a third of the time. It doesn't have that intricate, densely-packed feel like the Exia, but there's a clean, simple charm to it. Personally, I think it's better to just lean into that simple style for the 1/100. Leave the complex stuff to the MG.

There's another improvement going from Exia to 00 — the GN Sword mounting system. Honestly, on the Exia across all grades, the gimmick for attaching the GN Sword to the side of the hip joint is a bit flimsy. It falls off easily and doesn't hold well... it seems like there was a design issue from the start. Whether they took that feedback on board or not, the 00's mounting system is much tighter and the sword absolutely won't fall off during posing. Back in the Exia days, the side attachment would pop off every time I tried to strike a pose, which was really frustrating — but on the 00 that problem is completely solved, which I really appreciate. ^^ It won't come off unless you physically pull it off yourself.

The 1/100 adds GN Shields that weren't included in the HG, and they attach in two halves under the shoulder armor. The slide-extension gimmick on each one and the combining gimmick are both well-executed, making this a very satisfying addition.

Overall, I really loved the incredibly solid joints, panel lining was a breeze thanks to the simpler design (-.-;), and the light-up gimmick is excellent for the price. When I first built the 1/100 Exia I was amazed at how far things had come, but the 00 has leaped well beyond even that in terms of quality... It really seems like there's no end to the upgrades.

Bandai... what are they going to do when it comes time for the MG????? ^^;

1/100 00 Gundam | 2008. 11 | ¥2,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.