Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body

Head and arms

Back section

Side binders

Those slim legs

Comes with a 1/144 universal action base, and a dedicated joint part is also included.

The GN beam rifle can be detached and deployed.

HG Brave Commander Test Type - When you open the side binder wings, there's a beam saber storage section inside — but it's on

When you open the side binder wings, there's a beam saber storage section inside..
But it's only molded in, and you can't actually store a beam saber there.

Maybe because it's so lean and bare-boned, the articulation is actually pretty decent.

The side binders move in multiple directions.

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Beam saber action (1/4)

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Beam saber action (2/4)

Beam saber action

HG Brave Commander Test Type - GN beam rifle action (1/4)

HG Brave Commander Test Type - GN beam rifle action (2/4)

GN beam rifle action

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Charge pose (1/4)

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Charge pose (2/4)

Charge pose

Transformation

Spread both shoulders out to the sides and lift the chest up 90 degrees.

Pull the waist section forward, then bend it 90 degrees downward.

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Then bend just the lower body section 90 degrees downward, and fold the arms back as shown abo

Then bend just the lower body section 90 degrees downward, and fold the arms back as shown above.

Spread the side binders out fully.

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Bring the legs together neatly, then pivot only the hip joints to rotate them backward. At thi

Bring the legs together neatly, then pivot only the hip joints to rotate them backward.
At this point, the pins on the underside of the wings lock into the grooves on the legs, so it holds its shape pretty well.

Open the wings..

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Remove the GN beam rifle handle, plug it in sideways, then attach the GN condenser as a separa

Remove the GN beam rifle handle, plug it in sideways, then attach the GN condenser as a separate part on the back.

Transformation complete!
It looks a lot more convincing than the Enact or Flag.

Underside

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Displayed on the stand (1/5)

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Displayed on the stand (2/5)

HG Brave Commander Test Type - Displayed on the stand (3/5)

Displayed on the stand

True to its new-release status, the flight mode looks sleek and sharp.

Compared to the Enact, you can really see how much bulkier it is.

Together with the HG 00 Qan[T].
It's noticeably taller..

The Brave from the 00 movie has been released as an HG kit.
The Commander Test Type and the General-Purpose Type were released at the same time, and this kit is the blue Commander Test Type piloted by the ever-stylish Graham. The overall design and concept, as you can see, is a continuation of the TV series' Flag and Enact — and it's probably best thought of as the final evolution of the Flag rather than the Enact.

First off, size-wise it's taller and a bit more filled-out than the old Enact/Flag, and in person it really does feel like the volume has gone up quite a bit. The Enact and Flag were honestly way too skinny, but while the Brave is still slim, it's got a bit more bulk to it now, which makes it look a whole lot more powerful.

The Enact/Flag were tricky kits to pose nicely due to their transformation gimmick, and the Brave is similarly fiddly when it comes to getting it to stand in a clean pose. That said, being a newer kit, the proportions feel relatively better than the Enact/Flag, and the larger feet in particular make balancing it a lot easier. The blue molded color also came out looking quite premium and refined.

The transformation into flight mode is more complex than the Enact/Flag, and it's no joke in terms of difficulty; On the plus side, there are various locking gimmicks added so it holds its shape reasonably well in flight mode, but actually going through the transformation yourself is anything but easy..; You won't feel like transforming it twice, that's for sure. (It's a workout...)

That said, the resulting flight mode looks a whole lot more convincing than the Enact/Flag. Compared to those kits where it felt like all you did was fold the waist and spread the wings, this one actually feels like a proper "aircraft." Well, I guess when the transformation is this complicated, the end result had better look good to make it worthwhile. :-)

Overall, the joint strength is solid, the proportions and molded colors look great, and it's got a nice sense of volume — so compared to the Enact and Flag, this kit delivers a much more satisfying build. The transformation process can be a bit tricky, which could be a downside, but since it lets you put together a really nice aircraft mode, that frustration kind of cancels itself out. Either way, as you'd expect from a newer kit, the quality is clean and polished — it's a good kit. :-)

HG Brave Commander Test Type | 2010. 11 | ¥1,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.