Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Underside view

To attach it to another kit, you'll need to break it down piece by piece.

There are additional connector parts included separately from the main body.

HGBF The Northern Pod - As shown on one side of the box art, this kit is designed to combine with the HGCE Force Impulse Gund

As shown on one side of the box art, this kit combines with the HGCE Force Impulse Gundam's body
to recreate the Impulse GM - Keiko-gi and Mahiru-gi as they appear in the show.

HGCE Impulse Gundam body and parts configuration for building the Impulse GM Keiko-gi

Impulse GM Keiko-gi

HGBF The Northern Pod - Keiko-gi action pose (1/3)

HGBF The Northern Pod - Keiko-gi action pose (2/3)

HGBF The Northern Pod - Keiko-gi action pose (3/3)

Keiko-gi action poses

HGCE Impulse Gundam body and parts configuration for building the Impulse GM Mahiru-gi

Impulse GM Mahiru-gi

HGBF The Northern Pod - Mahiru-gi action pose (1/3)

HGBF The Northern Pod - Mahiru-gi action pose (2/3)

HGBF The Northern Pod - Mahiru-gi action pose (3/3)

Mahiru-gi action poses

HGBF The Northern Pod - Recreating a scene from the show together with the HGBF Gyancelot. Since I only have one HGCE Impulse

Recreating a scene from the show together with the HGBF Gyancelot.
Since I only have one HGCE Impulse Gundam body, I photographed the Keiko-gi and Mahiru-gi separately and composited them together.

The 27th Build Custom kit is The Northern Pod, designed to recreate the Impulse GM - Keiko-gi and Mahiru-gi as they appear in the show.

The Impulse GM is built by borrowing the existing HGCE Force Impulse Gundam and fitting additional armor over the body — everything except the head and weapons. This kit includes parts for both the Keiko-gi and Mahiru-gi in roughly equal halves, and in the lore, combining them all together forms an aircraft called The Northern Pod.

The combination feature with the HGCE Force Impulse Gundam works well enough, though the shield-type weapons feel a bit loose where they connect to the hands. Also, since the Impulse GM is canonically a different color from the Impulse Gundam, you'll need to paint it if you want an accurate representation. There's a chance the Impulse GM could get its own standalone HGBF kit someday, but given that it's been released as Build Custom parts like this, it's looking unlikely.

Anyway, this should be handy for anyone looking to recreate the Impulse GM from the show — though keep in mind you'll also need the HGCE Force Impulse Gundam separately, and ideally you'd want to paint it too, which puts it in a bit of an awkward spot. In the end, this feels like an accessory kit best recommended for intermediate-to-advanced painters who want to recreate scenes from the show. :-)

HGBF The Northern Pod | 2016.8 | ¥600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.