Kit Review

Straight build
+ light panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body and head

HG Forever Gundam - Panel-to-panel connectors (1/3)

Panel-to-panel connectors

Legs

HG Forever Gundam - Forever Gundam is a kit based on the HG 30th Anniversary First Gundam as its base body, with various addi

Forever Gundam uses the HG 30th Anniversary First Gundam as its base body
with various additional armor pieces added on.

HG Forever Gundam - Looking at the leftover parts, you can get a pretty good idea of what changed from the original HG 30th A

Looking at the leftover parts, you can get a pretty good idea of
what changed from the original HG 30th Anniversary First Gundam.

The weapons are carried over as-is from the HG 30th Anniversary First Gundam.

HG Forever Gundam - The beam sabers are mounted on the forearms, but the fit is loose so they keep falling off T_T. Slightly

The beam sabers are mounted on the forearms, but...
the fit is loose so they keep falling off T_T. Slightly annoying.

Articulation is a slight step down from the HG 30th Anniversary First Gundam..
Not great, honestly.

HG Forever Gundam - The panel connector parts are multi-jointed, so you can position them at just about any angle and directi

The panel connector parts are multi-jointed,
so you can position them at just about any angle and direction.
That said, with so many moving parts.. they do tend to pop off pretty easily -.-

When deployed as panels, the top cover slides off.

Remove all 4 panels and you're left with the beam cannons underneath.

Firing pose

HG Forever Gundam - All panels removed, leaving just the 4 beam cannons. The connectors are flexible enough to position them

All panels removed, leaving just the 4 beam cannons.
The connectors are flexible enough to position them at all kinds of angles.

HG Forever Gundam - Beam saber action (1/4)

HG Forever Gundam - Beam saber action (2/4)

Beam saber action

HG Forever Gundam - Bazooka action (1/4)

HG Forever Gundam - Bazooka action (2/4)

Bazooka action

HG Forever Gundam - All panels facing forward. (1/4)

HG Forever Gundam - All panels facing forward. (2/4)

All panels facing forward.

HG Forever Gundam - Gundam Hammer action (1/4)

HG Forever Gundam - Gundam Hammer action (2/4)

Gundam Hammer action

Together with the 30th Anniversary HG First Gundam that serves as the base body.

Together with Beginning Gundam.

Straight build

The 5th Gunpla Builders kit is the Forever Gundam — it uses the HG 30th Anniversary First Gundam as its base body, with additional armor and panels added on. The overall vibe somehow reminds me of the Perfect Gundam.. though being a new design, it does feel just a touch more refined than the Perfect.

For starters, the complete set of runners from the 30th Anniversary First Gundam kit is included, plus several additional runners for the new parts, so the box feels pretty packed. (Of course, that also means a fair amount of leftover parts too.) And since this is essentially a derivative design built around reuse, it doesn't feel all that fresh. The intentionally garish blue-and-red color combo in particular makes it look less like a new release and more like something from back in the day.

The highlight of the Forever Gundam is the 4 panels on its back — they're sliding panels in the style of Freedom Gundam, and once detached, they reveal beam cannons underneath, which is a pretty unique setup. Each of the 4 panel connectors is made up of 3–4 multi-joints, so you can position them at virtually any angle and direction, which is a big plus. The downside, though, is that with so many joints, parts tend to pop off during posing.

The beam sabers have been moved from the back to the forearms, but the connection isn't all that tight so they keep falling off. On top of that, the heavy backpack shifts the center of gravity forward, so you have to compensate a bit — overall, this isn't the easiest kit to get into a solid pose.

Between the Gunpla Builders anime's origins and the somewhat old-fashioned design and color scheme, this probably isn't a kit that's going to win a lot of fans. But if you're looking for something a little different from your usual HGUC builds and want a fun side project, it's worth giving a shot :-)

HG Forever Gundam | 2011.1 | ¥2,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.