Kit Review

Straight build + stickers/waterslide decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Detail shots (1/4)

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Outer armor removed

Inner frame shots

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Frame detail shots. Based on the Gundam Mk-II v2.0, with the upper body, forearms, shins,

Frame detail shots.
Based on the Gundam Mk-II v2.0, with the upper body, forearms, shins, and other frame parts swapped out (for something a bit more plain...).

There is a frame inside the backpack, but the detail is pretty weak.

Surprisingly, the inner mold on the skirts is decent.

Most of the armor pieces have no inner mold, but...

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - The inner surfaces of armor panels that are exposed to the outside do have mold detail en

The inner surfaces of armor panels that are exposed to the outside do have mold detail engraved on them.

Articulation on the frame.

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Cockpit hatch open. The cockpit detail is pretty simple, and the opening gimmick feels a

Cockpit hatch open.
The cockpit detail is pretty simple, and the opening gimmick feels a bit cramped. Looks like it'd be a pain to get in and out of.

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - The auxiliary actuator unit on the shoulder is on a ball joint, so you can position it fr

The auxiliary actuator unit on the shoulder is on a ball joint, so you can position it freely.
The HGUC Hazel Custom let you swap it out for a grenade launcher, but that option has been dropped entirely in the MG.

Weapons loadout

The shield Booster and the inside of the shield.

Extend the locking pin inside the shield Booster and you can mount it on the backpack.

The shield Booster mounted on the backpack.

The beam rifle's scope and grip are both articulated.

The peg on the palm locks into the weapon, giving it a pretty solid grip.

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - You can attach the energy pack from the side skirt to the forearm, and then store the bea

You can attach the energy pack from the side skirt to the forearm, and then store the beam rifle in that slot.

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - The energy pack on the side skirt and the auxiliary actuator unit on the shoulder don't h

The energy pack on the side skirt and the auxiliary actuator unit on the shoulder don't hold on very well and keep falling off.
The actuator unit you could just glue in place,
but the energy pack might need to be removed later, so you can't really just go ahead and glue it down.

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Leftover parts from the Gundam Mk-II v2.0 runners. You can easily see which frame section

Leftover parts from the Gundam Mk-II v2.0 runners.
You can easily see which frame sections were swapped out.
Honestly, they're more finely detailed than the replacement frames made for the Hazel Custom..;;

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Since it's bulkier than the base MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0, the articulation on the arms and l

Since it's bulkier than the base MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0, the articulation on the arms and legs takes a slight hit.

The hip slide gimmick from the MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0 is carried over as-is.

The forward/backward range of motion on the shoulders is limited.

Backpack articulation.

The backpack verniers also move on ball joints with a pretty wide range of motion.

You can pull off a natural sword-drawing pose too.

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - A kneeling pose is nice and natural~. (1/3)

A kneeling pose is nice and natural~.

Beam saber pose

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Aerial firing pose on Action Base 1. (1/3)

Aerial firing pose on Action Base 1.

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] - Aerial firing pose with the shield Booster mounted on the back. (1/3)

Aerial firing pose with the shield Booster mounted on the back.

Together with the MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0 AEUG version.

Together with the HGUC Hazel Custom, which had a domestic release back in 2005.

This kit is the MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom], released as a Club G (Premium Bandai) online exclusive. It's a kit that many people, myself included, had been waiting to see get the MG treatment — but it ended up as a Club G exclusive instead of a regular retail release, which stirred up quite a bit of controversy. While it reuses the MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0 frame, all of the exterior armor parts are brand-new tooling, yet it was still released as a limited item.

The height of AOZ's popularity was actually back around 2005, when the HGUC Hazel Custom was released. It took a full 12 years — all the way until 2017 — for an MG version to finally show up, and even then it came out as an online exclusive. When you crack it open, you can see it reuses parts of the MG Gundam Mk-II frame from that same 2005 era. My guess is that an MG was probably being planned or was already in development alongside the HGUC back around 2005, but for whatever reason it ended up sitting on the shelf until it finally came out through Club G in 2017. The overall quality feels like it's frozen right at that 2005 level. (Should've struck while the iron was hot...)

Anyway, for AOZ fans like me, the attitude is probably "hey, at least we got an MG at all." The frame is based on the reasonably solid MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0, with the upper body, lower half, forearms, shins, and other sections replaced with new parts. That said, the detail on those new parts is actually plainer than the more refined MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0 frame they replaced. The cockpit detail is also pretty underwhelming for an MG, and it's hard to avoid the criticism that the overall detail work feels a bit half-hearted. (Which might be exactly why it ended up as a limited release...)

The exterior is 100% new tooling, and the color separation and detail are solid, with a nice chunky volume to it. Honestly, nothing else really matters — just having the Hazel Custom's cool silhouette realized in a big 1/100 scale is enough to get excited about. The overall proportions have that sturdy, beefy, imposing MG feel. The auxiliary actuator unit on the shoulder is articulated, and while it's a bit cramped, the cockpit hatch opening gimmick is also included — so it delivers the kind of feature set you'd expect from an MG. The bulkier exterior does mean the arm and leg articulation takes a slight step back compared to the MG Gundam Mk-II v2.0, but it handles all the basic poses without any trouble. Joint strength overall is quite solid, so it holds a stable standing pose and locks into positions well.

That said, the old-school ball-joint style hips could be a sticking point — but since it's a 2005 frame, there's not much you can do about it. On its own the kit is fine, but given AOZ's nature of piling on additional weapons, that area could start to feel unstable. The hip slide gimmick in particular ends up working against it — the hip joint itself holds up reasonably well, but the slide mechanism tends to be loose, which can make it annoying to dial in a pose.

And since this came out as a limited release rather than a regular retail item, it includes waterslide decals instead of dry transfers or seals. The decals aren't too numerous and are on the larger side, and they look great once applied, so the process is pretty manageable. Just keep in mind that they're not as premium-feeling as Bandai's more recent water slides, so you'll need to factor in that they take quite a while to soak.

Anyway, the sheer fact that the Hazel Custom has been realized in big, beautiful MG-grade form is something to be genuinely excited about, and as long as you're not adding extra weapons, the kit on its own has solid joint strength and is very satisfying. But again — the overall quality is firmly stuck at 2005 levels, so if you're measuring it against the MGs that have come out since the 2010s, there'll be plenty of things to wish were better. If you just go in thinking of it as an MG from 2005, though, it's actually a pretty great kit. :-)

MG Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] | 2017.9 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.