Kit Review

Straight build

This kit is a reissue compilation of four vintage L-Gaim kits.

1. AUGE

Auge: size comparison with a cigarette pack

1/144 Auge

Several types of power launchers are included.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - The power launchers are supposed to be arranged inside the round binder as shown, but there

The power launchers are supposed to be arranged inside the round binder as shown,
but there are no real attachment points, so you'll have to eyeball it and glue them in.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - Old-school articulation on the arms and legs. The hip joints move freely, but the knees are

Old-school articulation on the arms and legs.
The hip joints move freely, but the knees are pretty stiff.

The shoulders can swing forward and backward.

The large shoulder binders can be spread outward.

Action pose.

2. BAT-SUE

Buster: size comparison with a cigarette pack

1/144 Buster (Full Armor mode)

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - You can swap the backpack and forearm parts to switch between normal and Full Armor modes. T

You can swap the backpack and forearm parts to switch between normal and Full Armor modes.
The left side shows the normal parts, and the right side shows the Full Armor parts.

The Full Armor backpack has a gimmick where both sides can slide out or retract.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - When building it in normal mode, you have to cover the forearm holes with small cover parts,

When building it in normal mode, you have to cover the forearm holes with small cover parts, but they don't hold on very well and tend to fall off.

Normal mode.
The backpack is simplified and the forearm weapons are removed.

The included buster launcher.
The tripod is not articulated and doesn't move.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - The buster launcher connects to the body via three rubber pipes. These pipes are way too sti

The buster launcher connects to the body via three rubber pipes.
These pipes are way too stiff and don't bend easily, which makes it really hard to position the buster launcher freely.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - Old-school articulation on the arms and legs. Just like the Auge, the hip joints swivel arou

Old-school articulation on the arms and legs.
Just like the Auge, the hip joints swivel around freely, but the knees are stiff.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - The other A-Class Heavy Metals all had a forward/backward swing gimmick in the shoulders, bu

The other A-Class Heavy Metals all had a forward/backward swing gimmick in the shoulders, but Buster is the only one that doesn't.

The binders on the back of the thighs move quite freely.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - The wrists don't rotate — they only tilt slightly forward and backward, which makes it hard

The wrists don't rotate — they only tilt slightly forward and backward, which makes it hard to grip weapons freely.

Normal mode action poses

Full Armor mode action poses.

3. G.ROON

Groun: size comparison with a cigarette pack

1/144 Groun

A long spear is included as a weapon.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - Arm and leg articulation. The knees bend a bit more than the other kits, at least.

Limb articulation.
The knees bend a bit more than the other kits, at least.

There's also a forward/backward swing gimmick in the shoulders.

The shoulder binders can also be lowered downward.

It has a unique joint structure where the wrists can only bend sharply inward.

Action pose

4. ASHURA TEMPLE

Ashura Temple: size comparison with a cigarette pack

1/144 Ashura Temple

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - You can use two small prop parts to display the chest cover in an open position (glued, of c

You can use two small prop parts to display the chest cover in an open position (glued, of course).
Four props are included, so two end up as leftover parts.

Along with an open hand, a middle-finger hand is also included — and its purpose is...

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - Not actually for flipping off enemies (-_-;;) — it's a pin for securing the circus binder in

Not actually for flipping off enemies (-_-;;) — it's a pin for securing the circus binder in front of the fist.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - Arm and leg articulation. The front skirt severely limits the hip joint range of motion comp

Limb articulation.
The front skirt severely limits the hip joint range of motion compared to the other kits, and the knees are still stiff as ever.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - There's a forward/backward swing gimmick in the shoulders too, but the range is narrow becau

There's a forward/backward swing gimmick in the shoulders too, but the range is narrow because the shoulder armor gets in the way.

There's a unique gimmick where only the forearm frame separates and bends inward.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - The circus binder can be positioned freely by extending the sub-arm, but there's a risk of t

The circus binder can be positioned freely by extending the sub-arm,
but there's a risk of the joint loosening if you move it too often.

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - Action pose (1/4)

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set - Action pose (2/4)

Action pose

In March 2021, the L-Gaim plastic model series made a comeback after a long hiatus with the release of the 1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set. It includes four kits — 1/144 Auge, Buster, Groun, and Ashura Temple — all of which are reissues of kits originally released between 1984 and 1985, and the quality is very much on par with early vintage Gunpla.

First of all, given when these were made, all the kits require glue assembly with no snap-fit whatsoever. Just think of it as needing to glue down pretty much every single part from head to toe. If you've only ever built snap-fit kits, the assembly process might be a bit of a shock.

The joint structure is also very much 1984-era, so by today's standards the articulation is extremely limited. The knees in particular barely bend on any of them — likely because rubber pipes are stuffed into the knee joints, which restricts movement even further. That's probably just the limit of what the technology could do back then, though the design choices didn't help either. The ankles and elbows are equally old-school compared to modern Gunpla, so pulling off dynamic poses without modifying the joints is pretty tough. At least the joint strength is solid, but since there are no polycaps, repeated posing could cause them to loosen over time.

That said, when these kits first came out, the generous use of rubber pipes and wiring gave them a surprisingly sensational sense of realism. The armor and joint parts were also molded in different colors, resulting in better color separation than you might expect. Back in 1984, many Gunpla kits were still molded in a single color, so these stood out quite a bit.

Anyway, for old-school fans with fond memories of L-Gaim, just having these reissued is probably enough to get emotional. And even though they're vintage kits, getting four sizable kits for only ¥3500 is fantastic value. On top of that, if you're planning to build an Auge V Mactomin using an HG Auge as the base, you'll definitely need parts from this kit.

On the flip side, it's hard to recommend these to newcomers who are just discovering L-Gaim for the first time. If you approach them purely by modern standards without any attachment to the mechs or characters, you might find yourself pretty bewildered. Still, the contents are generous for the price, so if you want to experience what building plastic models felt like back in the day, it's not a bad choice at all. These old kits have their own kind of rustic charm, you know. :-)

1/144 A-Class Heavy Metal Set | 2021.3 | ¥3,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.