Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

Half the armor removed

It has its own internal frame structure, and the armor is layered on top of it.

HG Gipsy Avenger - As a bonus, you get an open right hand, a Chain Sword, a Plasma Caster, and a Gravity Sl

As a bonus, you get an open right hand, a Chain Sword, a Plasma Caster, and a Gravity Sling forearm.

Limb articulation is excellent.

Waist range of motion

The shoulders can also come forward a little.

HG Gipsy Avenger - The armor on top of the shoulder folds away, allowing the arm to be raised out to the si

The armor on top of the shoulder folds away, allowing the arm to be raised out to the side like this.

A kneeling pose is pulled off with no trouble at all.

HG Gipsy Avenger - Plasma Caster action (1/3)

Plasma Caster action

HG Gipsy Avenger - Gravity Sling action (1/3)

Gravity Sling action

HG Gipsy Avenger - Chain Sword action (1/3)

Chain Sword action

Remove the cover on the rear end and you'll find a hole for attaching a display stand.

HG Gipsy Avenger - Aerial action poses (1/4)

HG Gipsy Avenger - Aerial action poses (2/4)

Aerial action poses

In March 2018, Bandai released a lineup of HG Jaegers to coincide with the theatrical release of Pacific Rim: Uprising. First up is Gipsy Avenger, the main unit of the film. It came in two versions — a standard release and a DX version that includes a display stand and LED — and this is a review of the standard version.

First off, it's released under the HG grade, and size-wise it falls somewhere between a typical MG and HG. Despite not being a particularly large scale, the level of detail is impressively high. The build process isn't quite a full inner frame, but a good portion of the torso and limbs do have a frame structure underneath with armor layered on top. The assembly feel is smooth and satisfying, just what you'd expect from Bandai.

In terms of articulation and joint strength, this thing is a clear A+ in quality. Fully bending limbs, a flexible waist, and solid joint strength throughout make this one of the best action figure-style model kits out there. The armor structure is fairly complex, so you might worry about parts staying in place — but nothing falls off during posing, which is great.

As a bonus, three swappable forearm weapons are included: a Chain Sword, a Gravity Sling, and a Plasma Caster, letting you recreate all kinds of action poses from the film. You also get an open right hand, and the sculpt on it is really nice. There's also a surprisingly large number of seals included — they're a bit fiddly to apply given how small they are, but once they're all on, the result looks fantastic.

All in all, Gipsy Avenger is exactly what you'd expect from Bandai — top-tier quality with nothing to complain about. Whether or not you enjoyed the movie, this is a great kit I'd recommend to anyone who's into mecha action model kits. :-)

HG Gipsy Avenger | 2018.5 | ¥1,900

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.