Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Huckebein Mk-II - Various angles (1/6)

HG Huckebein Mk-II - Various angles (2/6)

HG Huckebein Mk-II - Various angles (3/6)

HG Huckebein Mk-II - Various angles (4/6)

Various angles

Detail shots

Weapons loadout

HG Huckebein Mk-II - You can extend the G-Impact Cannon's grip and, when firing, open the crotch cover and inser

You can extend the G-Impact Cannon's grip,
and when firing, open the crotch cover and insert the locking pin to secure it.
Though the pin doesn't hold all that well..

The Photon Rifle's grip is also articulated.

You can pull out the locking pin from the rear skirt to mount the Photon Rifle.

HG Huckebein Mk-II - The Chakram Shooter mounted on the left arm can be deployed, and a separate parts for launc

The Chakram Shooter mounted on the left arm can be deployed, and a separate parts for launching is included.

The beam sabers are stored inside the side skirts.

Two types of hands are included.

Included stand

Excellent limb articulation

Forward/backward shoulder articulation

Waist articulation

Wing binder articulation

Photon Rifle pose

HG Huckebein Mk-II - G-Impact Cannon firing pose. The pose holds well, but it takes a bit of time to get it set

G-Impact Cannon firing pose.
The pose holds well, but it takes a bit of time to get it set up properly..

HG Huckebein Mk-II - Chakram Shooter launching pose (1/3)

Chakram Shooter launching pose

Beam saber pose

Together with the HG Alteisen.

HG Huckebein Mk-II - Together with Kotobukiya's Huckebein Mk-II released in 2006. Visually, the 17-year-old Kotob

Together with Kotobukiya's Huckebein Mk-II released in 2006.
Visually, the 17-year-old Kotobukiya kit still holds its own.

This kit is the Huckebein Mk-II, released as the 4th entry in Bandai's Super Robot Wars HG series. (It used to be called "Hyukeban" in the old days, but the official product name is now fixed as "Huckebein.") It's one of the more popular units in SRW, and it's one of the most iconic designs that really captures Hajime Katoki's design philosophy. Personally, it's a unit I'd always hoped Bandai would release someday.

First off, this is a kit that faithfully delivers Bandai HG-level quality. The distinctive colorful blue-yellow-white color combo is almost perfectly achieved through color separation. The material feel and build quality are smooth as you'd expect from Bandai, and the molded color comes out in a rich, deep navy blue. Articulation is above average, with solid joint strength — it shows an ideal joint design that moves smoothly while locking in stably.

The signature weapons, the Photon Rifle and G-Impact Cannon, are both reproduced without issue, and the gimmick of extending the G-Impact Cannon's grip to brace it against the body is also included. You open the cover at the center of the front skirt and connect it with a locking pin, but the connection is weak, which makes it a bit of a hassle to pull off a proper firing pose. The joint strength is good enough that you can get a decent pose with some fiddling, but it does feel like it takes more effort than it should, which is a slight letdown. On top of that, the Chakram Shooter on the left arm can be deployed and swapped out for a launching parts with a wire attached, and the clear display stand that comes with other mecha kits is also included.

And a comparison with the Kotobukiya Huckebein Mk-II from 2006 is pretty much unavoidable. First of all, joint sturdiness and stability — Bandai wins by a mile, no contest. But pulling it out after all this time and comparing them side by side... visually, the Kotobukiya kit doesn't lose at all, honestly. If anything, it's a bit bigger and the overall proportions feel a bit more Hajime Katoki-esque. The Bandai version has, how do I put it, proportions that look slightly younger (?)... And I think the yellow parts might've actually looked better if they were closer to orange, like on the Kotobukiya version. Of course, that's just talking about looks — in terms of overall build quality and the feel of putting it together, the latest Bandai kit wins hands down, obviously...

Either way, personally I think this is a solid, stable release that's well up to Bandai's standards. Comparing it to the Kotobukiya kit did leave me feeling subtly underwhelmed in some ways, but thinking back to the early joint durability issues with that Kotobukiya kit, this is definitely satisfying. That said, ¥4,500 for what's in the box still feels a bit steep — possibly due to licensing. Going by box size and parts count, it'd be hard to justify going over ¥3,000, so it's more of a kit that satisfies the soul than the wallet. But it's a cool enough unit that you don't need to be an SRW fan to appreciate it, so if the style speaks to you, just go for it without hesitation :-)

HG Huckebein Mk-II | 2023. 3 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.