HG

Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.]

Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] (1/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] (2/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] (3/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] (4/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] (5/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] (6/6)

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Detail shots (1/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Detail shots (2/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Detail shots (3/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Detail shots (4/4)

Detail shots

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The design of the basic weapons has been completely revamped overall.

The design of the basic weapons has been completely revamped overall.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Even the yellow parts of the rifle have been color separated.

Even the yellow parts of the rifle have been color separated.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Inside the shield, two handles are built in at the top and bottom, both articulated.

Inside the shield, two handles are built in at the top and bottom, both articulated.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The beam saber can rotate up and down, and the verniers move in two stages with a wi

The beam saber can rotate up and down, and the verniers move in two stages with a wide range of motion.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Five nicely sculpted hands are included.

Five nicely sculpted hands are included.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - You can choose from two different colors for the eye seals.

You can choose from two different colors for the eye seals.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - One spare wrist joint part is left over.

One spare wrist joint part is left over.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Excellent limb articulation. But if you look closely, the hip joint construction is

Excellent limb articulation.
But if you look closely, the hip joint construction is pretty unique.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The hip joints extend downward in two stages. (1/2) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The hip joints extend downward in two stages. (2/2)

The hip joints extend downward in two stages.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - As shown above, the hip joint section pops out almost completely exposed to the outs

As shown above, the hip joint section pops out almost completely exposed to the outside.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - On top of that, there's an additional joint on the inner thigh that extends and bend

On top of that, there's an additional joint on the inner thigh that extends and bends backward.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The feet articulate in three stages, which actually makes it a bit tricky to get sol

The feet articulate in three stages, which actually makes it a bit tricky to get solid ground contact.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - There's also a unique joint that lets the mid-shin and mid-forearm rotate slightly s HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - There's also a unique joint that lets the mid-shin and mid-forearm rotate slightly s

There's also a unique joint that lets the mid-shin and mid-forearm rotate slightly side to side.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Flexible waist and shoulders. The waist splits into upper and lower sections and swi HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Flexible waist and shoulders. The waist splits into upper and lower sections and swi

Flexible waist and shoulders.
The waist splits into upper and lower sections and swings around freely — just be careful not to pop the joint out when bending it.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The shoulder connection is also two-stage, allowing a bit of forward and backward mo

The shoulder connection is also two-stage, allowing a bit of forward and backward movement.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The forward/backward bend range of the shoulders is actually narrower than you'd exp

The forward/backward bend range of the shoulders is actually narrower than you'd expect.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The wrists snap around freely through a 180-degree range.

The wrists snap around freely through a 180-degree range.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The ankle joints are flexible too, so even with the legs spread wide you can still g HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The ankle joints are flexible too, so even with the legs spread wide you can still g

The ankle joints are flexible too, so even with the legs spread wide you can still get a decent angle.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The legs themselves spread out fully to the front and sides. (1/2) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The legs themselves spread out fully to the front and sides. (2/2)

The legs themselves spread out fully to the front and sides.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The squatting pose is... less natural than you'd expect. Looks like it'd be uncomfor HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The squatting pose is... less natural than you'd expect. Looks like it'd be uncomfor

The squatting pose is... less natural than you'd expect. Looks like it'd be uncomfortable to push.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The bent shape of the hip joints looks a bit awkward, but getting into a kneeling po HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - The bent shape of the hip joints looks a bit awkward, but getting into a kneeling po

The bent shape of the hip joints looks a bit awkward, but
getting into a kneeling pose is super easy.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - A Gundam that can pull off poses like that... holy cow! (1/3) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - A Gundam that can pull off poses like that... holy cow! (2/3) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - A Gundam that can pull off poses like that... holy cow! (3/3)

A Gundam that can pull off poses like that... holy cow!

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Front kick pose (1/2) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Front kick pose (2/2)

Front kick pose

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic ground-level poses (1/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic ground-level poses (2/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic ground-level poses (3/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic ground-level poses (4/4)

Dynamic ground-level poses

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Standard beam saber pose (1/2) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Standard beam saber pose (2/2)

Standard beam saber pose

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Poses using the action base (1/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Poses using the action base (2/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Poses using the action base (3/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Poses using the action base (4/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Poses using the action base (5/6) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Poses using the action base (6/6)

Poses using the action base

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic airborne beam saber poses (1/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic airborne beam saber poses (2/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic airborne beam saber poses (3/4) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Dynamic airborne beam saber poses (4/4)

Dynamic airborne beam saber poses

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Together with the HG 30th Anniversary Gundam.

Together with the HG 30th Anniversary Gundam.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Together with the HGUC First Gundam Revive.

Together with the HGUC First Gundam Revive.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Together with the HGUC First Gundam.

Together with the HGUC First Gundam.

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Straight build (1/2) HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] - Straight build (2/2)

Straight build

In December 2019, the HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] was released to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Gundam. It feels like just yesterday the HG 30th Anniversary Gundam came out, and now it's already the 40th... T_T Time flies.

This 40th anniversary Gundam comes with the subtitle [Industrial Design Ver.] and sports a retro-flavored design. The color scheme and overall look vaguely remind me of the HG Gundam G-Self, and while the general feel is definitely that of the First Gundam, quite a few details have been remodeled into noticeably different forms. The mechanical design was handled by Ken Okuyama, an industrial designer with an impressive automotive career spanning everything from the Porsche 911 to the Enzo Ferrari. Maybe that's why it has a distinctly different feel compared to previous First Gundam iterations, which all tended to look pretty similar to each other no matter how they were tweaked.

As is well known, the main selling point of this 40th anniversary Gundam is "extreme articulation." As you can see from the articulation test shots above, all sorts of clever and never-before-seen gimmicks have been implemented — and thanks to that, you can pull off impressively natural and dynamic poses.

The most eye-catching joints are the hip joints. With the two-stage drop-down gimmick plus an additional joint that pops out from the inner thigh and bends, the legs can move freely in every direction. It seems like the designer went with this unique joint setup in order to keep the skirt armor fixed in place. There's also a gimmick that lets the mid-shin and mid-forearm rotate up to 45 degrees — the range is limited, but it's enough to add a natural twisting feel to the body. Both the fully-extending hip joint and the 45-degree rotation gimmick are approaches I've never seen before.

The waist also splits at the red section — upper and lower — and bends in all directions, while the three-part foot construction lets you achieve natural-looking stances. The shoulders move very naturally up and down as well, though the forward/backward bend range is below average. On top of all that, the wrists snap around freely through a 180-degree range, making this kit an all-time, top-tier articulation showcase overall. Thanks to all of this, you can have a blast pulling off all kinds of wild and dynamic poses.

That said, as impressive as the articulation is, there are a few disappointing points. First, polycaps aren't used, so the feel of the joints is a bit different from the smooth, familiar sensation you might be used to. And with so many moving parts, it can take a little time to dial in a straight standing pose or lock in a specific position. The three-part feet in particular are almost too articulated — ironically, it's strangely hard to get them to sit flat and flush on the ground. The waist joint is flexible, but if you bend it too aggressively it can pop out, and since it's not easy to reattach, you may end up having to disassemble and reassemble the waist entirely. Also, somewhat surprisingly for a modern kit, there's no action base peg hole in the hip area, so you'll need an Action Base with a separate U-shaped support bracket — which is a bit of a hassle.

Finally, the price... Looking at what's actually included, it feels like a ¥1,200–1,400 kit, but with the addition of a fancy special booklet it comes in at ¥3,000. Sure, it's a commemorative release so a slight premium makes sense, but I can't help feeling it would've been better to drop the booklet and sell it for around ¥2,000...

That said, this is an innovative HG First Gundam in many respects, and I think the ¥3,000 price tag is well worth it for that alone. As long as you don't have any strong aversion to the retro design, this is definitely a fun Gunpla that I'd recommend to all Gunpla fans. :-)

HG Gundam G40 [Industrial Design Ver.] | 2019.12 | ¥3,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.