Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

HG Gundam G-Arcane - The anti-ship beam rifle comes with two separate pieces — a rifle form and a large beam sw

The anti-ship beam rifle comes with two separate pieces — a rifle form and a large beam sword form.

You also get a beam wire and a beam saber.

Arm articulation is just so-so, but the legs fold up completely.

Anti-ship beam rifle firing pose

Anti-ship beam rifle firing pose 2
You can hold it one-handed, but it's so big it just doesn't look right..

HG Gundam G-Arcane - Here it is in beam sword form. It's way too big to really call a sword, so it's meant to b

Here it is in beam sword form.
It's way too big to really call a sword, so it's meant to be used two-handed from the start.

Small beam saber action

Beam wire action

Transformation

To transform, first separate the parts as shown above.

The head rotates 180 degrees, and the chin can be raised 90 degrees.

Open the two-stage folding cover on the back and bring it down toward the head.

Viewed from below, you can see the head tucks in nicely like that.

Fold the legs up completely as shown above, then...

Attach the upper body and legs to the separate flight mode parts (in red).

Detach the extra booster on the rear and unfold it completely, then

HG Gundam G-Arcane - Attach it to the top, mount the anti-ship beam rifle and shield on both sides, and the tra

Attach it to the top, mount the anti-ship beam rifle and shield on both sides, and the transformation is done.

Top and bottom views after transformation

HG Gundam G-Arcane - Mounted on Action Base 2 (1/4)

HG Gundam G-Arcane - Mounted on Action Base 2 (2/4)

Mounted on Action Base 2

Together with the HG Grimoire / Montero.

The fourth HG kit from Gundam Reconguista in G is the G-Arcane. It's the MS piloted by Aida Surugan of the pirate forces in the original series, and it's capable of transforming into a flight form.

Like the previous kits in the line, it has a feel that's somehow different from the usual Bandai HG lineup, which gives it a refreshing quality. It makes good use of the new polycaps, so articulation and joint strength are solid, and the crisp assembly feel is nice and clean. That said, the wide booster parts attached to the rear do tend to pop off during posing..

As for the included weapons, you get a massive anti-ship beam rifle. It's originally designed to switch between rifle mode and sword mode, but rather than providing a transformation gimmick, they've gone ahead and made two completely separate pieces — one in rifle form and one in sword form. Personally, I think that's cleaner and better than a half-baked transformation. ^^ You also get a beam saber, beam wire, shield, and more.

The transformation process is closer to the ReZEL style than the Zeta style — it's a simple transformation where you basically fold the knees 180 degrees and lean the body forward. True to HG standards, rather than a full transformation, it uses separate transformation parts with a detach-and-combine approach, which has the advantage of keeping everything nice and secure in flight form.

Anyway, true to being a new series, the bold designs that break away from traditional Gundam aesthetics continue — though compared to a chubby unit like the Grimoire, this one at least looks a bit more like something that belongs in a Gundam show. The base quality is more than satisfying, so if you're a fan of Gundam Reconguista in G or just like the look of it, this is an HG transforming kit well worth picking up :-)

HG Gundam G-Arcane | 2014.11 | ¥1,600

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.