Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body with impressive color separation

Head

Arms and the shoulder vulcans on the back of the shoulders

The shoulder vulcans can also be folded forward like that.

Back section

Legs

The head is molded in one solid piece, nice and clean.

The front skirt is designed so you can cut it yourself to make it individually articulated.

Hologram stickers on the wings with a brilliant shimmer

HGAW Gundam X - The underside without the hologram sticker applied has a bumpy, textured surface — a thoughtful touch for tho

The underside without the hologram sticker applied has a bumpy, textured surface —
a thoughtful touch for those aliens who want to paint it.
The hologram sticker quality is excellent, shimmering brilliantly like a checkerboard.

HGAW Gundam X - The Shield Buster Rifle is supposed to have an opening/closing shield section on top, but.. it just comes wit

The Shield Buster Rifle is supposed to have an opening/closing shield section on top, but..
it just comes with separate fixed-form shield mode / rifle mode pieces instead.

In rifle mode, the barrel and scope sections are articulated.

The front section and handle of the Satellite Cannon are also articulated.

HGAW Gundam X - The Satellite Cannon can be mounted on the center of the back, and pulling out the handle on the rear lets yo

The Satellite Cannon can be mounted on the center of the back,
and pulling out the handle on the rear lets you use it as a large beam sword.

HGAW Gundam X - The highlight of this kit is definitely the wing open.. (1/4)

HGAW Gundam X - The highlight of this kit is definitely the wing open.. (2/4)

The highlight of this kit is definitely the wing open..

HGAW Gundam X - The hologram stickers show a variety of colors and shimmer depending on the viewing angle and the direction o

The hologram stickers show a variety of colors and shimmer depending on the viewing angle
and the direction of light.

The articulation looks pretty ordinary at first glance.

The shoulders move incredibly smoothly up/down and forward/back.

The hip rotation gimmick that's become standard on recent HGUC kits is included here too.

The ankles are extremely flexible, giving it excellent ground contact.

HGAW Gundam X - Sword-drawing pose (1/3)

Sword-drawing pose

Natural arm angle

Such a natural pose for the legs and feet..

HGAW Gundam X - Large beam sword action (1/4)

HGAW Gundam X - Large beam sword action (2/4)

Large beam sword action

HGAW Gundam X - Shooting pose. The pose looks natural. (1/4)

HGAW Gundam X - Shooting pose. The pose looks natural. (2/4)

Shooting pose. The pose looks natural.

Hovering mode.

HGAW Gundam X - Satellite Cannon firing pose. (1/5)

HGAW Gundam X - Satellite Cannon firing pose. (2/5)

HGAW Gundam X - Satellite Cannon firing pose. (3/5)

Satellite Cannon firing pose.

HGAW Gundam X - Alongside the HG 30th Anniversary First as a size reference. Its design height is 17.1 meters, so it's a bit

Alongside the HG 30th Anniversary First as a size reference.
Its design height is 17.1 meters, so it's a bit smaller.

Straight build

With the Reverse Char series — once called the last card — wrapped up, and the HGUC lineup having carried on through the new Unicorn series, things have now changed. Bandai apparently decided that UC alone just couldn't fill the lineup anymore, and chose to bring non-UC series into the HGUC fold. Gundams from non-UC series like Gundam X, G, and W are now launching in 1/144 scale under designations like HGAW and HGFC. These kits could have been categorized under a separate lineup, but by continuing the HGUC numbering, mechs from essentially all series have been brought together under one HG lineup category.

This is a significant change in a number of ways.. The most important point is that previously released non-UC 1/144 kits are going to be reborn at HGUC quality levels. Since HGUC has maintained a somewhat higher quality standard than other HG lines, this is essentially Bandai saying that all future upgraded versions of older HG kits will be remodeled to HGUC-tier standards.

The first out of the gate is Gundam X, released under the title HGAW (After War). Continuing the HGUC numbering, it becomes the 109th kit in the HGUC/AW line.

My impression after actually building the kit is.. that it came out at a much higher quality than I expected. It goes beyond not just existing HG kits, but even the HGUC standard — it really feels like something "upgraded" by a whole level. I suppose since this is a non-UC unit without as strong a following, it seems like it was developed with the determination to win people over purely on quality.

First off, the color separation is excellent for the scale, and the overall proportions came out much slimmer compared to previous HGUC kits. It's almost MG-style proportions — the legs do feel a bit long — but overall it shows a refined style that's rare to see at the 1/144 level, and the difference from the old kit is immediately obvious.

The biggest thrill with this kit seems to be the element of "feel of articulation." The satisfying snap of parts fitting together is a given, and solid joint strength is a given too.. but there's something different about the feel when you move the joints and strike a pose. The articulation isn't exceptionally wide-ranging, yet any pose you put it in looks natural, and there's this strange sensation where moving the joints feels both flexible and tightly locked at the same time.

Put simply, it's like handling a ball-jointed doll — the whole body moves fluidly, poses are easy to set, and they hold easily too. The ankle and shoulder joints in particular are remarkably flexible, making it a real joy to create action poses. You could almost call it the birth of a true action figure. It's a kit that makes you reach for the unusual term "feel of articulation" because the tactile sensation of moving it around is just that good..

And the light-collecting panels on the wings — which gather energy for the Satellite Cannon firing — are provided as hologram stickers, and the quality is outstanding, showing a variety of colors and shimmer like a chameleon depending on the viewing angle. On top of that, it faithfully delivers the standard armaments too, like the shoulder vulcans, the shield/rifle modes of the Shield Buster Rifle, and the large beam sword — it almost feels like a small MG..

Anyway, this kit shows what the absolute best quality looks like when you squeeze everything out of the small 1/144 scale, and it makes the 30th Anniversary HG Gundam that came out not long ago look a little underwhelming by comparison. Even accounting for differences in style and concept.. the quality gap feels pretty large for two Gundams released around the same time. Of course, I mean that Gundam X is far superior in terms of quality.

To sum up, Bandai's strategy of upgrading quality to bring non-UC units into the HGUC-tier lineup feels like a reasonable success. Setting aside any personal interest in or attachment to the unit, the quality here is high enough that it's hard for anyone to find fault with the kit itself. If anything, I get the feeling that HGAW may have deliberately lifted the restrictions that were intentionally placed on the existing HGUC lineup to differentiate it from MG. In a way, that kind of high-quality strategy may have been the only way to make the new non-UC HGs a success.

Ultimately, quality at this level seems more than enough to build excitement for the non-UC HGs yet to come. Even if you don't have any particular feelings about Gundam X one way or the other, this is a top-tier kit that anyone can have a genuinely good time building. :-)

HGAW Gundam X | 2010.4 | ¥2,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.