Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body front and back

Head

Legs

The shield is big and looks great.

Two beam sabers are stored inside the shield.

Six hands in total.

Articulation.
Much better than the old Hyaku-Shiki. ^^;

Firing pose

HGUC Delta Gundam - Poses on Action Base 2 (1/4)

HGUC Delta Gundam - Poses on Action Base 2 (2/4)

Poses on Action Base 2

HGUC Delta Gundam - Beam saber action pose (1/5)

HGUC Delta Gundam - Beam saber action pose (2/5)

HGUC Delta Gundam - Beam saber action pose (3/5)

Beam saber action pose

Transformation

To transform, you need to swap in separate transformation parts like the ones shown above.
Look closely and it's pretty much the same setup as the Delta Plus.

First, disassemble the main body piece by piece...

The rear skirt is also detached just like on the Delta Plus.

Attach the detached backpack and rear skirt to the transformation body.

Detach the shoulders from the arms, then raise the shoulder joints upward.

Attach the arms to the separate transformation shoulders.

Detach the ankles, then swap out the heel section with the transformation version.

Transform the legs as shown above, then plug them into the transformation body.

Spread the wings and plug them into the main body...

Attach the shield and rifle to the underside of the body and the transformation is complete.

Maybe it's because the shield is so large, but the underside looks really clean.

The leftover MS mode parts after transformation.

Waverider mounted on Action Base 2

HGUC Delta Gundam - Views from various angles. Sleek and gorgeous! (1/7)

HGUC Delta Gundam - Views from various angles. Sleek and gorgeous! (2/7)

HGUC Delta Gundam - Views from various angles. Sleek and gorgeous! (3/7)

HGUC Delta Gundam - Views from various angles. Sleek and gorgeous! (4/7)

HGUC Delta Gundam - Views from various angles. Sleek and gorgeous! (5/7)

Various angles.
Sleek and gorgeous!

Leftover parts from the Delta Plus.

HGUC Delta Gundam - Together with the HGUC Hyaku-Shiki. There's a whopping 13-year gap between them, so the quality differenc

Together with the HGUC Hyaku-Shiki.
There's a whopping 13-year gap between them, so the quality difference is pretty significant.

The Delta Gundam's plating also has a richer, deeper color tone.

Together with the HGUC Delta Plus.
They look similar in layout, but the parts are completely different.

Together with the Delta Plus Waverider.

Straight build

The Unicorn anime has brought back a lot of old MS designs, and this time around, the Delta Gundam has surprisingly been released under the UC MSV label. To think that even a unit that only existed in setting documents and a few model examples would get a kit release — I guess we owe the Unicorn series some genuine thanks.

First off, as a plated kit like the Hyaku-Shiki, it comes with under-gates so there are no visible gate marks on the exterior — that's a great touch. The plating quality is also a step up from the HGUC Hyaku-Shiki, with a richer and deeper gold tone that looks evenly applied without any blotchiness.

It may look like a successor to the Hyaku-Shiki in terms of design, but there's a full 13-year gap between this and the HGUC Hyaku-Shiki, and the quality difference is massive. The Delta Gundam shares much of the same body layout as its predecessor, the HGUC Delta Plus, and thanks to the latest engineering and polycaps, it delivers solid joint strength and excellent articulation. While it shares a lot in terms of layout and design with the HGUC Delta Plus, aside from one small runner, everything is made up of brand-new runners.

The transformation system is also nearly identical to the Delta Plus, but maybe because the shield is larger and the body is all shiny, the Waverider mode looks even more polished and impressive. It's got this really sleek, elongated look that makes it the coolest-looking Waverider out there. ^^

There aren't any major complaints, but the large and impressive shield tends to be a bit too heavy and has a habit of falling off the arm. And as with most plated kits, fingerprints show up really badly with even the slightest touch, which is a bit of a hassle. You'll either have to handle it with clean hands, wipe it down with something like a lens cloth as you go, or just put on cotton gloves.

Anyway, this is a kit that almost remained a legend in the lore, and while it's been released under the somewhat awkward "Unicorn MSV" label, the fact that it exists at all is more than welcome. The plating quality is great, the overall build quality is a massive improvement over the HGUC Hyaku-Shiki, and both the transformation system and the Waverider mode look fantastic. The biggest issue with this kit is honestly the price — ¥4,200 is mid-range MG territory, and it's a bit hard to swallow. The HGUC Hyaku-Shiki is only ¥1,500, and the MG Hyaku-Shiki is ¥4,500 — so charging ¥4,200 for an HGUC plated kit feels a little steep. I'm not sure what circumstances led to this unprecedented price hike, but it's probably the hardest-to-justify price I've ever seen for an HGUC kit;;

That said, if you can get past the price barrier, this is a kit with a fantastic design and solid quality that should appeal to both longtime fans and newer ones alike. Since the MG Delta Plus is already out, maybe we can start hoping for an MG Delta Gundam too. :-)
(Though the price is a concern... -_-)

HGUC Delta Gundam | 2012.2 | ¥5,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.