Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body front / rear

A unique mobile suit sporting a total of 5 mono-eyes across its head and shoulders.

Leg section

A pretty solid weapons loadout.

A total of 5 hands are included,
and the detail and shape differ from what you'd find in other kits.

Despite being a transforming kit, the articulation is surprisingly good.

HGUC Hambrabi - Fedayeen Rifle action poses. This rifle is the same weapon included with the Gabthley / Marasai Unicorn versi

Fedayeen Rifle action poses.
This rifle is the same weapon included with the Gabthley / Marasai Unicorn version.

HGUC Hambrabi - Mounted on Action Base 2. (1/3)

Mounted on Action Base 2.

HGUC Hambrabi - Combined poses with the beam saber and wire weapon Umi-He-bi.. a.k.a. the Sea Snake. (1/4)

HGUC Hambrabi - Combined poses with the beam saber and wire weapon Umi-He-bi.. a.k.a. the Sea Snake. (2/4)

Combined poses with the beam saber and wire weapon Umi-He-bi.. a.k.a. the Sea Snake.

HGUC Hambrabi - You can also plug a beam part into the tip of the beam rifle. (1/3)

You can also plug a beam part into the tip of the beam rifle.

Transformation

First, lower the claws on the forearms and fold both arms forward as shown.

HGUC Hambrabi - Fold the front feet in and pull the ankle section slightly forward, and the structure on the shin side will p

Fold the front feet in and pull the ankle section slightly forward, and the structure on the shin side will pop out in tandem.

HGUC Hambrabi - Bend the knees 180 degrees backward, then fully extend the tail that was folded in two sections — transformat

Bend the knees 180 degrees backward,
then fully extend the tail that was folded in two sections — transformation complete. Really simple!

A dedicated joint part is included for displaying the mobile armor mode.

HGUC Hambrabi - Mobile armor mode from various angles. (Lookin' like a stingray~ ) (1/8)

HGUC Hambrabi - Mobile armor mode from various angles. (Lookin' like a stingray~ ) (2/8)

HGUC Hambrabi - Mobile armor mode from various angles. (Lookin' like a stingray~ ) (3/8)

HGUC Hambrabi - Mobile armor mode from various angles. (Lookin' like a stingray~ ) (4/8)

HGUC Hambrabi - Mobile armor mode from various angles. (Lookin' like a stingray~ ) (5/8)

HGUC Hambrabi - Mobile armor mode from various angles. (Lookin' like a stingray~ ) (6/8)

Mobile armor mode from various angles.
(Lookin' like a stingray~ )

Underside view.

A simple transformation, but the body construction is pretty solid.

Together with the HGUC Zeta Gundam.
It's on the shorter side for a Zeta-era mobile suit..

Together with the Titans crew.

Straight build

The HGUC Hambrabi has arrived — a welcome release for old-school fans! The name is derived from "Hammurabi," famous for being the earliest known written legal code, but the correct in-universe name is "Hambrabi," which causes quite a bit of confusion. ^^; The so-called Unicorn magic has brought a lot of classic suits into the HGUC lineup over the years, but the Hambrabi is one of those rare cases that managed to get the treatment on its own merits (?) rather than riding the Unicorn coattails. Its reappearance in the Zeta Gundam theatrical films probably had something to do with it, and who knows — it might even show up in the Unicorn anime before long.

For starters, this feels like a kit they put some real care into — maybe because it's been a while since an original classic got dug up and re-released — and just looking at the runners after opening the box, you can already tell something's different. Bandai has been gradually scaling back their system injection approach, so every colored runner is molded separately here. Excluding the polycaps, you get a total of 8 different colored runners, and honestly, just seeing that colorful spread of runners is enough to put a smile on your face.

The build process itself is interesting too, with some fairly unique gimmicks throughout, and it has that satisfying, clean feel you'd expect from a new release. Since it's a transforming kit, joint strength and articulation are naturally a concern — but it actually exceeds expectations, with excellent limb-folding articulation and solid, stable joints. The transformation itself is very straightforward by design — basically just fold the arms forward and the legs backward, and that's pretty much it. As a result, the transformation is super easy and the lock-up isn't bad at all, and the distinctive space stingray silhouette comes through really well.

Personally, if I had to pick the most impressive thing about the HGUC Hambrabi kit, it'd be the molded colors. On top of the excellent color separation, the blue tones come out beautifully, and the straight build alone already looks fantastic. It could've easily ended up looking cheap and toy-like, but thankfully the colors came out clean and smooth with almost no swirl marks.

The weapons are well-represented too — alongside the Fedayeen Rifle, you also get a beam saber and the Sea Snake, which is even reproduced with its wire cable. The Fedayeen Rifle reuses the runner from the recently released HGUC Marasai Unicorn version, which itself was also included in the earlier HGUC Gabthley. The Sea Snake was likewise included with the HGUC Marasai Unicorn version — and some folks actually predicted the Hambrabi might be coming when they saw the Sea Snake bundled with the Unicorn Marasai, since the Sea Snake is originally a Hambrabi weapon. And sure enough, that prediction turned out to be right. ^^;

Overall, this kit easily earns an A+ — proportions, molded colors, color separation, articulation, joint strength, transformation gimmick, weapons reproduction — there's really nothing to complain about. If you're an old-school fan, this is a must-buy, no questions asked. And even if you're newer to the hobby, as long as you don't mind the quirky space stingray design, this is a top-quality HGUC that comes highly recommended. :-)

HGUC Hambrabi | 2012.8 | ¥1,900

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.