Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Detail shots (1/4)

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Articulation is great.

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Buster Rifle action (1/3)

Buster Rifle action

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Wings spread flight pose (1/3)

Wings spread flight pose

The Buster Rifle can also be mounted on the side of the waist.

Buster Rifle stowed

Transformation

First, remove the center chest piece and the head..

After spreading the wings, raise the upper body 90 degrees upward and straighten it out.

Lower the nose cover forward, then rotate the waist 180 degrees.

Bend the arms and legs at the joints as shown above, then

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Attach the chest cover you removed earlier to the underside, then mount the Buster Rifles on both fo

Attach the chest cover you removed earlier to the underside,
then mount the Buster Rifles on both forearms — transformation complete.

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Transformed into Fighter Mode (1/5)

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Transformed into Fighter Mode (2/5)

HGAW Gundam Airmasters - Transformed into Fighter Mode (3/5)

Transformed into Fighter Mode

Together with the HGAW Gundam X.

The main Gundams from Gundam X have been released as HGAW kits, and now one of the supporting Gundams(?) — Gundam Airmasters — has also gotten a release on par with HGUC. The basic construction and polycaps are the same as your typical non-Universal Century HG Gundams, and it's come out as a modern kit with some really neat parts separation on the wings. ^^

The overall quality is clean and polished as you'd expect from a modern release. Among the non-UC HGs using the new polycap system, there were some that had shoulders that popped off easily (Wing Gundam being the prime example), but thankfully Airmasters has a nice tight shoulder polycap fit so that's not an issue here. The articulation on both the arms and legs is excellent — basically full bend range — though since the only weapon is the Buster Rifle, the variety of poses you can actually pull off is surprisingly limited.

The transformation into Fighter Mode follows a very straightforward Wing Gundam-style process, and after a hassle-free transformation the result holds together solidly, so it's definitely worth giving the transformation a try without any stress. Other than that, it's a pretty no-frills, straightforward kit.

All in all, it's come out as a clean new release with decent color separation, sturdy yet flexible joints, and a smooth transformation process. The issue is the mobile suit's recognition factor — being a side mecha from an already unpopular series, demand is bound to be limited. That said, if you're a Gundam X fan, this is probably a kit you're just grateful exists at all. :-)

HGAW Gundam Airmasters | 2014.7 | ¥1,900

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.