Kit Review

Straight build + light panel lining + stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

The basic weapon loadout is the same as before.

The bazooka and shield can be mounted on the back.

The inner mold of the shield is pretty much the same as the previous version.

A total of 5 hands are included.

There's actually something of an inner frame structure on the inside of the arms.

HGUC Gundam - You can attach a silver foil sticker behind the eyes, then paint the area around the yellow clear parts

You can attach a silver foil sticker behind the eyes, then paint the area around the yellow clear parts black to create a light-reflection effect.
If that sounds like too much trouble, you can just slap on the eye stickers as-is, like on the right.

Articulation is exactly what you'd expect — full bend!

HGUC Gundam - Similar to the Guncannon, a ball-joint waist connection that pivots horizontally inside the torso has be

Similar to the Guncannon, a ball-joint waist connection that pivots horizontally inside the torso has been used,
allowing the upper body to lean forward quite a bit.

HGUC Gundam - Whoa — check out how high those shoulders can go! They rotated the polycap's range of motion 90 degrees

Whoa — check out how high those shoulders can go!
They rotated the polycap's range of motion 90 degrees to pull off that kind of shoulder articulation.

Natural draw pose

HGUC Gundam - Kneeling beam saber pose. Great pose~~ (1/4)

HGUC Gundam - Kneeling beam saber pose. Great pose~~ (2/4)

Kneeling beam saber pose.
Great pose~~

HGUC Gundam - That pose that really shows off the shoulder articulation on the Revive version.. (1/3)

That pose that really shows off the shoulder articulation on the Revive version..

HGUC Gundam - Box art-style beam rifle firing pose (1/3)

Box art-style beam rifle firing pose

HGUC Gundam - Two-handed firing pose (1/3)

Two-handed firing pose

HGUC Gundam - With articulation this good, poses like that are totally doable. (1/4)

HGUC Gundam - With articulation this good, poses like that are totally doable. (2/4)

With articulation this good, poses like that are totally doable.

Bazooka action

HGUC Gundam - Dynamic beam saber attack pose. This kit poses absolutely brilliantly @_@ (1/4)

HGUC Gundam - Dynamic beam saber attack pose. This kit poses absolutely brilliantly @_@ (2/4)

Dynamic beam saber attack pose.
This kit poses absolutely brilliantly @_@

HGUC Gundam - Alongside the HGUC First from 14 years ago. The Revive version has slimmed down overall, giving it a mor

Alongside the HGUC First from 14 years ago.
The Revive version has slimmed down overall, giving it a more refined look proportionally.

Straight build

The second HGUC Revive kit is the eternal protagonist, the First Gundam. The First has gone through multiple version upgrades in the MG line, and now it's finally gotten an HGUC upgrade after a whopping 14 years. There was an HG First released to commemorate the Odaiba Gundam a while back, but that felt more like a spin-off than a proper version upgrade.

Compared to the HGUC First from 14 years ago, this one comes with a noticeably slimmer, leaner set of proportions — like it went on a diet from head to toe. Looking at photos I thought it might be a bit overdone, but once I actually built it, it has a refined and clean look to it. The white molded color has just a very slight hint of a cool, jade-ish tint, while the blue and red come through in nice, vivid colors.

The highlight of the First Revive version is definitely the articulation. It's on a completely different level compared to the previous HGUC or HG First kits. Not only do the arms and legs bend fully, but the polycap position for the shoulders has been changed so the shoulders themselves can raise up about 90 degrees — a totally new gimmick. And like the Guncannon, the waist joint connects to the front interior of the torso via a ball joint, letting the upper body lean forward quite a bit too. Thanks to all these joints being implemented at such a high level, you can pull off all kinds of dynamic poses that were just impossible with the old First — this kit has genuinely been reborn as something really fun to pose ^^

The weapon loadout doesn't feel drastically different from before, though one upgrade worth noting is that the scope section of the beam rifle now has proper color separation. And while it's a small thing, the shield feels more securely attached, and the beam saber handles — which used to pop off the backpack all the time — are now held in place quite firmly.

All in all, this is an HGUC First that's been upgraded to near-perfection in just about every way. Aside from personal taste on the proportions, there's really nothing to complain about. This is the kind of kit every Gunpla fan should build at least once — it's essentially the definitive 1/144 First Gundam. A true gem of a kit :-)

HGUC Gundam | 2015.7 | ¥1,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.