Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HGUC Efreet Schneid - Detail shots (1/4)

HGUC Efreet Schneid - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

14 heat darts for mounting and 2 beam effect heat darts are included.

The base body with all the heat darts removed

There's one extra bazooka grip hand included, but only for the right hand.

You can open the head hatch and rotate the mono-eye.

Arm articulation is pretty average, but leg articulation is excellent.

The shoulder's forward/backward and up/down movement gimmick is impressive.

HGUC Efreet Schneid - Heat dart action (1/3)

Heat dart action

Heat dart aerial pose

HGUC Efreet Schneid - Bazooka action (1/4)

HGUC Efreet Schneid - Bazooka action (2/4)

Bazooka action

Together with the HGUC Unicorn Gundam.

Together with the HGUC Sturm Gallus.

Together with the RE/100 Efreet Custom.

Straight build

The Efreet Schneid from Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Missing Link has been released as an HGUC kit. This unit previously came out as a web exclusive as a variation of the RE/100 Efreet Custom. With the HGUC release, it's the other way around — the Efreet Schneid is the standard retail release, while the Efreet Custom is planned as the web exclusive.

First off, this is the first time the Efreet has been kitted in 1/144 scale, and the design features 14 heat darts plastered all over the body. The handles and blade portions of the heat darts have separate color separation, so the straight build looks quite striking. That said, the verniers on the feet, forearms, and backpack are done with stickers, and the shapes make them really hard to apply cleanly — the result looks pretty jarring. It feels like an odd imbalance in how the color scheme is reproduced.

Basic joint strength is solid, so there's no real frustration when posing. The new shoulder joint structure in particular is quite flexible, with a wide range of motion both up/down and forward/backward. Elbow articulation is around 90 degrees, which is a bit on the average side, but the legs fold up completely, making lower body poses nice and stable. Oddly enough, the rotating mono-eye is loose and tends to spin around on its own, which is a bit of an annoyance.

The heat darts that attach all over the body have decent retention and don't fall off easily. The two heat darts that attach to the rear skirt do tend to come loose when you grab the body and move the limbs around, just due to where they're positioned. (Of course, you can just be careful about it...)

Overall the build quality is clean, but things like the jarring vernier stickers and the loose mono-eye give it a slightly unfinished feel. That said, this kit is significant as the first-ever 1/144 scale Efreet, and it's definitely worth recommending as a fun build. :-)

HGUC Efreet Schneid | 2017.7 | ¥2,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.