Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

Rear view with the psycho-plates removed

View with half the limb armor removed

The arms and legs do have a frame, but there's no real detail — it's basically just a bare skeleton.

Even though it's an HGUC, it has inner skirt molds just like an MG.

The large crescent-shaped psycho-plates

The psycho-plates separate into 8 pieces in total.

Each psycho-plate has multiple joint parts built in,
so they can be tucked inside or extended outward.

Using the joints, you can also line them up in a row like this.

You can also fold them in half and stack them on top of each other.

If you spread the connection points apart slightly, you can curve them like this.

The eyes and camera-eye parts come in two versions: green and clear.

HGUC Moon Gundam - You can remove the butterfly edge unit stored in the forearm and swap it out for a joint for attaching the

You can remove the butterfly edge unit stored in the forearm and swap it out for a joint for attaching the psycho-plates.

HGUC Moon Gundam - The butterfly edge can either be fixed to the arm with the beam parts inserted, or displayed in a launched

The butterfly edge can either be fixed to the arm with the beam parts inserted, or displayed in a launched/flying-out configuration like the upper right.

HGUC Moon Gundam - The backpack's psycho-plate sub-arms can be used in a poseable form, but fixed-position versions are also

The backpack's psycho-plate sub-arms can be used in a poseable form,
but fixed-position versions are also included for better durability.

Beam rifle and beam tomahawk

A total of 5 hands are included, and they look pretty good.

HGUC Moon Gundam - Vernier open gimmick on the legs. The rear ones open up wide, but the side ones are blocked by the armor s

Vernier open gimmick on the legs.
The rear ones open up wide, but the side ones are blocked by the armor so they don't open as much.

Included stand.

HGUC Moon Gundam - The stand joint parts slot horizontally into the hip joint inside the rear skirt — the hold is incredibly

The stand joint parts slot horizontally into the hip joint inside the rear skirt —
the hold is incredibly solid, so it never falls off the stand.
That said, it's almost too solid, which makes detaching it a bit of a pain. ;;

Dedicated joint parts for displaying the psycho-plates are also included.

Leftover parts

Limb articulation is excellent overall.

There's even a hip slide gimmick that you'd normally only see on MGs.

Using the inner joint, the torso can lean forward quite a bit.

Forward/backward shoulder articulation

There's also a premium gimmick where the knee joint splits and moves independently.

HGUC Moon Gundam - Butterfly edge action (1/3)

Butterfly edge action

Hovering pose

HGUC Moon Gundam - Beam rifle firing pose (1/3)

Beam rifle firing pose

HGUC Moon Gundam - Pose using the psycho-plates like a shield (1/3)

Pose using the psycho-plates like a shield

HGUC Moon Gundam - Beam tomahawk action (1/3)

Beam tomahawk action

Together with the HGUC First Gundam Revive.

Straight build

The Moon Gundam from the Mobile Suit Moon Gundam manga serialized in Gundam Ace has arrived as an HGUC kit. Since the story is firmly set in the Universal Century, it got the HGUC label — though this was a kit that had a lot of negative predictions floating around even before it released.

Just looking at the design, it feels out of place compared to the generally clean and simple UC mobile suits, and the concept itself is basically a hybrid of the Sazabi's body with a Gundam head slapped on. With so many people having a negative view of both the lore and the design, it almost feels like Bandai decided to let the quality do the talking instead.

First off, it's priced at ¥3,000, which is pretty steep for an HGUC — looking at the contents alone, ¥2,400 would feel more appropriate. On the flip side, it does come with premium gimmicks you wouldn't normally find on a standard HGUC, though part of me wonders if they just bumped up the price because they were worried it wouldn't sell well. ^^;

Anyway, setting aside all the controversy, this kit delivers solid quality — great articulation and surprisingly sturdy joint strength. The large crescent-shaped psycho-plates in particular hold their position extremely well. Just looking at it, you'd think it'd have trouble even standing upright, but the body joints are solid and the psycho-plates connect securely, so it actually feels very stable.

The psycho-plates split into 8 pieces, each loaded with various connection joints, so you can assemble them in all sorts of configurations just like LEGO. On top of that, the pieces connect in a two-stage click system — push lightly to get them started, then apply a bit more force and they snap together with a satisfying click — so no matter how you combine them, they hold together firmly. The backpack sub-arms also come in both a poseable and a fixed version, so using the fixed one keeps everything locked in place. The sub-arm's fixing pin even has a flat-sided peg, which prevents the psycho-plates from rotating freely and keeps the angle locked right where you set it.

The whole body is covered in panel lines — almost excessively so for the scale — which means a fair amount of panel lining work, but it does give the kit a nicely detailed look. Color separation is also a step up from a typical HGUC, with the shoulder, leg, and rear skirt verniers all getting their own separate colors. That said, the yellow vernier sections at the tips of the psycho-plates don't even come with seals to cover them, which is a bit disappointing. (This kit includes no seals whatsoever.)

On the gimmick side, there's a hip slide mechanism that you'd normally only see on MGs. It doesn't make as big a difference as you might expect, but it's still worth giving credit for the attempt. There's also a multi-stage knee armor separation gimmick when bending the knee, and even inner skirt molds that most MGs these days skip — given that the price is practically MG-level, it makes sense, but there are quite a few features here that you just don't normally see on an HGUC.

I especially want to give it another round of praise for standing firmly and holding its position even with that awkward-looking backpack loaded on. The stand joint parts lock securely into the hip joint too, making aerial poses easy to pull off from every angle. This is honestly the first kit I've seen that can hold a solid aerial pose while carrying this much bulk on its back.

So, setting aside the divisive design, this kit definitely feels like it's punching above its weight for an HGUC. Personally, the sheer amount of detail almost makes it feel un-HGUC-like, but it's still a package that deserves plenty of praise. Compared to the Gundam Tristan — which came from a similar background and got absolutely roasted — the quality here is on a completely different level.

In the end, whether you buy it will probably come down to whether you like the design, but the quality itself is pretty solid — so if the look appeals to you, it's definitely worth recommending. :-)

HGUC Moon Gundam | 2018.9 | ¥3,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.