Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Detail shots

It's back-heavy, so it's easier to let the tail rest on the ground for support.

FF unit armor removed

The inner frame — Odysseus Gundam

A total of 5 hands are included.

The standard fixed MG-style stand is included in the box.

Only 1 leftover part.

The articulation on the Odysseus Gundam's arms and legs is excellent.

HGUC Penelope - There's a gimmick where the shoulder armor rises upward so it doesn't get in the way when you lift the arm ou

There's a gimmick where the shoulder armor rises upward so it doesn't get in the way when you lift the arm out to the side.

The hip joint only rotates horizontally,
but the stand mounting hole is nice and large.

You can fold down the top section of the composite unit on the arm to expose the mega particle cannon.

HGUC Penelope - Odysseus Gundam action poses (1/4)

HGUC Penelope - Odysseus Gundam action poses (2/4)

Odysseus Gundam action poses

< FF (Fixed Flight) Unit >

Unfold the main frame of the separated FF armor as shown above, combine it, and then

plug in the 2 separate support parts at the bottom.

After attaching the shoulder armor to the sides and the feet at the bottom

attach the leg structure to the back and the combination is complete.

HGUC Penelope - FF (Fixed Flight) unit from various angles (1/7)

HGUC Penelope - FF (Fixed Flight) unit from various angles (2/7)

HGUC Penelope - FF (Fixed Flight) unit from various angles (3/7)

HGUC Penelope - FF (Fixed Flight) unit from various angles (4/7)

HGUC Penelope - FF (Fixed Flight) unit from various angles (5/7)

FF (Fixed Flight) unit from various angles

Underside

The FF unit and Odysseus Gundam can be configured completely separately.

< Penelope>

When combining the FF unit as armor to form Penelope,
you need to swap out the Odysseus Gundam's hip parts for the wider version (left) to get that wide-stance look.

The side support legs fold down to help bear the bulk, but it doesn't feel like it makes a huge difference.

To attach the front armor, you need to pull out the fixing pin at the crotch section.

HGUC Penelope - The head antenna can fold and unfold for smooth combination, and the shoulders get pulled out wide to the sid

The head antenna can fold and unfold for smooth combination,
and the shoulders get pulled out wide to the sides.

HGUC Penelope - In Penelope mode, you can swap the chest armor for the duct piece, and slide the shoulder cover upward to exp

In Penelope mode, you can swap the chest armor for the duct piece,
and slide the shoulder cover upward to expose the duct.

HGUC Penelope - Penelope action poses. The inner frame has great articulation, but the large, heavy, and cumbersome armor lim

Penelope action poses.
The inner frame has great articulation, but the large, heavy, and cumbersome armor limits the range of poses you can pull off.

< Flight Form >

To convert Penelope into flight form,
first fold the head antenna and move the rear nose section to the front.

Raise the front skirt and extend the tail, then point the arms and legs toward the back.

At this point, you can lock the rearward-facing legs to the back structure to set the angle.

HGUC Penelope - Flight form from various angles (1/7)

HGUC Penelope - Flight form from various angles (2/7)

HGUC Penelope - Flight form from various angles (3/7)

HGUC Penelope - Flight form from various angles (4/7)

HGUC Penelope - Flight form from various angles (5/7)

Flight form from various angles

Alongside the HGUC First Gundam.
It's hard to believe they're both 1/144 scale;;;.

HGUC Penelope - Size comparison between the Odysseus Gundam and the MG First Gundam v2.0. Even just the inner frame is bigger

Size comparison between the Odysseus Gundam and the MG First Gundam v2.0.
Even just the inner frame is bigger than most MGs.

Straight build

Penelope has finally gotten an HGUC release after a long silence on the injection plastic model front. Penelope is the mobile suit from "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash," the novel by Gundam's father Tomino Yoshiyuki, and given its complex design and the divisive reception of the source material, a model kit had seemed like a distant dream. But with the "Hathaway's Flash" anime set to premiere in 2020, it's made its proud debut as an HGUC kit.^^

First off, it comes in a massive box at ¥6800 — very un-HGUC-like pricing. The box is actually larger in both width and height than your typical large-box kit in the ¥4000+ range. The contents are equally generous — the suit's design specs put the head height at 26 meters and overall height approaching 32 meters, so even at 1/144 scale it ends up bigger than most MGs. As you can see in the comparison photos above, even just the inner frame is larger than the MG First, and in full Penelope armor configuration, it puts most MGs to shame in terms of sheer volume.

Penelope consists of the Odysseus Gundam as the inner frame and the FF (Fixed Flight) unit. The design concept of breaking down the FF unit and combining it with the Odysseus Gundam has been reproduced almost perfectly. You can also convert it from Penelope mode into flight form, making this pretty much a complete package in every sense.

The color separation is also at a high level, so the design colors come through well with only a minimal number of seals needed. The wide white armor surfaces have panel lines worked in at appropriate intervals. That said, without panel lining it can look a bit washed out — in my case, the white areas were so large that I went with a gray panel lining pen for a subtle effect. (So many people complain about heavy panel lines these days... I only do it so the details read clearly... T_T)

In terms of articulation, the Odysseus Gundam inner frame shows excellent limb bend — easily A-grade. In Penelope mode, though, the complex armor makes it tough to pull off really dynamic poses. No polycaps are used in the joints, and they feel slightly stiff, so the inner frame's stability is no issue at all. In Penelope mode, however, the armor is just so large and heavy that it inevitably shows some instability. The hip ball joints are particularly worrying, but you can get it to stand upright well enough by intentionally letting the rear tail touch the ground as a support.

That's why an MG-style stand is included in the box — the stand pin and hip mounting hole are both generously sized, so the connection to the stand is very solid. That said, the kit is so large and heavy that if you don't balance the center of gravity carefully, it can lean to one side or even topple over. You might want to use an Action Base for more secure support, but the stand mounting hole size is so different that you'd probably need some modification to make it work.

Looking at the transformation and combination process — assembling the separated armor into the FF unit is relatively straightforward and the fit is solid enough. Combining it with the Odysseus Gundam into full Penelope form is a bit more precarious, though. The body's joint strength is borderline, so if you handle it too much, parts like the front skirt tend to pop off. Still, considering the size and weight, the connection holds up reasonably well all things considered.

And while I did say the color separation is well done, the molded colors themselves may be a bit divisive. The white — which covers the largest surface area — has a slightly retro feel compared to recent Gunpla releases. Both the material texture and the color tone... honestly, when you see it in person, it feels similar to the white on older Gunpla kits. It doesn't seem like a technical or material limitation — it looks very much like an intentional color choice — but still...

To sum it up, the sheer bulk and volume that puts MGs to shame, along with the color separation and the transformation/combination functionality, all came out better than expected. The somewhat shaky joint strength and the old-school feel of the molded colors and parts layout are a bit disappointing though. Even the assembly feel is like building a Gunpla from about 15 years ago. In many ways, this kit gives off a similar vibe to the MG Deep Striker — for those who've been waiting for it, just the fact that it exists at all is something to be grateful for. It feels like the fulfillment of a long-held wish for old-school fans. :-)

HGUC Penelope | 2019.10 | ¥7,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.