Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Various angles

Upper body front and rear detail shots

Inside the massive binders, 9 large verniers are neatly done up with great color separation.

5 panels can be detached from each binder.

The verniers on the backpack and rear skirt also feature color separation.

HGUC Nightingale - Even areas that are barely visible once the kit is finished are packed with dense molded detail. I went ah

Even areas that are barely visible once the kit is finished are packed with dense molded detail.
I went ahead and did panel lining on everything to make the detail pop, but it ended up taking longer than the actual assembly. T_T

The head opens up and the mono-eye can be rotated.

You can open the lower chest armor to reveal the large mega particle cannon.

Main weapons.

HGUC Nightingale - The barrel of the large mega beam rifle has a movable bipod attached — but the thing is too chunky to even

The barrel of the large mega beam rifle has a movable bipod attached.
But it's too chunky to even lie prone, so what's the point...

A variety of beam parts are included.

There are 2 types of beam sabers.

A beam tomahawk is stored inside the shield.

HGUC Nightingale - Beam tomahawk with 3 different beam parts applied (1/3)

Beam tomahawk with 3 different beam parts applied

The beam sabers are stored inside the front skirt, and a movable sub-arm can wield the beam saber directly.

A total of 6 hands are included.

The large propellant tanks at the bottom of the rear skirt are also articulated.

There's a support stand that plugs into the bottom of the rear skirt.

Honestly, it stands up fine even without the support stand.

If you rotate the support stand 90 degrees and slide it in, a pin for connecting an action base is exposed.

HGUC Nightingale - It's recommended to use the hip joint holes as well, securing Action Base 4 at 2 points. The kit is so big

It's recommended to use the hip joint holes as well, securing Action Base 4 at 2 points.
The kit is so big and heavy that you actually need two action bases.

Only 2 leftover parts.

HGUC Nightingale - Limb articulation. The articulation isn't great, but it's a kit where posing doesn't really matter all tha

Limb articulation.
The articulation isn't great, but it's a kit where posing doesn't really matter all that much anyway.

HGUC Nightingale - Knee articulation. The legs aren't designed to straighten out completely — even in a neutral stance they e

Knee articulation.
The legs aren't designed to straighten out completely,
so even in a neutral stance they end up slightly bent. (left)

Foot and shoulder articulation

You can also fold the binders in for a more compact form — a handy gimmick for storage.

HGUC Nightingale - Beam tomahawk pose with binders folded (1/3)

Beam tomahawk pose with binders folded

HGUC Nightingale - Aerial beam tomahawk poses with various beam parts (1/5)

HGUC Nightingale - Aerial beam tomahawk poses with various beam parts (2/5)

HGUC Nightingale - Aerial beam tomahawk poses with various beam parts (3/5)

Aerial beam tomahawk poses with various beam parts

HGUC Nightingale - Aerial shooting pose (1/3)

Aerial shooting pose

HGUC Nightingale - Four-sword action pose utilizing the front skirt sub-arms as well (1/3)

Four-sword action pose utilizing the front skirt sub-arms as well

HGUC Nightingale - Together with the HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam released in 2009. It took 12 years for this pair to finally come toget

Together with the HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam released in 2009.
It took 12 years for this pair to finally come together..

Together with the HGUC Sazabi.

HGUC Nightingale - Together with the RE/100 Nightingale released in 2014. The HGUC came out with a much more squashed(?) body

Together with the RE/100 Nightingale released in 2014.
The HGUC came out with a much more squashed(?) body proportion.
Looking from above, the difference in volume isn't as big as you'd expect.

HGUC Nightingale - Comparison with the RE/100 binder (left). As you can see, the size difference is pretty minimal — looks li

Comparison with the RE/100 binder (left).
As you can see, the size difference is pretty minimal — looks like only about a 10% difference?

HGUC Nightingale - Compared to the RE/100's binder verniers which always looked a bit underwhelming, the HGUC's verniers are

Compared to the RE/100's binder verniers which always looked a bit underwhelming, the HGUC's verniers are much larger and beefier.

HGUC Nightingale - Even comparing with the RE/100 shield (left).. the size difference isn't as big as you'd think. Which is a

Even comparing with the RE/100 shield (left).. the size difference isn't as big as you'd think.
Which is another way of saying the HGUC Nightingale's shield is absolutely massive for a 1/144 scale kit. (You'll be shocked when you build it)

The mega beam rifle at least shows a size difference that clearly matches the scale difference.

Straight build

The Nightingale has finally been released as an HGUC kit. It's been 12 years since the HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam — its partner unit — came out, and 7 years since the RE/100, and now it's finally here as an HGUC. It comes in a box similar in size to the RE/100 but even thicker, yet the price is actually ¥1,000 cheaper at ¥7,000.

First off, it shows off the meticulous detail and precise color separation you'd expect from an HGUC kit. The overwhelming presence and sheer volume you feel once it's finished really makes you want to shout "This is the Nightingale!" The articulation isn't great due to the design, but the joints hold up well without any polycaps, giving it solid stability. The massive binders in particular lock in very securely, which is a relief. There's also a support stand you can attach to the bottom of the rear skirt, though it can stand upright just fine without it. That said, if you're leaving it displayed for a long time, it might gradually lean backward, so using the stand is probably the safer bet.

As bonus gimmicks, you get a head open/close feature with mono-eye rotation, and a chest mega particle cannon opening gimmick. The sub-arms inside the front skirt can be deployed to wield beam sabers, allowing for a four-sword pose. The sub-arm's hold is a little iffy, but it seems sturdy enough to support one beam saber. On top of that, the large propellant tanks at the bottom of the rear skirt are also articulated, and there's a binder-folding gimmick that comes in handy for storage.

Thanks to the design's massive volume, even a simple pose looks incredibly dynamic — but the kit is so big and heavy that getting it airborne on a single action base is really tough. If you rotate the rear skirt support stand and add the extra attachment point, you can use two action bases to get it off the ground. The manual recommends using two Action Base 4 stands, and if you connect and secure the base plates together, you can get a pretty stable aerial display going.

Compared to the RE/100 Nightingale from 2014, this one is far more stable — the RE/100 was so big and heavy it could barely support itself. Part of that is down to the smaller body, but it's also because the HGUC has much more carefully thought-out engineering, as you'd expect. If you look closely at the comparison photos, the size difference from the RE/100 isn't actually that dramatic. The binders in particular feel almost the same size as the RE/100's, and the shield is surprisingly large for an HGUC kit too. In the end, it takes up just as much display space as the RE/100, and holds its own in terms of presence.

The body proportions are where it really differs from the RE/100 — the HGUC has a much more squashed lower body, with the skirt practically touching the ground. Funnily enough, the HGUC actually feels closer to the Nightingale we know than the RE/100 does. There's also a big difference in the binder verniers, and in pretty much every way the HGUC feels like the more refined and premium release.

So if you were disappointed by the underwhelming RE/100 Nightingale, I'd strongly encourage you to give the HGUC Nightingale a shot. It's bigger than you'd expect, packed with volume, and rock solid — a reminder once again that MG and HGUC are the major lineups that Bandai really puts their best effort into. :-)

HGUC Nightingale | 2021.7 | ¥7,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.