Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Various angles (1/6)

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Various angles (2/6)

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Various angles (3/6)

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Various angles (4/6)

Various angles

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Detail shots (1/4)

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Rear view with the cloak removed

Weapons loadout

You can connect 2 of the 3 beam sabers together to use them like a naginata.

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - When attaching the beam saber to the side skirt, it slots onto a fixing pin for a secure h

When attaching the beam saber to the side skirt, it slots onto a fixing pin for a secure hold.

Beam sword mounted on the foot

The close-combat anti-armor blade "Dispater" can be stored on the rear skirt.

Interior detail of the rock shield "Svalrog"

Deployment of the claws on the Svalrog

The heat claw can be extended using a wire.

The beam cloak is attached by disassembling the backpack parts and inserting it in between.

The gimmick of opening the chest armor to fire the needle missiles is reproduced.

Two types of eye stickers are included.

3 beam parts are left over as leftover parts.

The hip joint range of motion is narrower than expected.

Arms and legs spread out to the sides as far as possible

The forward/backward range of motion at the shoulders is also a bit limited.

Waist articulation

Backpack articulation

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Dispater attack pose (1/3)

Dispater attack pose

Pose with chest open firing needle missiles

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Beam sword kick pose (1/3)

Beam sword kick pose

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Beam saber + beam sword attack pose (1/3)

Beam saber + beam sword attack pose

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A - Heat claw launch pose (1/3)

Heat claw launch pose

Together with the HGCE Rising Freedom Gundam.

Straight build

The Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A from the 2024 anime "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom" has been released as an HGCE. Just like the HGCE Rising Freedom Gundam that came out before it, this one skipped the regular HG and went straight to HGCE. It's a mobile suit with a silhouette that's not exactly common in the Gundam universe.

First off, in keeping with the recent trend, polycap-less joints are used here. The overall joint strength is well-tuned — not too stiff, yet stable enough to hold poses. Sure, it's not as smooth as polycap joints, but in the long run it should hold up better without degrading as much. The trade-off is that articulation is slightly below what you might expect, and the hips and shoulders in particular can feel a little restrictive when posing.

As you'd expect from an HGCE-grade kit, the overall color separation is excellent, though a fair number of stickers are still needed. The stickers don't look too out of place, so you can put together a pretty solid straight build + sticker look. The beam cloak on the back is made from PET material, and the front and back surfaces have different textures — one side is glossy and the other is matte. The manual designates the matte surface to face the front of the body.

For weapons, you get the close-combat anti-armor blade "Dispater," the rock shield "Svalrog," three beam sabers, and beam sword parts. The heat claw at the tip of the Svalrog can be extended using a wire to recreate the launch state, and the Dispater can be stored on the rear skirt using an attachment part. On top of that, there's also a chest armor opening gimmick to recreate the needle missile firing scene.

All in all, this is a clean, fresh-feeling HGCE kit. The articulation is a slight letdown, but the joints hold poses solidly. The design might not be everyone's cup of tea, but if the style appeals to you, it's definitely worth recommending. :-)

HGCE Black Knight Squad Shi-ve.A | 2024.2 | ¥2,700

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.