Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers + Panel lining

Size comparison with a cigarette pack
This is a massive Gunpla standing 39cm tall.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Various angles (1/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Various angles (2/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Various angles (3/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Various angles (4/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Various angles (5/7)

Various angles

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Detail shots (1/4)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Rear view with the backpack removed

HGCE Destroy Gundam - The massive backpack. When attaching it to the body, it snaps in with a locking pin, so once it's click

The massive backpack.
When attaching it to the body, it snaps in with a locking pin,
so once it's clicked in, it's hard to separate from the body again — be careful.

There's a partial inner frame structure forming the skeleton.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Detail molding is engraved even in areas that are hard to see. (1/3)

Detail molding is engraved even in areas that are hard to see.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Included are 4 large beam parts, 22 medium beam parts, and 10 small beam parts. Their respective uses a

4 large beam parts,
22 medium beam parts, and 10 small beam parts are included.
Their respective uses are as follows.

Red large beam parts ×4: Beam cannons on the backpack (High-Energy Cannon Aufprall Dreissen)
Green medium beam parts ×20: Beam guns arranged in a ring around the backpack (Thermal Plasma Composite Cannon Nefertem 503)
Green medium beam parts ×2: Beam guns on the forearms (Winged Beam Gun Sturm Faust)
Green small beam parts ×10: Beam guns at the fingertips (MJ-1703 5-barrel Split Beam Gun)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - The forearms can be detached and used as bit weapons, and beam parts can be attached to the fingers and

The forearms can be detached and used as bit weapons, and beam parts can be attached to the fingers and beam guns.

A large stand set is included.

The stand can be configured in two ways — for floating in the air or for standing on the ground.

When displaying it in the air, you can also insert an extra part in the middle to raise it a bit higher.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - There are two stand attachment points on the underside — the one under the backpack is used for standin

There are two stand attachment points on the underside,
the one under the backpack is used for standing mode, and the one at the crotch is used for the airborne pose, both sliding in with an L-shaped lock.
Both hold firmly, so you can get a nice stable display either way.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Befitting a large kit, the waist joint has a locking pin to keep it from popping out — you insert the u

Befitting a large kit, the waist joint has a locking pin to keep it from popping out,
you insert the upper body by rotating it 90 degrees, then rotate it back 90 degrees to lock it in place.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - The ball joints at the wrists and neck also use the same twist-to-lock method — rotate 180 degrees to i

The ball joints at the wrists and neck also use the same twist-to-lock method — rotate 180 degrees to insert, then rotate back to lock.
Thanks to this, the joints don't come apart easily.

4 beam parts are left over as leftover parts.

Articulation is reasonable given the size

The shoulder articulation is more flexible than I expected.

The waist can bend forward too, but the upper body is so heavy you have to be careful.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Each finger is broken up into individual segments, so every knuckle moves. Since there aren't really an

Each finger is broken up into individual segments, so every knuckle moves.
Since there aren't really any weapons to hold, grip strength isn't an issue — but at least the fingers don't pop off as easily as the fully articulated hands from the System Injection line.

The small wings on the backpack are also articulated.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with the forearms deployed as bit weapons (1/4)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with the forearms deployed as bit weapons (2/4)

Pose with the forearms deployed as bit weapons

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with all beam parts fully attached. The impact is incredible, but my 75cm-wide review studio feels

Pose with all beam parts fully attached.
The impact is incredible, but my 75cm-wide review studio feels way too cramped.

TRANSFORMATION

To transform into MA mode, start by pulling the chest armor forward and tucking the head inside.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pull the forearm beam guns outward to release the locking pins, then compress the elbow and wrist to sh

Pull the forearm beam guns outward to release the locking pins,
then compress the elbow and wrist to shorten the arm length.

Now position the arms as shown above.

Release the part that was holding the backpack in place,

HGCE Destroy Gundam - then rotate the backpack to a horizontal position and press down from above so the upper body and arms

then rotate the backpack to a horizontal position and press down from above so the upper body and arms slide underneath the backpack.

Rotate the lower body 180 degrees, then position the legs as shown above.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - At this point, press the locking pin on the inside of the knee to lock the knee joint at its awkward an

At this point, press the locking pin on the inside of the knee to lock the knee joint at its awkward angle.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Finally, detach the beam cannons from the backpack, change the angle of the connector parts as shown ab

Finally, detach the beam cannons from the backpack, change the angle of the connector parts as shown above, and reattach them.
The connector parts have locking pins, so you can lock/unlock the angle just like an Action Base.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Transformed into Mobile Armor mode (1/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Transformed into Mobile Armor mode (2/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Transformed into Mobile Armor mode (3/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Transformed into Mobile Armor mode (4/7)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Transformed into Mobile Armor mode (5/7)

Transformed into Mobile Armor mode

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with beam parts on the beam cannons and forearms detached as bit weapons (1/4)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with beam parts on the beam cannons and forearms detached as bit weapons (2/4)

Pose with beam parts on the beam cannons and forearms detached as bit weapons

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with beam parts also attached to all 20 beam guns surrounding the backpack (1/5)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with beam parts also attached to all 20 beam guns surrounding the backpack (2/5)

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Pose with beam parts also attached to all 20 beam guns surrounding the backpack (3/5)

Pose with beam parts also attached to all 20 beam guns surrounding the backpack

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Comparison shot with the HGCE Freedom & Rising Freedom. The sheer bulk is in a completely different

Comparison shot with the HGCE Freedom & Rising Freedom.
The sheer bulk is in a completely different league from a regular 1/144.

HGCE Destroy Gundam - Alongside the HGUC Psycho Gundam, which used to hold the record for tallest kit. The head height is sli

Alongside the HGUC Psycho Gundam, which used to hold the record for tallest kit.
The head height is slightly lower, but the overall bulk is way bigger.

Even compared to a PG, it dominates in sheer backpack presence.

Straight build

The Destroy Gundam, the massive MS that appeared in Gundam SEED Destiny back in 2005, has finally been released as an HGCE kit. A Gundam standing 56 meters tall — it was absolutely jaw-dropping back in the day. It was even bigger than the HGUC Psycho Gundam, which is already considered something of a novelty kit, so a plastic model release seemed like a pipe dream for a long time. Then it showed up again in the theatrical film "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM," which opened in January 2024, and it finally made its grand entrance — not just as a regular HG, but as a full-on HGCE release.

First off, given the size, it was released at ¥13,000 — PG territory — and the box is about the size of a mid-sized PG as well. That said, the part count isn't enormous by HGCE standards. There is a frame structure for the skeleton, but the detail is simpler compared to MG, RG, or PG kits. On the flip side, the parts are nice and chunky, making assembly easy, and since it's not packed solid inside, it's not as heavy as you'd expect for its size. The finished height comes out to around 39cm, which means you'd need a pretty tall display case to fit it.

Befitting a large kit, the color separation is done really well — you can achieve almost perfect in-show colors with minimal sticker use. Building it feels like assembling massive blocks, and the imposing size and presence once it's finished is genuinely jaw-dropping. Articulation is decent for its size, and the shoulder articulation in particular came out better than expected. The joint strength, which I was most worried about, is thankfully solid.

The joints are tight from head to toe — tight enough that if you hold it by the legs and tilt it sideways, the body stays perfectly rigid. The connection with the included large stand is solid too, allowing for stable airborne poses, and when standing it upright on the ground, there's even a support stand included to prop up the back, so standing poses are stable as well. (In all honesty, the backpack is so big and heavy that standing it upright without the support stand is basically impossible.) The waist, neck, and wrists also use a twist-lock pin connection, so they don't come apart easily. All this attention to parts retention and joint strength really pays off — the stability is very satisfying for a kit this size. The transformation into Mobile Armor mode is also well implemented without being overly complicated. Whether you're adjusting the angle of the four large beam cannons or bending the knee joints to that awkward angle, locking pins are provided for each, so holding poses is no problem.

Another highlight of this kit is the absolutely massive number of beam parts. You can attach a total of 36 beam parts to the beam cannons / beam guns / beam rifles all over its body, so you can even recreate that flashy full-burst firing pose from the anime. That said, this is already a huge kit to begin with, and once you slap all those beam parts on, it takes up an insane amount of space. It completely filled up my review studio, which is over 75cm on each side — so the photo shoot was quite a workout, to say the least.

Bandai occasionally drops these massive, over-the-top kits, and this is their first super-large MS release in a long time since the 2004 HGUC Psycho Gundam. With a 20-year gap between them, the improvement in engineering is remarkable — at least in terms of stability relative to its size, I'd give it a perfect 100 out of 100. Sure, the price tag is up there in PG territory, but if you enjoyed the SEED anime or you're just a fan of big chunky kits, this one should definitely hit the spot. :-)

HGCE Destroy Gundam | 2024.3 | ¥13,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.