Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining

The universal standard for size comparison — the cigarette pack.

The long rifle is just ridiculously long.

Close-up of the upper half. Quite a handsome kit, isn't it.

The G-Defenser. Small, but the detail is really impressive.

Nicely enough, it even has this kind of feature like the MG..

G-Flyer mode

This is less of a transformation mode and more of a transport (?) mode..

Comparison with the MG Super Gundam

HGUC Super Gundam - Size comparison with the MG G-Defenser. The HGUC version is a bit smaller and more compact — and cuter fo

Size comparison with the MG G-Defenser. The HGUC version is a bit smaller and more compact — and cuter for it. ^^

RX-178 Gundam Mk. II AEUG Version

HGUC Super Gundam - The HGUC Super Gundam kit is essentially the existing AEUG-colored Gundam Mk. II kit with the G-Defenser

The HGUC Super Gundam kit is essentially the existing AEUG-colored Gundam Mk. II kit with the G-Defenser added in.
Let's take a closer look at just the AEUG Gundam Mk. II on its own.

Action poses. Great posability as always~

Excellent leg articulation. (Though the pose is a bit... -.-;)

Together with the MG Gundam Mk. II AEUG version

Together with the HGUC RX-78. The Mk. II is canonically a bit taller.

Together with the HGUC AEUG crew

HGUC Super Gundam - Together with the HGUC Gundam Mk. II Titans version. These two are completely identical — only the molded

Together with the HGUC Gundam Mk. II Titans version. These two are completely identical — only the molded colors differ.
(In the original anime, the setting was literally just a color swap too.)

Straight build photos before panel lining. Looks a bit bare, doesn't it.

Straight build rear view.

Following the HGUC Gundam Mk. II Titans version, it was released not as the AEUG version but as the Super Gundam. The Super Gundam is essentially the Gundam Mk. II AEUG version + the G-Defenser. So this kit takes the runners from the previously released Titans version Mk. II, reuses them with a different molded color, and adds the G-Defenser runners on top.

At first glance, it might seem like just one little aircraft was added, and you might think the price jumping from ¥1000 to ¥2000 over the Mk. II alone is a bit steep — but I'd say the G-Defenser is well worth that extra ¥1000. Just looking at the parts count and runner volume alone it feels like a ¥1000 kit, and on top of that the quality and detail are excellent. The MG version has slightly better detail, but overall the HGUC G-Defenser feels better in terms of the overall impression and sturdiness.

The base unit, the AEUG version Gundam Mk. II, shows a remarkably high level of quality — just like the Titans version. Great detail, excellent articulation, and joints that are nice and stiff so they hold poses well... The fact that there's absolutely no looseness in the joints, meaning it stands perfectly upright even with the heavy G-Defenser mounted on its back, is really something to praise. With the MG Super Gundam, attaching the G-Defenser makes the Mk. II go all floppy and nearly impossible to pose — but the HGUC Gundam Mk. II stays rock solid and sturdy with the G-Defenser attached, holding together firmly. No matter where you grab it or how you move it, the whole body feels tight and doesn't fall apart.

That said, there are probably plenty of people who'd rather just have the plain AEUG version Gundam Mk. II over the Super Gundam. You might think you don't really need the G-Defenser — but once you actually build it, the G-Defenser turns out to be pretty darn cool. It's got a lot of parts and is quite intricate too. The Super Gundam, which takes an already well-regarded Mk. II kit and bundles in a high-quality G-Defenser, definitely deserves a spot among the most recommended, top-quality kits in the HGUC lineup. ^^

HGUC Super Gundam | 2002.11 | ¥2,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.