Kit Review

Straight build
+ partial painting + panel lining

Size comparison with the universal standard — a cigarette box

Front and rear close-up shots

Legs

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - The eye area.. is made with a clear part, and you're supposed to slap a shiny sticker on it;; Why

The eye area.. is made with a clear part, and you're supposed to slap a shiny sticker on it;;
Why not just mold it in clear green..
Left side has the sticker applied, right side is painted in clear green.

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - According to the design specs, the eyes and camera section can be either green or red — your choic

According to the design specs, the eyes and camera section can be either green or red — your choice.
There are 2 types of stickers included.

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - Areas with no color separation are covered with stickers.. That white sticker on the magazine area

Areas with no color separation are covered with stickers..
That white sticker on the magazine area.. it shares the same runner as the Ground Type,
and on the Ground Type the molded color was white so there was no problem — but when reusing the runner for Blue Destiny Unit 1, the molded color just doesn't match.

The hands are a bit lacking — only 3 types.. and still just a stingy 2 hand back covers -.,- hmph

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - One odd thing though — only one open action-pose left hand is included. Usually they throw in at l

One odd thing though — only one open action-pose left hand is included.
Usually they throw in at least one normal hand or just include normal parts, so it feels a bit random;
Because of this, the left hand is always stuck in that one pose.

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - The weapons are simple as expected. Just like the Ground Type, the beam saber is drawn from the si

The weapons are simple as expected. Just like the Ground Type, the beam saber is drawn from the side of the shin.

Articulation is identical to Unit 2. Nothing special, nothing bad.

Action pose

Kneeling pose

Beam saber action

Mounted on the Action Base 2, which is made for 1/144 scale.

Action Base 2 seems to have its own value.. compact size and all..

Comparison with Unit 2, which was released before Unit 1

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - The two kits have different color tones. The design is pretty much the same except for a few spots

The two kits have different color tones.
The design is pretty much the same except for a few spots like the shield and head.

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - Together with the HGUC Ground Type Gundam, which you could call its sibling. The basic frame and w

Together with the HGUC Ground Type Gundam, which you could call its sibling.
The basic frame and weapons are borrowed from the Ground Type.

All three siblings together. Now we just need Unit 3..

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 - Straight build shots. With darker-colored kits, the difference between having panel lining and not

Straight build shots. With darker-colored kits, the difference between having panel lining and not is a bit less noticeable.

Blue Destiny Unit 1 has been released following Unit 2 and the Ground Type.
I'm not quite sure why they released them out of numerical order, but
it was always a given that they'd eventually roll out all the way to Unit 3 :-)

Blue Destiny Unit 1 is based on Unit 2's design, with changes to the color scheme and some minor detail tweaks.
The weapons runners are shared with the Ground Type Gundam. So most of the runners are a mix of Ground Type and Unit 2 parts,
with the remainder being a small number of newly added parts specific to Unit 1.

The coloring is, true to its name, in the blue family — and it's a brighter shade of blue compared to Unit 2. The molded colors are pretty decent, and just looking at the color alone, it gives off a softer, more pastel feel than Unit 2 ^^

Since it's based on the Ground Type, there are a few spots that need partial painting, but the color separation is actually better than the Ground Type. Sure, a lot of the design colors are still handled with stickers, but that's kind of the limitation of 1/144 scale.
One thing that's a bit annoying though.. even though clear color molding isn't uncommon in recent HGUC kits, the eye section — which really should have been molded in clear green — is just molded in plain clear, and you're told to stick on a shiny green sticker instead. It gives off this vibe of.. not really caring much about this kit;;
It really wouldn't have been that hard to do.. -.-

In the end I just did a quick clear green paint job on it,
and it definitely looks way better than the sticker. Other than that, just like the Ground Type,
I did a partial paint on the shield's top handle in dark gray.
Whatever else you might say, the eyes are one area where you really need to do something to bring the kit to life..

Both articulation and joint strength are reasonably good, and quality-wise it's naturally on par with the Ground Type and Unit 2 — a solid kit overall. That said, there's still this subtle feeling that the Ground Type variation lineup isn't exactly a top-priority project for Bandai's development team — the quality is fine, but it feels like they didn't put in any extra effort.

Anyway, it's a kit that delivers on the basics, so if you like the look, you won't regret it — and the color is soft and pretty, making it a cute little thing.
Still, ¥1500 does feel just a tiiiny bit steep for what you get.. ^^;

HGUC Blue Destiny Unit 1 | 2007. 7 | ¥1,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.