Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The joints are really solid, so you can get great poses with just a little bit of weight balancing.

Upper body

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - The head. The unit name is laser-engraved on the forehead. It's an option you'd usually only see on some M

Head.
The unit name is laser-engraved on the forehead.
It's an option you'd usually only see on some MG kits, so this is quite a luxurious HGUC.

Fin funnels.

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Arms and weapons (1/3)

Arms and weapons

Legs

True to the Nu lineage, it comes with a pretty solid variety of weapons.

The fin funnels are a bit surprising though — only 2 out of 6 are articulated, and the other 4 are fixed.

The articulated fin funnels faithfully deliver the basic gimmick.

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - The fixed fin funnels come out as solid single pieces with two funnels molded together in a folded positio

The fixed fin funnels come out as solid single pieces with two funnels molded together in a folded position.
You'd think they could've just repeated a single fin funnel part six times... it's a bit puzzling why they went this route.

Just like the MG, the oddly-colored shield is cleanly handled with great color separation. Nice!

The back side detail of the shield is pretty impressive too.

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - The bazooka and rifle have great detail, but the color separation is basically non-existent... At the very

The bazooka and rifle have great detail, but the color separation is basically non-existent...
At the very least, the bazooka body is supposed to be white — it's a shame they didn't just mold it in white.

Beam saber.

Even though it's an HGUC, the weapon handles have pegs to lock into the palms of the hands.

Great articulation!
It's almost on par with the MG.

The front skirts are cut down the middle so each side can move independently.

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - It's a shame that only the top fin funnel is articulated... and on top of that, the funnels barely move up

It's a shame that only the top fin funnel is articulated...
And on top of that, the funnels barely move up and down at all.

Beam saber storage bay recreation

Action pose

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Bazooka action (1/3)

Bazooka action

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Drawing pose. Fairly natural. (1/3)

Drawing pose. Fairly natural.

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Double beam saber action (1/3)

Double beam saber action

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Bazooka action using Action Base 2 (1/4)

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Bazooka action using Action Base 2 (2/4)

Bazooka action using Action Base 2

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Beam rifle action. The fin funnels make it look absolutely badass... (1/4)

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam - Beam rifle action. The fin funnels make it look absolutely badass... (2/4)

Beam rifle action.
The fin funnels make it look absolutely badass...

Beam saber action.

Comparison with the MG Hi-Nu Gundam.
The HGUC's molded colors are brighter.

Comparison with its sister kits(?) the Nu Gundam/HWS.
The Hi-Nu is noticeably smaller.

Following the MG, the Hi-Nu Gundam has now been released as an HGUC as well.
It used to be a unit you could only get as a resin kit for the hardcore crowd, despite having such a cool design —
but now you can build it in a variety of scales and grades.

Color separation is one of the key things about the Hi-Nu, and at least as far as the main body goes, it's on par with the MG — the straight build alone already shows off a really vibrant color scheme. The shield in particular, split the same way as the MG, is honestly kind of impressive. That said, the rifle and bazooka have zero color separation considered, which is relatively disappointing. At the very least, it would've been nice if the bazooka had the white body and dark gunmetal magazine separated...

Articulation is also right up there with the MG — everything folds and bends nicely, and the upgraded polycaps mean the joints are solid throughout with no looseness anywhere. Due to the design, the center of gravity sits pretty far back, but if you just shift the legs back a little, it stands stably without any issues.

In terms of detail and proportions, the proportions actually feel slightly more balanced than the MG. In particular, unlike the MG Hi-Nu which had a somewhat awkward face, the HGUC Hi-Nu's head sculpt came out really well — arguably better than the MG. As for detail, the panel line density is surprisingly fine for an HGUC, almost rivaling the MG. Overall, it honestly feels like it might have the edge over the MG...

The biggest disappointment with the HGUC Hi-Nu is the fin funnels. As you can see in the photos, only 2 out of 6 fin funnels are articulated, while the other 4 are fixed in pairs. They don't open, extend, or detach — they're basically just decorations. At first I thought it might be a durability concern, but after building it, that doesn't seem to be the case. It looks more like it was done to cut production costs and simplify things. Ironically, it seems like it would actually cost more to add separate fixed-type parts rather than just repeating the same single fin funnel assembly six times — so the deliberate simplification here is honestly a bit hard to understand.

Overall, it feels like a textbook example of a solid, clean modern HGUC kit — but looking at the lack of color separation on the weapons and the fin funnel situation, it does clearly show the limits of the HGUC line. It's like there's an unspoken rule: "we can do it, but we're not going to cross into MG territory." Leaves you wanting just a little more.

That said, if you're a Hi-Nu fan and the design speaks to you, the kit quality itself is more than good enough — so I'd recommend it without hesitation. :-)

HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam | 2009.6 | ¥2,400

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.