Kit Review

Straight build

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version

Extra Finish RX-78

Upper body close-up. The plating is at a decent, stable level.

The back is particularly bad... lots of gate marks showing.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Looking from above, you can see gate marks around the head and sh

Looking from above, you can see gate marks around the head and shoulders.
Maybe it's because it's a plated parts version, but the seam lines are way too visible too, huh? ^^;

The shield's plating is surprisingly smooth and beautiful.

The gate marks on the ankle guards are seriously bad ^^;

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version (1/3)

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version (2/3)

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version (3/3)

Action pose

Compared to the normal version HGUC RX-78

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Compared to the normal version Core Fighter. The Core Fighter doe

Compared to the normal version Core Fighter. The Core Fighter does have the Extra Finish plating too, but...
The color separation is so poor you can barely tell.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Together with the MG RX-78 v1.0 plated parts version. Overall qua

Together with the MG RX-78 v1.0 plated parts version.
Overall quality and finish, the later HGUC Extra Finish version is definitely better.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Together with the Zeta/Mk-II Extra Finish versions. The RX-78 Ext

Together with the Zeta/Mk-II Extra Finish versions. The RX-78 Extra Finish version is a limited release rather than part of the regular lineup, but...
Still, it's the original main character, so it's good that an Extra Finish version came out one way or another.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Befitting the main character, it comes in all sorts of color vari

Befitting the main character, it comes in all sorts of color variants and even a clear version.

The Gundam Trailer Truck with Extra Finish plating.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version (1/2)

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version (2/2)

The color tone is really smooth and beautiful.

Even the underside has that soft, pearly sheen...

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Check out the wheels. The plating went on unevenly, but that actu

Check out the wheels. The plating went on unevenly, but that actually ended up making it look more realistic;;
The tire part got a nice even black coating, while the wheel part has patchy coverage that ended up looking like a two-tone finish.
Plated parts versions often have uneven coating thickness on heavily curved areas...
But thanks to that manufacturing difficulty, the wheels ended up with a strange reverse effect where they actually look more realistic. ;;;

Anyway, the trailer's plating looks way better than the RX-78's.

Together with the normal version EX Gundam Trailer Truck.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Comparing the undersides, you can really see the difference in th

Comparing the undersides, you can really see the difference in that smooth, pearly feel.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Stacking them side by side, you can easily see how the plating ch

Stacking them side by side, you can easily see how the plating changed the look of the wheels.

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Either way, it's a unique plated version that combines kits from

Either way, it's a unique plated version that combines kits from two different product lines.

Gundam, standing on the earth

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version - Just a heads up — if you jump out of bed in the morning without p

Just a heads up — if you jump out of bed in the morning without properly supporting yourself with your arms, you can hurt your back.
A lot of disc patients actually first develop their condition getting out of bed in the morning!
Take it slow, everyone. Be careful.

A rather unique limited kit was released at the 2005 Caravan Hobby Show.
Its name is "HGUC RX-78 Gundam + EX Model Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version"
(quite a mouthful) Just as the name says, this kit combines the HGUC First Gundam and the EX Model Gundam Trailer Truck — two kits from completely different product lines — and applies Extra Finish plating to both. The EX Model Gundam Trailer Truck was originally developed as an accessory kit designed to be compatible with the HGUC First (though it'd work with the FG too, of course;;), so these two kits go together really naturally.

In the wake of the Zeta theatrical films, kits like the Zeta, Mk-II, and Marasai had all gotten Extra Finish plated versions — so for the original main character, the First Gundam, to not have one was probably a bit of a blow to its pride. So while it ended up being a limited release rather than part of the regular lineup, at least it finally came out in some form.

The Extra Finish plating on the First is solid enough, but since it's a fairly early HGUC release... the seam lines are noticeably visible and there are relatively more gate marks showing, which is a downside. Maybe that's why the RX-78 Extra Finish version honestly doesn't give me that big of a thrill. It feels a bit weaker compared to the somewhat dark metallic Mk-II Extra Finish, or the Zeta Extra Finish where gate marks are barely visible at all.

On the flip side, the real highlight of this kit seems to be the Extra Finish Gundam Trailer Truck. In the regular EX Model release it felt like just a nicely detailed accessory with decent color separation, but going Extra Finish bumped it up several notches in terms of luxury feel. The plating is applied evenly and with a beautiful pearly sheen overall, giving it just the right amount of gloss and elegance.

Especially the wheels... this is actually a case where one of the typical weak points of plated kits — curved surfaces and steep angles — ended up working in its favor. Normally when the surface is this uneven, the coating comes out patchy and it looks pretty bad, but on this kit's wheels, the tires ended up coated in black while the wheel rims got an uneven hyper-metallic finish — and somehow that actually makes it look more realistic. That's probably why this trailer in particular gives off the best "wow" feeling of any Extra Finish plated kit I've seen.

Thinking about the original prices, the standard HGUC First + EX Model would run you 1,000 + 3,000 = 4,000 yen, and the Extra Finish version is priced at just 5,000 yen — only 1,000 yen more — which is actually a decent deal in its own way. Sure, that original price already reflects the EX Model line's characteristically steep pricing, but either way it softens the blow a bit. The catch, of course, is that since this is a limited release with no chance of a reprint, nobody knows what the price will climb to down the road... ^^;

Anyway, the combination of a decent but unremarkable First Extra Finish version (still the main character though!) and a top-tier Gundam Trailer Extra Finish version is a success. A kit like this could easily have had broad mainstream appeal — it's a shame it wasn't released as a regular lineup item instead of a limited edition. :-)

HGUC Gundam + Gundam Trailer Truck ~ Extra Finish Version
2005 (Caravan Hobby 2005 Limited)
¥5,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.