Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Gundam Mk-II - Body, feet, and shield parts molded with multiple colors in a single piece using System Insert technology (

Body, feet, and shield parts molded with multiple colors in a single piece using System Insert technology

It uses the same one-piece molded joint frame as the HG First Gundam.

For actual assembly, you separate the joint frames at the torso, neck, and arms before working on them.

One-piece molded joint frames built into the arms and legs

Frame articulation

One-piece molded joint parts that insert into the torso

Weapons loadout

HG Gundam Mk-II - The beam rifle's foregrip is articulated. The HG First had it fixed in place, so this is a nice little impr

The beam rifle's foregrip is articulated.
The HG First had it fixed in place, so this is a nice little improvement.

Interior of the shield

Attaching the vulcan pod

HG Gundam Mk-II - Even at 1/144 scale, the cockpit hatch opens up and down! Though the hinge mechanism is a bit flimsy and te

Even at 1/144 scale, the cockpit hatch opens up and down!
Though the hinge mechanism is a bit flimsy and tends to wobble.

Four hand parts are included, though the proportions feel a bit old-school.

HG Gundam Mk-II - Limb articulation is actually worse than the HG First Gundam. The knee bend angle in particular is way too

Limb articulation is actually worse than the HG First Gundam.
The knee bend angle in particular is way too narrow.

HG Gundam Mk-II - Like the HG First Gundam, the ball-jointed hips allow for lateral rotation, but the range of motion is much

Like the HG First Gundam, the ball-jointed hips allow for lateral rotation, but the range of motion is much narrower.
On the plus side, the joint strength isn't quite as bad...

The beam saber holders on the backpack can move slightly.

HG Gundam Mk-II - Action poses. The poor articulation makes it hard to pull off any dynamic poses. (1/6)

HG Gundam Mk-II - Action poses. The poor articulation makes it hard to pull off any dynamic poses. (2/6)

HG Gundam Mk-II - Action poses. The poor articulation makes it hard to pull off any dynamic poses. (3/6)

HG Gundam Mk-II - Action poses. The poor articulation makes it hard to pull off any dynamic poses. (4/6)

HG Gundam Mk-II - Action poses. The poor articulation makes it hard to pull off any dynamic poses. (5/6)

HG Gundam Mk-II - Action poses. The poor articulation makes it hard to pull off any dynamic poses. (6/6)

Action pose.
The poor articulation makes it hard to pull off any dynamic poses.

Alongside the 1985 1/144 Gundam Mk-II.

Alongside the 2002 HGUC Gundam Mk-II.

HG Gundam Mk-II - The evolution of the official 1/144 Gundam Mk-II, as seen through a comparison of the 1/144, HG, HGUC, and

The evolution of the official 1/144 Gundam Mk-II, as seen through a comparison of the 1/144, HG, HGUC, and HGUC Revive releases.

HG Gundam Mk-II - Alongside its predecessor, the HG First Gundam. The narrower hip range of motion makes the leg proportions

Alongside its predecessor, the HG First Gundam.
The narrower hip range of motion makes the leg proportions look worse than on the First.

* This kit is one of the original four HG releases from 1990, but the review was uploaded in January 2021. I had bought and built these kits back in the early '90s myself, but since I'd painted and modified them, I wasn't able to review them. I eventually managed to track down an unopened kit and reviewed it as a straight build, so please keep that in mind.^^

This kit is the HG Gundam Mk-II, one of the very first HG series releases from 1990. It uses the same one-piece molded joint frame that was introduced in its predecessor, the HG First Gundam, and similarly uses System Insert technology to combine multiple molded colors into a single part. System Insert is used even more extensively here than on the First, particularly in the leg sections.

Thanks to that, a pretty solid level of color accuracy is achievable even as a straight build. Notably, despite being 1/144 scale, it even has a cockpit hatch-opening gimmick that the HGUC doesn't have. The hinge is a bit loose and wobbly, but it's still impressive that they managed to squeeze a feature like that into such a small-scale kit back in the day.

Since the articulation frame is the same, the movement characteristics are similar to the HG First — but the knee range of motion is even more restricted here because the armor gets in the way. Also, unlike the HG First which used ball-jointed hips to achieve a more natural leg spread, the hip range of motion here is so narrow that the legs basically have to point straight forward, giving it a more old-school, stiff look. On the upside, the hips are now locked in more firmly, so the joint strength is at least a little less worrying than on the HG First.

So compared to the groundbreaking upgrade that was the HG First, this HG left a bit to be desired. In terms of proportions and overall appearance, it almost feels like the 1985 1/144 Gundam Mk-II with just some color separation and articulation added on. The legs in particular are stuck pointing almost straight forward, forcing it into a stiff, at-attention stance — I actually remember modifying the hips the first time I built it back then to get the legs to spread out naturally. (You can easily increase the range of motion by widening the hip socket holes on the inner thighs a bit.)

Anyway, by today's standards it looks like little more than an old 1/144 kit with a bit more color on it, but it was actually quite a sensation when it came out. There's not much point in judging a hard-to-find old kit by modern quality standards — it's better to just appreciate it as a product of a transitional period in Gunpla history. :-)

HG Gundam Mk-II | 1990.7 | ¥1,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.