Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining

Gundam G3

Upper body & head close-up

Shield and legs. The yellow cross on the shield is handled with a sticker.

Fully armed look

Nothing particularly special about the G3 Core Fighter...

Action poses~

Bazooka action

Beam saber action

Together with the HGUC First.

Together with the MG Gundam G3. The color concepts are similar, but the HGUC version is a touch brighter.

HGUC - The G3 has already been released once before as an HGUC limited edition. Comparing it to the G3 included in the G3 &a

The G3 has already been released once before as an HGUC limited edition.
Comparing it to the G3 included in the G3 & Pink Zeong set — a C3 limited release from 2002 —
this newly released G3 has a more realistic color scheme.

The old limited edition G3 was just too bright it seems... though it was a bit more vibrant in its own way.

HGUC - The limited edition G3 (left) has the yellow cross on the shield done via runner color separation rather than a stick

The limited edition G3 (left) has the yellow cross on the shield done via runner color separation rather than a sticker.
Unlike the bonus edition which uses a sticker, you can tell the limited edition is different in its own way.

Char's Rick-Dom

Upper body and head close-up

Legs and hands

Back section

Action pose

Being a space-use unit, it pairs really well with an Action Base stand

Draw!

Heat saber action poses

HGUC - Comparison with the HGUC Dom. The HGUC Dom can be converted into a Rick Dom, but this kit only includes Rick Dom part

Comparison with the HGUC Dom.
The HGUC Dom can be converted into a Rick Dom, but this kit only includes Rick Dom parts.

HGUC - Comparison with the MG Char's Rick Dom. The Char color scheme from back in the MG days is definitely in that dodgy-sa

Comparison with the MG Char's Rick Dom.
The Char color scheme from back in the MG days is definitely in that dodgy-sausage territory... it was fine at the time though ^_^;

HGUC - A collection of HGUC Char's custom units. There's a big difference between the molded color of the Char's Rick Dom in

A collection of HGUC Char's custom units.
There's a big difference between the molded color of the Char's Rick Dom in this kit and the molded colors of the older Char's custom units.

HGUC - On the other hand, the molded color is very close to the Char's Z'Gok included in the recently released HGUC amphibio

On the other hand, the molded color is very close to the Char's Z'Gok included in the recently released HGUC amphibious MS set.

Joint action poses

Let's fight!!!!!

Straight build

Out of nowhere and for no particular reason, a bonus-edition combo set of the HGUC G3 Gundam + Char's Rick Dom has been released. As is typical with bonus editions, it's the same kit as before with just the molded colors changed and some extra stickers thrown in. Since only the mass-production version of the HGUC Dom had been released, I always figured a Char's custom version would come out eventually — but instead of getting its own proper numbered release, it ended up in this kind of bonus-edition combo pack. (Has Char's status taken a hit?!)

In the case of the Gundam G3, it had already been released back in 2002 as a C3 limited edition. As you can see in the comparison photos above, the color difference is pretty significant — the G3 in this combo pack seems closer to the official color settings. The old limited edition G3 had a bright and soft look to its molded colors, but it was just too light to really feel like a G3.

The Char's Rick Dom, unlike the old HGUC mass-production Dom/Rick Dom kit that could be converted between the two, is a kit made exclusively as a Rick Dom. That means the Dom's foot soles and verniers are not included this time around. The molded color of Char's Rick Dom follows the style of the more recent MG Zaku 2.0 Char's custom — a matte, subtle, and refined sausage (-_-) color. As you can see in the comparison shots above, it has a softer, more refined look compared to the older MG Char's Rick Dom and other earlier HGUC Char's custom kits.

Anyway, since these are just kits with different molded colors, for detailed kit info please refer to the HGUC RX-78 review and the HGUC Dom/Rick Dom review— both are pretty high-quality kits, so you'll definitely get plenty of satisfaction out of building them.

If you've been wanting a Char's Rick Dom, or have been looking for the G3 Gundam in 1/144 scale and couldn't get your hands on one, this combo pack makes for a great pick-up. In particular, given that it includes the Char's Rick Dom — a kit that could very well have been a proper HGUC lineup release on its own — this feels like a more worthwhile combo pack than your average lazy color-swap bundle. :-)

HGUC RX-78-3 Gundam + MS-09RS Rick-dom | 2008. 2 | ¥2,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.