Kit Review

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Detail shots (1/4)

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Just like the Full Armor Gundam, the sub-arm for the shield swaps between a folded and extended fo

Just like the Full Armor Gundam, the sub-arm for the shield swaps between a folded and extended form.

Despite the flashy look, the articulation is pretty average.

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Beam spray gun action (1/3)

Beam spray gun action

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Aerial action pose (1/3)

Aerial action pose

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Dual beam rifle firing pose (1/4)

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Dual beam rifle firing pose (2/4)

Dual beam rifle firing pose

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Front shield defense pose (1/4)

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Front shield defense pose (2/4)

Front shield defense pose

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Dynamic firing pose.. (1/5)

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Dynamic firing pose.. (2/5)

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. - Dynamic firing pose.. (3/5)

Dynamic firing pose..

With the HGUC GM.

With the HG Full Armor Gundam Thunderbolt Ver.

This kit is the GM - Thunderbolt Ver., one of the first three HG kits in the Gundam Thunderbolt lineup. Compared to the original GM from the One Year War, the design is far more complex and refined — a great showcase of original designer Otakagi Yasuo's MSV-style imagination.

Like the Full Armor Gundam, this kit already looks pretty impressive straight out of the box with just a straight build. The color separation is simpler than the Full Armor Gundam, but thanks to the generous amount of seals and all those little verniers, it definitely has a more polished and cool look than your average GM. It also comes standard with two shields mounted via sub-arms, just like the Full Armor, which really gives it that distinct Thunderbolt series personality.

It also uses the same ribbed joint design as the Full Armor (the runners are identical too), so the elbow and knee bend angles are narrower than you'd expect — same deal as the Full Armor. That said, since this kit looks so good on its own, the limited articulation doesn't really matter all that much.

As an MSV-style kit with a very 21st-century feel, this one definitely earns high marks, and it'd be even more fun to build alongside the Full Armor. :-)

HGGT GM Thunderbolt Ver. | 2013.12 | ¥1,800

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.