Kit Review

Straight build
+ panel lining + decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Being an accessory kit, it comes packed with extras.

Since the kit includes 2 duplicate runners,
all the accessories come in 2 sets as well.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - The Gundam the Ground War set body. Completely identical to the existing HGUC Gundam the Gro

The Gundam the Ground War set body.
Completely identical to the existing HGUC Gundam the Ground War set, but
it comes with a large number of waterslide decals.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Waterslide decals for the head/torso/arms/shield/legs, etc. (1/5)

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Waterslide decals for the head/torso/arms/shield/legs, etc. (2/5)

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Waterslide decals for the head/torso/arms/shield/legs, etc. (3/5)

Waterslide decals for the head/torso/arms/shield/legs, etc.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - The star of this kit is the 1/144 hover truck! It's small enough to sit neatly on top of a c

The star of this kit is the 1/144 hover truck!
It's small enough to sit neatly on top of a cigarette pack.

Small, but the detail is surprisingly good.

Even the underside is neatly and three-dimensionally detailed.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Despite the small scale, the front dozer gimmick and the rear door open gimmick are both fai

Despite the small scale,
the front dozer gimmick and the rear door open gimmick are both faithfully reproduced.

The turret can rotate, and the gun barrel can be angled up and down.

The sonar gimmick is reproduced as a swap-out part.

The rear cargo area lets you attach and detach two different types of structures.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Comparison of the front and rear open gimmicks in open/close states (1/3)

Comparison of the front and rear open gimmicks in open/close states

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - The included 1/144 Federation soldier figures. There are 2 figures per set, and 2 sets total

The included 1/144 Federation soldier figures. There are 2 figures per set, and 2 sets total.
Decent detail for the scale.

Also included are 2 HGUC-style refined 08th MS Team GM heads.

This is the rail cannon — the new weapon added to this kit.

Included are 2 sets of open hands and rail cannon-specific hands.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Recreating a scene from MS IGLOO II: Gravity Front. It's the action combo of the ground war

Recreating a scene from MS IGLOO II: Gravity Front.
It's the action combo of the ground war type with a GM head and the rail cannon.
Honestly, the GM head looks a bit out of place.. -.-;

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - These parts also serve as upgrade parts for the older HG Ground War GM. Since the HGUC versi

These parts also serve as upgrade parts for the older HG Ground War GM.
Since the HGUC version of the Ground War GM hadn't been released yet at the time this kit came out,
the HG Ground War GM from 1996 is used here.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Head comparison. A 13-year gap is hard to ignore. The Ground War GM head done to HGUC standa

Head comparison.
A 13-year gap is hard to ignore.
The Ground War GM head done to HGUC standards even uses clear parts, making it look much more refined.
And the head size has gotten noticeably smaller too. :-)

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Comparison of the bazooka included with the HG Ground War GM and the rail cannon included wi

Comparison of the bazooka included with the HG Ground War GM and the rail cannon included with this kit.
You can clearly tell they're in a different league..

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Poses using the open hands and the HGUC-grade head. (1/3)

Poses using the open hands and the HGUC-grade head.

The HG Ground War GM fitted with the HGUC-grade GM head and rail cannon.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Action poses. It's definitely a 13-year-old kit so the articulation isn't great, but it stil

Action pose.
It's definitely a 13-year-old kit so the articulation isn't great, but it still manages to pull off some decent poses.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Recreating a scene from the show with the HGUC Gundam the Ground War set added in. Poses and

Recreating a scene from the show with the HGUC Gundam the Ground War set added in.
Poses and arrangement were based on the manual.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Recreating a Gravity Front scene with the upgraded HG Ground War GM thrown in too. I tried t

Recreating a Gravity Front scene with the upgraded HG Ground War GM thrown in too.
I tried to replicate the box art scene.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Together with the previous Zaku Ground War Set. The main attraction of a ground war set isn'

Together with the previous Zaku Ground War Set.
The main attraction of a ground war set isn't the MS — it's the small, finely crafted ground vehicles.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Comparison with the existing HGUC Gundam the Ground War set. As you can see, the molded colo

Comparison with the existing HGUC Gundam the Ground War set.
As you can see, the molded colors and overall composition are 100% identical — only the decals differ.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Comparison between the ground war set vehicles. The level of detail is the same across the b

Comparison between the ground war set vehicles.
The level of detail is the same across the board.

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set - Finally, a comparison with the UCHG hover truck. Comparing 1/35 to 1/144, the length and wid

Finally, a comparison with the UCHG hover truck.
Comparing 1/35 to 1/144, the length and width differ by a factor of 4,
but in terms of three-dimensional volume that's 4×4×4 = 64 times the difference, so the size gap is pretty dramatic.

It sits right up in the UCHG hover truck's cargo bed with ease. ^^

Straight-built state

Following the Zaku Ground War Set, the Gundam the Ground War Set has now been released —
and it's the Ground War type rather than the First Gundam. Like its predecessor, it's a commemorative kit for MS IGLOO II: Gravity Front, put together as a set to recreate a scene from Gravity Front.

This kit includes the complete runner set from the existing HGUC Gundam the Ground War set,
with 2 additional accessory runners and waterslide decals added on top.
The added accessories are 2 hover trucks, 4 soldiers, 2 GM heads, and
2 rail cannons. Since the 2 runners are duplicates, all accessories come in 2 sets each.

The 1/144 hover truck — the main point of interest — has the same high-density detail as the previous 1/144 Type 61 Tank. It's a really compact little thing,
but the front and rear open gimmicks, sonar, and turret articulation are all neatly reproduced, which is genuinely impressive. As a bonus, it also includes cargo bed structures that weren't on the 1/35 UCHG version.

The added rail cannon is of decent quality, and along with the GM head and open hands,
it's recommended for use with the older HG Ground War GM as well.
I dug out my 1996 HG Ground War GM from the back of the shelf and tried it out — the compatibility is fine,
but the 13-year technology gap is pretty visible, so there's a bit of an awkward mismatch. :-)

Overall, this kit does a solid job as a bonus accessory kit, and just like the Type 61 Tank,
the hover truck is incredibly cute and well-crafted. If you're into small-scale Gundam vehicles, this is definitely one you won't want to miss~! :-)

HGUC Gundam the Ground War set | 2009.9 | ¥2,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.