HGUC MSN-06S Sinanju Head Display Base

Release 2010.11

Price N/A

Gundam Ace January 2011 Special Bonus

Gundam Ace January 2011 issue.

The kit and book are both incredibly thick~;

The book and the kit are about the same thickness.

Cover with the same design as the magazine's front page.

The front section has Unicorn anime-related content and a preview for episode 3.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - The assembly manual is tucked somewhere around pages 177–180, so I imagine quite a few

The assembly manual is tucked somewhere around pages 177–180, so I imagine quite a few people will have trouble finding it ^^;
The build is simple enough that you won't have much trouble even without the manual.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - The vast majority of this nearly 900-page tome is packed with all kinds of Gundam-relat

The vast majority of this nearly 900-page tome is
packed with all kinds of Gundam-related black-and-white manga.

Box front/back

Quite a chunky box too

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - The inner packaging is seriously premium.. @_@ The bulky runners are packed really secu

The inner packaging is seriously premium.. @_@
The bulky runners are packed really securely.

Runner shots

Probably got a thicker box because Sinanju is such a voluminous kit by nature.

Parts diagram.
Pretty simple lineup.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - Finished shots. Once you clean up the gates, you can put it together in about a minute.

Finished shots.
Once you clean up the gates, you can put it together in about a minute. ^^:

There's a bit of an inner frame for the head too.

Just like the MG Zaku 2.0, there's a linked mechanism on the mono-eye section.

Turn the neck like that and the mono-eye automatically swings along with it.

Underside.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - The detail around the neck area is nice, but the sense of depth and volume stands out e

The detail around the neck area is nice, but the sense of depth and volume stands out even more than the detail itself.

The neck can rotate and move up and down.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - It looks great, but it's a shame the mono-eye linked to the neck movement is barely vis

It looks great, but it's a shame the mono-eye linked to the neck movement is barely visible.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - The stand angle isn't adjusted by rotating — you pull it out and reinsert it at a diffe

The stand angle isn't adjusted by rotating — you pull it out and reinsert it at a different position,
which is a bit of a hassle, but it holds firmly.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - You can adjust the angle within that range, but the steps between positions are pretty

You can adjust the angle within that range,
but the steps between positions are pretty large, so there aren't that many combinations available.

The support arm can also rotate horizontally.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - One slight issue — even if you set the support arm straight up at 90 degrees and place

One slight issue — even if you set the support arm straight up at 90 degrees and place the HGUC Sinanju on it,
the hip joint connection isn't quite tight enough, and the kit itself has a tricky center of gravity,
so it's a bit hard to display it standing perfectly upright.
You're probably better off locking it at a slight forward tilt to get the balance right.

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - With the HGUC Sinanju mounted on it. Wha-..it looks absolutely stunning; (1/7)

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - With the HGUC Sinanju mounted on it. Wha-..it looks absolutely stunning; (2/7)

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - With the HGUC Sinanju mounted on it. Wha-..it looks absolutely stunning; (3/7)

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - With the HGUC Sinanju mounted on it. Wha-..it looks absolutely stunning; (4/7)

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - With the HGUC Sinanju mounted on it. Wha-..it looks absolutely stunning; (5/7)

With the HGUC Sinanju mounted on it.
Wha-..it looks absolutely stunning;

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - Tried putting it in a shooting pose. Balancing it is still a bit tricky, but man does i

Tried putting it in a shooting pose.
Balancing it is still a bit tricky, but man does it ooze coolness..

HGUC 1/48 Sinanju Head Display Base - Together with the Unicorn Head Display Base. I figured these two would come out as a pa

Together with the Unicorn Head Display Base.
I figured these two would come out as a pair..

Two awesome head display bases!

This kit is the Sinanju Head Display Base included as a bonus with the January 2011 issue of Gundam Ace, and it's essentially a companion piece to the Dengeki Hobby Unicorn base that came out exactly one year prior. It's a base made specifically for the HGUC Sinanju, and the overall quality is really excellent.

The parts count is low, but the engineering is really well thought out — it's on par with a regular Bandai retail release. The molded colors look fantastic, there are no step mismatches, and the fit during assembly is great. Most of all, that signature Sinanju bumpy, voluminous look is pulled off brilliantly, and the detail is so refined that the mold quality almost feels PG-level.

Some thought went into the gimmicks as well — just like the MG Zaku 2.0, there's a system where turning the head automatically moves the mono-eye along with it. The downside is that the mono-eye isn't very visible due to the structure, and it feels a little loose, which is a bit disappointing. Still, alongside the Unicorn head that fully delivers on its transformation gimmick, this is definitely a head display base with impressive functionality.

One thing to note — the Sinanju kit itself is a bit heavy and has a somewhat spread-out center of gravity, so balancing it on the head display base isn't the easiest. It's particularly hard to keep it standing perfectly vertical, so you'll likely only be able to display it tilted slightly forward. The stand does allow for angle adjustment, but in practice the range of usable angles is pretty limited due to the balance issue.

There's no color separation or stickers provided, so the chest and collar areas all come out in plain red, which is a bit of a shame — though even a little bit of spot painting would make it look a whole lot sharper. The magazine itself is only ¥880, so the price is pretty reasonable. I wouldn't be surprised if a Sinanju + head display base bundle set comes out soon, just like with the Unicorn. Either way, since this isn't a regular retail release and is essentially a limited item, I'd strongly recommend grabbing one while you have the chance. Especially for Sinanju fans — this is a must-have! ^^

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.