Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body

Head and shoulders

Weapons

The backpack-mounted weapons, the Heat Shotels.

The backpack with the Heat Shotels removed.

Legs

Cockpit hatch open.
It only opens a little, so you can't really see the interior.

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - The blade parts of the Heat Shotels come in two versions — silver and clear red — and both are m

The blade parts of the Heat Shotels come in two versions — silver and clear red.
Both are molded in soft material.

The handle portion of the Heat Shotel can rotate 180 degrees.

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - After inserting the Heat Shotels into the backpack, you push the locking parts at the bottom of

After inserting the Heat Shotels into the backpack,
you push the locking parts at the bottom of the backpack upward to secure them.

Shield

Articulation of the front section of the shield.

The Heat Shotels can also be mounted on the shield.

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - You can adjust the angle of the Heat Shotels mounted on the shield — there's a gear mechanism wh

You can adjust the angle of the Heat Shotels mounted on the shield —
there's a gear mechanism where moving one side causes the other to open and close in sync.

The beam machine gun's stock and grip are both articulated.

The beam machine gun can be folded up completely and mounted on the side of the shield.

A typical MG Wing series hand configuration.

A standing figure of the pilot, Quatre Raberba Winner.

Leftover parts

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - One hidden gimmick — if you slide the cover on top of the shoulder, a locking mechanism is revea

One hidden gimmick —
if you slide the cover on top of the shoulder, a locking mechanism is revealed, though it isn't actually used in this kit.

Outer armor removed.

Internal frame

Upper body

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Arms and legs (1/3)

Arms and legs

Cockpit.

Articulation in frame-only state is excellent.

Articulation.
The skirts restrict hip joint movement somewhat, but overall articulation is solid.

Forward and backward range of motion for the shoulders.

The Heat Shotels mounted on the backpack can also move up and down to a reasonable degree.

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Beam machine gun action pose (1/4)

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Beam machine gun action pose (2/4)

Beam machine gun action pose

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose. The Heat Shotels are quite large, but they lock into the hands well, ma

Heat Shotel action pose.
The Heat Shotels are quite large, but they lock into the hands well, making it easy to hold poses.

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Posed on Action Base 2 (1/4)

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Posed on Action Base 2 (2/4)

Posed on Action Base 2

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose 2 (1/4)

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose 2 (2/4)

Heat Shotel action pose 2

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose 3 (1/4)

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose 3 (2/4)

Heat Shotel action pose 3

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose with clear red parts swapped in (1/4)

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose with clear red parts swapped in (2/4)

Heat Shotel action pose with clear red parts swapped in

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - The two Heat Shotels can be connected and used as a single weapon. (1/3)

The two Heat Shotels can be connected and used as a single weapon.

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose with shield mount (1/4)

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW - Heat Shotel action pose with shield mount (2/4)

Heat Shotel action pose with shield mount

Endless Waltz MG kit lineup.
They all show off a clean, quality build.

Straight build

Gundam Sandrock from the MG Wing series has been released in its Endless Waltz version. Just as expected, the MG Wing series is rolling out one by one, and the kits show a consistent level of quality across the board. Clean kit composition, solid articulation and joint strength, faithful weapon recreation — it's clearly a step up in quality and proportions compared to the old 1/100.

The overall quality is on par with the previous entries like Wing, Shenlong, and Deathscythe, but thanks to the design's characteristics, the clean color separation on the yellow parts really stands out here. The shield's color separation is impressive too, and the weapons like the Heat Shotels and beam machine gun are faithfully reproduced. On top of that, the Heat Shotels come with two blade options — silver and clear red.

Joint strength in the MG Wing series is generally excellent, but with Gundam Sandrock carrying those massive Heat Shotels on its back, you'd think the center of gravity would be a problem. And yet, the joints are strong enough that it doesn't feel like a hindrance at all in standing or action poses — which is pretty impressive. Part of it is that the Heat Shotels are large but lightweight, but it's also a testament to how well the joint strength is engineered in this kit.

The MG Wing series uses a somewhat unique finger-swapping hand system, and in previous kits the grip wasn't all that secure — personally, it wasn't my favorite approach. But with Gundam Sandrock, the finger parts fit the weapons really well, and the large Heat Shotels lock in firmly. No matter what action pose you put it in, it doesn't drop the Heat Shotels, so MG Gundam Sandrock delivers a very satisfying grip ^_^

Overall, it's a great kit that shows off the MG ideal of a clean, complete reinvention — there's really nothing to nitpick about the quality. That said, I've occasionally gotten complaints (?) about why I don't give the MG Wing series a score of 99 or above... The thing is, while the MG Wing series is hard to fault in terms of quality, it does feel like it's lacking a certain spirit of challenge from the developers. It's not that I'm being stingy with scores just because I'm an old fan of the Wing series — it's more that these kits have a bit of an "instant kit mass-produced with precision machinery" feel to them. That 1% lack of craftsmanship and artisanal spirit is why I don't give it a perfect 100. ^^ To break past 100, there needs to be a differentiated effort and approach that goes beyond what's been done before. (In the end, it all comes down to my own taste-)

Anyway, for fans of the Wing series and Gundam Sandrock in particular, this is a fantastic gift of a kit. And compared to its predecessors, MG Gundam Sandrock delivers an even more satisfying, stable build experience — while sharing the same frame, you can tell the craftsmanship has been refined little by little, and the newer releases feel subtly better in quality. That's something I can give extra credit for. :-)

MG XXXG-01SR Gundam Sandrock ver. EW
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Flawless, as you'd expect from a new release.
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★	Precise color separation on the yellow parts. The head parts breakdown in particular is an art form!
Proportions	★★★★★	Clean MG-worthy finish that's clearly a step above the old 1/100.
Articulation	★★★★☆	Not top-tier, but excellent.
Joint Strength	★★★★★	Joints sturdy enough to handle those big backpack weapons without issue.
Internal Frame	★★★★☆	A good example of a clean full-body frame — a little plain, but solid.
Detail	★★★★★	Not too much, not too little. The color separation itself acts as a detail upgrade.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★	Faithful recreation of the Heat Shotels, beam machine gun, and shield.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	292 parts total. 76.8 parts per ¥1,000. Reasonable value for the price.
Uniqueness	★★★★★☆	Everything looks great once it gets the MG treatment ^^
Dalong's Point : 99 pts.

MG Gundam Sandrock ver. EW | 2011. 10 | ¥4,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.