Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Upper body and head

MG Gundam Heavyarms - The blue on the chest is achieved through color separation. It's divided up really nicely in a way you

The blue on the chest is achieved through color separation.
It's divided up really nicely in a way you don't often see from Bandai. ^^

MG Gundam Heavyarms - The back. That massive ammo belt really catches your eye.

Back section.
That massive ammo belt really catches your eye.

Leg section

Shield section

The gatling with excellent depth and dimension.

Outer armor removed

Inner frame shot

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Frame detail shots (1/4)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Frame detail shots (2/4)

Frame detail shots

The cockpit.
Not exactly the easiest structure to peek inside.

Articulation in frame-only state is, as expected, great.

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Frame articulation shot (1/3)

Frame articulation shot

Mold detail on the inside of the armor.
Only some armor pieces have interior molding — the rest don't.

Mold detail on the inside of the skirt.

Cockpit hatch open.

The finger-swap hands unique to the MG Wing series.

Detail on the inside of the shield

Figure of pilot Trowa Barton.

The weapon mount on the backpack can rotate both vertically and horizontally.

In addition to the energy tank, a beam gatling can also be mounted here.

MG Gundam Heavyarms - The fixing parts at the end of the ammo belt are a bit iffy — the wire can get pulled out during posing

The fixing parts at the end of the ammo belt are a bit iffy —
The wire can get pulled out during posing and send all the ammo belt parts scattering everywhere, so watch out.

The left forearm can be assembled either as a standard forearm or with a hidden beam saber mount.

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Oddly enough, this kit doesn't include beam effect parts — the instructions tell you to borrow them fro

Oddly enough, this kit doesn't include beam effect parts —
The instructions tell you to borrow them from the MG Wing Gundam EW version.
It's not exactly a fancy part, so it really didn't need to be handled this way at the MG level... hmm..

The army knife can be folded and unfolded.

There's only one leftover part from the shared frame runners.

Articulation is on the excellent side.

Shoulder forward/backward range of motion

When you bend the knee, the knee parts split and move separately.

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Because of the parts on the heel side, the foot doesn't bend backward very well. It does limit the rang

Because of the parts on the heel side, the foot doesn't bend backward very well.
It does limit the range of motion a bit, but on the bright side, it means the kit probably won't topple over backwards.

Chest gatling hatch open.
The detail is precise and the sense of depth is outstanding.

Front skirt and side skirt missile hatch open

Shoulder front/rear missile hatch open

MG Gundam Heavyarms - The round missile parts are all separately color-separated, but they're the same molded color as the su

The round missile parts are all separately color-separated, but...
They're the same molded color as the surrounding parts, so the effect is somewhat lost. T_T
If they'd done proper color separation it would've looked so much cooler — I suspect they left it this way to encourage painting.

Missile hatch open on both sides of the legs.

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Absolutely packed with impact! Action pose with all 18 hatches open. (1/6)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Absolutely packed with impact! Action pose with all 18 hatches open. (2/6)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Absolutely packed with impact! Action pose with all 18 hatches open. (3/6)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Absolutely packed with impact! Action pose with all 18 hatches open. (4/6)

Absolutely packed with impact!
Action pose with all 18 hatches open.

The full hatch-open gimmick itself is great, but it also delivers a seriously satisfying visual punch.

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Beam gatling action pose (1/5)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Beam gatling action pose (2/5)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Beam gatling action pose (3/5)

Beam gatling action pose

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Army knife action pose (1/4)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Army knife action pose (2/4)

Army knife action pose

Hidden beam saber draw pose from the forearm

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Beam saber action pose (1/4)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Beam saber action pose (2/4)

Beam saber action pose

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Full hatch action pose on Action Base 1 (1/4)

MG Gundam Heavyarms - Full hatch action pose on Action Base 1 (2/4)

Full hatch action pose on Action Base 1

Together with the MG Wing series.

Straight build

Following Wing Gundam, Sandrock, Shenlong, and Deathscythe, the last of the Wing Gundam five — Heavyarms — has finally been released as an MG. Heavyarms is a pretty popular suit, so it does feel like it came out a bit late. ^^; First thing that comes to mind with Heavyarms is that spectacular full hatch-open shot, and it's clear that the MG Heavyarms was developed with that hatch-open feature front and center. The no-grade version does pull off the hatch-open to some degree, but MG is MG!! The level of execution is just on a different level.

Along with the chest gatling hatch, the front and rear missile hatches on the shoulders, the missile hatches on the front and side skirts, and the missile hatches on the weapon packs on both legs — all 18 weapon hatches open perfectly. With this many hatches you'd expect some of them to feel loose, but the gimmick is so well-executed that everything holds firmly in place once opened.

It goes beyond just nailing the hatch-open gimmick — the internal missile and gatling detail is seriously impressive. The missile parts on the shoulders and legs are all individually separated, giving them great depth and dimension. The detail and three-dimensionality inside the chest gatling in particular is enough to make you go "wow." That said, while the shoulder missile parts are separately molded, they share the same molded color as the surrounding parts, so the separation doesn't really stand out... It would've been even more spectacular if the missile parts had been molded in a different color, and that's a bit of a letdown. Though I suspect it might be a deliberate policy to nudge builders toward painting, since even a simple paint job would make those parts pop dramatically. ^^

The beam gatling — Heavyarms' other signature feature — is also reproduced with impressive depth and dimension through a combination of many parts. It might just be the most well-executed gatling in all of Gunpla. And since the weapon is large, grip strength could've been an issue, but it pairs surprisingly well with the MG Wing series' signature swappable fingers, so holding it up isn't a problem.

On top of that, the ammo belt-style energy cable — made by combining 28 protective parts over a multi-strand coated wire for maximum three-dimensionality — looks fantastic too. That said, with this kind of ammo belt energy cable, if you're not careful about securing both ends, the parts can come flying off all at once, so be careful when posing.

Beyond all that, the clean full-body frame, above-average articulation, and overall build quality are all up to the standard of the latest MG releases. From a proportions standpoint, the head looks noticeably smaller than on other kits — and it actually is smaller. (^^;) These days even celebrities get praised for having smaller heads, so it seems like the same trend has made its way into Gunpla too.

You don't need to look any further — one perfect, precisely executed full hatch-open shot says it all. This is a top-tier kit. At least when it comes to the hatch-open gimmick, you can feel a level of engineering that's a step above the previous MG Wing series kits, and it's genuinely one of those rare kits where you can sense the developer's craftsmanship shining through. The MG Wing series up to this point has been clean and solid, sure, but there was always something a bit instant and dry about them. At least with this MG Heavyarms, you can see the kind of hands-on effort that went into it. It's not quite at the level of burning developer passion you feel from something like the MG Acguy or Zaku II, but it's clearly a cut above the average run-of-the-mill releases.

For fans of the Heavyarms, this kit is an incredible treat. And even if you haven't been particularly interested in the MG Wing series, this one is still highly recommended. Any mecha fan has probably dreamed of all those weapon hatches flying open at once — and in that sense, this is a rare kit that delivers a thrilling, hands-on satisfaction you just can't get from most other kits. :-)

MG XXXG-01H Gundam Heavyarms
Category	Rating	Analysis
Seam Lines	★★★★★	Nothing to complain about
Molding Color / Color Separation	★★★★★☆	Color separation on the body and missile hatches is above the usual MG standard!
Proportions	★★★★★	The very small head actually makes it look sleeker.
Articulation	★★★★☆	Not top-tier, but excellent.
Joint Strength	★★★★☆	Joint strength on the limbs and body is great; the ammo belt attachment points need some care.
Internal Frame	★★★★☆	Somewhat simple but clean full-body frame, as you'd expect from the Wing series
Detail	★★★★★☆	More detailed than previous MG Wing series kits — especially the hatch areas.
Weapons / Accessories	★★★★★★	Excellent three-dimensional gatling, and a fantastic weapon hatch-open gimmick.
Parts Count / Price	★★★★★	361 parts total. 95 parts per ¥1,000. Great value.
Uniqueness	★★★★★★	The best in the MG Wing series. The hatch-open gimmick dream, perfectly realized!
Dalong's Point : 103 pts.

MG Gundam Heavyarms | 2012. 1 | ¥4,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.