OLD First Gundam 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit

Release 1981.4

Price ¥300

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

A total of 9 different weapon types are included.

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - For the 1/144 Gundam, the included weapons are the Gundam Hammer, Hyper Hammer, Bazooka,

For 1/144 Gundam armaments, we have:
Gundam Hammer and Hyper Hammer, Bazooka, and Beam Jabelin included.

The Bazooka has a separate shell that can be loaded and removed.

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - But oh no.. the Bazooka's grip is too thick, so the instructions say you need to file dow

But oh no...
The bazooka grip is too thick, so to hold the bazooka you're supposed to file down the inside of the existing hand parts with a file or something like that.
T_T
But after filing it down like that, you can't hold the beam rifle anymore, which is a real problem.

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - So I borrowed the spare hand parts from the 1/144 GM, carved out the inside with a hobby

So I borrowed some leftover hand parts from a 1/144 Zaku,
carved out the inside with an art knife, and finally glued and fixed it to the bazooka.

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - Second hurdle — the Bazooka's magazine section makes it really hard to attach the hand to

Second hurdle — the Bazooka's magazine section makes it really hard to attach the hand to the forearm properly..

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - Something seemed off, so I checked the manual.. and sure enough, even the manual illustra

Something seemed off, so I checked the manual.. and sure enough, even the manual illustration can't hold the Bazooka straight either. -_-

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - So I had no choice but to force the Bazooka in at an angle and barely managed to get it i

So I had no choice but to force the Bazooka in at an angle and barely managed to get it into the hand..

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - The two Gundam Hammer chains are straight, rigid plastic parts — and the manual says to h

The 2 Gundam Hammer chains are straight, rigid plastic parts,
but according to the manual you're supposed to heat them with a hair dryer and bend them by hand... (sigh)

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - So I tried it, and it does bend — though it takes some effort. That said, getting a nice,

So I tried it, and while it's a bit tough, you can bend them okay.
But unless you build up some skill, it's gonna be hard to bend them nicely and cleanly T_T

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - Tried putting the forcibly bent Gundam Hammer into the hand.. True to old-kit fashion, yo

I tried holding the forcibly-bent Gundam Hammer in hand...
Just like an old kit, you don't just plug it into the hand — you have to disassemble the hand and glue each part back together individually.

The Beam Jabelin is relatively easy to attach.

For the Zaku, the included weapons are the Bazooka, Missile Pod, Cracker, and Heat Hawk.

The 1/144 Mass Production Zaku with the Heat Hawk and Missile Pod attached.

The Zaku Bazooka also has a compartment inside for loading missiles.

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - For the Gundam Bazooka they told you to carve out the inside of the hand.. but for the Za

With the Gundam Bazooka, you're supposed to file down the inside of the hand to use it...
But with the Zaku Bazooka, you're supposed to file down the grip and hold it in the hand -_-

So I followed the instructions and cut off part of the grip.

The Char's Zaku holding the Bazooka.

One Heat Saber is included for the Gouf.

OLD 1/144 Weapons for Mobile Suit - But.. this one also tells you to hollow out the inside of the hand to fit it T_T The Gouf

But this one also wants you to carve out the inside of the hand and hold it T_T
The Gouf only has one hand, so after carving it out you can't hold the Heat Rod, so I gave up on attaching the Heat Saber.

This kit is an armament set for 1/144 Gunpla, and here's the breakdown by each weapon:

1. Gundam Bazooka (for 1/144 Gundam)
The Bazooka itself looks decent enough, but the grip is too thick, so you have to carve out the inside of the hand with a file or knife before it'll fit. The problem is, once you do that, the hand can no longer hold the beam rifle (since there's only one hand T_T) — so in my case, I modified the spare hand that came with the 1/144 GM and used that instead. As you can see in the review photos though, the Bazooka has to be attached at an angle to get the hand onto the forearm, which means you'd actually need to carve the inside out even more... This thing is a real pain to attach in every way possible. Ugh.

2. Hyper Hammer & Gundam Hammer (for 1/144 Gundam)
These two hammers are basically the same deal with slightly different shapes — the chain parts come out straight and stiff, so you have to bend them yourself using heat from a hair dryer. I tried it and it is doable, but getting a nice clean bend looks like it'll take quite a bit of practice. The manual does suggest practicing on spare runners first before going at the real thing. Either way, after bending them you still have to disassemble the hand, glue everything back together, and then attach it — so it's not exactly an easy item to work with, just like the Gundam Bazooka..

3. Beam Jabelin (for 1/144 Gundam)
You just plug it into the hand like a beam saber, so there's no real difficulty — but it's basically just a longer version of the existing beam saber, so it doesn't feel like much of an upgrade.

4. Zaku Bazooka (for 1/144 Zaku)
Unlike the Gundam Bazooka, instead of carving out the inside of the hand, you have to cut down and trim the Bazooka's grip to get it to fit. It's a bit baffling that they'd have you cut away a grip they molded perfectly fine, but at least it's relatively easier to actually get into the hand compared to the Gundam Bazooka, and the pose holds up better — so that's a relief.

5. Missile Pod (for 1/144 Zaku)
The three missiles that go inside are included separately and can be loaded in, and you'll need to glue it in place when attaching it to the Zaku's leg. It's a pretty straightforward attachment compared to the Bazooka or the hammers.

6. Heat Hawk & Cracker (for 1/144 Zaku)
The Heat Hawk just plugs right into the hand and is easy to use, while the Cracker doesn't really have a way to be held — so it's more of a display piece to look at on the side.

7. Heat Saber (for 1/144 Gouf)
Just like the Gundam's Bazooka, the thick Heat Saber grip means you have to aggressively hollow out the inside of the hand to fit it. Since there's no spare hand available, doing that means you can no longer hold the Heat Rod T_T So I didn't take any photos of the Heat Saber attached to the Gouf — just a heads up.

To sum up the Weapons for Mobile Suit set overall — true to its old-kit nature, there are quite a few items that require you to carve out the hand or grip, or bend parts with a hair dryer, making assembly anything but simple. It makes sense when you think back to the era when some degree of modification was just expected, but coming back to it now and having to go through all that fuss makes it a bit of a tedious kit. ^^;

Anyway, it shouldn't be a major obstacle for those who enjoy customizing older kits as a hobby, so it seems like it could be a pretty useful item for them. :-) [ Updated at 2016.1.14 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.