OLD First Gundam 1/144 G-Armor

Release 1981.9

Price ¥1,000

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Underside view

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - The groove running down the center of the caterpillar unit connects with the T-shaped pins on the undersi

The groove running down the center of the caterpillar unit connects with the T-shaped pins on the underside of the G-Fighter's front and rear sections to lock everything in place.

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - The side wings of the G-Fighter have a built-in gimmick that limits rotation to exactly 180 degrees. Pret

The side wings of the G-Fighter have a built-in gimmick that limits rotation to exactly 180 degrees. Pretty clever engineering for an old kit from back when the technology wasn't quite there yet.

Parts needed to configure the G-Fighter.

G-Fighter

Underside

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - The caterpillar tracks are made of soft material, but they feel a bit stiff — similar to the ones used on

The caterpillar tracks are made of soft material, but they feel a bit stiff — similar to the ones used on the Guntank.

The mega particle cannon on top can only rotate.

Alongside the G-Fighter from the HGUC G-Armor. The old 1/144 kit feels noticeably bigger.

The included RX-78 First Gundam.

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - Alongside the separately released 1/144 Gundam (left). Looks-wise, the only difference seems to be that t

Alongside the separately released 1/144 Gundam (left). Looks-wise, the only difference seems to be that the shield is now red.

Unlike the original 1/144 First Gundam, the torso splits into upper and lower halves.

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - The shoulder joint mechanism has been improved — it now uses an octagonal pin that plugs straight in, jus

The shoulder joint mechanism has been improved — it now uses an octagonal pin that plugs straight in, just like the 1/144 GM.

Also, the beam rifle now fits much more tightly than before.

Parts needed to configure the G-Bull.

G-Bull

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - Looking at the Core Block, it feels almost absurdly large. The Core Block that should be tucked inside th

Looking at the Core Block, it feels almost absurdly large. The Core Block that should be tucked inside the waist ends up wrapping around the entire lower body.

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - This kit includes both a Core Block part and a Core Fighter of the same size. It's hard to tell from phot

This kit includes both a Core Block part and a Core Fighter of the same size. It's hard to tell from photos alone, but they're enormous for 1/144 scale.

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - The Core Fighter looks really imposing with that big nose section. (1/3)

The Core Fighter looks really imposing with that big nose section.

Stands for displaying the G-Sky and Core Fighter are each included in the box.

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - Comparison with the HGUC Core Fighter (left). It's ridiculous how different they look when they're suppos

Comparison with the HGUC Core Fighter (left). It's ridiculous how different they look when they're supposedly both 1/144 scale..

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - After comparing across scales, the Core Fighter included in the 1/144 G-Armor (far right) looks to be rou

After comparing across scales, the Core Fighter included in the 1/144 G-Armor (far right) looks to be roughly 1/72 scale.

Parts needed for the G-Sky.

Building the G-Sky requires three additional separate parts.

OLD 1/144 G-Armor - The smaller of those parts slots under the side skirts and is used to lock onto the rear section of the G

The smaller of those parts slots under the side skirts and is used to lock onto the rear section of the G-Fighter.

G-Sky

Underside

G-Bull and G-Sky. The Core Fighter's scale is pretty wild, but the overall look still holds up.

This kit is the 1/144 G-Armor, the iconic weapon pack for the First Gundam. For an old kit released back in '81, the color separation is actually pretty impressive. Being on the larger side for a 1/144 kit probably gave them the room to go bold with the parts breakdown.

First off, this kit includes a 1/144 First Gundam. It looks almost identical to the previously released 1/144 First Gundam on the outside, but there are a few changes and improvements as noted below.

- The old ring-and-loop glued shoulder joint has been upgraded to an octagonal pin that plugs directly into the body, just like the 1/144 GM.
- Parts have been changed so the upper and lower body separate, allowing combination with the G-Armor.
- The beam rifle, which used to fit loosely, now holds on tightly.
- The shield's molded color has been changed to red.
- A peg hole for attaching the shield to the back of the hand has been added.

The G-Armor combined form holds together better than you might expect. There's a long groove along the bottom caterpillar unit, and the T-shaped tabs on the underside of the G-Fighter's front and rear sections slide into that groove to lock everything in place. This connection method works for both the G-Fighter and G-Armor configurations, and it's actually a pretty effective solution.

The separation and combination into G-Bull and G-Sky modes are also fully realized, with various gimmicks keeping everything locked together fairly solidly. The one thing to watch out for is that the shields, which plug into the holes on the backs of both hands, don't hold on very well and tend to fall off with even a slight bump.

The biggest mystery with the 1/144 G-Armor is the scale of the Core Fighter/Core Block. As you can see in the photos above, it came out ridiculously large for something supposedly 1/144. As shown in the size comparison shots, it's not just bigger than the HGUC — it's bigger than the MG too, coming in at nearly PG size. Taking the length into account, it's roughly 1/72 scale. Sure, the larger size does give it a more imposing, powerful look, but still — breaking the scale this badly feels like a bit much ;;

Anyway, for a kit from '81, the quality is actually pretty decent. It's got a bigger, more imposing look than the HGUC, solid color separation, and the fixed poses and transformation process are handled well enough. If you've been wanting to casually enjoy an old-school kit but have been hesitant because of quality concerns, this is a great vintage kit I'd recommend. :-) [ Updated at 2016.2.5 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.