OLD First Gundam 1/144 Ball

Release 1981.9

Price ¥300

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

This kit includes a 1/250 Ball bundled together with the 1/144 Ball.

1/144 Ball

Bottom view.

Arm and claw articulation.

The arm can rotate, but the joint strength is weak so it tends to flop sideways on its own..;;

The cannon barrel on top can be angled and rotated.

The compact and cute 1/250 Ball

1/250 Ball

Underside

The arms have no articulation at all — only the cannon barrel can rotate.

1/144 and 1/250 joint action.

OLD 1/144 Ball - Together with the HGUC Ball. Same 1/144 scale, but the size difference is pretty significant ^^; (1/3)

Together with the HGUC Ball. Same 1/144 scale, but the size difference is pretty significant ^^;

This is the old 1/144 Ball, and interestingly enough it comes bundled with a 1/250 Ball. It seems like a single 1/144 Ball wasn't quite enough to fill out the runners for a 300-yen kit, so they threw in the 1/250 as a bonus ^^

Just looking at the overall appearance, it shows surprisingly great proportions and detail that aren't too far off from the HGUC Ball. With MS (Mobile Suits), you get all sorts of different proportions depending on when they were made since they're humanoid in shape — but the Ball's design doesn't really have much room for proportional variation, so the old and new versions end up looking pretty much the same.

That said, as you can see in the comparison photos above, it comes out noticeably larger than the HGUC, making you wonder if it's really the same 1/144 scale. Either way, the old kit being on the bigger side actually makes it look pretty good ^^;

The 1/144 Ball features arm angle adjustment, rotation, and claw articulation, and the 180mm recoilless cannon on top can also be angled and rotated — so it doesn't feel all that different from the HGUC Ball. The 1/250 Ball is small, so only the cannon barrel rotates, while the arms are fixed in place.

All in all, aside from the molded color being a single flat color which makes it look a bit plain, this is a solid Ball that holds up well against the HGUC. The top cannon section is less refined in terms of detail, but looking at the main body alone, the proportions and detail barely feel old-kit-ish at all. Sure, having to glue it together the old-school way might feel a bit awkward, but being able to build two different scales of the Ball for 300 yen is a pretty great deal. If anything, it's almost a shame that it lacks that charming old-kit character you'd expect.

Either way, this is one of the standout kits I'd recommend from the old 1/144 lineup — especially from a value-for-money perspective, it's a great little build you can enjoy without worrying about quality :-) [ Updated at 2016.2.6 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.