OLD Gundam F91 1/100 Gun Tank R-44

Release 1991.2

Price ¥900First release price: ¥600

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/100 Gun Tank R-44 - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

Two system injection runners are included.

The caterpillar track parts are included on a soft runner along with the polycaps.

Waterslide decals and stickers

OLD 1/100 Gun Tank R-44 - Parts diagram (1/3)

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + wet decals

OLD 1/100 Gun Tank R-44 - Size comparison with a cigarette pack. With a design height of 10.3m, it's incredibly small for a 1

Size comparison with a cigarette pack. With a design height of 10.3m, it's incredibly small for a 1/100 scale kit.

Arm and leg articulation. The legs have limited knee bend range due to the caterpillar tracks.

200mm cannon movement

OLD 1/100 Gun Tank R-44 - Full salvo pose with the forearm missile pods deployed (1/3)

Full salvo pose with the forearm missile pods deployed

To transform into tank form, the hands need to be swapped out for flat ones.

OLD 1/100 Gun Tank R-44 - Tuck the head in, extend the caterpillar tracks, then fold the legs forward and the transformation

Tuck the head in, extend the caterpillar tracks, then fold the legs forward and the transformation is complete.

OLD 1/100 Gun Tank R-44 - A pretty convincing tank form (1/3)

A pretty convincing tank form

Underside

Accessories include shells, missiles, and a missile carrier.

OLD 1/100 Gun Tank R-44 - Alongside the 1/100 G Cannon. The size difference is so extreme it's hard to believe they're the sa

Alongside the 1/100 G Cannon. The size difference is so extreme it's hard to believe they're the same scale.

It's even smaller than the 1/144 Guncannon!

Alongside the HGUC Loto, which shares a similar concept.

The fourth kit in the F91 series is the 1/100 Gun Tank R-44. It's the smallest of the already-compact 1/100 F91 series — a result of the in-universe MS miniaturization — and with a design height of around 12m, it actually comes out smaller and more adorable than a standard 1/144 scale kit.

This kit has long been regarded as a hidden gem, and for good reason — it packs a surprisingly solid transformation gimmick and a sleek look into a tiny package. Build quality and articulation aren't exactly its strong suits, but somehow when you get it into a pose, it looks really convincing. The color separation is well done so the straight build looks great right out of the box, and above all, the simple yet effective transformation gimmick is genuinely impressive.

The Loto that later appeared in Unicorn features a similar style of transformation, but for a product from the early '90s, the before-and-after transformation looks hold up remarkably well against modern kits. Overall stability isn't bad, but the arms are stiff while the hip joints are loose — that kind of joint strength imbalance is a telltale sign of an older kit.

All that said, even building it again now, it's a transformation kit that'll have you genuinely impressed — and if the look appeals to you, it's definitely one I'd recommend. At just ¥600 it's very affordable, and as long as you keep in mind that it's much smaller than you'd expect, it's a great old-school kit that's well worth enjoying. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.9.25]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.