OLD G Gundam

1/144 Shining Gundam

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam Box
Release 1994.4
Price ¥500
BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info
OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Box side view (1/2) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Box side view (2/2)

Box side view

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Runners

Runners

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Polycap runner shared across the G Gundam 1/144 series

Polycap runner shared across the G Gundam 1/144 series

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Parts diagram

Parts diagram

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Manual (1/3) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Manual (2/3) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Manual (3/3)

Manual

Straight build + Stickers

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam (1/2) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam (2/2)

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - You can swap in the Battle Mode face parts.

You can swap in the Battle Mode face parts.

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - The Core Lander can be detached. (1/2) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - The Core Lander can be detached. (2/2)

The Core Lander can be detached.

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Limb articulation

Limb articulation

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - For Battle Mode, the forearm armor can be pulled outward.

For Battle Mode, the forearm armor can be pulled outward.

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Battle Mode action (1/2) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Battle Mode action (2/2)

Battle Mode action

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Beam saber action (1/2) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Beam saber action (2/2)

Beam saber action

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Together with the 1/144 First Gundam.

Together with the 1/144 First Gundam.

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Together with the 1/144 V Gundam.

Together with the 1/144 V Gundam.

OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Together with the HGFC Shining Gundam released in 2011. (1/2) OLD 1/144 Shining Gundam - Together with the HGFC Shining Gundam released in 2011. (2/2)

Together with the HGFC Shining Gundam released in 2011.

This kit is the 1/144 Shining Gundam, released in 1994 as the very first entry in the old-style G Gundam series. It's a budget kit at just 500 yen, but system injection is used throughout, giving the straight build a surprisingly decent look for the price.

These 1/144 G series kits share a common polycap runner, and while most joints are fine, the hip polycaps tend to be noticeably loose. On top of that, the limb articulation isn't great and the feet don't grip the ground well, so getting it into a good pose is a bit of a struggle.

On top of that, the Core Lander that attaches to the back doesn't hold on very well and falls off easily — and even accounting for it being an old kit, it's hard to give it high marks overall. Feature-wise, you can swap the face for Battle Mode and extend the forearms, but the rest of the transformation gimmicks aren't reproduced. 

The proportions also feel a bit chunky compared to the previous V Gundam series, and while this kit marks the beginning of non-Universal Century Gunpla, it unfortunately helped create the impression that non-UC kits were a step down in quality compared to their UC counterparts. 

At the time, non-UC Gundam series like this one (commonly called "Heisei Gundam") were even blamed for dragging down Gunpla's reputation. The quality may not be there, but this kit still holds a certain significance as the one that kicked off non-UC Gunpla. :-)
[ Updated at 2018.1.6 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.