OLD G Gundam 1/144 Dragon Gundam

Release 1994.5

Price ¥500

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

Box side view

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

The skirt section has a rough texture surface.

The Core Lander can be detached.

Limb articulation

Dragon Claw action

Just some action poses

Together with the 1/144 Shining Gundam.

This is the old 1/144 Dragon Gundam from the G Gundam series. True to its Neo China origins, it features a distinctly Chinese color scheme and design, and those Dragon Claws on the forearms are really something.

This kit also uses the shared 1/144 G Gundam polycap runner, and just like the Shining Gundam before it, the hip joints are loose and make posing a bit of a pain. On top of that, it has the exact same problem where the Core Lander that attaches to the back is wobbly and falls off easily. That said, the proportions do feel a little better than the Shining Gundam, at least.

In terms of articulation, the knee joints are surprisingly excellent for no particular reason, but everything else is pretty mediocre. Still, the unique styling gives it a bit more posing potential compared to the Shining Gundam.

The signature Dragon Claws are included, but the forearms don't actually extend like they do in the show, which is a bit of a letdown. That said, the extendable forearm feature was released separately as a Grade Up kit.

It inherits all the shortcomings of the 1/144 Shining Gundam, so the overall quality still leaves something to be desired — but since no HGFC version had come out as of 2017, this remains the only 1/144 Dragon Gundam out there, and that counts for something. :-)
[ Updated at 2018.1.7 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.