OLD Char's Counter Attack 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei)

Release 1988.1

Price ¥800

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei) - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

OLD 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei) - Runners (1/4)

OLD 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei) - Runners (2/4)

Runners

System injection runners are used.

Seals and bolts.

OLD 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei) - Parts diagram (1/3)

Parts diagram

OLD 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei) - Manual (1/4)

OLD 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei) - Manual (2/4)

Manual

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

OLD 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei) - Bolt joints used on the torso and arms/legs. (1/3)

Bolt joints used on the torso and arms/legs.

Articulated fingers.

Weapons loadout

Limb articulation isn't great.

The arms don't rotate, so the elbows only bend inward..

The rifle firing pose also comes out at an awkward angle.

Beam assault rifle firing pose

Beam saber action

Alongside the HGUC Jagd Doga (Gyunei Custom) released in 2007.

With the previous releases, the 1/144 Nu Gundam and Re-GZ.

The third kit in the old Char's Counterattack lineup is the 1/144 Jagd Doga (Gyunei). Just looking at the straight build, the system injection runners give it a bright and vibrant color scheme. Structurally, though, it's probably the most criticized kit in the entire Char's Counterattack lineup.

For starters, the forearm/elbow joint doesn't rotate, so the arm only bends inward. A lot of poses — like firing stances and various action poses — require the elbow to fold forward, but with the arm only bending toward the torso, pretty much any pose you try ends up looking goofy...

On top of that, the polycaps are too weak for such a chunky build, so the joints feel loose overall — the knee joint in particular pops out easily during posing, which gets pretty frustrating. It doesn't seem like a simple joint strength issue so much as the articulation structure itself being poorly designed, causing the joints to come apart too easily. The articulated fingers don't grip well either, making it hard to hold the rifle, and all in all this kit is close to a failing grade when it comes to stability.

The saving graces of this kit are that the color separation is actually pretty decent for an old '80s kit, and the proportions hold up reasonably well against more modern kits. But the disappointment with the joints and articulation really overshadows those positives. If it looked like a typical old-school kit you might not mind as much, but the gap between its decent-looking exterior and its shoddy internal structure makes the contrast all the more glaring.

Anyway, unless you're into modifying old-kit joints for fun, this isn't one I'd really recommend — it's more of a "huh, so this is how they used to make them back in the day" kind of kit. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.8.9 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.