OLD Turn A Gundam 1/100 Turn A Gundam

Release 1999.7

Price ¥2,000

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/100 Turn A Gundam - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

The chest missile hatch parts are molded in ABS to prevent breakage.

OLD 1/100 Turn A Gundam - Parts diagram (1/4)

OLD 1/100 Turn A Gundam - Parts diagram (2/4)

Parts diagram

OLD 1/100 Turn A Gundam - Manual (10/12)

Manual

Straight build + Stickers

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Better color separation on the weapons compared to the 1/144

The rear section and grip of the beam rifle are articulated.

The inside of the shield also recreates the extra gimmick that wraps around the arm.

You can mount the weapons on the back using joint parts.

Beam saber handle stored in the rear shoulder

OLD 1/100 Turn A Gundam - The chest missile hatches are nicely recreated — the upper 6 hatches are articulated, while the bot

The chest missile hatches are nicely recreated — the upper 6 hatches are articulated, while the bottom 2 are swap-out style.

The thrusters on the rear legs can be pulled outward.

The core fighter is included separately from the main body.

Articulated fingers

Limb articulation

The proportions are solid despite being an older kit.

Beam rifle firing pose

OLD 1/100 Turn A Gundam - Two-handed shooting pose (1/2)

OLD 1/100 Turn A Gundam - Two-handed shooting pose (2/2)

Two-handed firing pose

Beam saber action

Missile hatch open shot

Together with the 1/144 Turn A Gundam.

Together with the MG Turn A Gundam released in 2007.

This is the 1/100 Turn A Gundam released as part of the old Turn A Gundam series. First off, being a 1/100, the color separation is well done even on the weapons, so the kit pulls off the official color scheme nicely — though the ivory molded color does give it a bit of an old-school feel.

Gimmick-wise it's a solid step up from the 1/144 in several ways. The 8 chest missile hatches are recreated with 6 as articulated and 2 as swap-out parts. It's a little disappointing that they're not all articulated, but the visual when they're open is definitely better. That said, the middle articulated hatches don't hold their position very well so it's hard to keep them open, and the swap-out open parts for the bottom two tend to fall off easily.

On top of that, a core fighter is included separately (though it's not detachable from the main body), and there's a gimmick where the thrusters on the rear legs can be pulled outward. Separate joint parts let you mount the weapons on the back, and the beam saber storage in the shoulders along with the various gimmicks on the beam rifle and shield are all faithfully recreated.

The articulation is better than the 1/144 but still pretty average in terms of how far the limbs bend. That said, the joint strength is solid so posing is pretty easy. The articulated fingers have a good grip too, so they hold the weapons without any trouble — which is a relief.

With all these gimmicks and weapons you can pull off quite a variety of poses, though the two-handed beam rifle firing pose is surprisingly tricky to pull off. The angle just doesn't come together well — the wrists pop out and it's generally a pain to get right.

Overall it's a big step up from the 1/144 in pretty much every way. It doesn't come close to the MG Turn A Gundam from 2007, but it's still a solid kit that shows what a no-grade 1/100 can do. :-)
[ Updated at 2018.7.29 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.