OLD Z Gundam 1/144 Hambrabi

Release 1985.12

Price ¥600

BANDAI BANDAI Japan product info

OLD 1/144 Hambrabi - Box side view (1/3)

Box side view

Runners

Parts diagram

Manual

Straight build + waterslide decals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Elbow and knee articulation is decent enough, but the armor pretty much locks the hip joints in place..

Shoulder and wing movement

No weapons and the hip joints are basically fixed, so there aren't many poses you can pull off ^^;

Spread the tail out flat to transform into Mobile Armor mode.

Extend the knee section and fold it all the way back..

Fold the feet flat and pull the front shin structure forward.

Open the forearm claws and position the arms as shown above.

OLD 1/144 Hambrabi - Transformed into Mobile Armor mode (1/3)

Transformed into Mobile Armor mode

Underside

Together with the 1/144 Zeta Gundam.

Together with the HGUC Hambrabi released in 2012.

Comparison with the HGUC Hambrabi in Mobile Armor mode

Together with the 1/144 Gaplant and Methuss in Mobile Armor mode

This is the old-style 1/144 Hambrabi from the Zeta Gundam line, and it does a solid job of capturing that distinctive manta ray-like silhouette. That said, it looks noticeably smaller compared to the HGUC — makes you wonder if the scale came out a bit too small.

The kit has a pretty unique structure, and the assembly feels a bit trickier than other old Zeta series kits — there are quite a few spots where you're relying on glue to hold things together. The transformation gimmick itself is set up similarly to the HGUC, but the Mobile Armor proportions on the HGUC are just in a completely different league in terms of refinement. The forearm claws can't rotate, so the lower body shape in Mobile Armor mode ends up looking a bit off from the official design, and the overall stability after transformation is iffy, making it hard to get a clean look.

Unlike the Methuss, which kept decent limb articulation despite its transformation gimmick, the Hambrabi's skirt structure basically glues the hip joints in place. On top of that, the shoulder armor is connected directly to the body, so shoulder movement is pretty limited too. That makes posing in Mobile Suit mode a real pain, and with no separate weapons included, there's not much you can do with it anyway.

So visually it's not bad at all, but it came out too small compared to the official specs, and the limited articulation means there's a lot you'd want to mod. Still, part of why it looks so rough is just because the HGUC Hambrabi turned out so well — taken on its own terms, the Mobile Suit proportions are actually pretty good for an old kit, and the overall sculpt holds up. It's a pretty niche design to begin with, so this one's probably best suited for builders who enjoy the fun of joint modding. :-)
[ Updated at 2017.3.27 ]

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.