Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Various angles

Due to the fin funnels, you need to lean it slightly forward to keep it stable.

Detail shots

Rear view with fin funnels removed

Outer armor removed

Inner frame shots

Frame detail shots

Rear view with backpack frame removed

Frame articulation

RG Nu Gundam - There's a locking pin underneath the hip slide gimmick where each side moves independently. Just open it when

There's a locking pin underneath the hip slide gimmick where each side moves independently.
Just open it when you want to reposition, then close it again and it locks the hips right in place.

The waist bends back an insane amount.

RG Nu Gundam - The waist joint doesn't bend forward quite as much, but there's also a gimmick where you can pull the lower to

The waist joint doesn't bend forward quite as much,
but there's also a gimmick where you can pull the lower torso out slightly to tilt the body forward.

Waist side-to-side articulation

Since you can pull the shoulder joint out and then bend it,
you can get nearly 90 degrees of forward movement.

RG Nu Gundam - The knee joint splits all the way up to the front kneecap and moves in two stages, with the calf verniers at t

The knee joint splits all the way up to the front kneecap and moves in two stages,
with the calf verniers at the back linking up and swinging downward.

There's a moving cylinder tucked inside the knee that's just barely visible.

Natural kneeling pose

Poses showing maximum leg articulation

Both opening methods from the MG are included — the front cover and the full chest center opening.

RG Nu Gundam - The chest armor, shoulders, front skirt, both thigh covers, and backpack cover all open up a little. (1/5)

RG Nu Gundam - The chest armor, shoulders, front skirt, both thigh covers, and backpack cover all open up a little. (2/5)

RG Nu Gundam - The chest armor, shoulders, front skirt, both thigh covers, and backpack cover all open up a little. (3/5)

The chest armor, shoulders, front skirt, both thigh covers, and backpack cover all open up a little.

RG Nu Gundam - All open gimmicks deployed. It's a hatch-open feature of sorts, but the opening angles are pretty narrow so it

All open gimmicks deployed.
It's a hatch-open feature of sorts, but the opening angles are pretty narrow so it's not super dramatic.

Weapons loadout

The color separation is really thorough.

The bazooka's moving gimmicks are on par with an MG.

RG Nu Gundam - There's also a cute linked gimmick where lifting the beam saber holder on the left arm causes the beam saber t

There's also a cute linked gimmick where lifting the beam saber holder on the left arm causes the beam saber to pop up slightly.

RG Nu Gundam - You can also swap out the backpack's beam saber unit for a fin funnel mounting unit, which would let you do a

You can also swap out the backpack's beam saber unit for a fin funnel mounting unit,
which would let you do a double fin funnel setup. (The catch being you'd need to buy another kit..)

A total of 7 hands are included.

RG Nu Gundam - A somewhat unusual stand joint part is included — it slots in between the backpack and the body. However, due

A somewhat unusual stand joint part is included,
it slots in between the backpack and the body.
However, due to the size and shape of the hole, it probably won't be compatible with anything other than Action Base 5.

All 6 fin funnels fold as per the design specs.

RG Nu Gundam - The hinge part is molded in one piece and rotates on an octagonal pivot, so it locks in at 45-degree increment

The hinge part is molded in one piece and rotates on an octagonal pivot,
so it locks in at 45-degree increments.

Each fin funnel has 2 hidden locking pins as shown,
which you only pull out when connecting them.

Each fin funnel can be fixed at two different height positions,
so you can attach them either flush or offset.

1/144 Amuro figure.

Excellent limb articulation.
The hip range of motion is inevitably more limited compared to the bare frame.

The shoulders bend forward about 90 degrees.

RG Nu Gundam - The waist is ridiculously flexible front and back.. but the bent area looks pretty bare and exposed, so going

The waist is ridiculously flexible front and back..
The bent areas look pretty bare/hollow, so going all-out with the bending feels a bit awkward.

Waist side-to-side articulation

Kneeling pose drawing beam saber from forearm.
You can get a really natural kneeling pose out of this.

Drawing beam saber from the back

Action poses

Together with the HGUC Nu Gundam.

Together with the RG Sazabi.

RG Nu Gundam - Together with the MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka. I tried attaching the fin funnels to the MG Ver.Ka for the first time i

Together with the MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka.
I tried attaching the fin funnels to the MG Ver.Ka for the first time in a while... but as expected, they wouldn't stay on so I gave up T_T

Straight build

Finally!! Exactly one year after the masterpiece RG Sazabi, the Nu Gundam has made its RG debut. This was a kit a lot of people had been desperately waiting for, and to cut straight to the point — it was absolutely worth the wait. ^^

First off, the flimsy fin funnel attachment on the MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka was my biggest concern going in, but it seems the team was well aware of this issue, because it's been cleanly resolved here. All six fin funnels share the same structure, each with two attachment pins and four attachment holes, giving you two different connection points to choose from. They're also lightweight, so once locked in they don't come off easily — not a single fin funnel fell off no matter what pose I put the kit in. And it wasn't just the fin funnels; no parts came loose during posing at all. In terms of parts retention, this kit delivers more than satisfying results.

The articulation also packs in a lot of advanced engineering. The hip joint slide mechanism now has a locking pin at the bottom so it clicks precisely into place wherever you want it. The thighs feature slide armor, the inner knees have a moving cylinder, and the knee splits into upper and lower sections for a two-stage leg fold. On top of that, the verniers on the back of the calves link up and retract in sync, which pushes the leg's range of motion even further.

The waist in particular is absurdly flexible — it moves almost 120 degrees forward and back. On top of that, there's an extra gimmick where you can pull out the lower rear waist section one step further to tilt the upper body forward a bit more. That said, when you bend it that far the internals are left looking pretty bare and hollow, so in practice you probably won't want to crank it all the way. The shoulder joints that fold forward can also be pulled outward before bending, giving you about 90 degrees of movement, and the neck is fairly flexible as well.

Thanks to all these great articulation gimmicks combined with solid joint strength and parts retention, this is a genuinely fun kit to pose. Looking at the inner frame, it honestly feels more refined than most MGs out there these days. Notably, a standard assembly-type frame is used instead of a one-piece pre-assembled frame — it feels like they prioritized practicality over showing off technical flair. The one-piece pre-assembled parts that were once RG's signature are now only used for the hinge joints on the fin funnels.

The outer armor features RG's signature multi-tone finish, delivering a level of detail that rivals or even surpasses MG kits. The proportions feel similar to the MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka, though the face does feel a bit too small in comparison, which might be a love-it-or-hate-it thing depending on your taste. The color separation is excellent as you'd expect from an RG, with even the small details on the weapons carefully broken out into separate parts.

The RG Nu Gundam also introduces new gimmicks not found even on the MG — opening hatches and panels across various parts of the kit. The cockpit hatch opens just like on the MG, with both the front cover and the entire chest section opening up. The chest, shoulders, front skirts, backpack, and both thigh covers all open up slightly as well. That said, every single one only opens just a little bit, so you can't really get a dramatic wide-open hatch shot out of it — it's more of a "oh that's a nice little touch" moment that'll put a smile on your face.

As for the downsides, the display stand joint gimmick is a bit odd. You slot a long joint piece between the backpack and the body to connect it to a stand, and according to the manual it's designed for the Action Base 5. It does say it's compatible with the older Action Base 2 as well, but when I actually tried it, the kit is so large that it just couldn't balance properly. In the end I had to forcibly modify several parts from an MG Action Base 1 just to barely get it airborne. It's hard not to suspect this is a sneaky strategy to push sales of the new Action Base 5. -_-

To wrap things up — this kit nails the trifecta of looks, articulation, and parts retention, completely washing away the trauma of the MG Nu Gundam Ver.Ka. (Fin funnels that actually stay on — who knew?!) The overall quality is right on par with the RG Sazabi, but since the RG Sazabi was such an incredible kit, I wouldn't say this one quite takes the crown as the greatest RG ever made. That said, at this level of quality, it's a flat-out, no-hesitation recommendation. :-)

RG Nu Gundam | 2019. 8 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.