Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Various angles (1/6)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Various angles (2/6)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Various angles (3/6)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Various angles (4/6)

Various angles

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Detail shots (1/4)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Rear view with Force Pack removed

Outer armor removed

Inner frame shots

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Frame detail shots (1/4)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Frame detail shots (2/4)

Frame detail shots

Frame articulation

RG Force Impulse Gundam - The entire hip plate drops down, and the hip pin on the leg is offset forward like on the MG Zaku 2

The entire hip plate drops down, and the hip pin on the leg is offset forward like on the MG Zaku 2.0,
giving it a structure that allows the legs to be raised up high.

RG Force Impulse Gundam - The Core Splendor gimmick does limit waist articulation, but they did add a joint that lets the upp

The Core Splendor gimmick does limit waist articulation,
but they did add a joint that lets the upper body tilt forward.

Kneeling pose on the frame

Cockpit hatch open

Weapons loadout

The shield expands with a movable mechanism.

Inside of the shield

The anti-armor knife stores in the side skirt, and true to RG fashion, the blade is articulated too.

The beam rifle has a peg on it so you can mount it on the rear skirt.

A total of 4 hand types are included.

1/144 pilot Shinn Asuka figure

Force Pack

There's also a gimmick where small verniers are exposed.

The two large verniers at the back also move up and down.

The Force Pack wings can also be folded as shown.

Silhouette Flyer

You can pull out the internal gimmick of the Silhouette Flyer from the back, then attach it to the Force Pack to form the Force Silhouette.

Force Silhouette on a stand

To transform, first separate the upper and lower body.

RG Force Impulse Gundam - The Core Splendor is securely connected to the lower body via a red locking pin, and you need to li

The Core Splendor is securely connected to the lower body via a red locking pin,
and you need to lift this red pin to release it before you can pull the Core Splendor out.

Core Splendor in folded form

Despite its small size, every section transforms with moving parts.

You can also attach the separately included landing gear and missiles.

Core Splendor

Flip up the center chest armor on the upper body to cover the face, and then...

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Pull the shoulders out and bend them as shown, then strike that awkward (...) pose and the transfor

Pull the shoulders out and bend them as shown, then strike that awkward (...) pose and the transformation is done.

Still looks like an awkward pose — the Chest Flyer.

RG Force Impulse Gundam - The lower body is even simpler — just bend the knees and fold the feet and the transformation is co

The lower body is even simpler — just bend the knees and fold the feet and the transformation is complete.

Leg Flyer

Each one can be placed on a separate stand using joint parts.

RG Force Impulse Gundam - When placing the main body on the stand, just stand the joint parts upright like shown and you're g

When placing the main body on the stand, just stand the joint parts upright like shown and you're good to go.

Group shot: Chest Flyer, Leg Flyer, Core Splendor, and Force Silhouette

Excellent limb articulation as expected

The waist can also lean forward a bit.

RG Force Impulse Gundam - The parts on top of the shoulder move as shown above, which does help shoulder articulation a bit —

The parts on top of the shoulder move as shown above, which does help shoulder articulation a bit —
but if you accidentally nudge them the wrong way, they end up looking off and the proportions get a little messed up.

The wings can also move up and down to a decent degree.

Anti-armor knife action on the main body

Kneeling pose comes naturally..

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Poses on the stand (1/7)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Poses on the stand (2/7)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Poses on the stand (3/7)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Poses on the stand (4/7)

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Poses on the stand (5/7)

Poses on the stand

Together with the HG Force Impulse Gundam released in 2004.

RG Force Impulse Gundam - Together with the HGCE Force Impulse Gundam released in 2016. The newer HGCE has proportions much c

Together with the HGCE Force Impulse Gundam released in 2016.
The newer HGCE has proportions much closer to the RG than the older HG does.

Together with the RG First Gundam.

Together with the MG Force Impulse Gundam released in 2008.

Straight build

The Force Impulse Gundam has arrived as the 33rd entry in the RG lineup. The Force Impulse first came out as an HG back in 2004, got upgraded to the HGCE in 2016, and now four years later it's made its way to the RG line as well.

First off, just like its predecessors, this kit manages to deliver gimmick-level completeness on par with — or even beyond — the MG, despite being 1/144 scale. Most of the transformation and articulation gimmicks are executed at MG quality. The Core Splendor's transformation gimmick is fully articulated, and the Force Pack even adds a movable vernier open gimmick that wasn't even on the MG. Color separation is also reproduced almost perfectly, just like the MG, making it look worlds apart from the HG at the same scale.

Articulation is pushed to the extreme, as you'd expect from an RG. The entire hip plate drops down while the hip pins on the legs are also positioned forward, allowing the kit to pull off all kinds of demanding poses including deep kneeling. The Impulse Gundam in particular could have had limited waist articulation since the Core Splendor is stored in the torso — but they've managed to fit both a rotation joint and a torso-bend joint into that tight space, which really helps with posing. Joint strength is solid too, so whatever pose you put it in, it holds well, and parts stay on securely with almost nothing falling off during posing.

Also, given the design, the Force Pack's wings are quite large and can make displaying the kit a bit awkward — but you can fold them back into a stored configuration. They don't fold in two stages like on the MG, but you can at least lower them down like the Aile Pack. On top of that, two different stand joint gimmicks are included, so you can put not just the main body but also the Chest Flyer, Leg Flyer, and Silhouette Force up on a stand.

In every way — visuals, proportions, articulation, joint strength, transformation gimmicks, functionality — this kit comes out at an A-grade level of quality with nothing to complain about. Among Bandai's Gunpla lineups, it's starting to feel like the RG, not the MG, is the one that consistently delivers the most stable and highest quality. Either way, this is a kit that anyone will be satisfied with in terms of quality, so if you're a fan of the Impulse Gundam, go ahead and grab it without hesitation. :-)

RG Force Impulse Gundam | 2020. 4 | ¥3,000

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.