Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Various angles

Detail shots

Rear view with backpack removed

Outer armor removed

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Inner frame shots (1/2)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Inner frame shots (2/2)

Internal frame

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Frame detail shots (1/4)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Frame detail shots (2/4)

Frame detail shots

Rear view with backpack frame removed

The backpack frame is packed with detail too.

Frame articulation

The shoulder extends out in two stages before bending

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Frame action poses (1/4)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Frame action poses (2/4)

Frame action poses

Skirt interior detail

Most of the armor pieces have no molding on the inside.

The backpack and calf armor do have some molding on the inside though.

Two cockpit hatch open styles

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - The shoulders, rear skirt, and legs all have hatch open gimmicks. The legs alone open up in 7 places! (1/3)

The shoulders, rear skirt, and legs all have hatch open gimmicks.
The legs alone open up in 7 places!

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Body with various open gimmicks and hatches deployed (1/4)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Body with various open gimmicks and hatches deployed (2/4)

Body with various open gimmicks and hatches deployed

This is what the backpack looks like in its default configuration...

You can use the various open gimmicks to spread it out flat.

Weapons lineup.
There are 3 beam saber handles but only 2 beam parts.

Shield interior detail.

There's a locking pin you can pull out from the side of the beam rifle.

You can spread open the rear center section to mount the beam rifle.

There's also a locking pin you can pull out from the center of the backpack,

which lets you fold up the bazooka and mount it on the backpack.

The beam sabers are stored in the top of the backpack and the left forearm.

When you bend the right wrist downward, it's linked to the forearm vulcan which pops out automatically.

A total of 7 hands are included.

The wrists on the open hands and weapon-gripping hands can rotate.

All the weapons have peg holes so they lock securely onto the pegs on the hands.

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - All 6 fin funnels articulate the same way as on the RG Nu Gundam. The blue/light blue/white color combinati

All 6 fin funnels articulate the same way as on the RG Nu Gundam.
The blue/light blue/white color combination is perfectly reproduced through color separation.

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - A uniquely shaped joint part for a display stand is included, which locks firmly between the backpack and t

A uniquely shaped joint part for a display stand is included,
which locks firmly between the backpack and the body.
However, the bottom hole isn't really compatible with the older Action Base 1 or 2 — you'll need Action Base 5 for a secure fit.

Leftover parts

Limb articulation before using the skirt gimmick

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - There's a hip slide gimmick and stopper just like on the RG Nu Gundam. When you close the white cover on th

There's a hip slide gimmick and stopper just like on the RG Nu Gundam.
When you close the white cover on the bottom, it locks the hip joint in its extended position.

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - There's a gimmick that lets you swing the front skirt out to the side, which effectively lets you raise the

There's a gimmick that lets you swing the front skirt out to the side,
which effectively lets you raise the hip joint all the way up.

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Limb articulation after using the skirt gimmick. The front skirt has always been the problem with Gundam-ty

Limb articulation after using the skirt gimmick.
The front skirt has always been the problem with Gundam-type kits, but swinging it out to the side completely solves that issue.

The thighs have a slide gimmick, and the knees have articulated cylinders.

Fairly flexible shoulders

The waist articulation is similar to the RG Nu Gundam,
it bends back an insane amount.

The waist armor has a horizontal rotation gimmick, so it can bend sideways quite a bit too.

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - The ankles also have joints that bend sideways, but since it's practically impossible to hold a pose on the

The ankles also have joints that bend sideways, but since it's practically impossible to hold a pose on the ground anyway, it doesn't seem to matter much.

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Propellant tank articulation. When standing upright, you can lower them to touch the ground and use them as

Propellant tank articulation.
When standing upright, you can lower them to touch the ground and use them as supports.
(Without doing this, standing upright is nearly impossible.)

Fin funnel mount articulation

An impressive kneeling pose.
Three cheers for the skirt gimmick!

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Beam rifle firing pose (1/5)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Beam rifle firing pose (2/5)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Beam rifle firing pose (3/5)

Beam rifle firing pose

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Bazooka firing pose (1/3)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Bazooka firing pose (2/3)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Bazooka firing pose (3/3)

Bazooka shooting pose

Beam saber pose

Vulcan firing pose

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - The fin funnel effect parts released for the RG Nu Gundam are perfectly compatible too. (1/3)

The fin funnel effect parts released for the RG Nu Gundam are perfectly compatible too.

RG Hi-Nu Gundam - Alongside the HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam. The difference in size and bulk is enormous — hard to believe they're both

Together with the HGUC Hi-Nu Gundam.
The difference in size and bulk is enormous — hard to believe they're both 1/144.

Alongside the MG Hi-Nu Gundam.
The main body shares a similar design concept to the MG Hi-Nu.

Alongside the MG Hi-Nu Gundam Ver.Ka.
At least the backpack follows the Ver.Ka style.

Alongside the RG Nu Gundam.

Alongside the masterpiece RG Sazabi.

Straight build

The Hi-Nu Gundam has arrived as the 36th entry in the RG lineup. It generated huge anticipation even before release, and sold out almost instantly once it hit shelves — the popularity was explosive. And it absolutely lives up to the hype, delivering top-tier quality.

First off, the Hi-Nu's characteristically bold color combination is beautifully reproduced through perfect color separation. The most complex color combos on the shield and fin funnels are pulled off cleanly through parts separation alone — no stickers or seals needed. The overall design feels similar to previous Hi-Nu kits yet distinctly different; the body silhouette gives off a bulked-up MG Hi-Nu vibe. The backpack and propellant tanks, on the other hand, are closer in form to the MG Hi-Nu Gundam Ver.Ka, making this a fresh new combination that blends several Hi-Nu designs together. The end result pairs that vibrant color separation with an overflowing sense of volume, and visually it's the kind of kit that's hard not to love regardless of your taste.

The frame features full-body inner frame construction with intricate mechanical detail molding throughout, and the outer armor panels are packed with fine detail as well. As a result, doing proper panel lining takes quite a bit of work — in my case, doing it slowly while watching TV took around 4 hours. In terms of panel lining workload, this one is definitely in the upper tier.

It also came out noticeably large for a 1/144 — practically MG-sized — and as you can see in the comparison shots with the HGUC Hi-Nu, the size difference is substantial. It almost feels overscale for 1/144, but on the upside, the parts are on the larger side for an RG, which makes the assembly feel relatively easier. That said, the build feel isn't super smooth — everything is slightly stiff overall, probably for durability reasons.

Articulation also feels like a slight step up from previous RG kits. The hip slide gimmick and waist joint are the same as the RG Nu Gundam, but the lower stopper that locks the hip slide in place is bigger and sturdier, improving stability. A particularly clever new gimmick lets you swing the front and side skirts completely out of the way to the sides, allowing the hip joints to raise all the way up until the knees nearly touch the chest. Gundam-type kits have always had the front skirts limiting how high the hips can raise, but sweeping them aside like this solves that problem entirely.

Joint strength is very solid, as you'd expect from a recent RG — everything is tuned tight enough that movement feels slightly stiff. Thanks to that, poses hold well no matter what you put it in, and given the large, elaborate frame, the joint strength is genuinely impressive. On top of that, true to RG form, the cockpit hatch and beam saber storage gimmicks are faithfully reproduced, and you also get bonus gimmicks where hatches on the shoulders, rear skirt, and legs can be opened. There's even a small touch where bending the right wrist downward causes the forearm vulcan to link and pop forward.

The one frustrating thing about this kit is how tricky it is to get it standing upright — the backpack is just so massive, so it's kind of unavoidable. Lowering the long propellant tanks so they touch the ground behind the feet like a kickstand helps maintain an upright stance to some degree. Because of this, it's really better suited to a stand than posing on the ground. The stand joint parts that connect firmly between the backpack and the back let you put it on a stand with confidence. However, these joint parts aren't compatible with Action Base 1 or 2 — you need to connect them to the peg parts on Action Base 5 to get a solid lock.

All in all, with its excellent fundamentals plus the new skirt gimmick added on top, this has come out as a masterpiece on par with the RG Sazabi. The structural quality is great, but honestly it's the flashy, gorgeous looks that seem to be driving its massive popularity. That said, the slightly stiff build feel and the noticeably poor standing stability keep it from surpassing the culture shock of the RG Sazabi in my personal opinion. It's more like the difference between an A++ and an A+ — both are masterpieces and absolute must-haves.

Either way, the Hi-Nu Gundam has always been hugely popular thanks to its looks, and you can really feel that Bandai put serious effort into designing this one properly. It's a kit I can confidently put on the top of the must-buy list for every Gunpla fan out there. :-)

RG Hi-Nu Gundam | 2021. 9 | ¥4,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.