Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

SD Aegis Gundam - After applying seals (1/4)

SD Aegis Gundam - After applying seals (2/4)

SD Aegis Gundam - After applying seals (3/4)

SD Aegis Gundam - After applying seals (4/4)

After applying stickers

SD Aegis Gundam - Shooting action pose (1/3)

Shooting action pose

Transformation

To transform, you need to remove the head, side skirts, and weapons.

Raise the elongated section on the back, then fold the neck back 90 degrees.

Detach the shoulders and extend the arms as shown.

Raise the chest up 90 degrees.

Rotate the arms around until they can bend inward into position.

Lower the front skirt down and rotate it 180 degrees.

Rotate the feet 180 degrees, then fold the arms and legs in with the blade sections gathered inward.

Attach the side skirts and weapons on both sides and the transformation is complete!

Transformation complete!

SD Aegis Gundam - Views from various angles (1/4)

SD Aegis Gundam - Views from various angles (2/4)

Various angles

Attack Mode with legs spread wide open

Cruising Mode with legs folded forward.

Together with SD Strike Gundam.

Together with the 1/100 and HG Aegis Gundam.

The Aegis Gundam — first mobile suit of Athrun, the heartthrob of Gundam SEED — has been released as a BB Senshi, and it's packing a surprisingly elaborate transformation gimmick for an SD kit. Just looking at the kit's appearance alone, it seems like a pretty straightforward SD with nothing particularly special going on, but the transformation mechanics unique to this design are engineered just as precisely as any other scale kit.

The Aegis's distinctive sausage-colored (…) molded color actually came out pretty well without looking too garish, though the color separation is a bit lacking, which makes it feel a little plain. That said, the important parts — like the white blade sections and the chest area — do match the design colors to a reasonable degree. Articulation in MS mode is on par with other SD kits, and the fact that the transformation gimmick doesn't compromise the articulation at all is a definite plus.

The Aegis Gundam's transformation into Attack Mode and Cruising Mode has always been famously fiddly — it was already quite a tricky transform even on the HG and 1/100 kits. Yet that same transformation gimmick has been faithfully reproduced here in SD form, going through dozens of steps to pull off a surprisingly convincing Attack Mode and Cruising Mode.

This is hands-down the SD kit with the most complete transformation gimmick out there — and it transforms without any parts-swapping whatsoever. The biggest issue is that the Aegis Gundam itself isn't all that popular, but for anyone who wants to experience a finely crafted transformation gimmick packed into a tiny SD kit, this would make a great pick. :-)

SD Aegis Gundam | 2004.2 | ¥500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.