Kit Review

Straight build

GM Custom straight build

Gundam NT-1 straight build

NT-1 with Chobham Armor straight build

The universal size reference — compared against a cigarette pack

Just swap the head and arms to build either the GM Custom (left) or NT-1 (right) — your choice.

GM Custom (with seals applied)

At least the chest ducts have some color separation ^^;

The GM Custom arm parts have terrible sink marks from being molded as a single piece ;;

The rifle has a few sink marks too... (not too bad though ^^)

A bit of an action pose

SD GM Custom - SD GM Custom - Assembled as Gundam NT-1 (with seals applied). Since the molded colors are based on the GM Cust

Assembled as Gundam NT-1 (with seals applied)
Since the molded colors are based on the GM Custom, the colors are way off;;
It should really be a clean white and blue combo, but...

The beam rifle is a bit abnormally large.

The rifle has a spring missile launch gimmick, but the range isn't all that far.

SD GM Custom - The spring missile launch switch is actually right where the trigger should be. Usually these switches end up

The spring missile launch switch is actually right where the trigger should be.
Usually these switches end up in some random spot, but this one is actually where it belongs...

A little action~

The Chobham Armor for the NT-1 is included as well.

NT-1 with Chobham Armor equipped

Together with the SD Jegan, which shares a similar concept.

Together with the MG GM Custom. The SD's molded colors feel way too candy-toy-ish...

Together with the MG NT-1. Those molded colors... those molded colors... ^^;;

The GM Custom from 0083 was released as a GG Senshi kit back in 1999, but this kit was actually originally released about 10 years before that reissue as the SD Gundam NT-1. The NT-1 and the GM Custom/GM Quel share a lot in common as mobile suits, and in fact even the MG kits share a good number of parts between the three. So this is a somewhat unusual case where a kit that originally came out as the NT-1 was reissued with GM Custom-specific parts added, and the kit name itself was changed to GM Custom in the process.

Of course, all the original NT-1 parts are still included, so you can swap just the head and arms to build it as the NT-1 right away. However, unlike the pre-reissue kit, the molded colors are now based on the GM Custom's bluish tones, so the coloring ends up being pretty rough when you build it as the NT-1... ^^;

The overall molding and seam lines are typical of older-release quality, but there's still that slightly simple yet clean GM charm to it. The sink marks — one of SD's classic problems — are pretty bad on the GM Custom arms, though the NT-1 arms don't have that issue at all.

The molded color, a bright blue that serves as the base color for the GM Custom line, ends up looking noticeably more candy-toy-ish compared to other kits. I think it would've been better if they'd gone with a brighter shade, more like the SD Jegan.

Anyway, it's a cute SD kit that's decent enough to build, but I can't help feeling it would've been better to mold it based on the NT-1 colors and then add the GM Custom parts on top. A bit of a disappointing kit in that regard. ^^

SD GM Custom | 1999.6 | ¥400

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.