Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

With seals applied

The Core Lander with an opening cockpit.

Beam saber action poses

SD Shining Gundam - Whoa.. you can raise all five head antennae(?) to switch into Super Mode. It's SD, but... since the head

Whoa.. you can raise all five head antennae(?) to switch into Super Mode.
It's SD, but... since the head is bigger than even the MG's, it seems like they pulled it off pretty easily ㅡ,.ㅡ

SD Shining Gundam - The face opens on both sides, the shoulders open up too — all the gimmicks you need for Super Mode are in

The face opens on both sides, the shoulders open up too — all the gimmicks you need for Super Mode are included.

A separate right arm for the Shining Finger is included, but...
It's riddled with holes ^^;

Shining Finger~

Together with the MG / HGFC Shining Gundam.

SD Shining Gundam - Together with the BB Senshi Shining Gundam released in 1994. The kit's overall composition is the same, w

Together with the BB Senshi Shining Gundam released in 1994.
The kit's overall composition is the same, with only the molded color changed to give it more of an ivory feel.

SD Shining Gundam - The beam stun gun and clear parts (left) that were included in the original BB Senshi version have been r

The beam stun gun and clear parts (left) that were included in the original BB Senshi version have been removed,
and a separate right arm for the Shining Finger has been added.

SD Shining Gundam - Comparison with the original BB Senshi's Core Lander and beam saber. With the clear parts gone, the beam

Comparison with the original BB Senshi's Core Lander and beam saber.
With the clear parts gone, the beam saber has been changed to white and the cockpit is now done with a seal.

The SD G-Generation Zero lineup has gotten some Mobile Fighter G Gundam kits, and the first one up is Shining Gundam. True to SD form, it's got a big head and an adorable look — and since the suit's colors are so bold and vibrant, it comes across as even cuter ^^ . Like some of the previous G-Generation releases, this is a repackage of BB Senshi No. 132 Shining Gundam from 1994, with the original beam stun gun and clear parts removed and a separate right arm for the Shining Finger added in.

The basic build is your standard SD fare, but what makes this kit stand out is that despite its small size, all the gimmicks needed to switch into Super Mode are fully included. All five yellow head antennae are articulated, the face opens up, and the shoulders open as well. On top of that, a separate right arm for the Shining Finger is included — though the hollow-ness inside it is pretty severe. The Core Lander is also detachable, and the cockpit even opens up.

That said, with the clear parts dropped from the original BB Senshi version, the ability to recreate the Shining Bird and Crystal Shining Bird modes has been left out. A separate Shining Finger arm was added, but more parts were taken away than added, so the old BB Senshi version does feel like the better value in some ways.

Still, for fans of Mobile Fighter G Gundam, this is a great little kit — it's cute, compact, and still packs in the Super Mode transformation gimmick. :-)

SD Shining Gundam | 1999.11 | ¥400

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.