Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack.

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Various angles (1/6)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Various angles (2/6)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Various angles (3/6)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Various angles (4/6)

Various angles

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Detail shots (1/4)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Outer armor removal shot

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Inner frame shots (1/2)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Inner frame shots (2/2)

Internal frame

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Frame detail shots. (1/4)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Frame detail shots. (2/4)

Frame detail shots.

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - There's a cockpit hatch open gimmick, but the cover pops off way too easily. Anyway, there is at least

There's a cockpit hatch open gimmick, but the cover pops off way too easily.
Anyway, there is at least a little bit of interior cockpit detail in there.

The waist and elbows feature silver movable cylinders.

The backpack's weapon mount deployment gimmick is also reproduced.

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - The emblem is rendered with a beautiful luminous effect using clear parts placed in front of silver pa

The emblem is rendered with a beautiful luminous effect using clear parts placed in front of silver parts.

There's also a gimmick that slightly expands the shoulder armor.

Articulation gimmick on the backpack's center section.

You can slide the crotch cover to expose the stand peg hole.

Weapons loadout

Smoothbore gun

Just like the MG, the barrel can be slid forward/backward and folded.

The handle moves on a ball joint, giving it a wider range of motion than you'd expect.

The folded smoothbore gun can be plugged directly into the backpack for storage.

The mace's four tips can each be extended outward.

Tachi

The mace and tachi can be stored on the backpack using separate joint parts.

The weapon's peg plugs into the palm hole for a secure grip.

Excellent limb articulation

Hip joint sliding gimmick

The waist bends forward and backward with quite a bit of flexibility.

Shoulder forward/backward and up/down articulation gimmick

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - The fingers work the same way as the MGSD Freedom Gundam — the thumb and index finger move independent

The fingers work the same way as the MGSD Freedom Gundam — the thumb and index finger move independently, while the remaining three fingers move together as one piece.

The ankles also tilt sideways quite a fair bit.

Kneeling pose

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Mace aerial pose (1/3)

Mace aerial pose

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Mace overhead strike pose (1/4)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Mace overhead strike pose (2/4)

Mace overhead strike pose

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Smoothbore gun firing pose (1/3)

Smoothbore gun firing pose

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Tachi action pose (1/3)

Tachi action pose

Together with the MGSD Freedom Gundam.

Together with the MG Gundam Barbatos.

MGSD Gundam Barbatos - Together with the SD EX-Standard Gundam Barbatos. It was also released as a BB Senshi, but the actual

Together with the SD EX-Standard Gundam Barbatos.
It was also released as a BB Senshi, but the actual body is identical to the EX-Standard.

Straight build

Gundam Barbatos is the second MGSD release. True to the concept of blending SD proportions with MG-level quality, and fitting for a Barbatos known for its emphasis on the frame, it delivers a complete full-body frame that goes beyond what the first release, Freedom Gundam, offered.

The proportions are SD-style, but the full-body frame, color separation, weapon lineup, and various gimmicks are all done to MG standards. The articulation is impressively high for an SD kit, and the joint strength is solid — no matter what pose you put it in, it holds. That said, the joints don't feel smooth to move; there's that stiff, polycap-less tightness to them. It's better than being loose, but for such a small and lightweight kit, you do wonder if it really needed to be this tight.

Weapons include the mace, smoothbore gun, and tachi, with backpack deployment and weapon storage functionality on par with the MG. All weapons have pegs on their handles that plug into the palm holes for a rock-solid grip. The smoothbore gun's handle is also on a ball joint, which makes it much easier to position the hand when striking a firing pose while the gun is connected to the backpack. On top of that, movable cylinders are included at the abdomen and elbows, and there are gimmicks for expanding the mace and extending the shoulder armor as well.

All in all, this is a really well-done MG-grade SD kit. Above all else, that rock-solid, tightly-fitted feel across the whole body is something special. The MG, HG, and 1/100 Barbatos kits all showed off impressive gimmicks and frame structures, but they always felt a bit flimsy in the body overall — this finally feels like a Barbatos model kit that's sturdy from head to toe. Either way, whether you're an Iron-Blooded Orphans fan or just someone who loves the MGSD concept, this is one you can grab without hesitation. :-)

MGSD Gundam Barbatos | 2023.10 | ¥3,900

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.