Kit Review

Straight build + Panel lining + Seals

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - The joint strength is pretty solid, so despite all the backpack weight, it can stand almost perfec

The joint strength is pretty solid, so despite all the backpack weight, it can stand almost perfectly upright.

Upper body

Head. The mask has been changed.

Arm section

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - The backpack loaded with two weapons — a rifle and a gun launcher. (1/3)

The backpack loaded with two weapons — a rifle and a gun launcher.

Leg section.

stickers that go on the shoulders, chest, front skirt, knees, etc.

Just like the Gale Strike, this kit also has an added part that extends the leg above the thigh.

Articulation is the same as the original Buster.

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - The rifle and gun launcher on the back have interlocking sections, so they lock in place securely

The rifle and gun launcher on the back have interlocking sections, so they lock in place securely when folded.

The 120mm triple-barrel anti-ship Vulcan cannon on the shoulder opens up like this.

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - It uses the Buster's signature ABS multi-joint support arm, and since it's quite stiff, it holds p

It uses the Buster's signature ABS multi-joint support arm,
and since it's quite stiff, it holds position really well at all kinds of angles.

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - Action pose (1/4)

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - Action pose (2/4)

Action pose

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - The double fire action — what you'd call the Hail Buster's signature pose.. (1/6)

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - The double fire action — what you'd call the Hail Buster's signature pose.. (2/6)

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - The double fire action — what you'd call the Hail Buster's signature pose.. (3/6)

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - The double fire action — what you'd call the Hail Buster's signature pose.. (4/6)

The double fire action — what you'd call the Hail Buster's signature pose..

There are plenty of leftover seals, so you could probably repurpose them here and there.

You can attach the Gale Strike's backpack, but..
the colors clash pretty badly;

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - Comparison with the 1/100 Buster Gundam. The color scheme has changed completely. And just like wi

Comparison with the 1/100 Buster Gundam. The color scheme has changed completely.
And just like with the Gale Strike, this one is taller too.

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam - Comparison with the Gale Strike Gundam. Both of them have a pretty strong "illegitimate child" vib

Comparison with the Gale Strike Gundam.
Both of them have a pretty strong "illegitimate child" vibe going on;;

Straight build

This is the 1/100 Hail Buster Gundam, a side-story kit released alongside the 1/100 Gale Strike. Just like the Gale Strike, it reuses most of the runners from the original Buster Gundam and adds one extra runner to build it up into a different-looking unit.

For starters, the molded colors have been changed to a darker, deeper black, and with the thigh-extension gimmick like the Gale Strike, plus various additional weapons and armor, it ends up looking quite different from the original Buster. The sturdy ABS weapon support arm that used to sit at the Buster's waist has been moved to the back, but it still shows off that solid joint strength — so even with a wide range of articulation, everything holds position really well. This support arm alone is a gimmick from 7 years ago, but it really feels like it was built to last..

That said, unlike the original Buster where the support arm was fixed at the waist, having it mounted on the back does limit the arm's range of motion somewhat. It doesn't move as freely as it did on the Buster — that's a bit of a drawback.

Overall, the changes are a bit narrower in scope compared to the Gale Strike.. but for a kit priced at a fairly reasonable ¥2500 that still gives you a decent, enjoyable build, I'd say it passes well enough. It's a kit that reminds you that even those 1/100 SEED kits from 7 years ago were actually pretty fun builds in their own right. :-)

1/100 Hail Buster Gundam | 2009. 8 | ¥2,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.