-- Series Overview ---------------------------------
The Gundam SEED Destiny 1/144 No Grade series followed on from the original SEED 1/144 line, with a total of 14 kits released between 2004 and 2005, priced between ¥300 and ¥600 — making them entry-level Gunpla. The basic construction is similar to the SEED 1/144 kits, but you can feel a step up in terms of detail, and they use an evolved dumbbell-shaped ball-joint polycap. Each joint moves on both ends, so articulation has improved, though since the elbows and knees are still fixed, the range of poses you can pull off remains limited.
That said, the proportions are solid and comparable to HG kits, and while color separation is limited, the molded colors look pretty decent. Each kit also recreates its own transformation gimmick or key feature. The parts count is more complex than the SEED 1/144 kits, pushing the average price up to ¥500, but overall quality has gone up along with it. True to the No Grade label, these are great entry-level Gunpla for budget-friendly building fun or painting practice.
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<Individual Kit Notes>
This kit is the 13th entry in the series — the 1/144 Destiny Gundam. It's a rare No Grade kit with six-color color separation, and they even paid attention to the molded colors on the weapons. The beam cannons and beam swords on the back aren't on movable joints — instead, they extend by splitting apart and recombining. On top of that, an open hand part is also included, making this a relatively premium package overall. The price reflects that too, coming in at ¥600 — the highest in the No Grade lineup.
That said, since the arms have no elbow joints, the beam cannons can't actually be aimed — they just sit horizontally. As for the beam swords, since the hands are attached to the arms, you'll need to disassemble the whole arm to get them into a gripping pose. Even so, this is one of the better-equipped kits in the No Grade lineup, and if you're a fan of the Destiny Gundam, it's definitely worth building at least once. :-)
AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.
