Kit Review

Straight build

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame - Detail shots (1/4)

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame - Detail shots (2/4)

Detail shots

Seals applied to the shoulders and shield.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame - The Gerbera Straight... the blade part has been given a matte silver coating, but the handle is

The Gerbera Straight...
The blade part has been given a matte silver coating, but the handle is coated too, so the overall look is a bit awkward.
Painting is a must if you want it to look right.

Never mind the legs — the forearm articulation is great.

Thanks to the design, the shoulders have a great range of forward and backward motion.

The gimmick of the backpack sliding downward is also reproduced.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame - Rifle firing pose (1/3)

Rifle firing pose

Beam saber action

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame - Gerbera Straight action! (1/4)

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame - Gerbera Straight action! (2/4)

Gerbera Straight action!

Gerbera Straight action 2

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame - Kneeling draw pose. An HG daring to pull off a kneeling pose~~ (1/3)

Kneeling draw pose.
An HG daring to pull off a kneeling pose~~

Together with the 1/100 Astray Red Frame.

This is the HG kit of the Gundam Astray Red Frame — the spinoff from SEED that caused a huge buzz when it was first released. Alongside the 1/100 Astray, which showed off insane articulation for its time, the HG Astray also delivers outstanding articulation and posability compared to other kits in its class.

First of all, the Astray design itself is just inherently great for articulation — the shoulders, hip joints, and forearms all move really well by nature of the design. Compared to the 1/100 Astray, which was revolutionary in its articulation for a 1/100 kit, the knee articulation here is a little disappointing, but the range of motion in key areas like the shoulders, elbows, ankles, and hips is in a completely different league from other HG SEED series kits.

In particular, the kneeling pose — which is tough to pull off even on a 1/100, let alone an HG — is surprisingly easy to achieve here, and the proportions while kneeling look great too. Action poses using the Gerbera Straight, the signature weapon of the Astray Red, look awesome no matter what pose you go for. The one downside is that while the Gerbera Straight does come with a matte silver coating as a nice touch, the handle is coated along with the blade, so you'll need to paint it if you want it to look properly done.

Compared to the 1/100, the articulation and color separation are relatively lacking, but the HG Astray has the advantage of being small and easy to pose without any fuss — and being lightweight means joint strength isn't an issue either. When it was first released, it was one of those standout kits that even people who weren't into the HG SEED series ended up buying, and it's a great kit I'd recommend to any Gunpla fan without hesitation. A true classic! :-)

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame | 2003. 11 | ¥1,200

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.