HG

Gundam Astray Red Frame (Flight Unit)

Kit Review

Straight build

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Size comparison with a cigarette pack

Size comparison with a cigarette pack

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] (1/2) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] (2/2)

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Detail shots (1/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Detail shots (2/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Detail shots (3/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Detail shots (4/4)

Detail shots

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Whoa.. Being a new release, all the red parts on the shield are fully color separa

Whoa..
Being a new release, all the red parts on the shield are fully color separated!
It's a totally different feel from the old days when you'd slap on a bunch of shiny stickers..

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Just like the HG M1 Astray, you can combine the shield and rifle and mount them on HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Just like the HG M1 Astray, you can combine the shield and rifle and mount them on

Just like the HG M1 Astray, you can combine the shield and rifle and
mount them onto the flight pack.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - The color reproduction on the Gerbera Straight looks pretty impressive..

The color reproduction on the Gerbera Straight looks pretty impressive..

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Look closely though, and all the color combinations are actually finished with a l HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Look closely though, and all the color combinations are actually finished with a l HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Look closely though, and all the color combinations are actually finished with a l HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Look closely though, and all the color combinations are actually finished with a l

Look closely though, and all the color combinations are actually finished with a large number of seals.
Thankfully the blending is decent enough, but the blade sections where you apply silver shiny seals on both sides look a little awkward..

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - And as a special bonus, the Baku's recon-type head weapon is included.

And as a special bonus, the Baku's recon-type head weapon is included.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - True to the Astray's reputation, the articulation is quite good.

True to the Astray's reputation, the articulation is quite good.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight two-handed pose — it's got a presence you don't often see in a re HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight two-handed pose — it's got a presence you don't often see in a re HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight two-handed pose — it's got a presence you don't often see in a re HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight two-handed pose — it's got a presence you don't often see in a re

Gerbera Straight two-handed pose
It's got a presence you don't often see in a regular HG..

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight - Aerial pose (1/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight - Aerial pose (2/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight - Aerial pose (3/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Gerbera Straight - Aerial pose (4/4)

Gerbera Straight - Aerial pose

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Aerial slash pose (1/2) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Aerial slash pose (2/2)

Aerial slash pose

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Aerial shooting pose (1/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Aerial shooting pose (2/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Aerial shooting pose (3/4) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Aerial shooting pose (4/4)

Aerial shooting pose

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Attack pose using the Baku head (1/3) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Attack pose using the Baku head (2/3) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Attack pose using the Baku head (3/3)

Attack pose using the Baku head

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Red Frame body with the flight unit removed (1/2) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Red Frame body with the flight unit removed (2/2)

Red Frame body with the flight unit removed

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Normal backpack.

Normal backpack.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Red Frame action pose. (1/2) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Red Frame action pose. (2/2)

Red Frame action pose.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - The backpack's sliding gimmick for connecting to the flight unit is nicely reprodu

The backpack's sliding gimmick for connecting to the flight unit is nicely reproduced too.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Alongside the old HG Red Frame version. It's been upgraded in every way — detail, HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Alongside the old HG Red Frame version. It's been upgraded in every way — detail,

Alongside the old HG Red Frame version.
It's been upgraded in every way — detail, proportions, joints, articulation, and color reproduction.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Articulation has gotten a bit better across the board too.

Articulation has gotten a bit better across the board too.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Comparing the Gerbera Straight, the parts layout is the same, but the presence or

Comparing the Gerbera Straight,
the parts layout is the same, but the presence or absence of seals
makes a huge difference in how it looks..

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Alongside the Remaster Series M1 Astray. (1/2) HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Alongside the Remaster Series M1 Astray. (2/2)

Alongside the Remaster Series M1 Astray.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - The design is nearly identical to the M1 Astray's flight pack, with the main visua

The design is nearly identical to the M1 Astray's flight pack,
with the main visual difference being the added wings on the Astray's flight unit.
And if you look closely, the new flight unit isn't a reuse of the M1 Astray's —
it's been designed from scratch as entirely new parts.

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame [Flight Unit] - Here it is alongside the HG Blue Frame Second L, which is essentially its predeces

alongside what is essentially its predecessor,
the HG Blue Frame Second L.
Most of the core frame is the same kit.

After the Astray's base frame got renewed with the HG Blue Frame Second L, I was hoping we'd see some HG normal Astray variants making use of that same body — and sure enough, the Red Frame came out as an HG renewal not long after. And they didn't just release a plain Red Frame either; they threw in the Flight Unit as a bonus on top of that. ^^

First off, as already shown with the Blue Frame Second L, the quality of the fully renewed Astray body is excellent. The detail, color separation, joint strength, and articulation — it's a complete upgrade across the board, and the satisfaction you get from building it is honestly top-tier among HG kits.

The newly added Flight Unit might look at first glance like a reuse of the M1 Astray's flight pack from the Remaster series, but look closely and you'll see it's actually an entirely new set of parts. Not only does it differ by having wings added compared to the M1 Astray version, but the way the parts are divided for color separation has been changed as well.

The Gerbera Straight — arguably the Red Frame's signature feature — is honestly not that different from the old kit in terms of construction, but a large number of stickers are applied to recreate the color scheme almost perfectly. The sticker work is a bit tedious and fiddly, but the end result is a Gerbera Straight that looks pretty convincing, so I'm happy with it overall. ^^

On top of that, there's the shield + rifle combination gimmick carried over from the M1 Astray, the newly revised way the Gerbera Straight mounts on the side skirts, and various other small details — all in all, this kit really does feel like a solid upgrade in every little area.

This new Astray takes what was already a standout HG kit and pushes it even further — the quality is among the very best in the HG lineup, and it's something I'd highly recommend to any Gunpla fan. If you've been feeling a bit burned out on Gunpla lately, building this beautifully upgraded classic mobile suit might just be the thing to reignite that spark. :-)

HG Gundam Astray Red Frame (Flight Unit) | 2013. 8 | ¥1,900

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.