Kit Review

Straight build + panel lining + partial painting

The universal standard for size comparison — next to a cigarette box.

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel - Even with that huge backpack, it stands up perfectly straight. A win for light weight and solid jo

Even with that huge backpack, it stands up perfectly straight.
A win for light weight and solid joints!

The 105 Dagger in normal configuration

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel - There aren't that many spots that need partial painting. Just the dark gray areas on the shoulders

There aren't that many spots that need partial painting.
Just the dark gray areas on the shoulders, neck, and back.

The yellow on the shield unfortunately needs partial painting. (No stickers included)

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel - You can display the Gunbarrel Striker separately on its own stand. The color separation on the Gun

You can display the Gunbarrel Striker separately on its own stand.
The color separation on the Gunbarrel is nearly perfect, so I just did panel lining.

The gatling guns mounted on the Gunbarrel look great.

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel - The missile pods mounted all around separate individually, just like in the anime. The covers aren

The missile pods mounted all around separate individually, just like in the anime.
The covers aren't hinged open — they're detachable instead, and you use separate locking parts to secure them.

Closed & Open

The Gunbarrel Striker fully separated into attack mode.

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel - All the small parts used for the missile pod open mode can be stored in slots under the stand — a

All the small parts used for the missile pod open mode can be stored in slots under the stand
— a nice touch. (Just like the old HGM series)
But... the fit is loose and they fall out easily. -_-;;

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel - The extension stand piece for height adjustment goes on the side, and the locking pin used to atta

The extension stand piece for height adjustment goes on the side, and the locking pin used to attach it to the back
can be stored in a slot on the side of the stand base — thoughtful design!

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel - When attaching to the 105 Dagger, the front section folds 180 degrees. Then you connect the lockin

When attaching to the 105 Dagger, the front section folds 180 degrees.
Then you connect the locking pin in the middle and plug it into the body.

Articulation is decent.
The ankle joints are especially flexible though.

Action pose

The 105Dagger + Gunbarrel somehow looks even more imposing from the back.

You can use the extension stand piece to raise the stand height,
and slot the body onto it.

A dedicated stand for a 1/144 kit — now that's fancy!

As per the lore, the Strike/Dagger weapon pack connectors are cross-compatible.

Strike + Gunbarrel and Aile Dagger

Strike Rouge + Gunbarrel and Dagger + IWSP

Straight build photos

Gunbarrel Striker straight build photos. Looks like they put quite a bit of thought into the color separation.

The Dagger, which appeared in the anime as Earth's mass-production unit (kind of like the SEED version of the GM...), has shown up as an MSV release. It's not the basic Strike Dagger, but rather a slight variant called the 105 Dagger. It's almost identical to the Strike Dagger, just with a slightly different color scheme. And it's not just the plain 105 Dagger either — it comes out as a Gunbarrel-equipped version: the 105Dagger + Gunbarrel.

The Gunbarrel that comes with the 105 Dagger isn't the same one Gai Murakumo piloted in the anime — this one is called the Gunbarrel Striker, and it's a different color and slightly smaller in size. It's designed to fold up compactly and be carried on the back.

The 105 Dagger itself is a solid, no-frills kit with decent articulation, decent molded colors, decent color separation, and solid joint strength. There's some partial painting needed on the shoulders, neck, shield, and a few other spots, but for an HG kit this is pretty good. The joints are especially sturdy — the fact that it stands up straight even with the big Gunbarrel on its back is definitely worth praising.

With this kit, the Gunbarrel somehow draws your eye more than the Dagger itself. The bright orange color, the great detail, the careful color separation, and the missile pods that separate and open — it's all well done. It makes sense that a small mobile armor like this feels fresher and more interesting than your typical MS. ^^

The missile pod open mode isn't a hinged design — it's done through detachable parts and add-on pieces, but the detail is pretty good and the color accuracy is spot on. Seeing all four missile pods open up and then separate/combine looks really cool. On top of that, a dedicated display stand is included, making it easy to show off. The stand is height-adjustable, and at full height you can even slot the 105 Dagger onto it — it's a multi-purpose stand. A multi-purpose stand included with a 1/144 HG kit? Now that's luxurious. :-)

The stand itself has slots to store the leftover stand parts and Gunbarrel locking pins, and there's even a thoughtful touch where all 8 parts needed for the missile pod open mode can be stored in slots on the bottom of the stand base! But... even when you plug the parts in, they don't hold tight — they're loose and fall out easily, so it's not really practical for storage. ;; OTL Probably best to just appreciate the fact that they tried. This parts-storage feature on the stand seems to be carried over directly from the HGM series approach. (HGM kits like the Dendrobium, Vsbaro, and Neue Ziel all have slots under the stand for storing leftover parts.)

One thing that bugs me though — the Strike Dagger, which actually appeared in the anime (hence the "Dagger" name??), never got an HG release. And instead we get this out-of-nowhere MSV variant? If the base body is basically the same, couldn't they have just swapped the molded colors and released a plain Strike Dagger? That question still lingers.

Anyway, this kit carries on the clean tradition of SEED MSV releases well, and the awesome Gunbarrel alone makes it worth picking up. There's also something satisfying about finishing it and feeling like you've built two kits in one. In that sense, the value for money is excellent (lots of parts too~). If you're feeling it, go ahead and grab one without hesitation — it's a quality kit! ^^

HG 105Dagger + Gunbarrel | 2004. 9 | ¥1,500

AIThis page was translated by Claude Sonnet.