Upcoming gunpla to-buy list

It looks like that I am shifting more and more back to Gundam than anything else recently. There are quite a lot of nice gunpla to be released / released recently, and coming up with a to-buy list will mean certain something to my wallet.






1/144 HG 00 Gundam Seven Sword/G
Already released, 1680 Yen (tax inclusive)

An utter no-brainer for me. This is a variation of 00 Gundam (from 2nd season of Gundam 00) with different equipment. Equipped with seven swords (hence the name), it is the "true" sucessor of the Exia Gundam which also has 7 swords. Despite the fact that it's just a variation and was not seen in the animated series, it is still very popular among fans compared to the 00 Raiser (00 Gundam docked with O Raiser support fighter). The massive GN Buster Sword is the highlight for this model kit, and big blades can be quite a killer for me.

Despite having built 2 1/144 HG 00 Gundam models already (one for a friend, one 00 Raiser + GN Sword III for myself), I don't mind building another one to be honest.

Chance of me getting this: Guaranteed



1/100 Vent Saviour
Already released, 2940 Yen (tax inclusive)

The new Gundams from Gundam SEED VS Astray side story has gained its notoriety by being colour variations of previous Gundams with a few parts swapped from one place to another. The Vent Saviour (pronounced "Van" Saviour) has for some reasons caught my eyes; maybe it's the fact that it doesn't look too drastically different to the original despite a colour change from red to white/cyan scheme. I may decide to buy one and give it a few simple modifications to make it look something closer to ReZEL (see below) or Zeta Plus.

Chance of me getting this: Medium




1/144 HGUC ReZEL Commander Version
March release, 2310 Yen (tax inclusive)

Transformable, grunt machine, and large gun. This is the commander version of the normal ReZEL units (already released).

The ReZELs are mass produced MS of the famous Zeta Gundam, but the transformation is based on another early transformable grunt machine called the Methuss. What's a real pity though is that the transformation for this kit will require a lot of part swapping rather than a smooth transformation (unlike the Methuss). It was also the reason why I held back on getting HG/144 Murasame from Gundam SEED Destiny for the same reason unfortunately.

The ReZELs have some sort of handles on the back so other MS can get a free ride on them (laughs). If HGUC Jesta is announced (which is very likely) then I would probably pair them up in as a team, especially since they share very similar colour schemes.

Chance of me getting this: Medium-high




1/144 HGUC Zaku II F2
To be released in March

A later variation of the famous Zaku II that featured in Gundam 0083, it was a pleasant surprise when I first heard its annoucement for HGUC line. While I may still consider getting the green Zeon version, I do want to buy at least 1 captured EFSF version to go with my GM Commands.

Chance of me buying this: High




MG GN-X
Already released, 3780 Yen (tax inclusive)

The first MG model of a grunt machine outside the Universal Century. It was a surprise to some of the fans when it was first announced as it's an unprecedented move. More on it on the previous post made a few months ago.

I was tempted to get the HG 1/144 version some time ago, and I even had an ambition of making a small squad of it (~3-5 of them maybe?). Hm... Maybe it's a good pair up with my MG Exia Ignition Mode that I bought in the summer.

Chance of me getting this: Medium




MG Wing Gundam
April Release, 4200 Yen (tax inclusive)

This is a total surprise for me, especially since Bandai has released a redesigned version by Hajime Katoki (aka Version Ka.) some time ago. This one is the original TV animated version, which looks remarkably different to version Ka:


Left: TV Version, Right: Version Ka.
Images from MAHQ

While it's not surprising that lots of fans would prefer the latter design more, I think it's still good news for those who want the original version. I did hear a lot of people ranting about why Bandai bothered releasing the "uglier" TV Version, but I think fans should respect and appreciate each people's preferences and tastes instead (something I tend to see less and less as of lately, which is a pity).

Thinking back, I did wish for Bandai to rework on some of their earlier models and release them gain with newer technologies implemented on the models, and this happens to be one of them that I was 'dreaming' of one day. However, 4200 Yen is not exactly cheap, so I will have to see how the end product is like. I seriously don't mind a HG 1/144 version or it or a Wing Zero though.

Chance of me getting this: Medium


While I am not planning to get most of them a few did take into my interests recently:




Top to bottom: 1 Gundam (predecessor of Reborns Gundam), HG 1/144 Gundam X, Avalanche Exia, Astraea Type F
... And many more interesting gunpla not mention here.


Most of the new gunpla are announced from the latest issue of Hobby Japan (April 2010), which all somehow sound more exciting and anticipating for me than the whole WonFes Winter 2010 had to offer last month or so. The fact that some Gundams of the non-Universal Century series during the 90s are making a return, such as Wing, X, and God Gundam as well (not shown here). I am only planning to get a few out of all that selection, not to mention that I still have a backlog of gunpla underneath my bed...


Picture from my end-of-year post last December

Well, at least 2010 is going to be an interesting year for gunpla release. I wonder what more stuff are to be expected later in the year; at least I know that I will be kept busy for gunpla-ing when I am back in Hong Kong!

Anyone here got anything they like in the recent new annoucement? It sounds like that MG Wing Gundam and HG Gundam X are going to be some of the popular ones for sure~

Official pictures of gunpla from Medio Online Shop via Ngee Khiong

Magazine scans from Ngee Khiong
1 Gundam scan from SRW Hotnwes