Happy New Year, Gunpla fans! This week we all got a pleasant surprise when the Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway teaser trailer dropped. What do you think about the English title for the Hathaway’s Flash movie? Be sure to check out Tom Aznable’s Twitter thread of insights.
I was surprised by how many new kits we got in the final month of 2019. Here are all the new Gunpla models released and up for pre-order as of now:
MG Gundam Barbatos (pictured at top)
At long last, there’s an MG version of the Gundam Barbatos. We’re not sure why Bandai pivoted from the Full Mechanics line, but this MG looks good enough to make us forget about it. It’s the same lithe model with more detail and a more stable inner frame for better posing.
RG Nu Gundam Fin-Funnel Effect Set
This flashy funnel accessory set can also be used with the RG Sazabi for double the modeling magic. Lots of diorama potential here.
Figure-rise Mechanics Haro [Pink]
Say what you will about Gundam SEED, but it’ll always be the show that brought us a pink Haro. Here’s Lacus’s Haro with both solid and clear pink parts—you pick what to build.
As Tom pointed out, this weird morph of Haro was first seen in the opening of Gundam Build Divers: Re:RISE. Still no word on what kind of role, if any, it will play in the show.
The five-eyed antagonist Gundam of Re:RISE got its debut this month. Its monstrously outsized right arm doubles down on the bizarre asymmetry of this purple kit.
Kazami’s suit’s new weapons are sending us mixed messages. But what hasn’t been lost in translation are the bold colors and shapes of this set.
“What if the Death Army machines had MORE LEGS?” asked some crazed wizard at Bandai. This four-legged monstrosity reminds us of a mythological creature.
Mass Production Zeonic Sword (HGBD:R)
Nu-Zeon Gundam’s awesome massive sword can be used by any HG kit, so we can see it getting a lot of use as a power-up. We love the almost runic detail on this transforming blade.
HG Gundam G40 (Industrial Design Ver.)
This fancy-pants version of the Granddaddy Gundam was created in honor of the franchise’s 40th anniversary. It’s been engineered anew less to alter its look than to alter the way it moves, which is supposed to be more similar to the range of motion of a human!
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