HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos

This time, we will be reviewing 

the HG 1/144 Gundam Barbatos, which was released in October 2015 !

HG Gundam Barbatos is a 1/144 scale model kit of the main character’s mobile suit, Gundam Barbatos, from Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans. In addition to its distinctive shape, the Gundam frame details exposed on each part of the suit are reproduced with high density. The kit can be rearranged to recreate the 4th and 1st forms. The price is 1,100 yen (tax included).

The Gundam Barbatos, equipped with the Alaya-Vijnana system and piloted by Mikazuki Augus, has a Gundam frame developed by the predecessor organization of Gjallarhorn at the end of the Calamity War, and has been made into an HG kit. “Barbatos” is one of the names of the 72 demons of Solomon.

The exterior is mostly molded in white. Gundam-type colors such as blue, red, and yellow are used in parts such as the chest and sole. The internal frame is molded in dark gray. The marks and thrusters on each part are color-coded with stickers, but some parts will need to be painted to fully reproduce the color coding.

It is reproduced with a structure that is slightly different from previous Gunpla models, in that the exterior is assembled to the internal frame. By the way, the form in the image is the 4th form out of 6 forms. Both arms are the same shape, and it is equipped with curved shoulder armor on the shoulders.

Polycaps are PC-002, and are used in relatively few places. KPS parts are used for the internal frame, including the elbows and knees. There is no equipment that places a particular weight on it, so it stands on its own stably. The range of motion of the joints is extremely wide and the movements are flexible, but care should be taken as each part may become worn over time.

Remove the exterior and check the internal frame. Although it is not a complete figure, the Gundam frame is partially reproduced. The runner tag is printed with “HG 1/144 IBO Gundam Frame 1”. The polycaps on the ankles cannot be fixed unless the exterior is attached, so it may be difficult to move it around with just the frame.

The internal frame is easily separated into the upper body and legs. The upper body. Two Ahab reactors are reproduced on the left and right sides of the chest. Power pipes are also sculpted on the forearms, and a simple cylinder shaft is also sculpted on the abdomen.

Power pipes are also sculpted on the back of the calves of the legs.

Next, we will look at each part with the exterior assembled.

Head. It has a unique design that looks like a simple exterior covering has been placed on the frame. The cheek ducts, chin, and antennae are colored parts, but the cheek mold needs to be painted gray.

The rear part is a left and right clamping type, so there is a seam in the center. If you want to eliminate the seam, you will need to post-fit the face parts. There is a hole inside the antenna.

Torso. The Ahab reactor is partially exposed, and the cylinder shaft is exposed in the abdomen. The chest and waist ducts, including the air intakes, are color-coded parts. The mark in the center of the chest is color-coded by applying a sticker on top of the mold.

The side armor is color-coded with stickers in both red and black. The upper pentagonal molded part of the rear armor needs to be painted gray. There is no molded design on the back of the waist armor.

The arm. This one also has an exterior covering over the internal frame, with the frame partially exposed. The overall design is reminiscent of a Western knight.

The upper arms are cylindrical (U-shaped) so there are no seams. The forearms are clamped to the left and right, so there are seams on the front and back. They cannot be separated from the elbows, and the internal frames are different colors, so it seems that post-fitting processing is required to eliminate the seams.

The shoulder armor is made of one piece with no seams. The markings on the surface are color-coded with stickers on the mold. The yellow line on the hem needs to be painted.

The legs have a light and airy design that seems to be a mix of knight and ninja. The marks on the knees are color-coded with stickers on the mold, and the ducts below are color-coded parts. The thrusters at the rear are color-coded with black stickers.

The sole has a strong animal-like design. It is made up of simple parts, but the ankle guard is movable. The bottom of the heel needs to be painted red. The sole of the foot is molded overall, but there is a hole under the toe.

The backpack is a box type with a booster in the center and weapon arms on the left and right. The armor in the center is color-coded with a white sticker. The weapon arms on the left and right are pure white, so the surface molds need to be painted gray in detail.

It is connected to the Barbatos body using two wide dowels, which is the same as the HG Iron-Blooded Orphans kit.

This means that backpacks from other kits can also be equipped. However, the width of the dowels does not match those of the HGUC kit, so installation may be difficult.

The inside of the weapon arm needs to be painted gray. The central thruster can move up and down.

Lined up with the HG RX-78-2 Gundam (REVIVE) and HG Zeta Gundam (REVIVE). Compared to previous Gundam types, it has a more animal-like and unique design. The kit size is almost the same. The Gundam Barbatos (4th form) is 18.0m tall.

It’s already painted, but here it is lined up with the HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus and the unpainted HG Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex. Some of the appearance remains, but when lined up, you can see a glimpse of the evolutionary process. *The height of Barbatos Lupus has been changed due to the modification.

I have it lined up with the HG Gundam Kimaris Trooper and HG Grimgerde from the same series. They are all unique. The Barbatos is the smallest of the three.

Comparing the size with the MG Gundam Barbatos. As expected, the MG has sharper details.

 

The head can move up and down over a wide range, and can also move left and right smoothly without any interference.

In the fourth form, the shoulder armor and head interfere with each other, so the arms can only be raised in a Y shape. The elbows are single jointed and can be bent in a V shape.

The shoulders can swing forward and backward up to about 45 degrees.

Only the abdominal frame is connected to a slender ball joint, and the chest frame is also movable, allowing the upper body to swing back and forth over a wide range.

The waist can also rotate 360 ​​degrees, and it can be displayed on an action base or stand by inserting a shaft into the 3.0mm hole in the crotch area.

The front armor does not move very much, but it can be deployed forward to a horizontal position. The rear armor does not move, but it can be deployed backward to some extent.

The knees can be bent deeply. There is little interference. You can see the holes on the back of the knee armor.

The ankles do not have much range of motion forward or backward, but they can bend a full 90 degrees to the left and right.

The toes can swing up and down.

The legs can be spread out horizontally to the left and right, and the side armor does not interfere at all.

Knee-to-knee position can only be about 45 degrees because the thighs and groin area come into contact with each other, but bow-legged position can be spread out wider than horizontal.

Due to the position of the joints, it seems that it is not possible to perform the kneeling position with a very good posture.

In terms of overall range of motion, the new slim format of the HG Iron-Blooded Orphans (HG IBO) series achieves the highest level of range of motion for a Gunpla model. Each part has a high degree of freedom of movement, so it looks like you can express dynamic poses.

Includes a mace, a long sword, a left arm with a gauntlet, arm parts (long and short) for weapon arms, and two weapon mount parts.

Mace. It is a mass destruction weapon made of high hardness rare alloy.

The thick part is a simple monaka split, but the seams look like they’ve been molded in a stepped pattern. There’s no pile bunker stretch gimmick at the end.

The grip is simple. There are no dowel holes. There are some holes for cutting out the material.

The sword is also made from a single simple part.

There are no markings on the sides of the blade.

Both the mace and the long sword can be equipped to the backpack using mounting parts.

By attaching the included arm parts to the backpack, the weapon arms can be deployed. By deploying them, you can equip the smoothbore gun that comes with the HGIBO MS Option Set 1 & CG Mobile Worker (sold separately). The holes inside the backpack can be installed either on the top or bottom. The arm parts have holes on the sides.

The mace can be held in place by simply inserting it into the hand parts. The handle is thin so there is a little play, but there are parts that are molded so it catches on, so it doesn’t slip out easily.

 

It is a weapon that feels strong, which adds a lot of power to poses.

The sword on the other hand is slender, making it easy to maneuver and pose agilely. The handle fits perfectly with the hand parts, allowing for a firm grip.

Easy to hold with both hands.

The left arm can be reassembled with a gauntlet and the shoulder armor can be removed to transform into the first form.

 

The internal frame of the shoulders is exposed, making it appear even slimmer than the fourth form.

The left arm is compared to the normal arm. The arm with the gauntlet has a different shape of armor on the upper arm, and the forearm is molded in white only with the gauntlet on the side. The forearm is a clamping type, so there are seams on the front and back. It does not separate from the elbow, so it seems that a post-fit process will be necessary to remove the seams. The gauntlet needs to be painted light blue.

There are holes on the back of the elbow armor. The back of the gauntlet is plain.

Since there is no shoulder armor, you can raise your arms even higher.

Each part is highly movable, so you can easily recreate poses from the movie, including throwing and swinging the mace.

Please feel free to take a few.

The knees can be bent deeply, so it’s also possible to depict Barbatos undergoing maintenance before launching.

That’s all. I think this kit can express both a sense of weight and dynamism, thanks to its heroic yet beastly ferocious design and the wide range of movement made possible by HGIBO’s unique format. It is also nice that scenes from the play can be easily reproduced.

On the downside, if you want to paint the figure, it may be a little difficult to remove the joints on the forearms, since the elbows do not separate from the body. Also, it would have been nice if a flat hand was included to add a little more expression to the pose.

The kit has a sense of stability that is typical of a main character machine, and I think it is a perfect kit in terms of cost performance and ease of assembly. Despite the 1/144 size of the kit in recent years, it is an excellent kit in all aspects, including the high reproducibility of the Barbados in the play, and I can recommend it even to Gundam Model Kits beginners.