This time, we will be introducing a review of
the HG 1/144 XGF-02 Gundam Lubris !
HG Gundam Rubris is a 1/144 scale model kit of the MS “Gundam Rubris” that appears in “PROLOGUE”, the prequel to “Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch of Mercury”. The futuristic appearance of the prototype MS is reproduced with new molding. This kit is designed to be easy to build, condensing technologies such as clear molding color, in-mold molding, and double side seals. The shield can be separated into seven bit staves, which can be connected to the backpack and dynamically deployed as a gambit. The price is 1,760 yen (tax included).
The “GUND-ARM” prototype MS “Gundam Lubris”, developed by Ox Earth Corporation and test-piloted by Elnora Samaya of the Vanadis Organization, has been made into an HG kit. The kit features a futuristic aircraft shape and striking white and pink coloring.
The molding color is white with pink accents on various parts, and the shell unit on the forehead is reproduced with clear black molding parts.
The stickers come with double-sided stickers that reproduce the characteristic light-emitting expression. The stickers include light-emitting and non-light-emitting states for the head and chest shell unit, a round abdominal mold, and some parts of the knee armor, but there are not many.
The double-sided stickers are stickers that include both front and back printing, creating a sense of transparency and depth. Although painting is required for the fine details, most of the parts are color-coded, so the finish is sufficient even without assembly. Please note that it is a little difficult to remove.
Clear parts (in-mold parts) are included to reproduce the luminous state of the chest shell unit. In-mold molding is a molding method in which a pattern printed on film is sandwiched inside a mold and resin is injected to transfer the pattern. The front side is in a gorgeous luminous state, while the back side is simply pitch black.
Each part is pressed with high precision, and many of the parts come with seemingly impossible shapes.
No polycaps are used. The joints, internal parts, backpack, weapons, etc. are made of KPS molded in (purple) gray. Only the shell unit parts (E runner) are ABS. The joint strength is quite high. Although it is equipped with a large backpack on its back, it is lightweight so there is no load on the rear and it stands stably.
Includes a Compo Gambit Shield, receiver gun, two beam saber blades, effect parts for the beam blade, joint parts for the shield, and selectable clear parts for the shell unit.
Head. Two antennas on the left and right are distinctive. There is no V-shaped antenna on the forehead, and it is shaped like a futuristic machine, different from previous Gundam types. The shell unit on the forehead is not reproduced in a light-emitting state, but is reproduced with a simple clear black molded color part. The Vulcan on the temple needs to be painted red.
The parts are constructed so there are no seams. The sensor on the front of the crest is color-coded with a green sticker.
The sensor and twin eyes on the front of the crest are molded in green and have stickers attached on top of them.
Chest and abdomen. The chest is made up of mechanical parts, but has a curved and soft design. The shell unit on the upper chest is distinctively sculpted. The round molds on the left and right give it an expressive look with shining eyes.
Chest internal frame. Shoulders are connected with ball joints for moderate movement.
The shell unit can be displayed in three different states: illuminated using the in-mold parts as is, illuminated using double-sided stickers attached to clear parts, or non-illuminated. The neck can swing back and forth.
In-mold parts emit a brilliant light, but the double-sided seal emits a weaker light. However, it gives the impression of shining from a little further back.
Waist. It is a detailed style that is made up of a combination of multiple small armor plates, but it is a light style with no front or rear armor. The rear armor is a thin frame-shaped armor.
The crotch area has a distinctive circular mold. There are no special moving gimmicks. There are holes on the back of the rear armor. The connection holes between the shoulder and crotch are the same width as those of the Begilbeu, so it seems possible to customize it by rearranging the joints. The base of the legs is spherical, and color-coded armor is sculpted on the sides.
Waist parts configuration.
The arms are a relatively basic design, but with trapezoidal moldings at key points, giving them a futuristic feel.
The upper arms are color-coded so there are no seams between the parts. The forearms are also assembled so that the parts overlap, so there are no seams.
The shoulder armor is light. It is a front and back combination, but the upper joint is molded with a step. The upper sensor needs to be painted green.
The shoulder armor can move up and down, and the side armor can also move up and down slightly.
The legs are human-like, with thick thighs and slim legs. Mechanical moldings are sculpted on the surface. Some of the molds on the knee armor are color-coded with pink stickers.
The legs have a simple internal frame. The thigh frame is made of a single part and has a very detailed shape. The power pipes are also beautifully molded using a press.
The knees are hinged, as seen in ENTRY GRADE.
The thighs have a seam on the side when combined front and back. Since the exterior is placed over the internal frame, precise work is required to remove the seam. It seems better to carve out a step-down mold. The lower part of the knee is a left-right combination, but the rear seam is a step-down mold. Part of the knee joint looks like it has been hollowed out.
Verniers are sculpted on the backs of the thighs and knees. The knee armor is moderately movable.
The sole is a light-armored style. It has a design similar to that seen in the Iron-Blooded Orphans series. The ankle joint is a hinged socket, but it has a special hollowed-out design. Since it is a hinge connection, the ankle cannot roll.
There are holes in the bottom of the feet. The toes are connected with ball joints and the heels with dowels, allowing the toes to bend and roll.
The backpack has a frame-like design with parts missing in order to be used as a holder for the Gambit and Receiver gun mounts.
The back is connected with two dowels. I was able to attach the backpack of the Land GM, so I think it’s the same as the HGUC. Part of the back looks like it’s hollowed out.
The upper holder is a left and right combination, but the joints are molded with step-down molding. The saber holder on the side is also flexibly movable with a ball joint.
The lower holder is made of one piece with no seams.
The upper holder is connected to a ball joint, allowing it to move freely.
The lower holder can also move moderately thanks to the ball joints on the arms and base.
Comparing the size with the HG Land Combat Type GM and HG Lupus Rex. It is slightly larger than the Land GM, but is about average size for an HG. The Gundam Lubris’ head height is 18.0m.
Compared to the main Gundams in the Gundam series ( HG RX-78-2 Gundam , HG ZGMF-X10A Freedom Gundam ), it has a very futuristic, rounded design and a lot of information, so different that it’s safe to say it has no resemblance to previous Gundams.
The head can move, so the neck can move, so it can tuck in the chin and look up to a certain extent. It can also swing smoothly from side to side without any interference.
Although the head and shoulder armor interfere with each other, the arms can be raised to about a Y shape. The elbows are single jointed and can be bent to about a V shape.
The shoulders can swing back and forth moderately, and the pull-out gimmick allows them to swing forward widely.
The base of the chest is connected with a ball joint, but the upper body does not seem to be able to swing back and forth very widely.
The waist can be rotated 360 degrees without any interference. The same applies even if the backpack is equipped (although it does interfere a little). When displaying on an action base or stand, insert the 3.0mm shaft into the crotch area as usual.
Since there is no waist armor and it is lightly equipped, the front and back legs can be spread out quite widely. There is almost no interference with the rear armor.
The knees are hinge-type double joints that allow for deep bending.
The ankle can move back and forth with a hinge connection, allowing for a wide range of movement. It can also move left and right to a certain extent. The toes themselves are ball jointed, so the range of movement is wide, but it can only move up to this point because it interferes with the ankle armor.
Although the armor on the thighs gets in the way, the legs can be spread quite wide to the left and right.
The inner thighs can move a wide range, but when the legs are bowed, the thighs get in the way, so the movement is limited to about 45 degrees.
The kneeling pose can be reproduced in a very beautiful way.
In terms of the overall range of motion, not all parts can move to their full extent, but there is enough range of motion to allow it to flexibly accommodate any pose. It doesn’t feel awkward, so it looks like it will be easy to pose.
Receiver gun. It is the execution weapon of Gundam Lubris. In addition to being capable of rapid-fire beam shooting, it can also be used as a giant beam blade (Blade-on) or beam blade.
By combining the left and right and upper and lower armor parts, some of the seams are also molded in steps.
The sensors are color-coded with green stickers.
Comes with effect parts for the beam blade molded in clear blue.
The effect parts can be attached to the receiver gun. To attach them to the receiver gun, pull out the upper and lower armor a little to create a gap, then insert them into the muzzle. Once inserted, close the upper and lower armor.
Compo Gambit Shield: A shield made up of the next generation swarm remote controlled weapon system “Gambit.”
By assembling the included joint parts, the Combo Gambit Shield can be mounted on the forearm. The joint parts are T-shaped dowels that can be locked by fitting them in and sliding them.
The shield can be separated into seven bit staves.
The bit staves are made of parts that do not have any seams. The central parts of the shield are all made of two pieces, and the seams are molded with a step or a stepped edge.
The bit staves on the upper left and right sides of the shield are made up of two parts.
The bit staves on the lower left and right sides of the shield have grey molded seams, but when combined to form the shield they are hidden and the whole thing is unified in white.
One of the bit staves can be mounted on the rear armor.
The central bit stave can be mounted on the front or back of the receiver gun. By combining them, you can recreate the Gambit rifle. This also requires pulling out the upper and lower armor of the receiver gun and assembling it.
The remaining bit staves and receiver guns are mounted on the back, and in Bit-on Form (a form in which the bit staves are connected to the backpack for improved mobility), not only does it have increased speed, but it also has the ability to accelerate and brake in a posture that exceeds the realm of MS.
Armed to the max.
The joints are strong, the fit is just right, neither too tight nor too loose, and there is no risk of it falling off, making it easy to handle. The surface armor is mechanical and delicate.
The receiver gun can be held by simply inserting the grip into the hand part. The wrist is a little loose, but it doesn’t seem to come off.
The Compo Gambit Shield does not seem to have a very strong connection between the joint parts and the shield, but it is attached with a T-shaped dowel so it can be equipped without coming off. It is not as heavy as it looks, and the strength of the arm joints is high, so it is easy to hold.
The ankles are flexible and move well, providing great stability when landing on the ground.
The beam saber blade is reproduced in a rare clear blue molding color. The handle fits snugly into the hand parts, but since there are few bumps and there is no stop, it may fall out if the combination of the hand guards wears down.
The Compo Gambit Shield is disassembled and assembled into each part as a bit stave. Each part is firmly fixed without falling off. The receiver gun also changes in style to become a large rifle, making it highly expressive.
The bit stave mounted on the rear armor can also be used as a small shield.
There are no 3.0mm holes in the bit-stave, so if you want to reproduce the deployed state like the funnel, you will need to use the arm that comes with the stand to pinch it. It would be nice if some kind of dedicated display stand could be sculpted.
That’s all. The futuristic design of the Gundam is outstanding among the previous generation of Gundams, and I am amazed at the detailed and realistic reproduction of the details and realism of the design. The insert molding is beautifully done, and since each part is press-molded into a complex shape, unnecessary assembly is eliminated, making it easy to assemble. It is also nice that the combination structure is such that parts are not easily disassembled even after tinkering.
There are few points of concern, but since poly caps are not used and there are many hinge connections on the joints, there is a possibility that the joints will become loose as they deteriorate over time. Occasionally the ankle hinges would come off. I also thought it would have been nice if a flat hand was included to give it more expression.
It is hard to find fault with the finish, and the joints are strong and easy to pose. The latest technology, including a wide range of gimmicks such as reconfigurable gun bits, makes this a kit with a high quality that is fully satisfactory.
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