HGUC Bound Dock Review

This time, we’ll be introducing a review of the HGUC 1/144 Bound Dock !

HGUC Bound Dock is a 1/144 scale model kit of the variable MA “Bound Dock” that appears in “Mobile Suit Z Gundam”. The unique aircraft shape with a variable gimmick is three-dimensionalized in the latest HG format. The calculated part configuration and color coding reproduce the characteristic skirt structure, making it a large kit with a total height of about 190 mm. Weapons such as a beam rifle, diffusion mega particle cannon, and beam saber are also included. The price is 5,500 yen (tax included).

The long-awaited HG kit of the Titans’ prototype red transformable MA “Bound Dog” piloted by Jerid Messa and Rosamia Badam has been released. The unique shape of the unit, including its dog-like head, waist skirt armor, and asymmetrical arms, has been recreated with completely new molding.

The molding colors are mainly pink and dark blue, with some light yellow in parts. Stickers are only used to supplement some parts such as the head mold and mono-eye, and most parts are color-coded by part. There is almost no need for painting.

The joints and left arm are molded in gray KPS material. The power pipes are made of a soft material similar to rubber. If you paint the power pipes, you will probably need an adhesive such as a multi-primer. (The image shows a cut-out part.)

Only ball joint type PC-7 polycaps are used. It is a large kit at about 190mm (normal HG is about 138mm), but the joints are strong due to the KPS and the soles of the legs are large, so it stands stably.

Includes a beam rifle, a mega particle cannon, a beam saber blade (handle, blade), various finger parts (for holding the beam rifle, for gripping hands), and joint parts for display. One beam saber blade is included as an extra.

Comes with a clear Action Base 5, interchangeable support parts of different lengths, and connecting parts for the bottom plate.

In addition, various extra parts from Action Base 5 are included.

Head. It has a distinctive dog-like shape with two antennae and a pointed mouth. The armor on the forehead is colored with a yellow sticker, but the armor on the back is colored as a separate part. The parts are combined in such a way that there are no seams.

The mono-eye is color-coded with a green sticker. It is also molded. Although it is not mentioned in the instructions, it seems that if you take the head apart, you can move the mono-eye left and right. It is very strong, so I’m afraid of breaking it, and it’s a bit of a hassle to disassemble, so it might be best to just enjoy it in the center without moving it.

The antenna is movable thanks to a ball joint at the base. The helmet is also molded on the back.

The neck is slender and skeleton-like. The base is a monaka, so there are seams at the front and back. It is a single piece, so it looks like it will be easy to remove the seams. The power pipes are color-coded with green rubber parts.

Torso. It is relatively small in size because it needs to be stored inside the skirt armor during transformation. The chest is covered with armor that is divided into colored parts, but the internal frame is exposed in the abdomen and other areas. The abdomen is a left and right sandwiched type, but is molded in stepped sections. The power pipes are separate parts and color-coded.

The small verniers on the back are separate parts. The small backpack is integrated with the back armor and cannot be removed.

Waist skirt armor. The upper body storage area and the slit mold on the front are also color-coded in detail. The armor is divided into left and right and the front, and the seams are molded with step-downs on each part.

The side armor can be deployed for transformation.

The back side is also nicely molded and looks great.

Three verniers are stored at the rear. There is a movable gimmick that exposes them when transforming into MA form.

Right arm. A large claw is sculpted on the tip. Although it is limited in its ability to hold weapons, it is a powerful weapon for close combat.

The upper arms are integrated with the shoulder armor, so there is no rotational movement at the joints. The outer power pipes are separate parts with different colors. Both the upper arms and forearms are clamped together to create a seam. They can be separated from the elbows, but the forearms and elbow joints cannot be separated, so if you want to remove the seam, you will need to insert the power pipes back into the upper arms as well.

The large claws are made up of two large claws and two small claws. The mold on the side of the large claws is color-coded by parts.

The large claws are of the left and right clamping type, but the joints are molded with a stepped edge. The elbows can roll.

The large and small claws can move independently. The small claws can be deployed to the left and right by connecting them to a ball joint at the base. The second joint can also be moved, making for a highly expressive figure. The inside of the small claws is sculpted with backing parts.

The right shoulder armor is a pinch-type, but the seam at the top is molded in a stepped pattern. The surface armor is colored yellow.

The shield on the left arm (nose in MA mode). It is attached using the arm of the arm, so the shield must be disassembled to remove it from the arm. Each part of the surface armor is color-coded by parts.

The sensor at the tip (mono-eye in MA form) is colored with clear green parts.

Check the left arm with the shield (nose) removed. It has a complicated structure due to the small parts. The upper arm is cylindrical and has no seams. The forearm is a clamping type, but the seams are molded with a step-down mold. The joint between the upper arm and shoulder can be rotated.

Only the thumb is movable, and the remaining four fingers are interchangeable. A flat hand is included as standard. Gripping finger parts without holes are not included.

The arm that mounts the shield can also be moved flexibly.

The left shoulder armor is a distinctive circular type. Each part is color-coded in detail using internal and external parts. The joints are also molded in a stepped pattern. The color coding inside the rear duct is also detailed.

The inside of the shoulder can be moved in two places.

Legs. Unique rounded shape. The knees and hem are color-coded parts. The triangular molds on the knees are color-coded with yellow parts, but the small triangular molds on the shins are color-coded with stickers.

The thighs are a left and right sandwiched type, but the seams are molded with a step. The power pipes behind the knees are color-coded with green rubber parts. From the knees down, the inside is front and back, and the outside is left and right, achieving color coding by parts. The pink armor has a small front and back seam molded with a step, but the dark blue armor is a left and right sandwiched type, and has seams on the sides. It can be separated from the knees, so it should be easy to remove the seams.

The knee armor can be deployed, and the backing parts are also sculpted.

The sole is a claw type with two parts at the toe and heel. It’s not a very complicated combination, but the soles of the feet and the base of the claws are color-coded, making it a sturdy construction. The ankles are also a clamping type, but the seams are molded in a stepped pattern. Be careful as the armor on the rear claws can easily come off.

The claws on the sole can be opened and closed, allowing for great freedom of movement.

Each part of the crotch area can be moved for transformation.

Next to the HGUC Zeta Gundam (REVIVE). There is a big difference in size. The Zeta Gundam is 19.85m tall, while the Bound Dock is 29.7m tall.

Lined up with the HGUC The O and the HGUC Pallas Athene. Both are relatively large, but the Bound Dock is an even larger kit. By the way, the total height of the The O is 28.4m, and the total height of the Pallas Athene is 27.4m. This includes the rear antenna, etc.

The base of the neck is also movable, so the head can move quite widely. The mouth gets in the way a little when moving left and right, but there is no problem and the head can swing beyond horizontal.

 

The arms are structured differently on the left and right, so the angles at which they can be raised also differ slightly. However, both can be extended to about horizontal.

However, the left shoulder can be raised a little higher by deploying the shoulder armor.

The right elbow can be bent deeply. The left elbow has a special bending method because the Maruichi molded part bends. It can be bent to a certain extent.

The torso has movable parts in both the chest and abdomen, allowing the upper body to swing back and forth over a fairly wide range.

You can also tilt it slightly to the left or right.

The waist can rotate 360 ​​degrees. To display on an action base or stand, attach the included joint part to the crotch area. The joint part has two connection dowels, ① for MS mode and ② for MA mode. In MA mode, the right claw is placed in the center, so the dowel for ① is hidden, so ② is used.

The skirt armor interferes with the movement of the legs forward and backward.

The knees can be bent quite deeply. The four knee joints are uniquely molded. (The skirt armor and upper body have been removed to make it easier to see.)

The ankle does not have a wide range of movement either forward, backward or side to side.

The legs can only be spread out to the left and right in a V-shape because the skirt armor interferes. Without the skirt armor, the legs can be spread out widely.

It can be deployed in a wide range of positions, both with the legs together and with the legs apart.

The kneeling pose was not possible at all when the skirt armor was equipped. However, if you remove the skirt armor, you can kneel to a certain extent.

In terms of range of motion, the upper body has a relatively large number of movable parts, and is flexible and flexible. The legs can also move to a certain extent, but the movement of the legs forward, backward, and side to side is limited. There are some restrictions due to the shape, but overall I think it is a kit that moves well.

Beam rifle. It is a relatively simple construction, but there is some molding on the surface and it looks decent. The main body is a left and right clamping type, so there is a seam at the top. About half of the seam is molded with a step drop, etc.

The sensor is color-coded with clear green parts.

Diffusion mega particle cannon. The main body can be easily split to create seams on the left and right. Some seams are molded with a step-down mechanism. There is no barrel extension gimmick. The muzzle is simply made and does not have an opening.

The mega particle cannon is not stored inside the shield, but is attached by removing the armor on the surface of the shield. The crank arm for deployment is also not modeled.

Equipped with a beam rifle.

The combination of the grip of the beam rifle and the finger parts is rather deep, so the weapon can be held with a fair amount of strength. The dowels on the finger parts are also deep enough that you can pose them without them falling off.

The joints in each part are quite strong, so it’s easy to pose, and there are no loose or sagging parts. The only thing that falls off is the claw armor parts on the heels, so you can move them around freely without any worries.

 

The finger parts are firmly attached, so it’s easy to hold the saber hilt. The bottom of the hilt and the shield get in the way, so it seems difficult to tilt the wrist.

The mega particle cannon can be equipped even in MS form. The upper armor is left slightly open, perhaps intentionally.

To transform into MA mode, first move the shoulder armor and shield on the left arm to make it compact. Remove the hand parts.

Then, deploy the rear thrusters and armor, turn the head to the side, and store the upper body inside the waist skirt armor. The head antenna is prone to interference when storing, so be careful not to damage it. If this is difficult, it may be a good idea to remove the antenna before storing it.

Once stored, make sure the skirt armor and shield fit together neatly.

Fold the claw on the right arm from the bottom and place it in the center.

This recreates the “MA mode landing” position with the legs extended.

The MA configuration upon landing from various angles.

Next, it transforms into “MA mode flight mode” by unfolding the skirt armor to expose the legs. Once the legs are facing forward and the leg claws are facing forward, the transformation is complete.

MA form during flight.

The MA form from various angles. Each part is fairly strong, so it can be displayed without losing its shape.

It has a unique crustacean-like body shape.

It is heavy, but it can be displayed without any problems on an Action Base 1 with thick supports.

The beam rifle can be mounted on the right side with a square dowel. The mounting strength is high.

Equipped with a beam rifle and a mega particle cannon, it goes on the offensive.

Please feel free to take a few.

It’s a huge MA, so it has quite a presence even when combined with the Zeta Gundam in MS form.

Since the kit is based on recent high Gunpla technology, the overall structure and color separation are good, and the kit is more precise and reproducible. The large size of the kit makes it very powerful, and it is nice to be able to enjoy the overwhelming presence of the Zeta Gundam and other regular size HG kits when placed side by side.

There are almost no drawbacks, but I was a little concerned that the claw armor on the heel tends to fall off. Also, there are some partial joints, so I guess that’s something to be concerned about.

The transformation mechanism is also quite detailed, and the structure is excellent in that the upper body can be retracted well. The proportions are satisfactory, and the flexibility of movement allows for dynamic posing. Above all, I am happy that it has been made into a kit.