FMCosmic Era

GAT-X370 Raider Gundam

A transforming brawler that swings a wrecking-ball hammer and somehow still poses like a Master Grade.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Raider Gundam · 1/100 · 2022

GradeFM

Scale1/100

Released2022

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the Full Mechanics line doing exactly what it promised when Bandai relaunched it: MG-level color separation and joint engineering wrapped around a mid-price 1/100 kit.

I went in expecting a gimmick toy built around the Mjolnir hammer and came out impressed that the transformation and the posing both hold up. It is not the most famous suit in the SEED lineup, but the kit engineering here punches well above where Raider usually gets ranked.

Best for: MG-curious builders who want inner-frame engineering and a transformation gimmick without paying Master Grade prices

The full review

What it is

The Raider Gundam is one of the three Alliance Extended-pilot units from SEED, and this FM kit is Bandai's 2022 do-over of a suit that only ever got an early-2000s HG treatment before. What you get is a suit that folds down into a quadruped Mobile Armor mode through sliding shoulder and thigh joints, then unfolds back into a biped with real range in the arms, waist, and legs. The signature piece is the Mjolnir hammer, which stores a length of lead wire inside its head that you wind out for a flail-on-a-chain look and wind back in for storage. It is a genuinely fun toy to fidget with before you even get to posing it.

The catch

Molded color coverage is strong for the price band, but it is not flawless, there are a handful of spots (camera sensors, some trim) where you will still reach for stickers or a paint pen if you want it fully clean. The transformation gimmick adds joint complexity that some builders will find fiddly on first assembly, the shoulder and thigh slide mechanisms need patience to seat correctly or they feel loose. And because this is a niche SEED suit rather than a flagship Gundam, some retailers run it in limited batches, so pricing and availability swing more than a mainline release.

Who it's for

Buy this if you like SEED, want a kit that does more than stand there, or want a taste of MG-style inner-frame engineering without the MG price tag or part count. The transformation and the hammer gimmick make it a genuinely fun build, not just a shelf piece. Skip it if you want a beginner-simple kit, the sliding transformation joints ask for more attention than a straightforward HG, or you specifically want the flagship Gundam-shaped kit and Raider's quadrupedal MA form does nothing for you. For anyone who already likes Calamity Gundam, this is worth grabbing since the two are built to connect.

The build story

What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.

Assembly leans into the FM line's inner-frame-first approach, you are building an actual skeletal structure before the armor snaps over it, which makes the later steps feel more like a Master Grade than a typical 1/100. The color-coded runners cut down on painting need almost everywhere except a few sensor and trim details, and the molded panel lining reads clean without looking flat once the kit is fully closed up.

The standout engineering is the transformation itself, sliding shoulder and thigh mechanisms fold the suit into its quadruped Mobile Armor mode with a lock so it does not flop open mid-pose. Articulation carries over well into biped mode too, with a pull-out waist joint and a movable neck shaft giving it more range than the suit's blocky proportions suggest. The Mjolnir hammer's wire-winding gimmick is the accessory that sells the kit, alongside dual cannons and a dedicated display stand, and the kit is built to physically connect with the Full Mechanics Calamity Gundam if you own both.

Lore & trivia

01The Raider Gundam first appeared in Mobile Suit Gundam SEED as one of three Extended-pilot units alongside the Calamity and Forbidden Gundams, all fielded by the Earth Alliance.
02Raider's defining feature is its Mobile Armor transformation, folding into a quadruped configuration for high-speed movement and close-quarters grappling.
03This 2022 Full Mechanics release was Raider's first modern kit treatment since an early-2000s High Grade version, giving it a full inner-frame upgrade decades later.
04The kit is engineered with foot adapters that let it physically link up with the Full Mechanics Calamity Gundam in Mobile Armor mode.