HGPost Disaster

ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Gold Plated Ver.

The kit that made HG inner frames a thing, cast in gold and locked behind a contest you probably didn't win.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Barbatos · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the standard HG Barbatos engineering, the one that changed what an HG could be, dressed up in gold plated runners as a prize piece rather than a retail product.

The build underneath is genuinely excellent, with an inner frame doing real structural work and articulation that outclasses HG kits twice its price. I say this straight, though, the gold plating is the whole reason to chase this specific release, and if you can't get one the standard grey and blue version gives you the same experience for a fraction of the hunt.

Best for: Barbatos completionists and IBO frame fans hunting the campaign-exclusive gold runner variant

The full review

What it is

I love what Bandai did with the base HG Barbatos mold, and the gold plated version is that same mold shot in metallic gold plastic instead of the usual dark grey and blue, born out of Gundam.info's 2016 New Year campaign as a contest prize rather than a shelf item. The frame underneath is the real story: this was one of the first HG kits with a near-full inner frame, so you build a skeleton first and armor it after, and that structure is what gives the finished figure its bulk and its bite. Snapping the frame together felt more like an MG than an HG, and that alone had me grinning through the build.

The catch

The gold plating is cosmetic, not structural, so don't expect the plated runners to change fit or durability versus the standard release, and reports from builders note the plating can be less forgiving of nub marks and sanding than painted plastic, so cleanup mistakes show more. The bigger catch is availability. This was a 315-unit worldwide giveaway (200 of those Japan-only) marked not for sale, so secondary market prices run well past what the kit's actual parts and engineering justify. If you're paying collector prices for gold plastic on an otherwise identical HG, go in knowing that's what you're buying.

Who it's for

This is for Barbatos collectors and IBO diehards who want the rare gold plated runner set for the display case, and for anyone who already loves the standard HG Barbatos enough to want a second, shinier copy. If you just want to experience why this frame is a big deal, buy the regular HG Barbatos or Barbatos Lupus first, they're cheap, plentiful, and mechanically identical. Skip the gold version entirely if you're chasing it purely as a first Barbatos build, the premium buys you plating, not more articulation or better parts.

The build story

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

Assembly runs frame-first, which is unusual for an HG and genuinely fun, snapping together the leg and arm inner structure before any armor goes on. Gate placement is mostly kind, though a few frame joints sit in visible spots on the plated runners where a clean cut matters more than usual. Nothing here fights you, the parts fit with the same confidence-inspiring click the base Barbatos is known for.

The articulation is the headline. Shoulders swing forward on top of the usual up-down range, the waist rotates freely since the armor skirt is minimal, and the ankles swivel and bend at the arch, letting the kit crouch and lunge in ways HG kits from the same era simply can't. Color separation is handled almost entirely through the plated and molded plastic rather than stickers, which keeps the frame looking sharp without a paint job.

Lore & trivia

01The gold plated version was distributed as a prize through Gundam.info's New Year 2016 campaign tied to Iron-Blooded Orphans, with 315 units total and 200 reserved for a Japan-only contest
02The standard HG Barbatos this mold is based on was one of the first High Grade kits built around a substantial inner frame, a design approach that later became common across the HGIBO line
03In the anime, Mikazuki Augus pilots the Barbatos after Tekkadan splits from Chryse Guard Security, using implants called the Alaya-Vijnana System to interface with the suit