HGPost Disaster

ASW-G-29 Gundam Astaroth Origin

A cheap HG that fights way above its price, and stores its own weapons like it planned ahead.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Gundam Astaroth Origin · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the best-designed kits in the entire HGIBO lineup, full stop.

I built it in an evening with zero frustration and came away with a Gundam that looks finished the moment the runners hit the trash. The sledgehammer-that-hides-a-sword gimmick is the kind of small, clever touch that makes a cheap kit feel considered rather than churned out.

Best for: beginners and IBO fans who want a sharp, poseable Gundam Frame without paying MG money

The full review

What it is

The Astaroth Origin is the restored form of one of the 72 ancient Gundam Frames from the Calamity War, before its later parts got sold off piece by piece in the show's story. As a kit it is straightforward HGIBO fare: snap-fit, no inner frame to speak of, molded in its actual colors so you are not relying on stickers to sell the look. What surprised me is how good the proportions are right out of the bag. The head, the shoulder spikes, the slightly hunched stance, it all reads as a Gundam Frame immediately, and I only needed to touch up panel lines to get it shelf-ready. For an HG this cheap, that is a genuinely satisfying result for not much effort.

The catch

The rear leg thrusters are the one real design compromise, they bump into the thighs and calves and cut down your leg articulation more than I would like, especially for deep kneeling poses. Being an HG from 2016, color separation on some smaller details still leans on stickers rather than molded plastic, so expect a little sticker work if you want the finer trim looking crisp. It is also a small kit, 1/144 scale, so if you want a big physical presence on the shelf you will feel the size next to an MG. None of this is a dealbreaker, but it is the honest tradeoff for the price.

Who it's for

If you are new to the hobby or want a kit to hand a curious friend, this is close to an ideal starting point, easy build, good looks, no glue, no serious cleanup headaches. IBO fans specifically should not skip it either, the lore behind the Warren family and the Gundam Frames gives the kit more weight than its price tag suggests. Skip it only if you specifically want an inner frame to fiddle with or need maximum knee articulation for dynamic ground poses, in which case look higher up the IBO grade ladder. For everyone else, this is an easy recommendation.

The build story

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

This one goes together fast and cleanly. Gates are placed sensibly enough that a light clip-and-sand pass gets you invisible seams on the visible panels, and nothing fought me during assembly, no forced joints, no parts that needed extra pressure to seat. It is the kind of build where you finish a runner and immediately want to start the next one.

The real payoff is in the accessory design. Both hand weapons stow on the side skirts, and the sword's handle doubles as the sledgehammer's grip, which is a small piece of engineering cleverness you do not expect at this price point. Articulation is wide through the arms and torso, the leg thrusters aside, so the kit holds action poses with more confidence than most HGs its age.

Lore & trivia

01The Astaroth Origin depicts one of 72 Gundam Frames built during the Calamity War roughly 300 years before the events of Iron-Blooded Orphans, and one of only 26 confirmed to have survived it.
02Its backstory comes from the Gekko side-manga rather than the main IBO anime, tracing how the Gjallarhorn-affiliated Warren family recovered the frame from a lunar crater and later restored it after selling off its original parts.
03The kit can transform into a Flight Form by deploying the shoulder armor and a booster tail, giving it long-range atmospheric cruising and gliding capability in its own fiction.