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ASW-G-66 Gundam Kimaris Vidar

A drill-kneed, shield-armed brawler that turns Barbatos's frame into something genuinely strange to pose.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

Gundam Kimaris Vidar · 1/144 · 2017

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the more interesting HG IBO releases because it does not just reskin the standard Gundam Frame, it adds two independently jointed shield arms and a pair of knee drills and asks you to figure out what to do with them.

I came away impressed with how much personality that adds to a kit at this price point. It is not the most flexible or the most cleanly engineered HG in the line, but it is one of the more memorable ones to actually build and shelf.

Best for: IBO fans and HG builders who want a frame kit with genuinely different articulation gimmicks, not just a new paint job

The full review

What it is

Kimaris Vidar is the upgraded, third-reactor form of Gaelio Bauduin's mobile suit, and Bandai used the upgrade as an excuse to bolt real hardware onto the familiar HG Gundam Frame. The two shields ride on independent sub-arms with a swivel at the backpack, a double joint at the center, and a ball joint at the shield itself, so they swing forward to guard, flare out for a wide silhouette, or fold back almost flush. The drill lance is the headline accessory, and it is worth the fuss, it splits open to reveal a pair of 200mm autocannons and twin Dainsleif launchers, and each shield hides a KEP bullet behind its Gjallarhorn crest. For an HG this is a genuinely clever transforming loadout.

The catch

The color separation is mostly parts-based and better than average, but the elbows still rely on large purple stickers, and they are the weakest sticker placement on the kit since they wrap a visible joint. The wrist joints run loose out of the box, several builders thicken the peg with a drop of super glue to get poses to hold. The drill lance is heavy enough that the hand can pop open or drop it mid-pose, especially on a jousting stance. The big side skirts also cut into hip and outward leg swing, so the lower body will not hit the wide dynamic stances some other IBO frames manage. The brown plastic is matte, so gate marks show if you rush the trim.

Who it's for

If you already like the HG IBO Gundam Frame and want a version with a real reason to exist beyond a repaint, this is a strong pick, the shield arms and drill lance give you posing options no other HG in the line offers. Builders chasing maximum leg flexibility or a fully sticker-free build should look elsewhere in the IBO catalog. For anyone building an IBO shelf or who liked Barbatos and wants to see where that frame goes next, Kimaris Vidar earns its spot, just budget a few minutes for wrist glue and careful gate trimming.

The build story

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

The runners are clean with tight tolerances and no flash or dimpling to speak of, so the actual assembly is relaxed HG-level work. The one thing to watch is the matte brown plastic on the legs, it shows nub marks more readily than gloss plastic, so trim slow and follow up with a hobby knife rather than just clipping and moving on.

The standout engineering is the shield sub-arm system, three points of articulation per side that let the shields act as both defense and a posing tool, plus the drill knees for a close-range gimmick most HGs do not bother with. Weapon loadout is generous for the price band, sword, drill lance with concealed autocannons and Dainsleif launchers, and twin KEP bullets tucked into the shields, all packed into a standard HG part count.

Lore & trivia

01Kimaris Vidar is the upgraded form of Gundam Vidar, rebuilt aboard the Arianrhod flagship with a third Ahab reactor after Gaelio Bauduin's suit was damaged fighting Mikazuki Augus in the Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex.
02Gaelio Bauduin pilots the suit under the alias Vidar, concealing his identity after being presumed dead earlier in the series.
03The kit released in March 2017 as HG IBO #35 and uses the same base Gundam Frame internal skeleton shared across the HG Iron-Blooded Orphans line for cross-kit compatibility.
04The shield-mounted sub-arms carry their own thrusters, positioned to fire during high-speed movement rather than acting only as static shield mounts.