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ASW-G-71 Gundam Dantalion

A leftover Gundam Frame that turns a spare backpack into a pair of giant clamping arms, and somehow that's the whole pitch.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Gundam Dantalion · 1/144 · 2017

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit more than its box art suggests I should.

The T-Booster gimmick, where the entire back unit unfolds into oversized manipulator arms for a half-cowl grapple mode, is the reason to own this over any other HG IBO Gundam Frame release. The skull-motif face and minimal hip skirts give it a leaner silhouette than most Gjallarhorn suits. It just doesn't lock down as confidently as I wanted once that backpack is deployed.

Best for: IBO completionists and HG builders who want a transforming gimmick kit rather than another straight standing pose

The full review

What it is

This is one of the later entries in the HG Iron-Blooded Orphans line, and it inherits the same skeletal inner frame that made that line a genuine step up from older HG kits. The sculpt reads clean in hand, with a narrower waist and less bulk around the hips than earlier Gundam Frames in the series, and the skull-like face vent gives it real character on the shelf. The sword rifle converts between blade and gun modes without needing extra parts, which I always appreciate on a kit this size. Building it felt like familiar IBO territory: satisfying frame assembly, then color-matching armor over it.

The catch

The T-Booster backpack is the main event and also the main weak point. Once it unfolds into the half-cowl grapple arms, nothing actually locks it in place beyond friction, so the whole assembly leans slightly and needs the included stand peg to stay upright for photos. Builders have flagged the same complaint: it doesn't feel engineered to stay in that mode long term, more like a display-only configuration. There's also a moderate sticker count for the knee and front skirt accent colors rather than molded plastic, standard for this price point but worth knowing going in.

Who it's for

Get this one if you're already collecting the HG IBO lineup or you specifically want a kit with a transformation gimmick instead of another static Gundam Frame variant. The frame quality and double-jointed knees mean it still poses well in Naked mode with the booster off, so it's not a one-trick kit. Skip it if you want your backpack accessories to click into a locked configuration, or if you'd rather spend the same money on one of the earlier, cheaper HG IBO releases and put the difference toward a second kit.

The build story

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

Assembly follows the familiar HG IBO rhythm: build the inner frame first, then layer armor over it, with clean gate placement and no unusual cleanup surprises reported by builders. The sword rifle's mode change is a nice bit of engineering for the price point, no extra swap parts to lose.

Double-jointed knees and swiveling thighs give this kit a genuinely wide pose range for an HG, consistent with the rest of the line. The T-Booster backpack is the stand-out engineering idea, giant manipulator arms folded out of a normal-looking booster, but it's held by friction only, so it won't hold a grapple pose under its own weight without the pedestal stand included in the box.

Lore & trivia

01Gundam Dantalion is the 71st of 72 Gundam Frames built by Gjallarhorn near the end of the Calamity War to counter mobile armors like Hashmal.
02The name Dantalion comes from the 71st demon listed in the Ars Goetia, matching its ASW-G-71 designation.
03In the Gekko side story, Zadiel Zalmfort stole the Dantalion from his own family under the alias Zaza Fossil before eventually returning to the Zalmfort family, who use the suit as their crest.
04The kit includes a T-Booster backpack that converts into oversized manipulator arms for a half-cowl grapple form, alongside a sword rifle that switches between blade and gun modes.