HGRegild Century

CAMS-03 Elf Bullock

A cuttlefish-shaped oddity that rewards you for embracing the weird.

MechaGrade Score

3.4/5

Elf Bullock · 1/144 · 2015

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit more than I expected to going in.

The Elf Bullock is one of the strangest silhouettes Gunpla has ever put out, and once you accept that it is not trying to be a humanoid war machine, the build turns into a genuinely fun little curiosity. It will not wow you with articulation or engineering tricks, but it nails the one thing it is actually going for: capturing that squid-like Capital Army design language in a small, affordable kit.

Best for: G-Reco fans and collectors who want an oddball, non-humanoid silhouette on the shelf without a big price tag

The full review

What it is

This is the mass-production Capital Army suit piloted under the Mask persona in G-Reco, and Bandai leaned hard into the source material's weirdness instead of smoothing it out. The body reads like a cuttlefish standing on two legs, with the transformation gimmick between mobile suit mode and flight mode as the headline feature. Swapping the parts around is satisfying in a way that a lot of straight humanoid HG kits are not, because you are genuinely reconfiguring the silhouette rather than just folding a backpack down. It comes with a display stand, detachable boosters, and clear effect parts for the leg-mounted beam sabers, which is a nice touch at this price point.

The catch

The body shape that makes this kit interesting is also what limits it. The knees do not bend nearly as far as the elbows, and the overall range of motion falls behind a typical HG humanoid suit because the frame just is not built for dynamic action poses. There are more stickers here than I would like on a kit this small, and paint or Gundam markers will get you noticeably better results if you care about panel accents. The flight mode, while a nice inclusion for accuracy to the show, comes out looking a little flimsy and not especially eye-catching next to the mobile suit mode.

Who it's for

Buy this if you are following the G-Reco kit line, want a shelf that is not wall-to-wall humanoid Gundams, or just like weird mobile suit designs done in plastic. Skip it if you want a poseable action figure or a kit that leans on strong articulation, because that is not what the Elf Bullock is selling. For the price and the novelty of the transformation, I think it earns its spot for the right buyer, just go in knowing what you are getting.

The build story

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

The build itself is straightforward HG-level assembly, nothing fiddly or frustrating, and the part swap for the transformation is the part that actually holds your attention. Cleanup is typical for the grade, nothing unusual to flag on gate placement.

Color separation leans on stickers more than molded plastic in a few spots, which is the main engineering compromise here. The clear beam saber parts and the detachable large boosters are a nice bit of accessory value for an HG price point, and the inclusion of a dedicated display stand for the transformation is a thoughtful touch you do not always get at this grade.

Lore & trivia

01The Elf Bullock is piloted by the mysterious Mask, who leads a Capital Guard team against the pirate ship Megafauna in Gundam Reconguista in G.
02Every major faction in G-Reco has an animal-inspired design motif, and the Capital Army's mobile suits, including the Elf Bullock and Caitsith, follow that theme.
03The kit was released as part of Bandai's HGRC (HG Reconguista in G) line, kit number 08 in that line, in February 2015 to coincide with the show's broadcast.