HGBuild Fighters

CB-9696G/C/T Reversible Gundam

A Reborns Gundam remix that swaps some articulation for two extra silhouettes and a fistful of gimmicks.

MechaGrade Score

3.3/5

Reversible Gundam · 1/144 · 2017

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a kit built around one clever idea, three modes off one frame, and it mostly gets away with it.

I had a genuinely good time flipping between Gundam, Cannon, and Tank mode, and the independently moving GN Dragon Claws are a real highlight. But I'll be straight with you, the thing struggles to just stand there once the beam pistols and claws are mounted, and that undercuts the payoff.

Best for: Build Fighters fans who already love the Reborns Gundam shape and want the novelty of three configurations in one box

The full review

What it is

The Reversible Gundam takes the Reborns Gundam's HG00 mold as its base and bolts on new arms and a new backpack so the whole thing can fold down into Cannon mode or Tank mode without swapping runners. Clipping the parts, I could feel the shared DNA with the old Reborns kit right away, same core proportions, same general limb layout, but the new backpack and claw arms genuinely change the silhouette in the other two modes. Flipping a kit between three distinct forms without a parts bag of alternates is a neat trick, and Bandai pulled it off with mostly clean part fit and no glue required anywhere.

The catch

The tradeoff for the transformation gimmick is balance and posing. The backpack is heavy, the arms carry a lot of extra plastic for the beam pistols and dragon claws, and more than one builder has noted the kit has real trouble holding basic stances once everything is mounted, especially in Gundam mode where the ankle armor gets in its own way. Hip articulation is weak across the board, and Cannon mode caps knee bend at roughly 90 degrees, so dynamic poses are mostly off the table. It's an HG price point (around 20 dollars) doing MG-adjacent structural work, and it shows.

Who it's for

Grab this if you're into Gundam Build Fighters or Battlogue specifically, or if the idea of one HG folding into three combat forms sounds more fun to you than perfect posability, because that's the actual trade you're making. Skip it if you want a kit that holds a dynamic gunfighting pose out of the box, or if loose stability issues are a dealbreaker for your shelf. As a display piece it rewards patience and maybe a little tape or a stand, but as a poser it's going to fight you.

The build story

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

Runner cleanup is standard HG fare, nothing unusual in gate placement, and the transformation parts snap between configurations without any forcing or stress marks in my experience. The shared lineage with the HG00 Reborns Gundam means the core frame assembly feels familiar if you've built that kit, torso and legs go together fast, and the new arm and backpack runners are where all the novelty lives.

The real engineering story here is the tri-mode swap itself, which works mechanically even if the end result is compromise-heavy. Color separation leans on molded plastic more than stickers for the main body, and the double-jointed knees are a nice touch that almost makes up for the otherwise limited hip movement. The GN Beam Pistols, dragon claws, and twin beam sabers give it a loadout that looks busy and interesting on a shelf even when it can't hold a deep lunge.

Lore & trivia

01The Reversible Gundam first appeared in Gundam Build Fighters Battlogue, a web/OVA spinoff rather than the main Build Fighters TV series.
02In its Battlogue appearance, the mobile suit's AI is swapped from a Ribbons Almark personality to an Amuro Ray personality mid-battle, and the two AI-piloted machines fight to a mutual destruction.
03The kit's design and base mold are derived from the CB-0000G/C Reborns Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam 00, repurposed with new arms and a new backpack to enable the Cannon and Tank transformations.
04It shipped in October 2017 as HGBF number 063.