HGAd Stella

CFP-010 Heindree

The unglamorous workhorse suit that turns out to be a genuinely fun quick build.

MechaGrade Score

3.4/5

Heindree · 1/144 · 2023

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2023

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit more than its background-mob status suggests I should.

It is not a hero unit and it does not try to be one, but the assembly is clean, the proportions read well on the shelf, and for the price it delivers a satisfying half-afternoon build. If you want a showpiece Gundam this is not it. If you want a well-engineered, honest little HG to round out a Witch from Mercury shelf, it earns its spot.

Best for: Witch from Mercury completionists and beginners who want a low-stakes, low-cost build with real articulation

The full review

What it is

The Heindree is the successor to the CCP-068 Heingra, one of the Hein-series general-purpose suits that Grassley Defense Systems built for coordinated combat, and its HG kit plays that lineage straight. It is not trying to be an ace machine, it is a trainer-grade suit with modest armor, and the kit captures that with a clean, no-nonsense frame. Assembly is fast, the post-fitted joints are genuinely nice to work with (no pinching, no forcing pegs), and the neck and waist ball joints let it hold forward and backward leans that most background HG kits do not bother with. It came together in about three hours and every step felt purposeful.

The catch

This is a budget kit and it looks like one in places. Some panel detailing and marking work is meant to be filled in with Gundam Markers or paint rather than molded color or stickers, so out of the box it reads a little flat and grey in spots. The design itself is deliberately unglamorous, since the Heindree is a background mobile suit in the show, so do not expect a striking silhouette or a large weapons loadout. The single oversized weapon is the visual centerpiece and there is not much else to it beyond the shield.

Who it's for

Grab this if you are building out the Ad Stella side of a Witch from Mercury collection, want a cheap and quick weeknight build, or are teaching someone the basics of gate cleanup on a kit that will not punish mistakes. Skip it if you are looking for a centerpiece kit, want heavy color separation straight out of the bag, or only care about hero suits like the Gundam Aerial or Lfrith. As a supporting-cast kit at a supporting-cast price, it does exactly what it promises and nothing more.

The build story

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

The runners are laid out simply and gates sit in low-visibility spots, so cleanup is quick and forgiving even for a first-time builder. Parts fit snugly without needing force, and the whole kit goes together in roughly three hours without glue or paint required to look presentable.

The standout engineering touch is the ball-and-socket neck and torso joint, which lets the Heindree tilt forward and back in addition to the usual side lean, a detail a lot of same-tier HG kits leave out. The oversized signature weapon can rotate for dynamic poses and the left-arm shield swings forward for a blocking stance, giving the kit more pose variety than its parts count would suggest.

Lore & trivia

01The Heindree is the successor to the CCP-068 Heingra, a Hein-series combat suit that saw action against Gundam-type mobile suits during the Vanadis Incident.
02Its more modest armor and simplified internals make it suited for educational and private-sector use rather than frontline military service, which is reflected in the kit's straightforward, unfussy design.
03The kit released on February 18, 2023 at a Japanese MSRP of 1,600 yen, positioning it as one of the more affordable entries in the Witch from Mercury HG lineup.
04A variant kit, the HG Heindree Sturm, followed in May 2023 with expanded armor and a higher price point.