HGUniversal Century

c.o.v.e.r. Kit-15: RX-93 ν Gundam

A resin fix-up kit for people who already love the 2008 HGUC Nu Gundam and want it to look even more like the poster.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Nu Gundam · 1/144 · 2008

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2008

Runnersn/a

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

This one is not a kit you build in an evening, it is a kit you build on top of another kit.

c.o.v.e.r. Kit-15 is a resin conversion set for the 2008 HGUC RX-93 ν Gundam, and I like it for exactly what it is: a targeted proportions fix rather than a full new sculpt. If you already own that HGUC and love the shape but wish the head, waist, and thighs read a little closer to Katoki's art, this delivers. If you were hoping for a standalone snap-together kit, this is not that, and you need to know it going in.

Best for: Builders who already own the 2008 HGUC ν Gundam and want to push its proportions and detail further with resin work

The full review

What it is

c.o.v.e.r. Kit-15 is part of a numbered line of small-run resin conversion kits made to sit on top of existing HGUC releases rather than replace them outright, the same line that put out fix-up sets for kits like the HGUC Alex and the HGUC GP-01. This entry targets the 2008 HGUC RX-93 ν Gundam, a kit that was already a fan favorite at release for being more proportionate than the era's Master Grade. What the resin parts do is sharpen that further: a reworked head sculpt closer to Hajime Katoki's original lines, retooled thigh joints for a taller stance and wider leg swing, a taller waist block, bigger side skirt armor, and small cover pieces that hide the ankle joint gap the base kit leaves visible in a lot of poses.

The catch

You are working in resin, not styrene, so this means mold-line cleanup, test fitting, plastic cement or CA glue instead of snap pegs, and paint to match the new parts to your existing color scheme since none of it comes pre-colored. You also need the donor HGUC kit already in hand or bought separately, so the real cost and time investment is base kit plus conversion kit plus paint, not the price of one box. None of this is a knock on the concept, it is just not the entry-friendly HG experience the grade name usually promises, and a first-time builder without any resin or airbrush experience will have a rough time of it.

Who it's for

This is for the builder who has already finished the 2008 HGUC ν Gundam, liked it, and wants to chase the last bit of proportion accuracy and detail the injection-molded parts could not quite deliver. It rewards someone who has cut and glued resin before, or who is willing to learn on a kit they already care about. If you have never built the base HGUC ν Gundam, buy and build that first on its own merits, it holds up fine unmodified. Skip this entirely if you want a relaxing straight build with no painting, the whole point of a conversion kit is the extra work.

The build story

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

Working resin into a plastic kit is a different rhythm than a normal HG build. Mold lines need real cleanup before anything test-fits, pin holes show up on the odd part, and you are reaching for cement or CA glue instead of clipping a peg into a socket. None of it is exotic if you have done any garage kit work before, but if your only experience is snap-fit HG kits this is a step up in both time and tools.

The payoff is in the proportions once everything is together. The reworked thigh joints genuinely widen the leg stance and let the ν Gundam hold a wider range of dynamic poses than the stock HGUC hips allow, the taller waist block reads much closer to the anime silhouette, and the ankle cover pieces quietly close a gap that was one of the only visible weak points on an otherwise excellent base kit. The base HGUC's own strengths carry over too, the fin funnels are still fiddly and still tend to weigh the backpack down, but the beam rifle, bazooka, shield, and dual beam saber loadout give plenty to pose with while the resin upgrades do their work.

Lore & trivia

01The ν Gundam's psycho-frame technology was secretly passed to Anaheim Electronics by Char Aznable himself, who allowed his own rival's mobile suit to be built stronger so their final duel would be fair.
02That same psycho-frame resonance is what triggered the Axis Shock at the climax of Char's Counterattack, meaning Char's own act of fairness ended up foiling his asteroid drop plan.
03The ν Gundam was the first Gundam-type mobile suit built around psycommu-controlled Fin Funnels, weapons steered by the pilot's thoughts rather than a physical link.
04Amuro Ray named the suit himself using the Greek letter nu, choosing it partly because it comes right after zeta in the alphabet and partly because it reads as new.