HGUniversal Century

FF-X29A G-Parts [Hrududu] (Combat Deployment Colors)

A support fighter kit that only really finishes the story once it's docked to a Hazel.

MechaGrade Score

3.4/5

G-Parts [Hrududu] (Combat Deployment Colors) · 1/144 · 2019

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2019

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit for exactly what it is and dislike it for what it isn't, and both reactions are correct.

On its own the Hrududu is a compact, nicely detailed support fighter with its own cockpit and a real sense of purpose, but it does not build a standalone mobile suit, it builds an accessory that wants a Hazel Custom to dock with. If you already have that kit or plan to get one, this is a satisfying companion build. If you don't, you're building a nice-looking paperweight.

Best for: AOZ collectors who already own or plan to own an HGUC Hazel Custom and want the full Hazel-Rah setup

The full review

What it is

The Hrududu is one of the G-Parts support units from Advance of Zeta, a Universal Century side story, and this Combat Deployment Colors release reskins the original scheme in a more military green and grey. What struck me building it is how much personality Bandai packed into what's technically an add-on kit. It has its own cockpit, its own thruster or claw loadout depending on configuration, and molded color that actually reads as a finished support craft on its own shelf. It's a quick, low-stress build, no more than an afternoon, and the parts fit together with the tight click Bandai's late-2010s HGUC tooling is known for.

The catch

The honest catch is right there in the kit's design brief: this does not build a Hazel-Rah, a Hazel, or any mobile suit by itself. You need a separate HGUC Hazel Custom kit to combine it into the full Hazel-Rah or Hazel Owsla configuration, and Bandai doesn't include that kit here, it's sold and priced as its own P-Bandai exclusive. Articulation on the combined form is limited too, the payload is heavy and back-loaded once docked, and an action base is basically required to keep it from tipping. Displayed solo the Hrududu poses fine, it's just not the pose range you'd expect from a suit-grade HG.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already have (or are buying) the Hazel Custom and want the complete Hazel-Rah or Hrududu G-Armor experience, or if you're deep enough into the AOZ side story that a support-fighter shelf piece on its own appeals to you. Skip it if you're looking for a first HG or a self-contained mobile suit build, this kit assumes prior buy-in to a niche corner of Gundam lore and a second kit purchase to complete the picture. It's a rewarding pickup for the audience it's built for and a confusing one for anybody else.

The build story

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

The runners clip and clean up easily, gates are placed where you'd expect on a Bandai HGUC sheet from this era, and there's no fighting the plastic to get panels to seat. It's a relaxed build rather than a fiddly one, which is a nice contrast if you've just come off a dense MG.

The standout engineering choice is giving a support accessory its own cockpit and independent silhouette rather than treating it as dead weight, and the molded color split (rather than leaning on stickers) holds up well once assembled. Where it comes up short is post-combination articulation, the Hrududu G-Armor and Hazel-Rah configurations are heavy and prioritize the docked silhouette over pose range, so don't expect the same joint freedom you'd get from a standard HG mobile suit.

Lore & trivia

01The Hrududu is a support fighter from Advance of Zeta: The Flag of Titans, a Universal Century side story, and it carries its own cockpit rather than functioning as inert equipment.
02Two Hrududu units can combine into a mobile armor configuration sometimes called the Hrududu G-Armor or G-Parts [Hrududu Rah], with one unit built around a thruster pack for speed and the other around a claw unit for combat.
03This HGUC 1/144 kit released in May 2019 as a P-Bandai exclusive priced at 1,188 yen and combines with the HGUC Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom] to build the Hazel-Rah or, with additional Hazel parts, the Hazel Owsla configuration.