HGCosmic Era

GAT-04EL Eldora Windam

A P-Bandai remix of the Windam that hands you a genuinely fun weapon gimmick and a bag of spare joints.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Eldora Windam · 1/144 · 2020

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

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

It leans hard on the existing HGCE Windam engineering, and that turns out to be exactly the right move, because that frame already moves well and clips together cleanly. The real selling point is the rifle that folds into an axe and a saber, which is the kind of small mechanical trick that makes a build memorable. It is not a suit you'll recognize from the main SEED Destiny story, and being a Premium Bandai exclusive means you have to actually go find it, but as a design exercise it earns its spot on the shelf.

Best for: Windam fans and gimmick chasers who want a multi-mode weapon build without stepping up to MG money

The full review

What it is

The Eldora Windam is a Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE custom, essentially a reworked GAT-04 Windam wearing a new flight backpack and a redesigned color scheme. Bandai built it on the same HGCE Windam tooling, which means the assembly is fast and familiar if you've touched that kit before, snug joints, sensible part breakdown, no wrestling. The backpack has enough attachment points to be genuinely playable rather than decorative, and I found myself rearranging the flight unit and the arm-mounted gear more than I do on most HG kits at this price point, just to see what configurations held up.

The catch

This is a Premium Bandai release, so it never sat on a regular retail shelf, you're buying secondhand or from a reseller and paying above standard HG pricing for it. It's also a reused frame with new surface parts rather than a ground-up design, so if you already own the base Windam, some of this will feel like familiar territory in a new coat of paint. A few of the smaller weapon-conversion pieces are fiddly to seat correctly on the first try, and like most HGs from this era there's some sticker reliance for the finer color details rather than full molded separation.

Who it's for

Grab this if you already like the Windam's silhouette and want a version with a more interesting loadout, or if you collect Build Divers Re:RISE kits specifically. The bundled extra joint parts are also a legitimate reason to buy one even if you don't care about the suit itself, they're useful stock for customizing other builds. Skip it if you're chasing mainline SEED Destiny screen-accuracy, this is a game-world custom, not something Shinn or Athrun ever piloted, and skip it if P-Bandai markup pricing is a dealbreaker for you.

The build story

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

Runner gate placement follows the standard HGCE Windam sheet, so cleanup is straightforward and nub scars land in places that are easy to hide once posed. The new Eldora-specific parts, mainly the backpack shell and the weapon housing, snap on without needing extra force, and I didn't hit any of the loose-peg problems some older HG lines are known for.

Articulation inherits the Windam's already-solid range, decent hip and shoulder movement that lets it hold action poses without the frame fighting you. The standout is the weapon system itself, one grip converting between a beam rifle, an axe, and a saber blade, which gives more posing variety than the part count would suggest. The bundled spare joint parts add real value beyond just this one build.

Lore & trivia

01The Eldora Windam is a custom machine that first appears in Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE, built in-fiction inside the Gunpla Battle Nexus Online game rather than appearing in the original Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Destiny story.
02The kit was released as a Premium Bandai exclusive in September 2020, reusing tooling from the standard HGCE 1/144 Windam kit with added Eldora-specific frame and armor parts.
03Its signature weapon can be reconfigured between rifle, axe, and saber modes, a feature the kit's instructions and gimmick were built specifically around.
04The set includes extra Bolden Arms joint components intended for use in other custom Gunpla builds, not just assembly of the Eldora Windam itself.