HGAnno Domini

GN-0000 00 Gundam KASHIWA REYSOL Ver.

The same great 00 Gundam engineering, dressed head to toe in J.League yellow and black.

MechaGrade Score

3.5/5

00 Gundam KASHIWA REYSOL Ver. · 1/144 · 2020

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit a lot more than a novelty sports tie-in has any right to be liked.

It is the 2008 HG 00 Gundam molds, unchanged, just run in Kashiwa Reysol's yellow and black plastic with the club crest on stickers instead of a Celestial Being finish, and that base kit was ahead of its time on articulation. If you already own or plan to own a standard 00 Gundam, this one earns its shelf space on novelty alone. If you do not care about J.League, it is a much harder sell at collector pricing.

Best for: Gunpla builders who also follow Kashiwa Reysol, or 00 Gundam completionists chasing every colorway

The full review

What it is

This is the 2008 HG 00 Gundam kit reissued in 2020 for Bandai's Gundam 40th/Gunpla 40th tie-in with J.League, molded in Kashiwa Reysol's yellow and black instead of the show's white, blue, and red. Underneath the paint job it is the same well-regarded suit: double ball-jointed neck, elbows that bend well past 90 degrees, double-jointed knees, and a waist that spins all the way around. Building it feels exactly like building any 00 Gundam, snap-fit assembly, familiar gate placement, and the twin GN Drive backpack going together the same way it always has. What changes the experience is opening the bag to yellow runners instead of white ones and finding a Kashiwa Reysol crest sticker sheet where the Celestial Being markings usually go.

The catch

This was sold at Reysol home games and through limited runs, so it never had a normal retail life, and the only reason to seek it out on the secondary market is the team connection or completionist urge, since the sculpt and articulation are identical to the widely available standard-color 00 Gundam you can buy for far less. The kit still uses the 2008-era HG toolset, so panel lines are shallower and part breakdown is simpler than a modern HG, and like the original release it leans on stickers for the GN Condenser glow and cockpit details rather than clear runners for everything. Expect scalper pricing if you did not grab one at the time.

Who it's for

Get this one specifically if you are a Kashiwa Reysol supporter who also builds Gunpla, or if you collect every official 00 Gundam variant Bandai has put out, because the double sports crossover is genuinely charming and well executed. Skip it if you just want a good 00 Gundam to build and pose, since the standard-colorway HG delivers the identical build and articulation for regular retail price without the aftermarket markup. This is a fan-specific pickup, not a kit to chase for the plastic alone.

The build story

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

Assembly runs exactly like any 00 Gundam HG, snap-fit with straightforward gate locations and no surprises in part fit. The yellow and black plastic separates the Reysol color scheme cleanly enough that a builder who skips painting entirely still ends up with a kit that reads correctly on the shelf, which is the whole point of a team-color release like this.

The engineering underneath is the real reason the base kit still holds up: a double ball-jointed neck, elbows bending well past a right angle, double-jointed knees, and ankles that tilt and swivel on a ball joint, all built around the twin GN Drive backpack that defines the 00 Gundam's silhouette. Stickers cover the GN Condenser glow points and cockpit details rather than clear parts, so careful application matters if you want the lit-up look to read well.

Lore & trivia

01The 00 Gundam is piloted by Setsuna F. Seiei of Celestial Being and is defined by its twin drive system, running two GN Drives instead of one for a major power jump over its predecessor Exia.
02This kit is part of a 2020 Bandai collaboration with Japan's J.League that recolored existing HG Gunpla molds, including Exia, Strike, Impulse, and Barbatos, into official team liveries for stadium sales tied to the Gundam 40th anniversary.
03Kashiwa Reysol is based in Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture, and its yellow and black colors are why this particular 00 Gundam swaps out its usual white, blue, and red for a team-branded look.
04The 00 Gundam first appeared in the second season of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (2008-2009) and later returned in the film Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer.