HGUniversal Century

GQuuuuuuX

A sleek, whip-fast HG that finally makes a modern show suit feel modern in the hand.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

GQuuuuuuX · 1/144 · 2025

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2025

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of the best-posing HG kits Bandai has put out in a while, and I mean that as an engineering compliment, not just a marketing line.

The hip and torso work let it hit deep, dynamic action poses that most kits at this price point simply cannot do. My one real hesitation is the joints feel a touch thinner than I'd like for how far they let you push them. If you treat it like the sporty, energetic kit it is instead of a tank, you will have a great time.

Best for: budget-conscious builders and Gunpla newcomers who want expressive action poses more than a shelf statue

The full review

What it is

The GQuuuuuuX is Bandai translating a genuinely strange, sleek anime design into an HG without losing the silhouette, and it works. Out of the runners the parts are undergated cleanly enough that I barely reached for a file, and the main colors, the white, the dark blue, the gold accents, are molded in rather than painted on, so it reads as a finished suit almost immediately. The frame lets the legs kick higher and the arms reach further than I expected from a 1/144 in this price bracket, and posing it into a mid-duel action shot is where the kit genuinely shines.

The catch

The kit skips traditional polycaps in favor of its own joint solution, and while it holds a pose fine, the plastic-on-plastic feel means I was more careful than usual pushing it to full extension, worried about stress on the thinner joint pegs over time. The clear red beam saber effect stickers are fiddly and easy to place crooked, and between those and the marking stickers, this runs longer than the average HG build despite the low part count. Snap-fit and glue-free assembly keeps it approachable, but budget extra time for the decal work.

Who it's for

Recommend this to anyone who wants a highly poseable, good-looking kit for around 15 USD without needing a toolbox beyond nippers and a hobby knife. It is a great pick for someone newer to the hobby who wants to feel like their kit can actually act out a fight scene, and for GQuuuuuuX fans who want Machu's suit in hand cheaply. Skip it if you want a kit built for years of rough posing and re-posing, or if you hate sticker work, since the marking sheet is more involved than a typical HG.

The build story

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

This is a snap-fit, glue-free build that moves fast on the runner-to-frame side of things. Gate placement is considerate and the undergating means most parts pop free with barely a nub left behind, so cleanup with a hobby knife or fine file is quick. Where the build slows down is the sticker sheet: the marking decals and especially the clear red beam saber effect pieces take patience to place straight, and that stretches an otherwise short HG build into a longer sitting.

The standout here is the articulation. The hip joints and torso swing let the kit hold deep lunges and twisted action poses that a lot of HGs simply lock up on, and the ankles and shoulders keep pace so a full pose looks coherent rather than stiff at one joint. Color separation across the white, navy, and gold is handled in molded plastic rather than paint or heavy stickers, which is a real value add at this price. The kit ships with a laser gun, a shield, a battle axe, and beam saber handles with effect parts, a solid loadout for an HG that also includes a spare head part and alternate hands for posing variety.

Lore & trivia

01GQuuuuuuX is set in an alternate branch of the Universal Century where Char Aznable steals the RX-78-2 before Amuro Ray can pilot it, renaming it Red Gundam after Zeon wins the One Year War.
02The suit is piloted in the story by Machu, the underground dueling alias of protagonist Amate Yuzuriha, who fights in illegal mobile suit matches called Clumbattles.
03The 2025 series was directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki with mechanical designs by Ikuto Yamashita and Se Jun Kim, and the show is a high-profile collaboration between Sunrise and Hideaki Anno's Khara studio.
04At the 2025 Newtype Anime Awards, GQuuuuuuX and its compilation film Beginning won Best Mechanical and Prop Design along with three other awards.