HGGundam Build Fighters Honoo Try

HJ Build Weapon Caletvwlch Feder

A magazine freebie weapon pack that punches above its 972 yen price tag.

MechaGrade Score

3.2/5

HJ Build Weapon Caletvwlch Feder · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This one is a novelty, and I mean that as a compliment.

It is not a mobile suit kit, it is a clear blue weapon expansion that came stapled into a Hobby Japan magazine issue, and once I stopped judging it like a normal HG and just enjoyed it for what it is, a quick fun add-on, it clicked. You are not buying presence here, you are buying options for a suit you already own.

Best for: Transient Gundam Glacier or Wing Gundam Zero Honoo owners hunting for extra weapon loadout options

The full review

What it is

The Caletvwlch Feder is the Hobby Japan January 2017 furoku, a magazine-exclusive parts set built around a V-fin and a pair of all-purpose weapons molded in clear blue plastic, tied to the Nelson Lab tech from Gundam Build Fighters Honoo Try. It was designed to slot onto the HGBF Transient Gundam Glacier and doubles up on the Wing Gundam Zero Honoo, so it reads less like a standalone kit and more like a weapon pack you would find bundled with a deluxe release. Snapping it together took me maybe fifteen minutes, and the clear blue runner actually looks sharp catching light on a shelf next to the suit it was built for.

The catch

This is not a full kit and you should not expect one. There is no frame, no articulation of its own, and no color separation to speak of since everything comes molded in one translucent blue plastic, so paint or panel lining is the only way to add contrast. It was a magazine furoku, meaning it was never sold on its own at retail, which makes tracking one down secondhand the real challenge rather than the build itself. The connector pegs are small and a little fiddly, and if you do not already own a compatible HG the whole thing is decorative at best.

Who it's for

This is for collectors who already have the Transient Gundam Glacier or Wing Gundam Zero Honoo on the shelf and want another weapon configuration without buying a whole new kit, and for Build Fighters completionists who like tracking down the odd magazine exclusives. Skip it if you are looking for your next full build, there is no suit here, no frame, no posing to speak of. As a cheap, fast, novelty accessory for the right collection it earns its spot, but it lives and dies on what you already own.

The build story

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

There is barely a build to speak of, a handful of clear blue parts click together into the V-fin and the pair of weapons in well under half an hour. The pegs are on the small side and I would go slow reattaching them if you plan to swap the pieces between kits repeatedly, since repeated cycling on tiny clear-plastic joints is where stress marks show up first.

The real engineering interest is in the compatibility, not the articulation. It was built to peg onto both the Transient Gundam Glacier and the Wing Gundam Zero Honoo, which for a 972 yen magazine extra is a nice bit of value, you effectively get a weapon option across two separate kits rather than one. Do not expect any pose-holding contribution from the piece itself, it is entirely along for the ride.

Lore & trivia

01The Caletvwlch Feder shipped as the furoku (bonus insert) with Hobby Japan magazine's January 2017 issue, released in November 2016 at 972 yen.
02In the Gundam Build Fighters Honoo Try fiction, it is an all-purpose weapon developed in the Nelson Lab.
03It was designed for cross-compatibility with two separate HGBF kits, the Transient Gundam Glacier and the Wing Gundam Zero Honoo, both from the same series.