HGBuild Divers

Marsfour Weapons

A cheap plastic armory that turns any 1/144 into a heat-blade brawler.

MechaGrade Score

3.4/5

Marsfour Weapons · 1/144 · 2019

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2019

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this one for exactly what it is and not one bit more: a weapons expansion, not a mobile suit.

There is no body in the box, just the three heat swords, the heat hawk, the wrist and foot claws, and the joint hardware that let them combine into the Over Slash Blade. Judged as an accessory set it delivers real value and a genuinely fun combination gimmick. Judged as a standalone kit it barely exists, so temper your expectations before you order it.

Best for: Core Gundam owners finishing out the Marsfour loadout, and customizers who want a pile of heat-sword parts to graft onto other HG kits

The full review

What it is

This is Bandai's HGBD:R #03 release, the weapons-only half of the PFF-X7/M4 Marsfour Gundam from Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE. It exists to pair with the separately sold Core Gundam and Marsfour Unit, and on its own it hands you a small runner of red-molded heat blades: two Slash Blades that snap together into the larger Over Slash Blade, a stubby heat hawk, and clawed attachments for the wrists and feet. Snapping the two blades into the Over Slash Blade is the highlight of the whole set, a satisfying click that turns a pair of ordinary swords into Marsfour's signature giant weapon. For the asking price it is a fair pile of plastic.

The catch

Be clear on what you are buying. There is no torso, no head, no legs in this box, just armaments, so anyone expecting a complete Marsfour figure will be disappointed unless they already own or are also buying the Core Gundam and Marsfour armor unit separately. The parts are simple enough that build time is short, closer to twenty minutes than an hour, and there is not much engineering to admire beyond the blade-combination joint. The claws and hawk grip the Core Gundam's hands fine but feel a little loose on hands from other kit lines if you are cross-kitting, which is the main use case a lot of buyers have for this set.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already have or plan to get the Core Gundam and Marsfour Unit and want the complete Mars Armor loadout, or if you are a customizer hunting for a stock of heat-sword and claw parts to bolt onto other HG figures. Skip it if you want a single kit that stands on the shelf as a finished mobile suit, since this will leave you with an armory and nothing to hold it. It is best treated as the accessory upgrade it is, priced and sized accordingly, not judged against a full HG figure.

The build story

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

The runner is small and the parts are simple snap-fit, no stickers and no paint needed thanks to the translucent red molding on the blades. Gate placement is unremarkable but nub marks are easy to clean given how few parts there are, and the whole thing goes together in well under an hour.

The one piece of real engineering is the double Slash Blade joint that folds the two swords together into the Over Slash Blade, which holds firmly once combined and looks the part. The heat hawk and wrist/foot claws round out the Mars Armor loadout at a fair price for the part count, though value only holds up if you are actually filling out a Marsfour build rather than buying it in isolation.

Lore & trivia

01The Marsfour Gundam is the Mars Armor configuration of Hiroto Kuga's Core Gundam, itself modeled after the original RX-78-2 Gundam, in Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE.
02Mars is called the Fire Planet in the show's Planets System, so the Marsfour loadout drops ranged weapons entirely in favor of heat-based melee combat.
03The two included Slash Blades combine into the Over Slash Blade, a single larger sword built for one-on-one duels, crowd control, and taking down oversized enemies.