HGMobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (Season 2)

MDX-0003 Gundam Schwarzette

A final-boss silhouette with a weapon system that keeps unfolding into new toys.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

Gundam Schwarzette · 1/144 · 2023

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2023

Runnersn/a

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

The verdict

This is one of the best HG kits Bandai put out for The Witch from Mercury, and I say that as someone who went in expecting a straightforward black-and-white recolor job.

The Guardian weapon system alone justifies the shelf space, it splits into six Gund-bits, reforms into a greatsword, and pulls out a hidden handle to become a beam cannon. Color separation on the body is genuinely excellent for the price point, and the permet highlights read as pink-purple rather than the usual red, which gives it its own identity next to Calibarn and Aerial.

Best for: HG builders who want a big-presence villain suit with a weapon system that actually rewards fiddling

The full review

What it is

Schwarzette is Jeturk Heavy Machinery's answer to the Gundam format, a white and black GUND-ARM with a genuinely intimidating face sculpt instead of the mono-eye look most of its house shares. The moment I got the Guardian weapon in hand I understood why builders keep calling this one of the most playable HG TWFM kits. It is not just a sword, it is a greatsword built from stacked Gund-bits that separates into six independent pieces, each one dockable back onto the body in at least four official configurations, and Bandai leaves room for you to invent your own. Holding it as a two-handed blade, splitting it into a floating bit swarm, or pulling the side handle to fire it as a beam cannon all work, and the transitions between those modes feel like the actual point of owning the kit rather than a gimmick tacked onto a static pose.

The catch

The weapon system is also where the fiddliness lives. Six bits, multiple connector points, and several mounting configurations mean you will be referencing the instructions more than once to remember how a given mode goes together, and the small connector pegs on the bits are the kind of parts that walk off your desk if you are not careful. The permet body details are decals rather than molded color, though most sit under a clear part layer so they read cleanly once assembled and are protected from fingernail scuffing. Torso movement is limited to forward and back tilt with no twist, which is the one place the frame feels behind the rest of the WfM line's articulation standard.

Who it's for

Get this one if you want a big single weapon system to actually play with rather than just display, or if you are building out the Witch from Mercury cast and want the season 2 antagonist suit to stand next to Aerial and Calibarn. It is also a good pick for anyone who wants proof that HG kits can carry real engineering ambition without jumping to Master Grade pricing. Skip it if you specifically want a kit with full 360 degree torso articulation for dynamic action poses, or if managing six loose bit pieces on a cluttered desk sounds like more hassle than fun, in which case a simpler HG in the line will serve you better.

What works

Guardian weapon splits into six Gund-bits and reforms as greatsword, cannon, or floating swarm with several official mounting modes
Strong color separation for an HG, the pink-purple permet accents mostly avoid sticker reliance thanks to a clear part layer over the decals
Soft, easy-to-clean plastic with minimal visible nub marks, standard for the WfM HG line but well executed here

Worth knowing

Torso only tilts forward and back with no twist, weaker than the articulation you get elsewhere in the WfM lineup
Six loose Gund-bit pieces plus small connector pegs are easy to misplace mid-build or during pose changes
Permet body details are still decals under the clear layer rather than molded color, so eventual peeling or lifting is a long-term risk

Sold? Grab it.

Check price on Amazon

Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The build story

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

Runner cleanup is easy and consistent with the rest of the HG TWFM line, soft plastic, nubs that clip cleanly, and few visible seams on the main body. The black and white color split comes largely from the plastic itself rather than paint or heavy stickers, so a straight-from-the-runner build already reads as accurate. The head sculpt, a proper Gundam face rather than the mono-eye look shared by other Jeturk designs, needs no eye decal at all in most builds, which is a nice touch of confidence in the mold.

The Guardian weapon is the engineering centerpiece: a stacked greatsword that separates into six independently poseable Gund-bits, each capable of reattaching to the body through small peg connectors in at least four documented arrangements, with an internal beam saber and a side handle that converts the whole assembly into a beam cannon stance. Standard ball-jointed shoulders, double-jointed elbows and knees, and a swiveling neck cover posing duty well; the only articulation gap is a torso limited to tilt without twist. For the price point this is a lot of functional part count rather than static detail, and it is the reason the kit gets singled out as one of the more playable entries in the line.

Lore & trivia

01Schwarzette debuted in the second season of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury and is piloted by Lauda Neill.
02In-universe, the MDX-0003 was developed by Jeturk Heavy Machinery as a successor to the 5th-generation demonstrator unit MD-0064 Darilbalde, using AI piloting controls carried over from that earlier machine.
03Development stalled for years over problems with its piloting system, and the suit was only completed after Jeturk adopted the GUND Format, which is what let it be finished as an actual Gundam-type GUND-ARM rather than shelved permanently.
04The Guardian weapon's Gund-bits can be reconfigured into player-designed layouts beyond the handful Bandai illustrates in the manual, since the connector points are standardized across all six pieces.