HGUniversal Century

MSN-04 Sazabi GPB Color

Char's final ride in a Premium Bandai paint job that finally does the mono-eye justice.

MechaGrade Score

3.9/5

Sazabi · 1/144 · 2011

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2011

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the same excellent HGUC Sazabi sculpt from 2000 wearing a Gundam Premium Bandai colorway, and the base kit still holds up two decades later.

I like it because the proportions nail the bulky, brutish silhouette from Char's Counterattack without needing an MG-sized budget or shelf slot. It is not a modern engineering showcase, the shoulders and waist show their age, but the shape, the gloss inner mechanism pieces, and the sheer presence of the thing win me over every time.

Best for: UC fans who want Char's final mobile suit in HG scale without hunting down the pricier MG Ver.Ka

The full review

What it is

The Sazabi GPB Color is a Premium Bandai rebox of the original HGUC MSN-04, and what struck me first is how much personality Bandai packed into a kit this old. The hunched, top heavy stance reads as menacing right out of the box, and the head sculpt with its narrow mono-eye slit and horned crest is genuinely one of my favorite HG heads. You get gloss black inner frame pieces peeking out at the joints and translucent parts for the beam saber hilts and beam rifle emitter, which is a nice touch of color separation for a kit this old. Snapping the torso and legs together felt satisfying rather than fiddly, and the funnel storage pods on the backpack are a fun little detail even though they cannot be posed away from the body.

The catch

The build has two real rough patches. The shoulder pegs are big and go into a tight polycap, so attaching the arms takes more force than I expected and I was nervous about stress marks. The ankle assembly is delicate too, the feet attach through small connector points that need a careful hand. Beyond the build itself, the waist ball joint and leg polycaps loosen with repeated posing and will not hold a dynamic stance forever. Bandai leans on stickers for the mono-eye and some trim rather than molded color, so expect a little sticker work, and if you want the gold shield accent looking sharp you are looking at aftermarket foil decals rather than anything included in the box.

Who it's for

I would point this at UC Gundam fans who want the proper Char's Counterattack final boss in HG scale, and at builders who like a kit that looks imposing without the MG time investment or the RG's tiny fiddly parts. Skip it if pose-holding durability matters more to you than looks, the loose waist and leg joints will frustrate anyone chasing a dynamic diorama stance for the long haul. If you specifically want this Premium Bandai colorway, buy it for the color, not because it fixes any of the base kit's mechanical quirks, it is the same engineering underneath.

The build story

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

Assembly moves quickly through the torso, arms, and legs, with snap-fit construction that does not demand painting to look complete. The two pain points are the shoulder arm pegs, which are oversized and jam tightly into their polycaps, and the ankle connectors, which are small and need careful handling so you do not crack anything while seating the feet.

Articulation is better than the bulky proportions suggest, with a ball-jointed head, swinging shoulders, 90 degree elbow and knee bends, and skirt armor that lifts out of the way for leg movement. The backpack funnel pods and included beam rifle, beam tomahawk, and twin forearm beam sabers round out a solid weapons loadout, and the gloss black inner mechanism pieces plus translucent beam parts give this old mold more color separation than most HG kits from its era.

Lore & trivia

01The Sazabi was Char Aznable's personal mobile suit in Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, commissioned through Anaheim Electronics for his Newtype piloting skill.
02It carries six funnels in backpack-mounted storage racks capable of recharging them mid-battle, unlike the non-recharging racks on the Jagd Doga.
03Its arsenal includes a high-output beam rifle, a beam tomahawk, twin forearm-mounted beam sabers, and a belly-mounted mega particle cannon.
04The Sazabi was Char's mobile suit during his final confrontation with Amuro Ray's RX-93 Nu Gundam, the climax of Char's Counterattack.