HGMobile Suit Zeta Gundam (Universal Century)

PMX-002 Bolinoak Sammahn

A recon suit nobody was clamoring for gets a modern HG treatment that makes its weird silhouette a strength.

MechaGrade Score

3.9/5

Bolinoak Sammahn · 1/144 · 2024

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2024

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuinely surprising HG for a mobile suit most fans only remember as Sarah Zabiarov's ride in the last stretch of Zeta.

I went in expecting a filler-suit throwaway and came out impressed by how much engineering Bandai packed into that oddball radome head and claw shield. It is not a suit with mass appeal, but as a kit it punches well above what its obscurity would suggest. If you like Gryps Conflict era Titans and Scirocco's mobile suits, this is one of the better recent HGs to represent that stretch of the show.

Best for: Zeta Gundam completionists and HG builders who want a fun engineering surprise in an under-the-radar suit

The full review

What it is

The Bolinoak Sammahn is the third of Paptimus Scirocco's personal mobile suits, built for reconnaissance with a radome sensor built into that distinctive helmet-shaped head and a laser sensor tucked into the left forearm. Bandai's HG version leans hard into that identity. The head has reflective cut parts plus a sticker option to nail the radome shine, and the right forearm shield has an actual moving claw section instead of just being a flat panel. Building it, I kept noticing small gimmicks I did not expect from a suit this obscure, the shoulder armor has a deployment action tied to the explosive bullet launchers, and the backpack splits into multiple ball-jointed sections that move independently. It reads as a kit Bandai's engineers had fun with.

The catch

The design itself is polarizing, that dome-shaped head and boxy torso are not going to click with everyone, and if you never cared about this suit in the show you may just not care about the kit either. The radome shine option splits into a reflective sticker or a clear part depending on how you build it, and getting that panel to sit flush takes a little patience. The claw shield gimmick is neat but it is also the single part most likely to feel fiddly during assembly, since it is doing more mechanically than a standard HG shield. Runner gate placement is typical modern HG, mostly clean, with a few nub spots on the shoulder armor that need real cleanup if you are going for a glossy finish.

Who it's for

If you are working through Zeta Gundam's mobile suit roster or you collect Titans and Scirocco-faction kits, this one belongs in the lineup and rewards the build more than the box art suggests. Newer builders who want a suit with genuinely different articulation gimmicks from the usual HG formula will have fun here too. Skip it if you only build suits you already love visually, the Bolinoak Sammahn's design is too particular to recommend as a blind buy, and skip it if fiddly shield/claw assemblies frustrate you rather than intrigue you.

The build story

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

Assembly is standard modern HG snap-fit with typical gate placement, mostly clean nub locations, though the shoulder armor has a couple of spots that need real nipper work if you want an unblemished finish. The claw shield and radome head are the two sections where you slow down, the claw has a moving joint built into a small part cluster, and the head wants patience if you are using the reflective cut piece instead of the sticker.

The standout engineering is the backpack, which splits into multiple independently ball-jointed sections instead of one rigid block, giving noticeably more posing range than the suit's boxy proportions suggest. Ball-jointed head and neck base axis let the radome sensor tilt and swing further than expected. Weapon loadout covers the beam tomahawk and beam saber with effect parts, both stowed on the shield's back grip, which is a nice touch for a suit that is otherwise light on accessories.

Lore & trivia

01The Bolinoak Sammahn was the third of three personal mobile suits built for Paptimus Scirocco aboard the Jupitris in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
02It was piloted by Sarah Zabiarov, who used it during the battle at the Gate of Zedan and in engagements against Axis Zeon forces, including Haman Karn's Qubeley.
03Its head-mounted radome and left-forearm laser sensor reflect its intended role as a reconnaissance and information-gathering unit rather than a frontline combat suit.
04Bandai's HG release launched on November 30, 2024 as HGUC #259, decades after the suit's original 1985-86 broadcast appearance.