HGUniversal Century

RGM-79[G] GM Ground Type (Slave Wraith Team Custom) (Parachute Pack)

The best grunt mold in 1/144 HG, dressed up in desert camo and dropped in on a parachute.

MechaGrade Score

4.0/5

[G] GM Ground Type (Slave Wraith Team Custom) (Parachute Pack) · 1/144 · 2020

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is one of my favorite HG frames wearing a new coat of paint, and I mean that as a genuine compliment.

The base GM Ground Type engineering underneath this Slave Wraith livery is still some of the best grunt-suit articulation Bandai has put in the 1/144 line, and the parachute backpack and Missing Link decal sheet give it a real identity of its own. Where it loses points is the same place every P-Bandai reskin loses points: you're paying exclusive-web-shop money for a kit that is mechanically identical to a suit already on shelves for less.

Best for: GM completionists and Missing Link fans who already love the base HGUC GM Ground Type mold and want the Slave Wraith paint job and parachute pack

The full review

What it is

Strip away the decals and the new pack and this is the 2017 HGUC GM Ground Type, a kit plenty of builders already call the best HG grunt suit Bandai has ever made. What Slave Wraith adds is a second, hardpoint-equipped backpack stacked on top of the standard one, a monochrome instruction insert for the parachute rig, and a marking sheet with the unit's wraith emblem. Snapping the parachute pack onto that ball-jointed torso and getting the whole thing to hold a dynamic mid-drop pose is genuinely satisfying, and the molded gray plastic plus the new decals sell the mercenary-outfit look without needing a single coat of paint.

The catch

The head is smaller and simpler than you'd expect from the source art, the chest vents rely on foil stickers instead of molded color separation, and the lower arm halves can show a faint seam because there's no snap tab holding them shut (Bandai left the gap for wrist-joint clearance). None of that is new to this variant, it's baked into the mold. What is specific to this release is the price: this was a Premium Bandai web exclusive, so you're paying exclusive-market money for what is largely the same plastic as the retail GM Ground Type plus one extra backpack runner and a sticker sheet.

Who it's for

If you already own the retail HGUC GM Ground Type and just want a second one in a different coat, or you've never built either and want the parachute-pack gimmick with the Slave Wraith story attached, this earns its spot on the shelf. If you're chasing the Missing Link aesthetic on a budget, buy the plain retail GM Ground Type first, it's the same articulation and build for less money. Skip this one if you're allergic to paying collector prices for what is, underneath the decals, a familiar kit.

The build story

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

Gate placement on the V-fin needs a careful hand, both sides of the pointy tip are molded with gates so you clip and sand slowly to avoid snapping it. The rest of the runners are soft PS plastic that cleans up fast, and the parachute pack's extra runner snaps together in a few minutes without any real fiddliness. The included monochrome insert walks you through the Slave Wraith-specific parts clearly enough that you're not hunting for which tab goes where.

The standout here is still the base frame: the torso ball joint lets the chest lean and twist independently of the waist, and double-jointed elbows and knees mean you get real bend, not the stiff single-hinge look most HG grunts settle for. Loadout options carry over from the base kit too, bazooka, net gun, ground-type machine gun, small shield, and twin beam sabers, so the parachute pack becomes one more tool in an already generous accessory set rather than the whole reason to own the kit.

Lore & trivia

01The Slave Wraith unit and its RX-79[G]SW commander suit originate in Mobile Suit Gundam Side Story: Missing Link, a game/manga side story, with the mercenary unit's Gundam reportedly acquired through forged transfer documents by Doris Brand and piloted by Captain Travis Kirkland.
02This GM-line release shares its mold with the acclaimed 2017 retail HGUC GM Ground Type, widely regarded among builders as one of the best-articulated 1/144 grunt suits Bandai has produced.
03The kit was a Premium Bandai (P-Bandai) web-shop exclusive released in 2020, priced at 2,420 yen, and included a dedicated monochrome instruction sheet just for the parachute pack and Slave Wraith markings.
04The parachute pack itself is designed in-fiction as a disposable descent rig, three parachutes and four thrusters for a soft landing, meant to be ejected once the suit touches down so it doesn't interfere with ground combat.