HGUniversal Century

RGM-79KC GM Intercept Custom (Fellow Booster Equipped)

A basic GM chassis redeemed almost entirely by one gloriously ugly backpack.

MechaGrade Score

3.3/5

GM Intercept Custom (Fellow Booster Equipped) · 1/144 · 2019

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2019

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a shared-parts GM Origin kit that would be forgettable at full price if not for the Fellow Booster strapped to its back.

That booster unit is the reason to own this kit, it is bulky, asymmetrical, and looks like nothing else in my GM collection. Strip it away and you have a competent but unremarkable 1/144 grunt suit built from runners you have probably already clipped on other GM Origin releases. I like it for exactly one reason, and that reason is worth the shelf space.

Best for: Origin GM collectors who want the Fellow Booster variant specifically, not first-time builders looking for a stand-alone showpiece

The full review

What it is

This is the P-Bandai exclusive HGGTO release of the GM Intercept Custom, the version that actually comes with the Fellow Booster, a big space-use assault pack meant to extend a plain GM's range and firepower for fleet interception duty. Assembly is quick and low-friction, the kind of build you knock out in an evening because most of the frame, the arms, the legs, and the core armor are shared with other GM Origin variants I have already built. The head visor and the beam saber mount on the shoulder are the only parts unique to this suit itself. What earns my attention is the booster: it clips onto the back and immediately changes the kit's silhouette from generic grunt to something genuinely weird and a little menacing.

The catch

Bandai and reviewers both flag this as having the lowest value proposition of the GM Origin line, and building it back to back with other Origin GMs, I felt that. Outside the visor, saber mount, and the Fellow Booster itself, there is nothing new here, so if you already own an Origin GM this build will feel like reruns. Panel lines and some surface details are molded plain, so you are reaching for a Gundam marker or panel-line wash to make the paneling pop rather than relying on the kit out of the box. It is also a P-Bandai exclusive, which means secondary market pricing and availability are worse than a standard retail HG.

Who it's for

Buy this if you collect GM Origin variants and want the Fellow Booster specifically, or if an oddball asymmetrical backpack piece is enough to justify a kit for you on its own. Skip it if you are looking for your first HG or want the best single Origin GM for your money, the standard GM Sniper Custom or other Origin GM releases give you more unique parts per dollar. This is a completionist's pickup and a diorama accent piece, not a suit I would point a new builder toward.

The build story

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

Gate placement follows the rest of the Origin GM family, so if you have built one of its siblings this goes together fast with minimal surprises. Nub cleanup is standard HG-grade, nothing that fights back. The head visor and shoulder beam saber mount are the only body components specific to this release, everything else clips straight off shared runners.

Articulation is better than the plain-grunt look suggests: the head swivels on a ball-and-socket in addition to its hinge, elbows and knees are double-jointed, and the waist and hip joints swing forward and back for a wider stance than you'd expect. The Fellow Booster mounts to the backpack and is the clear engineering and value highlight, it is large, oddly shaped, and gives an otherwise plain GM real shelf presence from any angle.

Lore & trivia

01The GM Intercept Custom is a variant developed from the RGM-79SC GM Sniper Custom lineage, redesigned for lower production cost within Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin's side-story continuity.
02The Fellow Booster is a space-use assault booster pack meant to extend a GM's operational range and mobility for fleet-interception missions, intercepting enemy units before they reach friendly ships.
03This Fellow Booster-equipped version was sold as a Bandai Hobby Online Shop (P-Bandai) exclusive in 2019, separate from the standard retail HGGTO GM Intercept Custom release, and it is the only Gunpla release to include the Fellow Booster parts.