HGUniversal Century

RGM-96Xs Jesta (Shezarr Type, Team B & C)

A great Jesta frame gets a sniper rig and a capture gun, and the box is better for it.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

Jesta (Shezarr Type, Team B & C) · 1/144 · 2018

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2018

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit a lot more than I expected to for what is, underneath the new gear, still the 2011 HGUC Jesta mold.

The articulation that made the original Jesta a sleeper favorite is all here, and Bandai used the Team B and C box to hand you two genuinely different weapon loadouts instead of just a repaint. It is not a ground-up redesign, so do not go in expecting new engineering, but as an accessory-driven variant it earns its spot on the shelf.

Best for: UC completionists and Narrative fans who want the Phoenix Hunt sniper squad without hunting down two separate P-Bandai releases

The full review

What it is

This is the P-Bandai HGUC release that bundles Team B and Team C of the six-suit Shezarr squadron from Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, the unit sent after the Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex in Operation Phoenix Hunt. Team B carries a mega beam launcher on a tripod for the sniper role, and Team C comes with a capture gun and rides the Base Jabber Type 89 sled. Building it, the frame felt immediately familiar in the best way. The head swivels and tilts on a double ball joint, the waist spins a full 360 degrees, and the shoulders pull forward for real reach. Clipping the mega beam launcher onto a Jesta and setting it up on its tripod is a genuinely satisfying pose to build toward.

The catch

This is still a 2011-era HG mold wearing new gear, so do not expect new-generation engineering or extra frame detail underneath the added parts. The knee polycaps are fiddly to seat correctly, a complaint that follows the base Jesta into every rerelease, and the wrist joints run looser than I would like for holding the bigger weapons steady. Detail is light in a few spots, and getting the panel lines and small markings to read clearly takes extra work with a marker or paint rather than relying on what is molded in. Being P-Bandai exclusive also means it shows up at a premium over a standard retail HG and is not always easy to find.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already like the Jesta as a suit and want the version with the interesting toys, or if you are building out the Narrative cast and want Team B and C without buying a third Team A kit separately. Skip it if you have never built a Jesta before and just want the cheapest, easiest entry into the line, since a standard retail HGUC Jesta will get you the same excellent frame for less money and less hunting. This is a kit for people who already know they like this mobile suit and want the deeper cut.

The build story

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

Runner cleanup is standard HG-era work, nubs are manageable and gate placement is not too aggressive, though a few of the smaller weapon and sensor parts need careful trimming to keep their shape clean. The frame goes together the way any built Jesta does, snug in the torso and hips, looser at the wrists once you start adding the sniper gear. The Base Jabber sled for Team C is simple but fun to assemble and gives the capture gun loadout a real sense of purpose sitting on the shelf.

The standout here is articulation carried over from the original 2011 HGUC Jesta, which still holds up against most later HG releases in the line, plus the added value of getting two full accessory sets, the mega beam launcher and tripod rig and the capture gun with Base Jabber, in a single box rather than splitting them across separate purchases.

Lore & trivia

01The Shezarr Type squadron fielded six Jesta units total across three teams for Operation Phoenix Hunt, the mission to capture the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex in Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative.
02Team B carries sniper equipment built around a mega beam launcher and tripod, while Team C is equipped with a capture gun and rides the Base Jabber Type 89 support vehicle.
03This HGUC release was a P-Bandai exclusive that shipped in November 2018 for 2,484 yen, bundling Team B and Team C together in one box.
04The Shezarr squadron in the anime is commanded by Iago Haakana, whose unit later gets hijacked mid-battle by the II Neo Zeong during the fight against the Narrative Gundam and Phenex.