HGUniversal Century

RX-93-ν2 Hi-ν Gundam GPB color

The same great Hi-nu frame in a gunmetal recolor that finally makes the shield feel special.

MechaGrade Score

3.7/5

Nu Gundam · 1/144 · 2010

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2010

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a straight recolor of the 2009 HGUC Hi-nu, and it earns its keep on the strength of the original tooling more than anything new.

The gunmetal and dark grey scheme reads more serious and mature than the standard white and blue release, and the shield finally comes molded in its own color instead of leaning on stickers. I like it as an alternate take on a kit that was already good, not as a reason to skip the original if you already own it.

Best for: builders who already like the HGUC Hi-nu frame and want a moodier, less sticker-dependent version of it

The full review

What it is

This is the GPB (Gunpla Builders) color version of the HGUC Hi-nu Gundam, tied to the Gunpla Builders Beginning G OVA, and under the new paint job it is the same kit that came out in 2009. Out of the box it builds fast and clean, the panel lines are crisp for an HG from this era, and the suit stands on its own even with the backpack and fin funnel racks loaded up. I like that the shield comes in its own molded plastic color here instead of relying on a sticker, which is a small thing that pays off every time you look at the kit on the shelf.

The catch

The head is molded in flat grey and it is the one part of this kit builders consistently single out as disappointing, it just does not have the presence the rest of the suit does. Neck movement is limited too, push the head too far and you are flexing the side of the helmet instead of getting real rotation. Waist articulation is basically absent, and the elbows and knees stop around 135 degrees rather than going further. Only two of the six fin funnels get their own multi-point articulation, the other four are paired off a shared attachment, so the dramatic all-range poses take some patience.

Who it's for

Grab this one if the GPB gunmetal scheme is the look you actually want, or if you like the idea of a second Hi-nu on the shelf next to the standard release without painting anything yourself. If you do not already care about the color variant, the plain HGUC Hi-nu or the newer RG version will get you the same suit for less searching and, in the RG's case, tighter detail at a smaller size. Skip it if working around limited waist and neck articulation is going to bother you when it comes time to pose the fin funnels in flight.

The build story

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

Cleanup is light and gate placement is reasonable for a 2009-era HG, the whole thing goes together quickly without fighting the runners. The color-separated shield is the standout part of the GPB version specifically, since the standard release leans on a sticker for the same part.

Weapons loadout covers a beam saber, hyper bazooka, beam rifle, and the six fin funnels on their backpack racks, with the external propellant tanks attaching on ball joints so they swing out of the way for posing. The frame holds its own weight well, but the articulation ceiling (waist, neck, elbow and knee bend) is where you feel the kit's age against newer HG engineering.

Lore & trivia

01The Hi-nu Gundam first appeared not in an anime but in Yoshiyuki Tomino's 1988 novel Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, Beltorchika's Children, piloted by Amuro Ray.
02Half of its six fin funnels were relocated to the opposite side of the backpack from the original Nu Gundam layout, a change made to improve the suit's balance and center of gravity.
03Its psycommu system was upgraded with psycho-frame technology that Londo Bell recovered from a captured Neo Zeon MSN-03 Psycho Doga, sharpening the suit's brainwave responsiveness.
04This GPB color scheme ties the kit to Gunpla Builders Beginning G, an OVA about a rookie Gunpla builder, rather than to the mainline Char's Counterattack story.