HGUniversal Century

RX-93-ν2VA Hi-ν Gundam Vrabe Amazing Ver.The Crimson Comet

A convention-exclusive recolor that turns an already loaded HGBF kit into a genuine arsenal on a shelf.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Nu Gundam · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a fun, weapon-stuffed HG built on the bones of a kit that was already generous for its grade, and the Crimson Comet color-and-chrome treatment is what makes it worth chasing down.

I like that it does not play it safe with a straight red repaint, the chrome-backed stickers actually read as metal under a shelf light. It will not out-engineer a modern HG, but for a suit this stacked with gear it holds together and looks the part. The catch is availability and price, since this was an event exclusive, not a rack kit.

Best for: Build Fighters fans and gunpla collectors chasing the Crimson Comet variant who don't mind hunting a secondary market listing

The full review

What it is

This is the event-exclusive Crimson Comet colorway of the Hi-ν Gundam Vrabe, the suit Tatsuya Yuuki (Meijin Kawaguchi III) built and piloted in Gundam Build Fighters Amazing. The base HGBF Vrabe was already one of the more weapon-dense HG releases Bandai put out, and this version adds a deep red and gunmetal scheme with a sheet of chrome-backed stickers standing in for the metallic highlights. Building it, the appeal is immediate, you are handed a shield booster, mega particle cannon, twin Amazing Lev beam sabers, a short barrel rifle, a gatling rifle, a railgun, and a beam spear, so the accessory sprues alone make this feel like more kit than a standard 1/144 box.

The catch

The honest catch is this was sold only at the Gundam Expo World Tour Japan 2016 Summer stop in Ikebukuro, so it never had a normal retail run and now lives entirely on the secondary market at collector prices well above a standard HG. Like most HGs from this era it leans on stickers, here a chrome-backed sheet, rather than molded color for some of the metallic accents, and those stickers need careful placement and will show wear if you handle the kit a lot. With this many weapons and add-on parts, the backpack and shoulder mounts are doing a lot of holding, and posing with everything attached at once puts real strain on the joints.

Who it's for

Buy this if you are specifically after the Crimson Comet look, love Gundam Build Fighters as a show-within-a-show, or want an HG that comes absolutely loaded with weapons to display in different configurations. Skip it if you are price sensitive or new to the hobby, since this is a chase item, not a shelf-filler, and a standard-release HG will get you a smoother build and easier parts sourcing if something breaks or goes missing. Collectors who already have the standard Hi-ν Vrabe and want the recolor as a companion piece will get the most out of it.

The build story

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

The build follows standard HGBF logic, snap-fit frame first, then armor panels over it, with the extra step of clipping on the shield booster and backpack thruster units. Gate placement is typical for the era, mostly hidden on the underside of parts but a few visible nub marks on the forearms and shin armor that benefit from a hobby knife and light sanding rather than just clipping and moving on.

The standout here is simply how much gear this kit carries for its grade. The gatling rifle, railgun, beam spear, and dual Amazing Lev sabers all have dedicated storage or mounting points on the body, and the articulation, standard HG double-jointed knees and elbows plus a swiveling waist, is enough to hold a rifle stance or a two-handed grip on the bigger weapons without the joints giving out immediately.

Lore & trivia

01The Hi-ν Gundam Vrabe belongs to Tatsuya Yuuki, better known by his in-universe gunpla battle alias Meijin Kawaguchi III, in the manga Gundam Build Fighters Amazing.
02The suit earns Yuuki the nickname 'The Crimson Comet' because its color scheme shifts to red during battle, which is exactly the version this kit depicts.
03This kit was sold exclusively at the Gundam Expo World Tour Japan 2016 Summer event held August 11 to 14, 2016 at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, for 3,670 yen.
04The kit's included weapon set (shield booster, mega particle cannon, short barrel rifle, gatling rifle, railgun, and beam spear) matches the arsenal the character uses across his Build Fighters Amazing gunpla battles.