HGBuild Fighters

S×D×G Gundam

A chibi triplet that only shows its whole hand when you buy two friends to stand next to it.

MechaGrade Score

3.4/5

S×D×G Gundam · 1/144 · 2015

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2015

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a genuinely fun little snap-together kit that is honest about being half of a bigger joke.

On its own it is a quick, charming SD build with a fun claw gimmick and a rifle that doubles as a head cannon. The real payoff, three of these combining into the Snibal Drago Gira dragon, only lands if you actually buy three, which is the whole catch of this kit in one sentence.

Best for: Build Fighters Try fans and combo completionists willing to buy the kit in triplicate

The full review

What it is

This is the SD Build Fighters take on the SDG-R1 Snibal Gundam, one of the triplet suits Team SD-R piloted during the 14th U-19 tournament in Gundam Build Fighters Try. It builds fast, the way good SD kits do, with a shield that plugs into a back-mounted spike and claw pieces that clip onto several points on the body for a scrappy little brawler silhouette. I had it together in well under an hour with basic tools, no cement or paint required, and came away smiling at how much personality Bandai squeezed into something this small. The rifle even seats on the head for a goofy alt look that I did not expect to like as much as I did.

The catch

The catch is baked into the concept. The headline feature, three S×D×G units locking together into the three-headed Snibal Drago Gira dragon, needs three full kits to actually see, so a single copy only gets you a third of the fun and a third of the price tag toward the real spectacle. Face detail leans on stickers rather than printed or molded color, with four eye variants to choose from, which is standard for the line but means careful application matters. It is also small and light, so the pose range and shelf presence of one lone unit is modest next to full-size HG lineups.

Who it's for

Buy this if you watched Build Fighters Try, want the Team SD-R trio on your shelf, or are chasing the dragon combination as a display centerpiece and are willing to commit to three kits to get there. Skip it if you want a single standout display piece or came in expecting HG-level articulation and detail payoff, because this is a chibi gimmick kit first and a posable mobile suit second. As a one-off novelty build it is still worth the modest price for how much fun the assembly is, I just would not go in expecting a solo showpiece.

The build story

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

Assembly is quick and low-stress, aimed squarely at skill level 2 with basic runner cutting and light gate cleanup, no cement or paint needed to get a clean result. The claw pieces clip onto several body points and the shield combines with a back spike, so there is more fiddling with attachment points than a typical SD kit despite the small part count.

The clever engineering here is entirely in the combination gimmick, three copies locking together into the Snibal Drago Gira three-headed dragon, which is a neat piece of design even if most buyers will only ever own one unit. Articulation is standard SD fare, decent shoulder and hip movement but nothing dramatic, and the accessory loadout (shield, rifle, claws, four sticker eye options) is generous for the price of a single kit.

Lore & trivia

01The S×D×G Gundam represents the SDG-R1 Snibal Gundam, piloted by the triplet Team SD-R during the 14th U-19 National Tournament arc of Gundam Build Fighters Try.
02Three S×D×G Gundam kits combine to form the Snibal Drago Gira, a three-headed dragon configuration built from the trio's parts.
03The kit includes four kinds of eye stickers, letting builders pick a facial expression, a signature customization touch of the SD Build Fighters line.
04It released in 2015 as part of Bandai's SD Build Fighters (SDBF) line tied to the Gundam Build Fighters Try anime.