HGGundam Build Divers Re:RISE

Seltsam Arms

A giant orange demon claw you build in an afternoon and then bolt onto something else entirely.

MechaGrade Score

3.1/5

Seltsam Arms · 1/144 · 2020

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a kitbash accessory kit dressed up as a standalone release, and once you accept that, it is genuinely fun.

You are not building a mobile suit here, you are building a monster arm and a jousting lance that you then go attach to whatever HG or MG happens to be sitting on your desk. I like it for exactly what it does well and I am honest about what it does not do at all.

Best for: Gunpla builders who already have a shelf of kits and want a cheap, fast weapon or arm swap to dress up an existing build

The full review

What it is

The Seltsam Arms is the equipment release tied to the Seltsam's appearance in Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE, a recolored version of the same demonic arm and Hyper Destlance the base Seltsam kit carries, packaged so you can graft it onto other kits instead of onto its own suit. The build itself is quick and pleasant. Parts are on thin gates that clip off cleanly, and there is nothing here that will frustrate a beginner. The extending arm gimmick is the reason to own this kit, it telescopes out to nearly double its resting length and genuinely changes the silhouette of whatever it is attached to. The lance is oversized in a way that reads as intentional, a jousting weapon built for a suit twice the usual size.

The catch

The claw hand is only three pieces, one for the fingers, one for the palm, one for the thumb pivot, and that is disappointing given how detailed the arm looks in official art. Color separation is thin, the claw is molded almost entirely in orange with grey at the shoulder and center, so anyone chasing screen accuracy is looking at panel lining and paint, not stickers, because there are barely any decals to lean on either. The telescoping joint is loose out of the box and sags under the lance's weight, several builders reach for clear nail polish or joint tape to add friction. Because the claw fingers do not articulate independently, it can only grip the Destlance by its molded tab, nothing else. Mount it on a kit and the added weight makes the whole thing top heavy without a stand.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already build HG and MG kits and want a fast, cheap way to turn an existing suit into something with real presence, the extending claw and oversized lance do a lot of visual work for one afternoon of assembly and next to no money. Skip it if you were hoping for a complete mobile suit experience or fine detail work, there is no suit here, just an arm, a lance, and a shield, and the sparse color separation means you are painting if you want it to look as good as the box art. Kitbashers and diorama builders get the most out of this one, straight collectors chasing a finished suit should look elsewhere.

The build story

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

Assembly is fast and low-stress, the thin gate placement means nub cleanup barely registers as a step, and there is nothing here that will trip up a first-time builder. The claw goes together in minutes because it is genuinely only a few pieces, which is also exactly why it underwhelms once it is in your hand.

The standout engineering is the telescoping shoulder-to-claw extension, it is a real transformation, not a static pose option, and it is the entire reason to pick this kit up. Color separation is the weak point, most of the claw is one shade of orange with grey accents, so the detail you see in official art has to come from your own paint and panel lining. The Destlance and shield add bulk and presence for very little build time, but the claw's lack of finger articulation means it can only hold the lance by its molded tab and nothing else.

Lore & trivia

01The Seltsam Arms is a recolored release of the same demonic arm and Hyper Destlance equipment that comes with the standalone HGBD:R Gundam Seltsam kit, sold separately for kitbashing.
02In Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE, the Seltsam is a heavily customized MSF-007 Gundam Mk-III from the Z-MSV lineage, piloted by the brainwashed character Masaki as an antagonist unit.
03Within the show's GBN in-universe system, the Seltsam is flagged as based on the Mk-III but does not match legitimate registration data, since its level of customization is described as impossible for a normal player-built Gunpla.