HGUniversal Century

TX-ff104 ALYZEUS

A High Grade that forgot it was supposed to be small, and I love it for that.

MechaGrade Score

4.2/5

ALYZEUS · 1/144 · 2026

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2026

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is the kit that made me stop thinking of HG as the budget line.

At 25 centimeters it stands nearly twice as tall as a normal 1/144, and it earns that size with a genuine four form transformation and an armor purge that reveals the RX-94 Mass Production Nu Gundam hiding underneath. I went in expecting a novelty gimmick and came out having built two mobile suits for the price of one. It is not a quick weeknight build, but every hour I put into it paid off on the shelf.

Best for: UC collectors and gimmick fans who want a two-in-one build and don't mind an HG that eats a full afternoon

The full review

What it is

The Alyzeus is Bandai's most ambitious HG in years, and it shows the moment you open the box. This is a training unit built around a hidden Mass Production Nu Gundam core, wrapped in prototype Penelope armor plating, and the kit reproduces that concept literally: you can purge the outer shell and reveal the Nu Gundam frame underneath. Add in a Flight Form and a Semi-Destruction State on top of the base MS Form and you have four distinct configurations from one box. Color separation on the armor panels is genuinely excellent for the grade, most of it molded rather than stickered, so a straight build already reads as screen accurate.

The catch

This is not a casual HG. Expect 8 to 12 hours at a relaxed pace, more if you panel line or detail the inner frame, and the runner count is well above a normal HG so cleanup takes real time, especially on the small inner frame parts you only see once the armor is purged. Price sits high for the grade too, around 13,200 yen in Japan, which puts it closer to MG territory than typical HG pocket change. Stickers still handle some of the finer markings, and with four transformation states there are more small connection points that can feel fiddly mid swap compared to a fixed pose HG.

Who it's for

If you are a Universal Century fan who has been waiting for the Mass Production Nu Gundam to exist in plastic at all, this kit alone justifies the price, since it is the first time that suit has ever been kitted. Gimmick and transformation fans will get real mileage out of the four forms rather than a marketing bullet point. If you want a fast weeknight build or you are new to the hobby and looking for something forgiving, skip this one and come back to it after a few easier HGs, because the part density and multi form assembly will test a first timer's patience.

The build story

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

This build rewards patience more than speed. The sheer number of runners means longer sessions than a typical HG, and because so many parts are shared or swapped between the four forms, I found it best to dry fit before committing to final assembly on any given mode. The inner frame pieces revealed during the armor purge are small and easy to mark with nippers if you are not careful, so slow down on those runners especially.

The engineering is the real story here. Bandai built genuine structural logic into the transformation rather than bolting a gimmick onto a static kit, and the joints held up across repeated form changes without loosening on my copy. Articulation stays solid in MS Form despite the added bulk from the armor plating, and the accessory loadout tied to each of the four configurations gives the kit real shelf variety rather than one fixed pose repeated four ways.

Lore & trivia

01The Alyzeus is a training unit built around the RX-94 Mass Production Nu Gundam core, constructed so pilot Lane Aim could practice high speed flight ahead of the Penelope's deployment
02This HG marks the first time the Mass Production Type Nu Gundam has ever been released as a Gunpla kit in any grade
03The suit's design calls for 20 parallel thrusters distributed across its body, supporting the Flight Form seen in the kit's transformation states
04At 25 centimeters tall, the kit stands nearly twice the height of a standard HG 1/144, making it one of the largest kits ever released in the High Grade line