HGPost Disaster

V08-1228 Grimgerde

A cloaked, spindly Gjallarhorn suit that poses better than most HGs twice its price.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Grimgerde · 1/144 · 2016

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2016

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

The Grimgerde is one of the best-articulated HG kits Bandai has put out, and that alone makes it worth your shelf space.

McGillis Fareed's personal suit translates its show design, that tall cloak-like shoulder armor and slender frame, into plastic without losing the silhouette. The waist is a full ball joint that lets it twist and lean in ways most 1/144 kits can't touch. It just needs a stand to really show off.

Best for: HG builders who want dynamic, no-paint-needed poses out of a suit most casual fans have never heard of

The full review

What it is

This is McGillis Fareed's Grimgerde from Iron-Blooded Orphans, a Gjallarhorn suit built around a tall drape of shoulder armor that reads almost like a cloak once it's assembled. Snapping it together, the first thing that stands out is how much of the color comes molded in rather than stuck on. The dark navy and gunmetal separation holds up close, and the face and V-fin details are sharp enough that I never reached for a paint pen. It builds fast for an HG, but it doesn't feel cheap doing it, and the finished suit has real presence on a shelf next to bulkier MGs.

The catch

The waist ball joint is also the kit's weak point. It lets the suit lean and twist beautifully, but it also means Grimgerde doesn't stand rock solid on its own, especially once you start posing the arms out with the twin Valkyrja Blades or the rifle. Some copies also ship with looser wrist joints, and the swords can sit a little loose in the hands rather than locking in with confidence. None of it is a dealbreaker, but you'll want an action base on hand almost immediately if you plan on doing anything beyond a standing display pose.

Who it's for

Grab this one if you like HG kits that reward posing over kits you just want to build and shelve. The price band is HG-standard, so the value is already good, and the articulation range pushes it further than the going rate. It's an easy recommend for anyone who liked the IBO cast and wants a suit that isn't the obvious Gundam Barbatos pick. Skip it if you specifically want a kit that stands unsupported in a static pose, or if loose accessory fit is a pet peeve you can't look past. Get a display stand and this kit sings.

The build story

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

Assembly moves quickly for an HG, runner count stays manageable, and gate placement is forgiving enough that cleanup marks are easy to hide once the suit is together. The shoulder cloak pieces are the most involved part of the build, several thin overlapping panels that need a careful dry fit before you commit, but nothing here trips up a builder who has finished a handful of HGs before.

The standout is the articulation. The waist rotates and tilts on a real ball joint rather than a simple swivel, which lets the suit lean into lunges and twisting poses that most 1/144 kits simply can't do. Color separation is well ahead of the era's HG norm, with almost no stickers needed for the main color blocking. The loadout includes the 110mm Valkyrja Rifle with a relocatable drum magazine for back storage, plus twin Valkyrja Blades that can be held directly or deployed from inside the Valkyrja Shields, giving the kit more display options than its price band usually delivers.

Lore & trivia

01The Grimgerde is piloted by McGillis Fareed, a senior Gjallarhorn officer whose true ambitions drive much of the political plot in Iron-Blooded Orphans.
02Its rifle uses a drum magazine for higher ammunition capacity, and the kit lets builders relocate that drum to the side of the rifle so the weapon can be stowed on the back skirt armor.
03The Valkyrja Blades are designed to be used handheld or deployed directly from the Valkyrja Shields for extra leverage in melee, a dual-mode weapon setup that carried through into the kit's engineering.
04The HG kit released in February 2016 as part of Bandai's HGIBO line, the high grade lineup built around the Iron-Blooded Orphans television series.