HGAfter Colony

WMS-03 Maganac (Auda Custom/Ahmad Custom)

A P-Bandai conversion kit that turns the desert workhorse Maganac into two named squad leader machines, one clawed brawler and one lightweight runner.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Maganac (Auda Custom/Ahmad Custom) · 1/144 · 2019

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2019

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a smart, cheap way to get two distinct Maganac Corps commanders out of parts that mostly hinge on the base HG Maganac mold.

I like it because it does not just recolor the same suit twice, it actually changes the silhouette (Auda's oversized claw arm and shoulder, Ahmad's slimmer side skirts and mobility pack) so the two builds read as different characters on the shelf. The catch is that it is a Premium Bandai add-on kit, not a standalone one, so you need a base Maganac already in hand or budgeted for.

Best for: Gundam Wing collectors who already own or plan to buy the base HGAC Maganac and want the Auda/Ahmad squad-leader variants sitting next to it

The full review

What it is

This kit is a runner set of new parts (the oversized left claw arm, head, shoulder and rear waist armor for Auda, plus the round shoulder, backpack, head, body and side skirt armor for Ahmad) designed to graft onto the standard HG 1/144 Maganac frame from 2019. Building it feels like customizing rather than assembling from zero, since the underlying Zeon-adjacent Maganac frame is already a known quantity to Wing fans. I like that Bandai bothered to reshape the silhouette instead of just handing you a new paint job. Auda's claw arm in particular gives the finished figure real personality, it looks like it could actually grab and crush something, which fits the character's reputation as a brawler.

The catch

The obvious limitation is that this is not a complete kit. You only get one Maganac body's worth of new parts here, and Bandai's own instructions note you need a second base Maganac if you want to build both Auda and Ahmad standing side by side. It is also a Premium Bandai release, so it was never in regular retail circulation and now shows up mostly through secondary sellers at a premium over a normal HG price. On the build itself, some shoulder and waist armor pieces need light color correction if you want them screen-accurate, and the added bulk on the shoulders and hips does eat into the pose range compared to the plain Maganac.

Who it's for

Buy this if you already have a Maganac in the stash, or are buying one alongside it, and you want the After Colony desert-corps lineup to feel less like clone army repaints. It is a satisfying pickup for Wing loyalists who like squad-based background characters as much as the named Gundams. Skip it if you do not already own the base kit, since buying two separate products just to get one finished figure stops being the bargain it looks like on paper. It is also not the kit to start with if you are new to Gunpla, this is a second-purchase upgrade, not an entry point.

The build story

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

Since this is a parts-conversion kit riding on the base HGAC Maganac frame, the actual build experience inherits that kit's decent gating, reviewers describe most nubs as easy to clean with only a few trickier spots on the new armor pieces. Fit is snug rather than loose, and the new shoulder and claw-arm parts key onto the existing frame without needing glue or filing for a straight build.

The base Maganac's articulation (ball-jointed head, swinging shoulders, 360 degree waist rotation, elbows bending past 90 degrees) mostly carries over, though Auda's bulked-up shoulder and claw arm and Ahmad's side skirts do restrict the extremes of that range. Color separation on the new parts is good but not perfect, several builders flag light panel-line accenting or a small paint touch-up on the shoulder and waist armor as worth doing if you want it fully screen accurate.

Lore & trivia

01The Maganac Corps are the private army of Quatre Raberba Winner's family in Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, and Auda and Ahmad are named squad leaders within that unit.
02Auda's Maganac is distinguished by an oversized left claw arm reinforced with gundanium alloy, built for tearing into enemy mobile suits at close range.
03Ahmad's Maganac trades that bulk for a high mobility backpack and enlarged side skirt armor, built more for speed than brute force.
04This kit released in July 2019 as a Premium Bandai exclusive meant to be built alongside the standalone HGAC WMS-03 Maganac released the same year.