HGUniversal Century

XM-X3 Crossbone Gundam X3

The X1 mold done up in skull-and-crossbones blue, carrying the best weapon in the whole Crossbone lineup.

MechaGrade Score

3.8/5

Crossbone Gundam X3 · 1/144 · 2017

GradeHG

Scale1/144

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a P-Bandai reskin of the HGUC X1 frame, and I mean that as a compliment.

Bandai took a mold that already had good range of motion and clean color separation and handed it a new coat of blue, the Skull Heart chest sigil, and the Muramasa Blaster, easily the coolest accessory in the whole Crossbone line. If you already own an X1 or X2 this feels familiar fast, but the new parts and the rapier-sword-with-a-gun-handle gimmick make it worth having on its own shelf.

Best for: Crossbone Gundam fans and HGUC completionists who want the Muramasa Blaster without hunting down the pricier Metal Build

The full review

What it is

The X3 is built on the same inner frame as the HGUC X1, so the hips, shoulders, and knees here already had a few years of refinement behind them by the time this kit shipped. What's actually new is the shoulder shaping, the Skull Heart emblem molded and stickered onto the chest, the arm-mounted I-field generator blocks that replace the beam shield mount, and the Muramasa Blaster itself, a straight blade with a pistol grip built into the guard. Snapping that sword together and seeing the two-tone blue and the skull motif come together is genuinely satisfying, it's the one part of this kit that doesn't feel like a repaint.

The catch

Because this is a P-Bandai exclusive, it's not sitting on a shelf at your local shop, you're paying import or secondary-market prices for a kit that is mechanically the same X1 mold from years earlier. That means proportions that were fine but not cutting-edge even at original release, and the same simple polycap joints rather than a true ratchet knee. Color separation is decent but the Skull Heart sigil and thin blue trim lines lean on a foil sticker sheet, so cleanup and careful application matter if you want the chest badge crisp.

Who it's for

Grab this if you're chasing the Crossbone Gundam trio for a display lineup or you specifically want the Muramasa Blaster and the I-field arm units without spending Metal Build money. If you don't already care about the X1/X2/X3 story or you're hunting the newest possible engineering in a 1/144, skip it, the frame underneath is a known quantity from an earlier HGUC generation and there are more current HG kits that will out-articulate it for less money.

The build story

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

Assembly follows the familiar X1 sequence, so if you've built either of the other two Crossbone HGUC kits this goes fast. Gates are placed reasonably on visible surfaces and need the usual nub cleanup, nothing unusual for the line. The new shoulder armor and I-field generator blocks on the forearms snap on cleanly and don't fight the existing frame.

Articulation is the strong point here, the X1 frame gives you a proper forward hip swing, bendable knees, and shoulders that lift past horizontal, enough to hold the Muramasa Blaster in a real fencing stance. Color separation on the body is solid molded plastic, it's really only the chest emblem and a few trim lines asking for stickers. For part count and accessory load (blaster, I-field arm units, shield with hook and scissor function) it's a fair amount of kit for a 1/144, just priced at P-Bandai exclusive rates rather than retail HG rates.

Lore & trivia

01The Muramasa Blaster carries fifteen beam emitters total, one beam gun at the tip that doubles as a beam saber projector plus fourteen beam blade emitters running down its sides.
02Unlike the X1 and X2, the X3 swaps the beam shield for arm-mounted I-field generators, a defense system that disperses beam attacks rather than blocking them physically.
03The kit was released through Bandai's Premium Bandai exclusive channel and reuses the HGUC X1 mold with new shoulder armor, the Skull Heart chest sigil, and a forehead-embossed number 3.
04Crossbone Gundam X3 first appeared in Yuichi Hasegawa's Mobile Suit Crossbone Gundam manga, and its shield design (with hook and scissor functions) follows Hasegawa's original settings for the suit.