XXXG-01S2 Altron Gundam
A late upgrade to Wufei's ride, and modern HG tooling makes the dragon finally bite the way it should.
MechaGrade Score
Altron Gundam · 1/144 · 2024
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This is one of the better HGAC Gundam Wing reissues, because Bandai actually re-engineered it instead of just recoloring the old Shenlong runners.
The Dragon Fangs open, close, and articulate at the jaw, the twin beam trident and shoulder shield are both included, and the frame holds a melee pose without you fighting the plastic. If you grew up on Endless Waltz and want the definitive small-scale Altron, this is the one to buy.
Best for: Gundam Wing fans and HG collectors who want a proper melee-focused kit with working Dragon Fangs, not a static recolor
What it is
This is the 2024 Premium Bandai reissue of Wufei's second Gundam, built from new molds rather than the old late-90s Shenlong tooling. The proportions read as accurate to the show, the Dragon Fang forearms are the star of the kit (the jaw and fang segments articulate so the dragon head actually opens), and it ships with the twin beam trident, the Altron shield, and the folded stinger tail with its twin beam cannons. Assembling it feels like a genuinely modern HG: the elbows and knees are double jointed, the waist spins a full 360 degrees, and the torso rocks on a ball and socket setup that lets the melee poses actually happen instead of just being implied.
The catch
It is a Premium Bandai exclusive kit, which means the price sits above a standard HG and it can be harder to find in stock outside secondary sellers. The molded plastic runs a touch greenish on some of the blue parts rather than the crisp show-accurate hue, which is the kind of thing that only bothers you once you notice it, but reviewers who paint their kits have flagged it and gone straight to a repaint. Some panel lines and the smaller Dragon Fang joints need careful gate cleanup since nub scars show on the visible dragon jaw pieces if you rush it.
Who it's for
Buy this if you want the Gundam Wing melee specialist done right in 1/144, or if the extendable Dragon Fangs are the whole reason you clicked on this kit in the first place. It rewards a little patience during gate cleanup and is worth a light panel line wash given how much surface detail is already molded in. Skip it if you only want a cheap easy build or you are put off by paying Premium Bandai pricing for what is technically still an HG. If color accuracy out of the box matters more to you than price, budget for a repaint before you commit.
The build story
What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.
The runners assemble the way current-generation HG tooling should: parts click in with real confidence rather than the loose fit older Gundam Wing kits are known for. The trickiest section is the Dragon Fang forearm assembly, since the jaw hinge and fang segments are small and the gate placement sits close to visible edges, so take your time with a sharp side cutter and a light sand rather than snapping parts off and moving on.
The engineering standout is the melee-first frame. The double jointed elbows and knees combined with the ball and socket torso mean you can actually pose the twin beam trident in a two-handed combat stance and have it hold. Color separation on the main body is handled well through molded plastic, though a few smaller accent details still lean on stickers, and the accessory loadout (trident, shield, folded stinger tail with dual beam cannons) is generous for the price point.
Lore & trivia
- 01Altron Gundam is Wufei Chang's upgraded successor to the original Shenlong Gundam, rebuilt with a stronger twin beam trident in place of the single beam glaive and dual beam cannons added to the stinger tail for ranged options the original lacked.
- 02Wufei almost always calls the suit Nataku rather than Altron, naming it after his late wife Meilan, who modeled herself on the Chinese war deity Nataku and was originally intended as Shenlong's pilot.
- 03The name Altron derives from a term for a two-headed dragon, tying directly into the Dragon Fang design worked into both forearms.
- 04This HGAC release used newly cut molds rather than recoloring the original late-1990s Shenlong Gundam runners, which is why the Dragon Fang articulation is far more functional than in the vintage kit.
What other builders say
This write-up is grounded in real reviews and builder discussion, not just one opinion. A few worth reading:
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