MGAdvanced Generation

AGE-1G Gundam AGE-1 Full Glansa [Designer's Color Ver.]

The same brilliant AGE-1 frame, dressed in the deep tones the designer actually wanted.

MechaGrade Score

4.1/5

Gundam AGE-1 Full Glansa [Designer's Color Ver.] · 1/100 · 2023

GradeMG

Scale1/100

Released2023

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This is a P-Bandai recolor with real substance behind the paint job, not just a repackaged box.

I built it expecting a simple retread of the AGE-1 Normal and came away impressed by how much armor and gimmick you actually get for a suit that started life as a mid-series upgrade. The molded colors under Kanetake Ebikawa's supervision are noticeably deeper and moodier than the TV-accurate release, and they hold up under normal room light without looking flat. It is not a perfect kit, but it is a genuinely satisfying one to build and pose.

Best for: AGE fans and MG collectors who already respect the AGE-1 platform and want the heavier Full Glansa loadout in a richer color palette

The full review

What it is

The AGE-1 Full Glansa is the up-armored, up-gunned version of Flit Asuno's original AGE-1, and this Designer's Color release swaps the show-accurate plastic for a heavier, more saturated palette approved by mechanical designer Kanetake Ebikawa. Underneath, it is the same excellent AGE-1 inner frame that introduced the swappable-finger gimmick Bandai kept using for years afterward. Building it, I liked how the frame assembly felt substantial rather than fiddly, and the opening cockpit hatch with the pop-up display screen is a small touch that still makes me smile every time I fold it back down. The extra Glansa armor and the Glastron Launcher on the back genuinely change the kit's proportions and stance, not just its color.

The catch

The armor add-ons that make this kit distinct are also its weak point. The shoulder and forearm armor plates that carry the missile-hatch gimmick can sit a little loose out of the box, and more than one builder has reached for a dab of cement or careful sanding to get them to hold their position under the extra weight of the Glastron Launcher. Because this is a Designer's Color Ver. P-Bandai exclusive, it also runs a premium over the standard release and is not something you will find on a regular retail shelf, so expect secondary market pricing if you missed the order window. None of this hurts the underlying frame or articulation, but it is worth going in with eyes open.

Who it's for

If you already like the AGE-1 as a design and want it in a darker, moodier colorway with a full armor loadout, this is worth chasing down. It rewards patience during the armor assembly and gives you a genuinely different-looking centerpiece next to a standard AGE-1 on the shelf. Builders who are new to MG kits or who want the cleanest out-of-box fit without any tuning should start with the standard AGE-1 Normal instead, since that frame is more forgiving before you add the Glansa armor's extra weight and moving parts. For anyone past that stage, though, this is one of the more rewarding AGE releases to build.

The build story

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

The build starts with the same frame sprues as the standard AGE-1 Normal, and that part of the process is clean: gates are placed sensibly, nub marks stay away from visible panel lines, and the frame subassemblies snap together with confidence. Where the build slows down is in the Glansa-specific armor, which adds extra shells over the base body and forearms. Test-fitting those pieces before final assembly pays off, since a few panels benefit from a little persuasion or adhesive to sit flush once the whole suit is loaded up with its back unit.

The standout engineering carries over from the original AGE-1 line: the swappable finger system that let Bandai skip separate weapon-holding hands on later MG kits, and a cockpit hatch that actually opens to reveal the pilot seat and display screen. Articulation is strong through the shoulders and hips, and the suit holds two-handed poses with the Glastron Launcher's beam cannons without drooping. For accessories you get the Full Glansa armor set with its slide-out missile hatches, the back-mounted Glastron Launcher, and the underlying AGE-1's DODS rifle and beam sabers, which is a lot of loadout variety for one box.

Lore & trivia

01The Gundam AGE-1 Full Glansa is the further-upgraded form of the AGE-1 Glansa, itself an armored refit of Flit Asuno's original AGE-1 after it was damaged mid-series in Mobile Suit Gundam AGE.
02The Glastron Launcher, the back-mounted unit that defines the Full Glansa form, carries a pair of beam launchers and was used during the Federation's final assault on the Vagan fortress La Gramis.
03This MG kit reuses the AGE-1 Normal's inner frame, the same kit that introduced Bandai's swappable-finger hand gimmick later carried into many other Master Grade releases.
04The Designer's Color Ver. was released as a Premium Bandai exclusive with molded colors supervised directly by mechanical designer Kanetake Ebikawa, distinct from the TV-accurate standard release.