XXXG-01S2 Altron Gundam
Two dragon heads, one gorgeous silhouette, and a couple of parts I'd baby forever.
MechaGrade Score
Altron Gundam · 1/100 · 2015
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I like this kit a lot, but I like it with my guard up.
The Katoki redesign silhouette is one of the best things Endless Waltz gave us, and building the twin Dragon Fangs is genuinely fun in a way most MGs from this era aren't. The catch is that Altron shares its frame with the MG Shenlong, so you're paying MG money for a kit that plays it safe on engineering while asking you to handle some of the most fragile accessory parts I've built in a while.
Best for: Gundam Wing fans who want Wufei's signature suit in the display-shelf size, and don't mind handling some fragile parts with care
What it is
This is the Endless Waltz redesign of Wufei's Gundam, released under Bandai's Premium Bandai line in late 2015 as part of the Supernova sub-line alongside its sister kit, MG Shenlong. The moment I had both Dragon Fangs assembled and mounted on the forearms, I understood why people build this kit twice, once as Shenlong and once as Altron. The dragon head design translates from 2D to plastic better than I expected, with an actual folding jaw mechanism and stands so you can pose them extended or pulled back. The Twin Beam Trident and the tail-mounted Twin Beam Cannon round out a loadout that feels appropriately over-armed for a suit named after a two-headed dragon.
The catch
The manual is thin, about a dozen pages, and it shows in the engineering: this is the MG Shenlong frame with a new shell, not a from-scratch design, so don't expect Perfect Grade levels of innovation for the price. The bigger issue is fragility. The braces connecting the Dragon Fangs to the forearms use thin pegs that snap if you're rough with them, and I found myself handling that whole assembly like it owed me money. The side skirt armor also inherited Shenlong's loose-fit problem, so don't be surprised if it slides around instead of clicking into a firm pose.
Who it's for
If you already love the Gundam Wing designs or you specifically want Wufei's suit with its full dragon-themed loadout, this is worth tracking down even though it's gone in and out of Premium Bandai availability. Builders who want a bulletproof, tank-like MG that survives being handled by kids or displayed without a case should look elsewhere, or at least plan to reinforce the Dragon Fang braces with a drop of cement. If you're coming from HG kits and want your first MG to feel like a leap in engineering, this isn't the one to prove that point, the shared Shenlong frame keeps it from feeling like a fresh design under the hood.
The build story
What the build is actually like, and the engineering worth knowing about.
You start on the XXXG inner frame runners, which will feel familiar if you've built the MG Shenlong since the two kits share the same skeleton under different shells. Gate placement is manageable and cleanup is standard MG-level fiddly, nothing that will scare off someone who has finished a couple of Master Grades before. The part that actually demands patience is the Dragon Fang assembly, small connecting braces with narrow pegs that I treated like eggshells rather than styrene.
Where the kit earns its keep is the accessory set. Two independently posable Dragon Fangs, each foldable and mountable on their own display stand, a Twin Beam Trident that splits into a real dual-beam weapon, and a tail-mounted Twin Beam Cannon that swings for aiming. Articulation is standard mid-2010s MG, double-jointed elbows and knees, a rotating waist, enough range to hit dynamic dragon-themed poses even if the side skirts wobble a bit while you do it.
Lore & trivia
- 01Wufei nicknames the suit Nataku after his late wife Meilan Long, who took the name from a guardian warrior deity before her death; the original 2015 Premium Bandai release of this kit was even sold under the name 'Gundam Nataku' rather than Altron
- 02Altron's name comes from doubling Shenlong's single Dragon Fang into two, referencing the Chinese term for a two-headed dragon, and its design also added the Twin Beam Trident and tail-mounted Twin Beam Cannon that Shenlong never had
- 03Wufei is the only one of the five Gundam Wing pilots who never once piloted a non-Gundam mobile suit across the entire series, unlike the other four who were forced into other machines at some point
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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