RE100Universal Century

AMX-107 Bawoo Mass Production Type

A spiky, split-in-half Neo Zeon oddball that looks like it costs twice what it does.

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Bawoo Mass Production Type · 1/100 · 2017

GradeRE100

Scale1/100

Released2017

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

This kit punches above its RE/100 price band on looks and gimmick, but the balance and joint tension keep it from being a great poser.

The transformation into the Bawoo Attacker and Bawoo Nutter halves is the reason to own this kit, and it genuinely works. Where it stumbles is stability, this thing is nose heavy and ankle shy the moment you try anything dynamic. I still like it a lot, I just build in a stand.

Best for: Gundam ZZ and Char's Counterattack era fans who want the transformation gimmick more than a rock solid poser

The full review

What it is

The Bawoo Mass Production Type is Bandai's RE/100 take on the Neo Zeon transformable suit that started as an ace machine for Glemy Toto and ended up in general Neo Zeon service by the First Neo Zeon War. Out of the box the green and dark grey molded plastic looks sharper than the price suggests, with the shield and chest panel getting a distinct vivid green that reads as a real paint job rather than a sticker trick. Splitting it into the Bawoo Attacker top half and the Bawoo Nutter leg unit and locking it back together is satisfying every single time, the connectors click with real purpose. For a suit this spiky and this odd shaped, it comes together cleaner than I expected.

The catch

The waist and hip joints get a lot of the frame's engineering budget and it shows everywhere else. Builders across forums flag the same two problems I ran into, the feet are loose enough that the suit tips backward under the weight of that oversized backpack, and the split connectors between Attacker and Nutter can feel worryingly slack even when properly seated. Surface detail is also thinner than a same era MG, this is very much an RE/100, not a Master Grade in disguise. The spiky armor edges everywhere also make it awkward to actually grip the kit while you are posing it, which compounds the balance issue instead of helping you correct it.

Who it's for

If you like Gundam ZZ, the First Neo Zeon War, or you just want a transforming kit that pulls off its gimmick without becoming a fragile mess, this is worth the shelf space. It rewards people who want a display piece with a party trick over people chasing extreme poses. Skip it if you need rock solid ankle and knee tension for dynamic action shots, or if surface panel lines and MG level texture matter more to you than silhouette. Pair it with a stand if you plan to pose it standing on one leg or leaning into a swing, because out of the box it will not hold that on its own.

The build story

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

Gate placement is mostly considerate given how many small spiky armor pieces this kit has, though the mono eye parts and the smaller shoulder spikes need careful nub cleanup or the seam shows on the green plastic. Fit between the frame and outer armor is snug without being a fight, and the color molding carries most of the kit so sticker reliance stays low outside a few small accent pieces.

The engineering highlight is the waist, it rotates a full 360 degrees and the double jointed knees add real bend for a kit this size. The transformation mechanism between Bawoo Attacker and Bawoo Nutter is the standout feature and it works cleanly, but that same complexity is what makes the connecting joints feel less locked in than a simpler MG frame would. Weapon loadout is modest but appropriate for the suit, and for the price point the part count and finished size deliver good value even with the detail tradeoff.

Lore & trivia

01The Bawoo was developed using Zeta Project suits like the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam as a reference, made possible by technology Axis obtained through political deals with the Earth Federation and former Zeon engineers who had worked for Anaheim Electronics and AEUG.
02It first saw combat in March UC 0088 during the opening phase of the First Neo Zeon War and was originally meant only for aces and high ranking officers, most famously Glemy Toto's orange custom unit, before its transformation gimmick made it popular enough for full mass production.
03The suit splits into the manned Bawoo Attacker and the unmanned Bawoo Nutter, which can be piloted by remote control from the Attacker or fall back to an onboard autopilot if Minovsky particle density jams the wireless link.
04Modified Bawoo units resurfaced decades later in UC 0096 in the hands of the Sleeves, the Neo Zeon remnant faction from Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn.