RE100Mobile Suit Victory Gundam

ZMT-S12G Shokew

A P-Bandai deep cut that turns a beam rotor gimmick into the whole reason to build it

MechaGrade Score

3.6/5

Shokew · 1/100 · 2020

GradeRE100

Scale1/100

Released2020

Runnersn/a

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The verdict

I like this kit a lot more than its obscurity suggests I should.

The Shokew is never going to be anyone's first Gunpla, it's a P-Bandai exclusive built around one Zanscare test mobile suit from Victory Gundam, but the beam rotor forearm shield gimmick and the swappable camera eyes give it a personality most 1/100 kits its price don't bother with. It plays it a little safe everywhere else, joints and inner frame included, but for what it is I came away satisfied.

Best for: Victory Gundam completionists and RE/100 collectors who want a cheap, gimmick-forward 1/100 without MG money or MG time

The full review

What it is

The Shokew is BESPA's atmospheric test mule, and Bandai leaned into that identity instead of playing it generic. The signature piece is the beam rotor, a left forearm unit that doubles as a beam shield and, in fiction, spins beam blades to generate lift. On the kit it's a satisfying, chunky accessory that actually looks like it does something, not just a shield-shaped shield. You also get swappable camera eyes, two beam sabers that store on the legs, a two-barrel beam gun, and a beam rifle with a sight that actually moves. For a suit almost nobody outside Victory Gundam fans will recognize, it's a surprisingly complete little package.

The catch

This is RE/100, not MG, and it shows the moment you start posing it. The inner frame is simplified rather than full, the hands are static rather than swappable or gripping in multiple positions, and the range of motion trails behind what a similarly priced MG offers. Being a P-Bandai online exclusive also means it was never in wide retail circulation, so secondhand prices have crept up since the 2020 release and you're not walking into a hobby shop to grab one. Molded color separation is solid for the price with minimal stickers reserved mostly for sensors and monoeyes, but this was never going to be a display-case centerpiece the way a flagship MG is.

Who it's for

If you already care about Victory Gundam, the League Militaire versus Zanscare fight, or you're chasing every RE/100 release, this earns its spot on the shelf, the beam rotor alone makes it worth the build. If you're new to Gunpla or want your first 1/100 kit to wow you with articulation and a full inner frame, put your money toward an MG instead and come back to the Shokew once the niche appeal actually lands for you. Everyone else can happily skip it without missing much.

The build story

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

Assembly follows typical RE/100 form: simple inner frame construction, plastic polycap-style joints instead of true polycaps in places, and a build that moves quickly without heavy nub cleanup. It's a relaxed weekend build rather than a multi-session MG project.

The 360 degree waist, ball-and-socket neck, and double-jointed elbows and knees give it a wider stance than you'd expect from the class, and the beam rifle's movable sight is a nice small-scale touch. The accessory loadout, beam rotor, two beam sabers, two-barrel beam gun, and beam rifle, is generous for a kit that retailed around 3,800 yen.

Lore & trivia

01The beam rotor is fictionally described as spinning beam blades to generate a lifting phenomenon, giving the Shokew improved atmospheric flight performance over standard Zanscare suits.
02In Mobile Suit Victory Gundam, the Shokew was tested by Zanscare ace Cronicle Asher, who is humiliated early on when protagonist Uso Ewin ejects him and steals the suit.
03Test data gathered from the Shokew fed directly into the ZM-S22S Rig Shokew, its mass production successor within the Zanscare Empire's forces.
04The kit released in May 2020 as a Bandai Hobby Online Shop (P-Bandai) exclusive at roughly 3,800 yen.