HGUC 056 RX-121-1 Gundam TR-1 [Hazel Custom]

Well, its been since December of 2004 that I’ve been yearning for this to come out. I just got mine in the mail today and the first one is done and out of the box just for you guys! If this reviews seems biased, its not… all that I will grace this kit with is true… Bandai has truly made a great kit here.

The Hazel Kai, or Hazel Custom (as its called in this kit) is from the Advance of Zeta series. This unit is based off of the GM Quel unit and is used by a Titans group known as the Titans Test Team. This unit is the “backbone” of the TTT group.

The kit itself is just magnificient. If you own the 1/144th NG Hazel, this unit will surprise you. Its leg units, which have been thought to be oversized, just make the other Hazel models look wimpy. This kit is truly Katoki-influenced, and it definetly improves the kit overall.

The colors for this are right on. I suppose you could argue that the dark dark blue its molded in could be black, but its hard to tell on the original kit anyways. There are alot of details on the Hazel’s deisgn, but Bandai gets most of the big ones. A little bit of painting wouldn’t hurt. Normal things to paint like the face, sensors, and a few vents here and there is all. Seams are pretty well hidden (much like the HGUC Alex). The only main seams you can see are the upper leg parts (lowe leg is hidden very well), the forearms (groan!) and the shoulders. Articulation on this kit is on par with a good Ver 2.0 MSiA. Leg, ankle, elbow, shoulder, and even neck articulation is superb! Definetly a good kit to pose with. Speaking of posing, the hands are extremely well done and give the MS that realistic look it demands. The down-side to these hands: they are molded in some quasi-polycap/plastic that keeps them from holding together. A simple glue job on these will fix that, but its still a downer when you can’t use your weapons straight out of the box. Also, it only comes with a pistol holding hand, saber holding hand and an open palm for the other hand. No closed fists here. If you’re too lazy to glue the hand parts together, then you can easily swap out any other HGUC hands for it, as they fit in the sockets as well.

Gimmicks: Sadly, this kit doesn’t come with 3 Sturm Sheilds so you can pull off the “Final Form” look and it doesn’t come with a stand BUT its accessories do try something new. The Shields, both the combat shield and the sturm shield use a “universl” connection that allows the two sheilds to lock in to one mount on the arm. It makes them seam more like sheilds attaching rather than a peg going into the arm unit. Adds some more realism to this kit. The Beam Pistol can eject the double clip and the handle is moveable. Also, the Double clips on either side of the skirt armor can come off (but cannot also attach to the gun). The multi-launchers on either side of the neck are just parts that swap out for open and closed modes. Additionally, the saber can come out and it has a transparent beam that inserts into it. This kit also comes with a “Advance of Zeta MS Guide” that includes pictures from the photonovel, detailed information on the Hazel, and parts of the manga. Even though its all in Japanese, its a great way to see AoZ in a new light.

All in all, I’m very satisfied… especially for waiting for so long. This kit seems to act as a test unit for both the Titans and Bandai, as it tries out many new UC Gundam Designs as well as new designs Bandai has thought up for their future HGUC releases. The double joint in the arm, the quasi-polycap/plastic parts, the new shield attachments… all things you won’t find on any other HGUC kit. This kit definetly defines itself as a new breed of HGUC, and the fact that its already sold out or on Backorder on most websites proves it.