Remember “Nostalgic Fiction Gundam: Beast”? YU-MO 1/144 Hundred Edge

I bet no one expected this coming.

Back in 2009, an artist / doujin circle named “Atelier Tobuio” released a book called Nostalgic Fiction Gundam: Beast which contained designs of a non-existent, and certainly unofficial, Gundam series where the mobile suits transform into animal-based forms, hence the Gundam: Beast title.

Most of the designs, including the protagonist unit Gundam Hundred was done by Kuramochi Kyoryu, who eventually went to do mechanical designs for the licensed manga Mobile Suit Gundam Valpurgis. Images of the Gundam: Beast designs have since spread throughout the internet with many really appreciating their concept. That said, it being essentially a fan-fiction would mean kits of these designs would never come out… until today!

Kuramochi Kyoryu has been working with Wave all this time to bring these designs to life as the Code Beast series. They even created the new YU-MO line of kits for his designs. They had to remove all the Gundam-related visual cues but at least we’re finally getting kits of these great designs.

The first of these new kits is of course the derivative of the XZM-FE05G Gundam Hundred, the aptly named XZM-FE05 Hundred Edge. Besides the removal of the iconic Gundam faceplate, they also changed the (also iconic) Gundam tri-colors and replaced with with a mixture of black and white with orange highlights. Other than these, most of the design elements from the original Gundam Hundred were carried over, including the lion head on the chest and those small rear binders. The same design aesthetic also carry through the transformation into lion mode with the transformation itself not needing any additional parts.

Being a design based off a lion, you can expect the same amount of articulation and agility in this kit. For weapons, the kit includes a sword, rifle and shield. In addition, multiple 3mm hardpoints are also found all over the kit so you could definitely customize with after-market parts.

Personally, I’m not getting this kit as I don’t collect 1/100 scale of Gundam-sized robots. That said, those who really liked the Gundam: Beast designs would get a blast with this kit. You can even modify it to look exactly like the original designs. For more information regarding this kit, you can check out the clip they’ve released below.