From a fantastic debut battle to an infamous post credits scene ‘gesture’, the Gundam Aerial Rebuild truly made a memorable first impression. And Bandai Spirits is capitalizing on the hype as they have already revealed packaging illustrations for the HG Gundam Aerial Rebuild a month ahead of its release.
Unlike the High Grade IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS line where the packaging design changed between the first and second seasons, the High Grade THE WITCH FROM MERCURY line retains the same clean aesthetic that I really liked. Couple that with the main mobile suit illustration that’s not contained by the borders of its background. And yes, it doesn’t have that tried and tested Gundam-staring-at-the-barrel pose.
There’s not much I can say for the packaging since I’ve already covered its features and gimmicks when it was first revealed. You can check out the details here. What I didn’t cover back then was a comparison between the original Aerial and the upcoming Aerial Rebuild, so here it is.
Besides the obvious design changes, Aerial Rebuild has a lot less red and uses a darker shade of blue, possibly alluding to the darker tones the series will take. There’s also less yellow, totally absent on the torso and with the grill-like details on the knee armor remaining, as well as those on the rear thruster pods.
I also wanted to mention how the way Aerial became Aerial Rebuild is similar to how Exia became 00, visually speaking. There’s a lot less curves and more hard angles, as well as a more cohesive silhouette. The design is still unique overall, but not as different as the Aerial was when first introduced.
Either way, I am getting this kit, hopefully in the first production run as the Aerial was quite scarce, and it still is.
HG 1/144 Gundam Aerial Rebuild
March 18, 2023 / ¥1,700
Order via HobbyLink Japan
