The All-Japan Model & Hobby Show 2024 happened last weekend, and as much as I’m always looking forward to this show for new model kit announcements, this year was kind of a dud, especially for Gunpla outside for a couple of items. If you found anything notable during the show then I’m glad that something has captured your excitement. As for me, here’s that couple of items, and the one I’m looking at buying is an exclusive.
RG Shining Gundam
We’re still in the 30th anniversary of Mobile Fighter G Gundam, so it’s no surprise that we are getting a rather significant release to commemorate this milestone. Outside of the continuous release of HGFC kits for the five Shuffle Alliance Gundams, Bandai Spirits has announced a companion piece to the RG God Gundam released in 2022, the RG Shining Gundam.
I’m actually reminded of the old Master Grade kit when it comes to the proportions, especially the slimmer central blue section of the lower torso. Other than that, it looks quite good especially when displayed with the God Gundam.
And of course, the Shining Gundam is able to transform into its Super Mode with all the sliding and opening armor pieces to reveal gold inner mechanics. I’m inclined to think this gold isn’t chrome and probably along the lines of the gold parts we got for the Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam. The face plate also appears to have an opening feature instead of face or head swapping, but I could be wrong here. The Shining Finger also looks to be made from the same finish as the gold parts for the Super Mode, except that it’s in metallic green.
If you’re a fan of the series or Real Grades in general, then this is a no brainer purchase. As for me, I’ll probably skip it. No release or pricing information has been revealed during the show.
RG Nu Gundam [Double Fin Funnel Type] (Gundam SIDE-F Exclusive)
The Gundam SIDE-F attraction in Fukuoka continues to dish out variations of the RG Nu Gundam following the original and the Long-Range Fin Funnel versions. December last year saw the First Lot version which is a straight recolor of the original, but the exclusive for this December is more interesting.
The exclusive this December is the RG Nu Gundam [Double Fin Funnel Type], which appeared in the Char’s Counterattack MSV design variation series. Now, despite being called the Double Fin Funnel Type, the kit doesn’t appear to have double the number of Fin Funnels and just has the existing ones distributed among the two mounting points at the back. This may sound Bandai Spirits being cheap but it does make sense as the weight of twice the number of Fin Funnels would make the kit impractical.
Outside of this, the kit does feature new parts on the shoulders and most notably the head as the face plate now features two slit vents instead of signature three of the Nu Gundam. The side vents are now single recessed areas, similar to the Zeta Gundam, instead of the grills of the original. The chest vents also get a new gray center piece with a yellow outline instead of the yellow grills. Finally, the kit appears to include a new beam rifle.
As mentioned, this is exclusive to Gundam SIDE-F so unless you’re going to Japan this December, you’ll need to hop to your preferred middleman service to get this kit.
RG 1/144 Nu Gundam [Double Fin Funnel Type]
December 2024 / ¥5,400
Gundam SIDE-F Exclusive
As disappointing as this may sound, at least my bank account won’t be further hit by additional pre-orders. I say this as all the Black Friday sales are just over the horizon.
