March was a month full of some interesting releases and announcements for the world of Gunpla. We got some Gundam Base exclusives, some updated re-releases, some brand new additions, and an English release of one of the official Gunpla guides. Let’s dive into the Gunpla news for March 2022, starting with the new products.
Shelong Finally Gets a High Grade
From Mobile Suit Gundam Wing comes the Shenlong Gundam, joining the HG series for the first time ever. The HG Shenlong will include the mobile suit’s signature Dragon Fang arm and extending gimmick, as well as the beam glaive, shield, and some optional hands. All in all, it’s a fairly basic kit and is scheduled to release in September of 2022. With the announcement of this kit, all the main hero mobile suits have joined the HG line. Alongside them are the grunt mobile suits, Leo and Maganac, for general release. The Vayeate and Mercurius got a P-Bandai exclusive, double-pack release in 2021 but have not been made available separately or outside of P-Bandai. Sadly, HG kits of the Tallgeese and Epyon have yet to be produced.
Gundam Base Exclusives
Like clockwork, the Gundam Base continues to get some of the coolest exclusive releases as part of the Gunpla news for March 2022. Purchasing these kits outside of Japan will be a hurdle and most likely scalped beyond belief, but they are undoubtedly wonderful shelf pieces due to unique coloring or other gimmicks. The two released in March are no different: The SD Gundam Cross Silhouette THE GUNDAM BASE Limited RX-78-2 Gundam and The Master Grade THE GUNDAM BASE Limited Gundam Dynames [Clear Color] take some great existing kits and add a unique twist. Clear parts are fairly common alternate kits, but the dark green of the Dynames lends itself really well to translucent pieces and I would absolutely kitbash those with the standard release.
The SD RX-78-2 is just a standard re-color using the Gundam Base color scheme. I am an absolute sucker for these kits, though, as this dark blue with the light blue highlight is a great combo on more simplistic mobile suit designs like the RX-78-2. The Cross Silhouette SD line is actually one I don’t mind too much. They aren’t extremely lacking in detail and the Cross Frame gimmick allows you to add said frame to give a little bit more size and articulation to this line of SD kits. If you can get either kit for not too far above MSRP (accounting for shipping and the like) grab them if you have any interest.
Big Arms and Big Feet — Upgraded Re-Releases
Both the Hi-Resolution 1/100 Scale Gundam Astray Red Frame Powered Red and the Master Grade Rick Dom received tweaked and updated re-issues as part of the Gunpla news for March 2022. I don’t have any experience with the Hi-Resolution line of Gunpla, but this version of Astray is a very crazy design. Hi-Resolution kits come with a pre-built inner frame and some glossy and metallic finished parts, with the occasional die-cast pieces for that extra flair. This kit in particular is largely a re-issue of one of the first Hi-Resolution kits, just with different arm parts to make it the biggest Hi-RM yet. These kits usually carry a premium price, and this is no exception, with MSRP being around $150 USD.
On the flip side, the Master Grade Rick Dom saw an upgrade with a modified exterior and internal structure, more accurate color in the molding, enlarged backpack and rear skirt armor, and the soles are more accurate with mechanic details of the space vernier. It’s a pretty no-frills mono-eye kit and comes with some premium water-slide decals. If you want something a bit more beefy than your standard Zaku’s with a cool-colored scheme to match, this is a great, easy MG kit.
Metal Build Hi-Nu Pre-Orders Sell Out, Surprising No One
In the “no surprise at all” section of the Gunpla new for March 2022, The Metal Build Hi-Nu preorders went live in March and sold out in a flash. Last year, the RG Hi-Nu was the victim of scalping and I imagine this kit is no different. With an MSRP of $300 USD, this is going to go for ludicrous amounts on the secondhand market, but this kit absolutely earns all of that. The RG Hi-Nu is one of my favorite builds ever, with mine taking 3rd place at a local competition and winning me several prizes. I almost wish I would have got this instead of my Perfect Grade Unleashed RX-78-2, but I’m content with just admiring it from afar.
The Official English Release of Ten Essential Techniques To Achieve Absolute Mastery of GUNPLA
In a surprising twist, to cap off the Gunpla news for March 2022, Bandai published an official English ebook version of their Ten Essential Techniques To Achieve Absolute Mastery of GUNPLA guide. This ebook contains several advanced techniques to learn, but uses the humble Entry Grade RX-78-2 for every lesson. I highly recommend this for anyone wanting to learn about finishing, weathering, and custom works. At $16 USD, this is an amazing reference and tutorial piece.
That’s all for the Gunpla news for March 2022 roundup. Check back in May as we cover all of April’s happenings!
